MAM
Isobar brings integrated video chatbot tech for Dzire
MUMBAI: Isobar, the digital agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, and Maruti Suzuki have rolled out India’s first Integrated Chatbot. Together, they have launched an innovative video banner with an in–built chatbot on select platforms. This interactive property will allow us to entertain users’ first level queries, thereby educating them about ‘A whole new world of Dzire’ and redirecting them to the main website and enabling a two-way communication with the relevant audience.
Isobar, the agency that handles the digital mandate for Maruti Suzuki India, created this innovation as part of the launch campaign of brand Dzire. The all-new Maruti Suzuki Dzire, with its smooth sedan styling, rich interiors and seamless enhancements, had to be introduced to the market in exciting new formats. Being an existing segment leader, Maruti Suzuki decided to be bold and bring forward the renewed brand message and capture existing and new audiences’ interest.
Commenting on this first of its kind innovation, Sanjeev Handa, VP Marketing said, “The video chat bot used for the All New Dzire is a very exciting innovation for us at Maruti Suzuki. It not only enables two-way communication with our audience, but allows us to immediately address their first level queries, real time and in a very engaging manner. We look forward to sustained quality engagement with consumers in future.”
Gopa Kumar, VP Isobar India, added, “We’re thrilled to be working with Maruti Suzuki and pioneer into the next level of conversational and engaging ad. This being an industry first, provides superior user experience on video and adding this extra level of personalisation with the Chatbot makes them even more powerful. This is also an example of what can be created when a great brand and truly cutting-edge technology team up. We expect this to be the first of many such campaigns as other brands discover the opportunities of Chabot integrations with their video ads.”
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.
