MAM
Get your read on: ITC Hotels’ latest perk for guests
NEW DELHI: Keeping in view the new normal of today's times, ITC Hotels and select Welcome Hotels have enabled contactless ‘smart reading zones’ in association with Magzter. The guests will now have unlimited free access to 5,000+ popular magazines and newspapers on the Magzter app. ITC Hotels’ guests can enjoy reading the magazines and newspapers on their mobile devices while they are anywhere inside the hotel premises – whether it is the room, the restaurants, the conference hall, the lobby, or the spa. This facility can be accessed by anyone entering the property, including in-house guests, customers of other services, visitors and employees.
These magazines and newspapers also spread across 60+ widely spoken languages including English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Gujarati and Spanish. Some of the popular titles that can be read for free in these smart reading zones include The Times of India, Hindustan Times, Business Standard, The New Indian Express, India Today, Filmfare, Cosmopolitan, Forbes India, National Geographic Magazine, Lonely Planet Magazine India, and Tinkle.
ITC Hotels COO Anil Chadha stated, “We have pioneered sustainable practices in hospitality. The association with Magzter is a one-of-its-kind offering by ITC Hotels. It caters to people of all age groups and with diverse interests. While businessmen can stay updated with leading business magazines and newspapers, family travellers can relax by binge-reading popular fashion, lifestyle and entertainment magazines. Kids are sure to love reading their favourite comics in an exciting digital format too.”
Magzter Inc CEO Girish Ramdas stated, “We always strive to provide solutions to real-world problems with our product and innovative ideas. During these unprecedented times, we’re immensely pleased to partner with ITC Hotels and turn all their properties into smart reading zones. We firmly believe that guests will love indulging in unlimited reading on the Magzter app even as they enjoy the world-class hospitality of ITC Hotels.”
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.
