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Madhukar Sabnavis on O&M’s worldwide board
MUMBAI: There seems to be an injection of Indian blood in the senior leadership team of global agencies. Last year, Vikram Sakuja 
became Maxus global CEO and McCann‘s Prasoon Joshi entered the Commonwealth board that was created to service the GM Chevy account. Now Ogilvy & Mather has named 12 new members on its worldwide board, one of them being O&M India vice chairman and country head, discovery and planning Madhukar Sabnavis.
WPP’s global creative agency network announced that Carla Hendra will take over as the vice chairman of its Worldwide Board.
The other new members on the board include Nelly Andersen, Executive Vice President of Global Brands, OgilvyOne Worldwide, Lou Aversano, Chief Operating Officer of Ogilvy East, Brandon Berger, Worldwide Chief Digital Officer, Shenan Chuang, CEO of O&M Greater China, Annette King, CEO of OgilvyOne EAME and Chairman of OgilvyOne London, Paul Matheson, Regional President Strategy and Planning of O&M Asia Pacific, Jaime Prieto, President of Global Brand Management, Ben Richards, Worldwide Head of Integrated Strategy, Gunther Schumacher, Worldwide Chief Operating Officer of OgilvyOne Worldwide, Steve Simpson, Chief Creative Officer of O&M North America and Paul Smith, Regional Creative Director EAME.
O&M board chairman and CEO Miles Young remarked, “These additions represent a wonderful range of our key talent and inject a significant infusion of new blood. Our Board will now be significantly more diverse, and I believe, will be reflective of and useful for many of the debates about content which need to happen at the heart of our business. I am so very pleased to announce that Carla has been elected to the role of Vice Chairman. Carla’s contribution over the years has been enormous, not least recently as the founder and driver of OgilvyRED. As our Board continues to grow, we will need someone with Carla’s laser focus and drive to help harness the diverse talents and viewpoints within our Board to the advantage of the entire agency.”
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Barista partners Ginny Weds Sunny 2 with mango campaign
Cafe chain blends cinema buzz with summer menu and 20 per cent offer.
MUMBAI: Love may brew slowly, but marketing clearly doesn’t especially when coffee meets cinema and mangoes steal the spotlight. Barista Coffee Company has partnered with the upcoming hindi film Ginny Weds Sunny 2 as its official beverage partner, in a move aimed at tapping into youth culture through entertainment-led engagement. The collaboration is not just a logo placement exercise. Instead, Barista is translating the film’s high-energy vibe into its cafés with a themed summer menu titled “Main Hoon Mango”, accompanied by a limited-period 20 per cent discount on combo offerings across outlets.
Actors Medha Shankr and Avinash Tiwary feature in the campaign, seen engaging with the mango-themed menu inside Barista cafés, a visual cue designed to blur the lines between reel and real-life consumption moments.
The strategy reflects a broader shift in how consumer brands are leveraging hindi film industry not just for visibility, but for immersive, on-ground engagement. By embedding the film’s narrative into its product experience, Barista is aiming to drive footfall, especially among younger audiences who increasingly seek experiential touchpoints over traditional advertising.
Barista Coffee Company CEO Rajat Agrawal described the partnership as both a branding and growth play, focused on expanding reach beyond the existing customer base and aligning with evolving consumer preferences.
The emphasis on a seasonal, flavour-led hook mango, one of India’s most culturally resonant ingredients adds a timely layer to the campaign, aligning with summer consumption trends while riding on the film’s promotional momentum.
For Barista, the move is part of a larger positioning shift. Rather than operating purely as a coffee retail chain, the brand is increasingly framing itself as a lifestyle destination, one that intersects with entertainment, conversation and shared experiences. By integrating cinema into its physical spaces, Barista is effectively turning cafés into micro-extensions of the film’s universe, where consumers do not just watch a story unfold but participate in it sip by sip.
The 20 per cent offer further nudges trial, lowering the barrier for consumers to engage with the themed menu while amplifying recall through a tangible incentive.
Brand-film collaborations are hardly new, but their execution is evolving. Where earlier partnerships relied on co-branded ads or product placements, the current playbook leans towards immersive storytelling and retail integration.
In that sense, Barista’s “Main Hoon Mango” push is less about promotion and more about participation inviting consumers to experience a slice of the film within a familiar, everyday setting. As the film industry continues to act as a cultural amplifier, such partnerships underline a growing truth, in today’s attention economy, it is not enough to be seen brands must be experienced.
And if that experience comes with a mango twist and a cinematic backdrop, all the better.
