MAM
McDowell’s No1 Soda enters partnership with five IPL teams this season
Mumbai: Diageo India’s flagship brand McDowell’s No1 Soda has announced its association with five IPL teams Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Rajasthan Royals as their ‘celebrations partner’ for the latest season of T20 Cricket.
“This year, McDowell’s No1 Soda plans to take the celebrations that arrive with the cricket season a notch higher with its campaign #No1YaariCheers. The umbrella spirits brand will be using this to enhance its engagement and celebration for this cricket season across languages and regions,” the brand said in a statement.
The brand campaign is ideated and created by the creative team at DDB Mudra. Talking about the creative concept, DDB Mudra executive vice president and business partner Sujay Ghosh said, “McDowell’s No1 has always stood for Yaari and mehfil (gathering). Cricket epitomises both of these. Hence this cricket season, we took the opportunity to create a new way to celebrate. Chants (Cheers) will be the new language of fans and friends this year, powered by the teams and McDowell’s No1 Soda.”
“Cricket is a sporting extravaganza that brings the entire country together with inspiring sporting action that’s a feast for Indians across the length and breadth of the country,” said Diageo India executive vice president and portfolio head – marketing Ruchira Jaitley. “So naturally, we are delighted to be associated with these five iconic teams. Moreover, this cricket season is the perfect platform to bring alive the special moments when yaars connect and make magic happen, whether while playing or else while watching this tournament.
“To further add to the fun and entertainment, we are excited to give fans a chance to cheer for their teams with inspiring and playful language like never before. McDowell’s No1 Soda is proud to share the spirit of Yaari with these amazing teams and build a meaningful new partnership,” Jaitley further said.
“Every win is a celebration not because it is a win but because of all the hard work that goes behind it and this year we are delighted to associate with McDowell’s No1 Soda as our celebration partner and hope our 12th Man Army will join us in celebrations and cheer for the team,” Royal Challengers Bangalore vice-president & head Rajesh Menon said.
A spokesperson for Mumbai Indians stated, “We welcome McDowell’s No1 Soda on board as we go into the fresh season and look forward to creating many opportunities for our fans to celebrate.”
“Walking into a new season with our first win, we are extremely excited to have the iconic McDowell’s No1 Soda who has always resonated and stood for strong bonds of Yaari join us as our Celebration partners. We are excited for what is in store and cannot wait to cheer along with them and our fans through the season as we battle it out to win the trophy.” commented Kolkata Knight Riders chief marketing officer Binda Dey.
Talking about this partnership, Rajasthan Royals CEO Jake Lush McCrum said, “We are pleased to be partnering with McDowell’s No1 Soda and have them support the team this season. We are hoping for a very successful season for the franchise, with many celebratory moments for fans to share with friends and family.”
“Over the last 10 years, we have seen a lot of bonds form amongst our players, both Indian and international, thus making the sport more entertaining for the fans. That is the testimony- that yaars and yaari can truly make things happen. We are excited to have the No1 enabler of friendships, McDowell’s No1 Soda on board this year and forge new bonds through the season,” Sunrisers Hyderabad CEO K. Shanmugam commented on this association.
The fans of the teams can follow the hashtag #No1YaariCheers and share their fun cheers for their favourite team through the season and win exciting prizes, said the statement.
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
