MAM
Ogilvy & HUL Partner to Help People ‘Start A Little Good’at Kumbh!
MUMBAI: There are some initiatives that surprise the audience, some that make people think & then there are some rare initiatives that push people to make things better and contribute towards something substantial. Hindustan Unilever Limited’s Start A Little Good – “SwachhtakiSawari” manages to do all the above.
Empowering the boatmen community of the region, the company has joined hands with Kumbh Mela authorities in keeping the Sangam clean this year. Sangam – a confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers is considered a holy spot, a dip in it – referred to as ‘ Snaan’ – is believed to wash off one’s sins. The river is only accessible by boat and considering the volume of visitors, a substantial amount of littering (plastic bags, flowers, garlands and other offerings) ends up polluting the river. It is carelessly left to the authorities alone to manage after the mela is over, a mammoth and an almost impossible task.
To address this challenge, Hindustan Unilever partnered with Ogilvy to conceptualize a simple & innovative solution – ‘Swachhata Ki Sawari’ that aims to keep cleaning the river unceasingly.
The mechanism involves simply attaching two nets on either side of 100 boats, which ferries devotees to and from the Sangam. Once the boat is in the river, the nets which are closed at one end, collect floating garbage during the journey and once it reaches the shore to disembark passengers, a team of cleaners remove the garbage from the nets and reinstall clean nets. The cleaners then transport the collected waste to the designated garbage area on each ghat.
Explaining the idea, KainazKarmakar and Harshad Rajadhyaksha, Chief Creative Officers, Ogilvy India (West), commented on this project, “Simplicity is the most difficult thing to achieve. This idea achieves that. Practical, low cost and highly effective, this innovation turns everyday boats into vehicles of cleanliness.”
Speaking about the newly launched initiative, Executive Director, Homecare, HUL, Priya Nair, said ‘Start A Little Good’ and ‘Swachhata Ki Sawari’ are all about finding simple yet effective solutions to tackling growing issues like plastic pollution and waste management that we face today. We hope that this initiative will benefit in keeping the Sangam clean during the Kumbh and create awareness amongst consumers”.
On visiting Kumbh Mela, Harshvardhan Bajpai, MLA, Prayagraj North said, “To me, Swachhata Ki Sawari nets are the result of out of the box thinking; a very simple idea to a very practical problem. Deceptively basic, it’s a great example of building a sense of responsibility within the Nishad (boatmen) community and pilgrims who visit Kumbh Mela. And it’s almost poetic how the boats that ferry pilgrims to cleanse their soul in the Triveni Sangam also subconsciously help them in keeping it clean.”
The initiative managed to create a beautiful synergy between a mega brand like HUL and the limitless power of the common man to bring a sustainable change, a start for a lot of good!
MAM
Ad:tech honours 2026: Full list of winners announced
Expanded awards spotlight winners across 22 categories as industry doubles down on intelligent automation
NEW DELHI: Marketing’s tech elite took the spotlight as the ad:tech honours 2026 returned with a sharper focus on AI, data and immersive media, signalling how deeply technology now underpins brand strategy. Held at Yashobhoomi on March 17, the second edition drew industry leaders to celebrate innovation that is reshaping engagement and performance.
Presented with the International Advertising Association India chapter and new partner Huella, the awards expanded from 8 to 22 categories, tracking the rapid convergence of creativity, automation and analytics.
The winners’ list reads like a snapshot of marketing’s future. In affiliate and partner marketing, Lyxel & Flamingo – Boat and Paytm Ads – Giva took silver. Mobavenue Media Private Limited struck gold in AI-driven dynamic creative optimisation, alongside a silver for Laqshya Media Limited.
Creative AI collaboration saw Rediffusion Brand Solutions Private Limited win gold, with Saltinc Consulting Private Limited securing silver. Laqshya Media Limited continued its strong run, taking gold in AI conversation agents and adding multiple wins across categories, including silver in GenAI-led creative and both gold and silver in interactive DOOH campaigns for Tanishq and Tata Coffee.
Predictive AI honours went to Strong Metrics and Tyroo, both silver, while Orient Bell Limited picked up silver in immersive retail tech. In GenAI-led creative, Laqshya Media Limited, Salt – Kotak and Sumimoto each secured silver, reflecting the crowded race in generative creativity.
Publicis bagged silver in influencer management and gold in performance marketing, where it shared the stage with Arm Worldwide and The Trade Desk, both silver. Glad U Came Private Limited stood out with gold in influencer measurement and analytics.
Marketing automation saw CereOne Media Pvt. Ltd. and Globale Media win silver, while ADMOTT Private Limited claimed silver in OTT innovation.
Programmatic media categories highlighted the shift to advanced targeting and connected screens. Mobavenue Media Private Limited clinched gold in connected TV advertising, with Animmoov Digital Media Pvt Ltd – Asus and Lyxel and Flamingo taking silver. Cheggout Services Private Limited won silver in retail media advertising, while Paytm Ads – Versuni secured gold.
On social platforms, Vayner Media India took gold in community and UGC engagement, with Under 25 – Oppo winning silver. Segumento rounded off the list with silver in the innovation category.
Jaswant Singh, country managing director at ad:tech India, underscored the momentum, saying generative AI and data-driven decision-making are now central to marketing impact. Neena Dasgupta, IAA mancom member and chief executive and founder at The Salt Inc Consulting, added that the awards celebrate not just technology, but “the people, the creativity, and the relentless effort behind it.”
Backed by Comexposium Group, ad:tech New Delhi has long tracked digital disruption. Now, with the honours, it is rewarding those who are not just adapting to change but engineering it.
In an industry racing towards automation, the message from 2026 is unmistakable. The future of marketing will be written not just in ideas, but in algorithms.
