MAM
HARMAN & Tata strengthen partnership with HARMAN Ignite platform launch
Mumbai: HARMAN today announced that Tata Motors, an automobile manufacturer, has selected the HARMAN Ignite Store as its in-vehicle app store, bringing easily accessible, reliable and safe mobility experiences to more customers across a new geographical region. For the past decade, HARMAN and Tata Motors have collaborated to deliver cutting-edge intelligent cockpits and car audio products in India, with HARMAN’s R&D and manufacturing facilities in India playing a pivotal role in meeting the demands of Tata Motors’ expanding market presence.
HARMAN Ignite Store is a safe and secure automotive platform, fully compliant with Android Automotive Operating System (AAOS) standards that connects OEMs with developers to provide consumers unique in-vehicle digital experiences. Consumers can connect with their favorite digital services in the car, through an intuitive, safe, and secure interface. With HARMAN Ignite Store, OEMs and developers can realise lucrative digital revenue streams via new business models creating a stand-out and personalized driver experience for their customers. OEMs remain in control of the app catalogue, the app store’s look and feel, and the commercial relationship with the end-user.
Through the new partnership with Tata Motors, the HARMAN Ignite Store is powering Arcade.ev, the automaker’s recently launched built-in app suite available in the market-leading Nexon.ev, India’s best-selling SUV, as well as in the Punch.ev. The list of apps will be continuously extended. The initial content partners include Gaana, Jio Saavn, Jio Pages, Beach Buggy Racing, TuneIn RadioPocketcasts, DASH Radio, Radioline, Trebble FM, Gaming and Video Apps.
“We are delighted to collaborate with Tata Motors and bring India its first integrated in-vehicle app store,” said HARMAN International senior director of HARMAN Ignite Store Jens Beckmann. “HARMAN Ignite Store continues to bring unique in-vehicle app experiences from our developer partners — delivering on what consumers expect, today.”
“Our relationship with HARMAN allows us to keep consumers connected to the content that is most important to them, while also delivering experiences that enhance their drive,” said Tata Motors chief product officer for EV Anand Kulkani. “Our customers want to bring their digital lives along with them on the road, with HARMAN Ignite Store our new Nexon.ev and Punch.ev vehicles deliver that for them, seamlessly.”
HARMAN Ignite Store is designed to meet the rigorous demands and standards of the automotive environment — a value proposition that HARMAN calls ‘Consumer Experiences. Automotive Grade.’ It brings OEMs and Android developers together to make in-vehicle experiences easily accessible, reliable, and safe while providing OEMs and developers the opportunity to monetize these high-quality experiences throughout the lifetime of the vehicle.
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.
