MAM
Jyothy Labs-Henkel brings on board DDB Mudra Max and LMG
MUMBAI: Jyothy Laboratories has awarded the media planning mandate for the recently acquired Henkel portfolio to DDB Mudra Max following a multi-agency pitch. LMG has been awarded the media buying duties for the same.
The pitch saw participation from three of the firm’s roster agencies – DDB Mudra Max, OMD and LMG.
Before the takeover, DDB Mudra Max was in charge of media planning for Jyothy Laboratories and LMG handled its media buying responsibilities. Henkel’s media buying and planning was handled by OMD.
In view of this development, OMD’s responsibilities on the Henkel account have been split between DDB Mudra Max and LMG and it will no longer work on the account.
Speaking to indiantelevision.com DDB Mudra Max president and head media NP Sathyamurthy said, “We have a decade long association with Jyothy Labs and it was our team’s wisdom on the business combined with our ability to provide end-to-end media planning solutions that worked in our favour.”
The Mumbai office of DDB Mudra Max will be handling the account and Sathyamurthy will be in charge.
In totality, the account is estimated to be worth Rs 1.50 billion.
Last year Fabric whitener and detergent maker Jyothy Laboratories bought 51 per cent stake in Henkel AG‘s Indian arm for Rs 5.7 billion.
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.
