MAM
MTV tries innovative cross-promotional marketing initiatives
MUMBAI: One of the best ways for a brand to imprint itself in the mind of its customer is to get involved in a big way with their daily lives. Keeping this in mind, MTV India continues cementing its bond with the youth through the mobile phone.
In 2001, it kicked off a one of a kind multimedia alliance with BPL Mobile. Now the broadcaster and AirTel, which claims to be India’s leading cellular service, have launched the AirTel-MTV mobile card.
The alliance should strengthen the aim of both parties, which is to understand and reflect the ideas, lifestyles and values of young people. The BPL initiative had the dual goal of giving a person a chance at getting a date with a VJ as well as promoting its show MTV Loveline. The latest Airtel tieup looks to go further by creating an exclusive community of AirTel pre-paid customers. It will offer them custom made products, value added services, benefits and privileges.
An official release informs that these have been designed on the basis of customer feedback and extensive market research. MTV’s role in the venture involves bringing exclusive content. This includes special ring-tones, unique provision for setting up rescue rings, and even wake up calls.
Research conducted shows that youth get a part of their indentity through the usage of mobile phones. In addition, it also provides them with a strong outlet for self expression. The same logic applies to the credit card which is why last year MTV Asia tied up with Citibank. This was a part of its 360 degree brand initiative. MTV uses its events to promote the card and also creates creative promos for the same. Its efforts did not go unnoticed. Last year it got the Gold award for best Youth Programme at the Mastercard Asia/Pacific annual meeting
In addition, MTV Asia has also announced a three-year marketing collaboration with electronic goods manufacturer Phillips targeting youth. The tie-up is for an interactive programme MTV Whatever Things. An on-air programme will air across Asia. There will also be a dedicated microsite, as well as on-the-ground events in seven Asian markets including India.
The campaign kicks off with a launch event in Singapore on 29 and 30 August at The Heeren Shops. MTV Whatever Things will celebrate the individualism and free-spiritedness of youth who seek to do things in their own unique way.
The television programme aims at bringing humour and reality programming to a new level in Asia. The programme will encourage viewers’ participation through a 10-minute on-air segment commencing on 30 August 2003 on MTV India, MTV SEA MTV Philippines, MTV Indonesia, MTV Mandarin, MTV Korea, MTV China. Running till February 2004, viewers can send their playlist of music videos to complement crazy home videos and goofball stunts shot by the MTV Asia’s production team. The graffiti-like vignette will feature candid stunts and music that will appeal to the youth who crave for content with a stylistic edge.
The dedicated microsite (accessible from www.mtvasia.com, www.mtv.co.kr, www.mtvchinese.com, www.mtvindia.com and www.mtv-china.com) will allow fans to preview the weekly stunts, submit their playlist of three music videos they feel are suitable for the stunts, and creatively express themselves through composing captions for the music videos and stunts. Upon reviewing the submissions, the best composition gets airing space on the show across MTV channels in the region.
The on ground activities will feature the channels VJs, experiential product displays and giveaways by Philips as they launch their new range of consumer products in the different markets.
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.
