AD Agencies
Maitri Advertising shines at Goafest 2024
Mumbai: Maitri Advertising Works made history at Goafest 2024, India’s premier advertising award show, by becoming the first agency from Kerala to win the coveted Grand Prix. In addition to this top honour, Maitri earned a silver, a bronze, and three merit awards, solidifying its position as a leader in the South Indian advertising industry.
The highlight of Maitri’s success was a five-minute promotional film for Netflix’s popular series “Sex Education,” featuring popular actress Shakeela. The film, which depicts a humorous yet informative scenario of a driving lesson that turns into a sex education class, stood out for its creative storytelling and tasteful approach. The campaign went viral, drawing significant media attention and acclaim.
“Shakeela is often linked to soft porn films that distort the essence of sexual relationships. In our film, we sought to redefine this narrative by embracing a positive stance on sex education, even with Shakeela’s participation. With the boundless creativity of our young team and the unwavering support of Netflix, we achieved this vision,” remarked R. Venugopal, Ideation Director at Maitri.
Francis Thomas, Group Creative Director, noted the transformative changes in the advertising landscape over recent years. “For the last couple of years, there have been revolutionary changes in the advertising field,” he said. He emphasized the shift from producing single-language ads and dubbing them into multiple languages to creating original content in five South Indian languages. “This is a recognition of the strong support from the market towards such content,” Thomas added.
Chairman C. Muthu highlighted “Big companies starting from Muthoot Finance, Swiggy, Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar to Crafton Games have partnered with Maitri because of their expertise in the creative and tactical skills developed over the years,”. Managing Director Raju Menon celebrated this achievement, stating, “This is not just a win for Maitri but for the innovation and inclusivity in Indian advertising and the beginning of a new era in advertising.”
With 28 years of experience, Maitri operates offices in Kochi, Trivandrum, Maldives, Seychelles, and Bangalore. Their extensive client list includes Mathrubhumi, Muthoot Finance, AVT, Kerala Tourism, myG, Lazza Icecreams, KLF Nirmal Industries, Brahmins (Wipro), Asianet, Swiggy, Amul, IM Galvanised Steel Pipes, Alappat Jewellery, Hyundai, Kerala Vision, KSIDC, KINFRA, Oushadhi, and Kottakkal.
Maitri’s remarkable performance at Goafest 2024 is a milestone for the agency and a testament to the innovative and inclusive nature of the Indian advertising industry.
AD Agencies
WPP appoints Hephzibah Pathak CEO of WPP Creative India
Ogilvy India chair takes charge of unified creative model in key market
NEW DELHI: WPP has appointed Hephzibah Pathak as chief executive officer of WPP Creative India, putting a local leader at the helm of its newly created creative operating model in one of its most important growth markets.
The move brings clarity to how WPP’s global restructuring will play out in India, weeks after the group unveiled WPP Creative as part of its Elevate28 strategy. The unit sits alongside WPP Media, WPP Production and WPP Enterprise Solutions, and is designed to simplify what the company previously described as an overly complex structure.
Pathak, who continues as executive chairperson of Ogilvy India, will represent all agencies under the WPP Creative umbrella in India. Her role centres on driving integration across brands, expanding capabilities and ensuring clients can tap into the network’s full talent pool without friction.
WPP said Pathak will work closely with agency brand CEOs to “enhance integration, expand capabilities, and ensure seamless client access”, while maintaining the distinct identities of its agencies.
The portfolio under WPP Creative includes leading networks such as VML, Landor, AKQA and Grey, along with Burson and its affiliated firms. Leaders across these agencies will now report into Pathak, even as each brand continues to operate independently within a unified system.
The appointment also formalises a dual-track strategy in India, preserving agency identities while accelerating collaboration. Pathak is expected to work closely with media leadership to align creative and media capabilities, reflecting growing client demand for integrated, multi-market solutions.
WPP Creative global CEO Jon Cook has described the unit as “not an agency” but an operating system that helps creative, design and PR brands work together more effectively. The group has been clear that it is not merging or phasing out legacy agency brands, instead aiming to reduce complexity on the client side.
Pathak brings nearly three decades of experience within the network, having joined in 1997 and held roles ranging from Mumbai office head to chief client officer. She made history in 2024 as the first woman to lead Ogilvy India in its 95-year presence in the country.
Her expanded mandate positions India at the centre of WPP’s Asia-Pacific strategy, with a focus on strengthening brand presence, deepening client relationships and unlocking growth in a fast-evolving market.
The appointment signals WPP’s intent to move beyond the traditional holding company model towards a more integrated, AI-enabled structure. With Pathak now steering WPP Creative India, the group appears set to test whether simpler structures can indeed deliver sharper creative outcomes.
