MAM
Films focus on noise pollution, street kids, water conservation
MUMBAI: Communications and media operations agency ICOMO Advertising Pvt. Ltd and IMS Learning Resources have come together to produce three public interest films – Noise Pollution, Water Conservation and Street Children.
In the film Water Conservation, a mime artist performs his daily ablutions. The film adopts a humorous approach to drive home a shocking fact – that each of us could be wasting more than 200 litres of water everyday.
The protagonist in Noise Pollution stands next to a blaring loudspeaker without flinching. Super human powers or plain deafness? Where exactly will continuous exposure to noise lead you? The film addresses the issue.
Street Children is on the inspiring life of Ram Naresh Jaiswal – a man who has tried to make life better for 40 street children in his business even though he requires only 20 of them. Jaiswal has accommodated the street children in his small one-room house, and has adopted a girl whom he found in a local train compartment.
Says IMS managing director Kamlesh Sajnani, “Our motto is to guide students not only in their academic pursuits but also in dealing with other issues in life. We were keen to back these projects and reach out to a wide range of students across India”. These films are being screened in top theatres, multiplexes in major cities across India, have a simple yet strong message. An appealing style of narration makes these three films different from the usual kind of public service messages one gets exposed to. Further there is an extensive poster campaign that is also being carried out at the colleges.”
ICOMO Advertising MD Sandeep Verma said, “Extensive research and constant surveys conducted by us as part of their services revealed that there was a need to voice out social issues, mostly related to the youth, through relevant media. Thus ICONCERN was born – ICOMO’s initiative to create social awareness communication.”
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
