MAM
Infectious Advertising bags global digital mandate for MyGenie
MUMBAI: Infectious Advertising has bagged the digital advertising mandate for MyGenie, a newly launched product from ITPeopleNetwork LLC, based in Illinois, Chicago.
MyGenie is an online marketplace for employers and workforces. Currently, the platform caters to the Information Technology sector in the US by providing opportunities to both employers and workforce to fulfill project requirements (skilled experts, tools, and accelerators) to successfully deliver business results.
Infectious will manage social media presence, paid media creative and digital collaterals and activations for MyGenie.
‘‘MyGenie is a fantastic platform that gives both employers and employees flexibility as well as access. It’s our honour to be chosen by them as their creative partner and we look forward to building the brand together,” Infectious director & co-founder Nisha Singhania said.
“MyGenie’, the workplace of the future, will be the ‘New Normal’ – an evolutionary idea about the disruptive marketplace whose time has come. Super chuffed to have been chosen to partner this game-changing business,” Infectious director & co-founder Ramanuj Shastry said.
“MyGenie (www.mygenienetwork.com) is an ingenious, innovative, and state-of-the-art employer-workforce engagement marketplace. It re-defines how "Opportunities" are designed and offered, “Breakdowns” prevalent dysfunctional models, and re-imagines "Workplace" of the future. We chose Infectious as our partner for our dream project because of their broad range of expertise, creative abilities, and customer service. MyGenie’s ambitions growth trajectory will depend on two crucial factors, first, the direction in which we are heading (innovative idea), and second, the momentum at which the joint team is propelling it (thrust). I believe we are on our way to achieving stratospheric growth for MyGenie.,” ITPeopleNetwork CEO Amit Dutta said.
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.
