MAM
Incredible India tourism promo campaign draws to an end
NEW DELHI: The ministry of tourism and culture has taken another step in its endeavour to promote tourism in the country.
With an objective of positioning `India as unique and preferred destination for tourism’, the ministry had rolled out a `multi-million dollar’campaign titled “Incredible India” in Europe, Asia Pacific region, the Middle East and the US.
The three-month long advertising campaign, launched early this year, shows the numerous facets of India’s cultural heritage and geographical diversity. The campaign has been jointly funded by ministry and Experience India Society, which is an association of travel agents in India.
The print campaign has been created by Ogilvy & Mather, Delhi, while the television commercial has been created by Enterprise Nexus, Mumbai. The media account was handled by WPP Group’s Maximize India. In addition to this, Grey Interactive was briefed to work on the website (www.tourismofindia.com) and acquaint domestic and international travelers with the range of experiences offered through the use of ad banners.
“We have focused on the fact that India has plenty to offer. India is one country with thousands of places worth visiting. It’s a country which has beaches and snow, plenty of water bodies and roads. So it’s a country of tremendous contrast,” says Enterprise Nexus (Mumbai) executive director Anil Sanjeevan.
The television commercial is being aired in Asia Pacific and European countries on BBC, CNN and Discovery. In the US, the commercial is being aired on Travel Channel. CNN has also been chosen for Africa and Middle East.
For print, the renowned print publications in Europe and Asia Pacific such as Conde Naste traveler , Tutotourismo, Geo, Vogue,Tattler, Financial Times have been chosen while in the US, The New York Times is being used.
The ministry will measure the efficacy of this campaign through the hits on its web site and also feedback given to Indian tourism offices in 13 countries.
The spate of unpleasant incidents such as tension between India and Pakistan last year expectedly had its negative impact on the tourist arrivals in the country. The tourism sector continued to suffer as foreign arrivals declined by 7.2 per cent in 2002, following 4.2 per cent negative growth in the previous year.
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.
