MAM
Havas Group India forays into Eastern India; collaborates with Kolkata-based agency QED
Mumbai: Paris-headquartered global advertising conglomerate Havas Group India has announced its foray into eastern India through a strategic tie-up between Havas Worldwide India and Kolkata-based digital marketing agency Quite Easily Done (QED).
The new entity, Havas QED, will partner with Havas Creative Group India, which has agencies, including Havas Worldwide India (creative), Havas CX (customer experience), Think Design (UI/UX), Conran Design Group Mumbai (design) and Shobiz (experiential). The agency will be led by QED founder & CEO Anisha Singh Motwani who will report to Havas Worldwide India (Creative) managing director Manas Lahiri. This collaboration aims to further drive the creative and digital excellence of Havas Creative Group India, the group stated.
Havas Group India has been strengthening and expanding its core products over the last three years through acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic alliances. To add to this momentum, Havas Group India is now expanding its geographical footprint in India, with eastern India as the next stop to pursue potential opportunities.
Talking about the expansion, Havas Group India Group CEO Rana Barua stated, “Over the previous two years, we went from three to 10 companies through acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic alliances, adding agencies such as Conran Design Group, Havas CX, Think Design, and Shobiz Havas under the creative umbrella. Media saw the addition of verticals including Havas Content, Havas Sports and Entertainment, Havas Market, and a strategic alliance with Tribes. This has resulted in tremendous growth and has propelled our reputation in the industry. Eastern India, without a doubt, offers unexplored commercial potential. This strategic alliance, I believe, is the first resolute step in the market and opens the door to the possibility of our fourth village in India, in the future.”
“We’ve been working with Anisha and the QED team for the past two years, and she’s one of the most promising entrepreneurs in India,” said Manas Lahiri. “This partnership is the best cultural fit for us, and I’m certain that our collaboration will help us add many new clients and write a new chapter in our growth journey,” he further added.
Founded in 2015, QED specialises in crafting captivating brand stories through content, design, creative communication, social media marketing strategies, SMS and email business communication, digital advertising, SEO, and paid search advertisements. The agency handles a wide range of clients including Nicco Park, The Park Hotels, Flurys, Heritage Dining, Indo-British Scholars Association, and many others. With over 15 years of experience in marketing, Motwani’s strength and forte lies in brand-building. She has been featured by Entrepreneurs of India in their #StartupStories feature in 2019, and in the Leading Women Entrepreneurs of India 2020 by Insights Success. Recognised as one of the most influential businesswomen of the year 2022 by Innovative Zone, she was also awarded the Woman Entrepreneur Award in 2022 by Great Companies.
QED CEO & founder Anisha Singh Motwani stated, “Our collaboration with Havas Worldwide India has been moving from strength to strength. This strategic alliance is an organic step towards further strengthening our partnership with the agency. I am confident that we will continue to deliver ground-breaking work together.”
MAM
Hyphen launches sunscreen campaign featuring Kriti Sanon as SPF Police
Campaign drives SPF habit; Blinkit tie-up enables instant sunscreen delivery.
MUMBAI: No SPF, no mercy Kriti Sanon is out patrolling your skincare routine. Hyphen has rolled out a new campaign film starring its Co-Founder and Chief Customer Officer Kriti Sanon, who steps into a playful alter ego as the brand’s “SPF Police”, turning sunscreen reminders into a full-blown public service announcement with a wink. The campaign kicked off with a cheeky social media tease suggesting Sanon had “stepped down” from her role, sparking chatter online before the brand revealed the twist: she hasn’t gone anywhere, she has simply taken on an additional avatar, one dedicated to ensuring people do not skip sunscreen.
The film leans into humour to drive home a serious point. In a slice-of-life setting, Sanon intercepts a gym-goer about to step out without sunscreen, promptly handing over Hyphen’s ‘All I Need Sunscreen’, which arrives instantly via Blinkit. The message is clear: forgetting SPF is no longer a valid excuse when it can be delivered in minutes.
Beyond the laughs, the campaign taps into a well-known gap in everyday skincare habits. Sunscreen, despite being one of the most recommended steps, is often the most ignored. By gamifying the reminder through an “SPF Police” persona, Hyphen aims to turn a routine into a reflex.
The multi-stage rollout from intrigue-led teasers to the final film has been designed to spark conversation while embedding the brand into daily behaviour. It also spotlights Hyphen’s quick commerce partnership with Blinkit, positioning accessibility as a key enabler of consistency.
Sanon, who remains closely involved in product development and brand strategy, noted that the idea stemmed from a simple insight: skincare works best when it is easy, habitual and hard to ignore. The campaign reflects that philosophy equal parts science, storytelling and a nudge you cannot quite escape.
The film is now live across Hyphen and Blinkit’s digital platforms, with further activations expected to extend the campaign’s reach and perhaps keep the SPF Police on duty a little longer.
