MAM
KV Sridhar joins SapientNitro
MUMBAI: World is surely moving towards digital, maybe that’s why KV Sridhar (Pops) decided to join digital agency SapientNitro.
Very excited to join this new breed of agency which is redefining storytelling, he wrote on his facebook page. He will join the agency as chief creative officer in India, starting 1 July.
After spending 17 years in Leo Burnett, his exit left everyone shocked. A t the time of leaving the agency Pops had said, “It has been a purposeful journey for me at Leo Burnett, growing with and having a chance to play a key role in shaping the agency’s creative prowess. I have had the opportunity to work with and get to be friends with some of the brightest creative minds in the world, work on some of the most exciting campaigns, with some of the most amazing clients. I wish Saurabh Varma (CEO of the agency in India) and Leo Burnett great success.”
His current move has left everyone surprised as well. On his appointment, he said, “I am excited about joining SapientNitro, it allows me to connect with the new generation. This is something completely future facing, there are very few senior guys actually embracing new media today.”
Leo Burnett recently replaced Pops with BBDO’s RajDeepak Das, who will head the agency’s creative function across India.
SapientNitro, part of Sapient, is a USA-based agency with interests in what it calls integrated, omni-channel commerce. The agency has offices in 31 cities spread across The Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
Globally, the agency has over 1,000 clients including names such as Chrysler, Citi, The Coca-Cola Company, Lufthansa, Target and Vodafone.
MAM
Lego brings Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappé, Vinicius together
Campaign clocks 314 million views ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 buzz.
MUMBAI: Four legends, one frame and not a single tackle in sight. Lego has pulled off a crossover few thought possible, uniting Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior in a single campaign ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 only this time, they’re building dreams brick by brick.
Titled “Everyone wants a piece”, the campaign features the quartet assembling a Lego version of the World Cup trophy, before placing miniature versions of themselves atop it, a playful nod to football’s ultimate prize. Shared widely across social media, the ad carries a pointed disclaimer: it is not AI-generated, a subtle but telling signal in an era where even reality is often questioned.
The numbers tell their own story. The campaign has already crossed 314 million views on Instagram across the players’ accounts, with fans hailing it as a rare, almost nostalgic moment particularly for the reunion of Messi and Ronaldo, whose last shared campaign ahead of the 2022 World Cup became one of the platform’s most-liked posts.
Beyond the film, Lego is extending the play with exclusive, player-themed sets tied to each of the four stars, part of a broader football-led programme designed to ride the global momentum building towards 2026. The idea, as echoed by the players themselves, leans into the parallels between football and play experimentation, creativity, failure, and triumph.
Messi described the sets as a way to bring on-pitch moments into an imaginative, hands-on world, while Ronaldo called the transformation into a Lego figure a rare honour, blending sport with storytelling. Vinícius, meanwhile, struck a more personal note, recalling childhood moments of building with Lego and framing creativity as a universal language that transcends borders.
The timing is no accident. With the 2026 World Cup set to run from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico, and featuring an expanded 48-team format, global anticipation is already building. Argentina, led by Messi, will enter as defending champions, adding another layer of intrigue.
For Lego, the campaign does more than celebrate football, it taps into its mythology. Because when icons become figurines and rivalries turn into play, the beautiful game finds a new kind of pitch. one built, quite literally, by hand.
