MAM
Maddys 2025 crowns India’s best in creative brilliance
MUMBAI: When creativity squared off against innovation, India’s ad world took centre stage. The 43rd edition of Maddys, presented by Dinamalar and powered by Peps, celebrated the finest in creative, media, digital, design and strategy excellence under the theme “AI vs AI – Awesome Ideas vs Awesome Ideas.”
Held in Chennai, Maddys 2025 attracted a record 929 entries across 155 categories from over 106 agencies and clients spanning India and Nepal, making it one of the most competitive editions in its storied history. After a rigorous two-round judging process, 340 entries were shortlisted, culminating in 184 awards, including 4 Grand Prix, 31 Gold, 61 Silver and 76 Bronze.
The gala also featured a high-profile panel discussion, “Awesome Ideas in the Age of AI”, with industry leaders sharing insights on blending human creativity with technological transformation.
Key winners at Maddys 2025 spanned a diverse range of creative and strategic categories. In Creative Maddys, Mind Your Language! was named agency of the year, while Way 2 News took the client of the year title. In Digital Maddys, Advertout Ventures secured agency of the year and ITC Classmate was recognised as client of the year.
The Sight won agency of the year in Media Maddys, with Lingo India Private Limited as the client honouree. In Film & Audio Craft, Kadhai Films was named producer of the year. For Design & Print Craft, Be positive 24 Innovation Design was awarded agency of the year, with art directors Rakesh Gandla and Velu Radhakrishnan, and copywriter Abhishek D Shah receiving individual accolades. In the Regional Pride (Tamil) category, Mind Your Language! and Way 2 News once again took the top honours as agency and client, respectively.
The two-stage evaluation system, overseen by 8 Jury Chairs and 27 industry experts, ensured transparency and fairness, awarding points that contributed to the coveted agency and client of the Year titles across categories.
Advertising Club Madras president S. Balasubramanian said, “Maddys 2025 is about celebrating ideas, celebrating culture, and showcasing how awesome ideas meet awesome ideas. With entries from outside India, this year’s event hints at the global potential of Maddys.”
The evening combined awards, entertainment, and networking, highlighting the evolving creativity landscape while reinforcing Maddys as a benchmark for excellence in India’s advertising and media sectors.
From AI-inspired campaigns to timeless creative brilliance, Maddys 2025 reminded everyone that in the world of ideas, there are no boundaries, only imagination.
Brands
CEAT signs Yashasvi Jaiswal as brand ambassador in multi-year deal
The tyre giant is backing one of Indian cricket’s brightest young stars, deepening a sporting association that goes to the heart of its brand strategy
MUMBAI: CEAT Limited has signed a multi-year partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal, one of Indian cricket’s most electrifying young batters, effective 1st April 2026. The deal adds fresh muscle to the Mumbai-based tyre maker’s long-running bet on cricket as its primary marketing canvas.
Jaiswal’s rapid rise in international cricket made him a coveted name in the sponsorship market. His composure under pressure, consistency across formats and an almost unnerving adaptability at the crease are precisely the qualities CEAT wants consumers to associate with its tyres. The brand has historically aligned itself with cricketers who embody control and dependability, and Jaiswal fits that template with little coaxing.
Anant Goenka, vice-chairman of RPG Group, framed the signing in the language of shared values. “Cricket has always been an integral part of CEAT’s brand journey, and we are delighted to welcome Yashasvi Jaiswal to the CEAT family,” he said. “He is one of the most exciting young talents in Indian cricket today, and the qualities he brings to the game — control, dependability and adaptability — align strongly with the values we stand for as a brand. We believe Yashasvi has the potential to lead across tournaments and formats in the years ahead.”
Jaiswal, for his part, was equally enthusiastic. “I am excited to begin this association with CEAT, a brand that has such a strong legacy in cricket and has been associated with several respected names in the game over the years,” he said. “It is always special to partner with a brand that shares your passion for cricket.”
CEAT, founded in Italy in 1924 and now the flagship company of the US$5.2 billion RPG Group, produces more than 41 million tyres a year and sells across 110 countries. It is the first tyre brand to receive both the Deming Grand Prize from the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers and the World Economic Forum’s Lighthouse Designation for its use of fourth industrial revolution technologies — credentials that suggest a company comfortable playing the long game.
And that, perhaps, is why Jaiswal makes such sense. He is 23, already a Test opener for India, and almost certainly just getting started. For CEAT, signing him now is less a sponsorship and more an investment — in a career, and in a cricket-obsessed market, that has plenty of overs left to play.
