MAM
KKR gets a new brand identity
MUMBAI: Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla co-owned IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders has got a new brand identity starting season 5 of the IPL.
Created by global branding agency Lambie Nairn, the new design stags with the traditional team colours of purple and gold but incorporates a striking new logo unit.
The new logo is the centerpiece of the franchise‘s marketing campaign for the upcoming IPL season christened ‘New Dawn. New Knights’.
Team owner Shahrukh Khan said, “The new team we put together last year made us proud with the refreshing approach, winning attitude and professionalism they brought to KKR. Add to that our new coach and our new players this year, I am excited about the upcoming season and our new campaign New Dawn. New Knights.”
KKR CEO Venky Mysore said: “We have been fortunate that the KKR brand has become the leading brand in the IPL. We are working very hard to add value to our sponsors, grow our fan base and build a profitable business. I am confident that our new logo and our new campaign will help us achieve our objectives.”
According to Larnbie-Nairn Creative Director Sophie Lutman, the new identity was designed keeping in mind so that it would work across every touch point, from the screen to merchandising.
The new look has been polled out across a wide range of applications including the team Hit, online, social media applications and merchandising.
Post the unveiling of the team’s new logo, replying questions about the uncertainty the IPL following Sahara’s pullout, Shah Rukh said the off-field controversies will have no impact on the league.
“All such leagues in India would be confronted with issues as they are a new concept. But these leagues are needed not only in cricket but also in other sports such as soccer, hockey, badminton… IPL is a very good property,” he said.
He was also unperturbed about the drop in the viewership during last year’s IPL which was held after ICC World Cup.
“It‘s too early to say the passion and viewership for IPL is down. All things popular will have controversies. Slowly it has settled down and will get forward. We should resist the temptation to write it off. Let‘s not jump the gun,” he said.
He was also in favour of a more pro-active role in the running of the league, a long held demand of most IPL franchises.
“Last year and this year there have been a lot of unforeseen issues in the IPL and they have been slowly rising. We all franchise owners have to be active participants and it would be better to be on the board (Governing Council),” Shah Rukh said in response to a query.
“The BCCI is run by a lot of cricketing and thoughtful minds. We are given forums to discuss issues with the BCCI,” he added.
AD Agencies
Omnicom Advertising Asia assembles new regional leadership team
The group is betting that a blend of creative talent, cultural intelligence and AI-driven data can help brands stay relevant in the world’s most complex marketing region.
Asia has long been the market that humbles the overconfident. Omnicom Advertising Asia is determined not to be among them.
The group announced on Monday the formation of a new regional leadership team of six senior executives, reporting to Sean Donovan, president of OA Asia. The structure is designed to help brands navigate a fragmented, fast-moving consumer landscape and build what Donovan calls “long-term cultural relevance” — the kind that survives a news cycle, a platform shift and an algorithm update.
The team
The six appointments span creativity, innovation, strategy, intelligence, business development and marketing, covering the full arc from brand idea to commercial outcome.
Peter Khoury takes on the role of chief creative officer for OA Asia, Melissa Daniels becomes chief innovation officer, and Emmanuel Sabbagh steps up as chief strategy officer. All three take on expanded regional responsibilities while retaining their leadership positions at TBWA\Singapore.
Andreas Krasser broadens his remit to chief client partner for OA Asia, continuing simultaneously as chief executive of OA Hong Kong. Ellie Brocklehurst joins as chief growth and marketing officer, drawing on her previous stint as chief marketing officer for Asia at TBWA. Rounding out the team is S. Subramanyeswar, known in the industry as Subbu, who was appointed chief knowledge officer for OA Asia alongside his role as chief strategy officer of OA India, a position that followed the close of Omnicom’s acquisition of IPG.The pitch
The team will work in close collaboration with leadership across TBWA, McCann and BBDO throughout the OA Asia network, with a brief to cut through the noise of today’s consumer landscape and deliver creative solutions that, in the group’s framing, prove short-term performance while building long-term brand health.
Underpinning the new structure is OMNI, Omnicom’s AI-driven marketing intelligence platform. The platform draws cultural intelligence from across the group’s agency brands, with the stated aim of ensuring that data is not merely accurate but grounded in context — reflecting how people actually think, feel and behave, rather than how a spreadsheet might prefer them to.
Donovan frames the proposition in straightforward terms. “Asia is one of the most complex regions for marketers, but the opportunity here is immense,” he says. “We’ve built a team that simplifies the landscape, combining top talent with an Asia-first, future-focused mindset, and unprecedented access to resources.” The model, he adds, is designed to be plug-and-play, responding to client needs in collaboration with agencies and markets across the region. “More than expertise, it’s about giving clients the perspective, ambition and access to think beyond the next campaign.”
The new structure also strengthens connections across the broader Omnicom family, including its media, production and PR operations — a post-acquisition suite of capabilities that the group is evidently keen to deploy as a single, coherent offering.
In a region where consumer attention is fractured across dozens of platforms, languages and cultures, the real test will not be the org chart. It will be whether six smart people with the right tools can actually make brands matter. Omnicom is putting its money on yes.
