MAM
McCann-Erickson is Cadbury Schweppes’ AOR for Dentyne
NEW JERSEY: Cadbury Schweppes has selected McCann-Erickson Worldwide Advertising as its global advertising agency for Dentyne chewing gum and certain other non-chocolate confectionery brands. The total billings exceed $60 million.
An official release informs that the Dentyne franchise includes Dentyne Classic, Dentyne Ice, and the recently launched Dentyne Fire, a spicy cinnamon gum. Other brands awarded to McCann include Clorets, Certs, Max Air (Mexico), Deemints (Latin America), and the Dandy chewing gum brands in Europe — STIMOROL, V6 and DIROL. These brands came together in one company earlier this year, when Cadbury Schweppes acquired the Adams confectionery business from Pfizer the release states.
Cadbury Schweppes’ group director of Adams Brands and Gum Rob Desatnick said, “We selected McCann Erickson on the strength of their global capabilities, excellent creative work and outstanding consumer insights.We believe our interests are best served by maintaining partnerships with two global ad agencies. We are very pleased with our continuing relationship with J. Walter Thompson Company, which will remain unchanged.” JWT is the agency of record (AOR) for Halls cough drops, Trident gum and the Bubba brands. These are Bubblicious, Bubbaloo and BubbaXtreme.
The previous agency for Dentyne and many of the other brands awarded to McCann was Bates Worldwide. Its former parent company, Cordiant Communications Group, was recently acquired by the WPP Group. WPP also owns JWT.
Digital
India leads global adoption of ChatGPT Images 2.0 in first week
From anime avatars to fantasy covers, users turn AI visuals into culture
NEW DELHI: India has emerged as the largest user base for ChatGPT Images 2.0, just a week after its launch by OpenAI, underlining the country’s growing influence on global internet trends.
While the tool was introduced as an advanced image-generation upgrade within ChatGPT, Indian users are quickly reshaping its purpose. Instead of sticking to productivity-led use cases, many are embracing it as a creative playground for self-expression, storytelling and online identity.
From anime-style portraits and cinematic headshots to tarot-inspired visuals and fictional newspaper front pages, the model is being used to create highly stylised, shareable content. Features such as accurate text rendering, multilingual prompts and the ability to generate detailed visuals with minimal input have helped drive rapid adoption.
What sets the latest model apart is its ability to “think” through prompts, generating multiple outputs and adapting to context, including real-time web inputs. But the bigger story lies in how users are engaging with it.
In India, trends are already taking shape. Popular formats include dramatic studio-style lighting edits, LinkedIn-ready headshots, manga-inspired avatars, soft pastel “spring” aesthetics, AI-led fashion moodboards, paparazzi-style visuals and fantasy newspaper covers. Users are also restoring old photographs, creating tarot-style imagery and experimenting with futuristic design concepts.
Local flavour is adding another layer. Prompts such as cinematic portrait collages and Y2K-inspired romantic edits are gaining traction, blending global aesthetics with distinctly Indian internet culture.
The surge reflects a broader shift in how AI tools are being used in the country, moving beyond utility to creativity. As younger users, creators and social media enthusiasts experiment with new visual formats, AI-generated imagery is increasingly becoming part of everyday digital expression.
If early trends hold, ChatGPT Images 2.0 may not just be a tech upgrade but a cultural moment, giving millions a new visual language to play with online.
