MAM
MullenLowe Lintas Group wins big at 4A’s Jay Chiat Awards 2021
Mumbai: MullenLowe Lintas Group picked up two golds and an honourable mention for its work on Lifebuoy and Wheel, respectively in a virtual event held by 4A’s Jay Chiat Awards on 13 September. It is the only agency from India to win at 4A’s Jay Chiat Awards this year.
Out of the five shortlists made by MullenLowe Lintas Group, Lifebuoy – ‘H is for Handwashing’ won a gold each in the Healthcare Strategy and Global Strategy categories, and its campaign for Active Wheel – ‘Ghar Se Career’ got an honourable mention in the Product/Service Creation category.
4A’s Jay Chiat Awards recognises and celebrates brilliant strategic thinking in marketing, media, and advertising. It awards campaigns that have at their core a great strategy, a powerful creative idea, and a clear link between the two.
“4A’s Jay Chiat finds global acclaim and is possibly the toughest strategy award to win. It is a privilege for MullenLowe Lintas Group, India to have won it six times, something very few agencies in the world can boast of,” said MullenLowe Lintas Group- group CEO Virat Tandon. “The twin gold wins for Lifebuoy this year is a great endorsement for the purpose-led work we believe in driving for our brands. A big thank you to our clients at Unilever for wholeheartedly partnering us in our vision for the brand. Kudos also to our colleagues at MullenLowe Singapore, MullenLowe Salt and Weber Shandwick for supporting the ‘H is for Handwashing’ campaign. An honourable mention for another of our strong purpose-led work, the ‘Ghar se career’ project for Wheel is also very encouraging and spurs us to do better.”
“At Lintas, we have always been a passionate practitioner of purpose-led brand-building. While one campaign is of a global scale and the other focuses on the local insights, both have an element of purpose at their core, that has resulted in success for the brands in the marketplace as well as with the audience,” said Lowe Lintas CCOs Sagar Kapoor and Prateek Bhardwaj in a joint statement. “Both these brands are super active in their ‘brand do’ and shall continue to do so regardless of awards and rewards.”
It is notable that Lifebuoy’s ‘H is for Handwashing’ also grabbed two bronze Lions earlier this year at Cannes Lions 2021.
In the past, MullenLowe Lintas Group has made its mark at the coveted award show for its strategically strong work on Kissan, HUL’s Kan Khajura Tesan, Havells, and Idea Cellular.
Brands
ZEEL transfers syndication business, invests Rs 505 crore in IP push
Restructuring, stake buy and FCCB moves signal sharper content strategy
MUMBAI: In the content economy, owning the story is half the battle monetising it is the real game, and Zee Entertainment Enterprises is doubling down on both. The company has approved the transfer of its syndication and content licensing business to its wholly owned subsidiary ZI-IPR Enterprises, alongside an investment of Rs 505 crore aimed at strengthening its play in content intellectual property (IP) acquisition, management and monetisation. The move, effective April 1, 2026, will see the business transferred on a slump sale basis at book value, including all associated assets, liabilities and commercial rights effectively consolidating IP operations under a more focused structure.
At its core, the restructuring signals a strategic shift. As content consumption increasingly fragments across digital and global platforms, the value of IP lies not just in creation but in how efficiently it can be distributed, repackaged and monetised across markets. By housing its syndication engine within ZI-IPR Enterprises, ZEEL appears to be building a more agile and scalable ecosystem, one that can better extract value from its vast content library while adapting to evolving distribution models.
But the company’s ambitions are not limited to restructuring. ZEEL has also approved an investment of up to Rs 20.09 crore in Culture of Real Experiences (CORE), acquiring a 51 per cent stake in the entity. The move expands its footprint into the broader creative and experiential space, suggesting a push beyond traditional broadcasting into areas where content, culture and immersive experiences intersect.
At the same time, ZEEL has moved to tidy up its financials, approving the redemption of $23.9 million in outstanding foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCBs) and cancelling an unused $215.1 million commitment. The twin steps are expected to ease pressure on its treasury, freeing up capital and improving financial flexibility as the company invests more aggressively in its IP strategy.
Taken together, the decisions reflect a company in recalibration mode streamlining legacy structures, sharpening its focus on content ownership, and exploring new avenues for growth. In a market where the lines between television, streaming and experiential entertainment are increasingly blurred, ZEEL’s latest moves suggest it is not just creating content, but building a system to make that content travel further and pay better.
