MAM
MindShare takes ‘mostest’ at Emvies 2005; Sony adjudged best marketer
MUMBAI: It was Champagne popping time for Group M’s MindShare, which swept the most awards by far at the Emvies 2005 that were held in Mumbai this evening. It was crowned Media Agency of the Year with a total of 70 points bagging five golds and four silvers.
Second in command were Lodestar Media and O&M with 30 points each. The former bagged two golds and three silvers, while the latter notched three golds.
Group M South Asia CEO Ashutosh Srivastava said, “The agency has truly been recognised for the depth of its work. A lot of people say that since we have the highest volume of business, we would tend to be the agency of the year but it’s interesting that there were a couple of agencies, which had more entries than MindShare.”
MindShare had a total of 50 entries while Madison had 60. The total number of entries that the Ad Club received were 264, out of which 37 were shortlisted. MindShare laid claim to 11 of the 37 shortlisted entries. Even more heartening was the fact that nine out of the 11 won awards.
An elated MindShare South Asia managing director Vikram Sakhuja says, “Clearly this victory is for the MindShare team, with the activation, ATG, Digital and various other units functioning in perfect synergy. I know how difficult team work is and when it happens it is truly commendable.”
When queried by Indiantelevision.com as to how they managed to make a clean sweep, Sakhuja candidly retorts, “We prepared very hard. Our written and oral presentation this time round was excellent. Last year, we didn’t pay attention to detail, which we ensured this year.”
He further added, “It is good clients that lift our game. It is only with their support and proactivity that quality can take an upper hand.”
Sony Entertainment Television (SET) India and Living Media India Ltd were adjudged the best media marketers of the year. SET India business head and executive vice-president Tarun Katial says, “It’s a credit to a great team including our agencies – Euro RSCG, Mediacom and Genesis. Also due credit goes to Sunil (Lulla now with the Times group) and Albert (Almeida business head of Max). We hope to keep this going and raise the bar each year.”
The Grand Emvies was bagged by Mediacom. The agency also bagged the Gold for the Best Media Research Award for Aviva Life Insurance and the Tam Award for the Best TV Research.
Madison Communications clinched the Best Case Study presentation (People’s Choice Award) for Nirvana Plus – The End of Reach.
For Best Media Strategy, in the category Best Media Innovation – Never Used Before Media; Lodestar Media won for the Club Mahindra (Mobile Holiday Rajdhani Express).
Interestingly, Starcom and Madison figured nowhere in the Top 8 agencies rated by the Ad Club. Lintas Media Group, on the other hand, didn’t participate in the Emvies this year.
The Awards were charged with enthusiasm, excitement and energy with hooting, drumrolls and live sirens. Building the tempo for the anxious media professionals was the emcee for the evening – the very suave and eloquent radio jockey Brian Tellis. With his energetic style he managed to lead the crowd of media professionals into a frenzy.
With a tally of 15 points, rmg David stood fourth, whereas SET India, Living Media India LTD, Mediacom and Maxus were all tied at the fifth spot with 10 points each.
Two acts were also performed at the Emvies, the first being a play called – Two to Tango produced by Rael Padamsee, which was a comedy revolving around the life of a married couple and the complexities of male and female incompatibilities. The second act was ‘apna’ Indian Idol Abhijeet Sawant who made the audience croon to his tunes.
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.
