MAM
Ogilvy India appoints Kainaz Karmarkar, Harshad Rajadhyaksha and Sukesh Nayak as chief creative officers
MUMBAI: Ogilvy India has announced the appointment of Kainaz Karmarkar, Harshad Rajadhyaksha and Sukesh Nayakas chief creative officers, Ogilvy India. Three of them will take the joint responsibility of driving Ogilvy India’s creative product and reputation.
Kainaz, Harshad and Sukesh are amongst the most talented, celebrated young creative leaders in the industry today, and together they will now shape the creative work that defines Ogilvy India.
While they will oversee all creative work across markets in India, they will also continue to lead creative hands-on in Ogilvy Mumbai.
Nayak joined Ogilvy in 2000. He is a quintessential Ogilvy leader – all heart and full of passion for great work. His ability to tell compelling stories is evident across his body of work on Mondelez, Tata Sky, Asian Paints, Bajaj Auto, Unilever, Star TV, Castrol, Wildstone, JSW, Tata Salt, Pantaloons, Shan Masala, Fortune Oil, Amazon, Google, UNEP and the ICC Cricket World Cup, among others. Over the years, Sukesh’s work has been recognised at national and international awards, including Effies, AMEs, Kyoorius, Adfest, Spikes, D&AD, London International Awards and Cannes. The one accolade he treasures most, however, is the phone call that he received from his father after the Google Reunion campaign went viral.
Karmarkar & Rajadhyaksha joined Ogilvy in 2010. They are fantastic client partners and incredibly talented creative leaders. Their work on Brooke Bond Red Label, ITC Savlon and Unilever Start A Little Good has been widely recognised, and their water conservation work has been awarded at advertising and film festivals around the world. In 2017, they were instrumental in Ogilvy India’s record number of Cannes Lions; nine in a year. In 2018, Savlon Healthy Hands campaign won Asia’s first Grand Prix for Creative Effectiveness at Cannes Lions. In the course of their careers, they have won many global awards across Cannes, One Show, Clio, D&AD, D&AD Impact, Spikes, AMEs, including the coveted CANNES GLASS LION.
“I consider myself very fortunate to have on my team three partners who have made a huge impact on Ogilvy’s creative leadership, and an even more significant difference to Ogilvy’s partnerships with clients. This promotion could not be more deserving! I am extremely proud to have Kainaz, Harshad and Sukesh on our India team. They are the future of Ogilvy and I am confident they will be the game changers in Ogilvy.” – Ogilvy chief creative officer worldwide & executive chairman India Piyush Pandey.
“Sukesh, Kainaz and Harshad are powerhouses of energy and great talent. Over the last few years, their work across some of our largest clients has been modern in expression and execution, and as inspiring and memorable as any trademark Ogilvy India work should be. This is a rare and precious balance for any creative to strike. They understand the value of hard work and deep client relationships and I am sure they will do a fantastic job of driving Ogilvy India’s creative product and reputation.” – Ogilvy India CEO Kunal Jeswani.
MAM
Barista partners Ginny Weds Sunny 2 with mango campaign
Cafe chain blends cinema buzz with summer menu and 20 per cent offer.
MUMBAI: Love may brew slowly, but marketing clearly doesn’t especially when coffee meets cinema and mangoes steal the spotlight. Barista Coffee Company has partnered with the upcoming hindi film Ginny Weds Sunny 2 as its official beverage partner, in a move aimed at tapping into youth culture through entertainment-led engagement. The collaboration is not just a logo placement exercise. Instead, Barista is translating the film’s high-energy vibe into its cafés with a themed summer menu titled “Main Hoon Mango”, accompanied by a limited-period 20 per cent discount on combo offerings across outlets.
Actors Medha Shankr and Avinash Tiwary feature in the campaign, seen engaging with the mango-themed menu inside Barista cafés, a visual cue designed to blur the lines between reel and real-life consumption moments.
The strategy reflects a broader shift in how consumer brands are leveraging hindi film industry not just for visibility, but for immersive, on-ground engagement. By embedding the film’s narrative into its product experience, Barista is aiming to drive footfall, especially among younger audiences who increasingly seek experiential touchpoints over traditional advertising.
Barista Coffee Company CEO Rajat Agrawal described the partnership as both a branding and growth play, focused on expanding reach beyond the existing customer base and aligning with evolving consumer preferences.
The emphasis on a seasonal, flavour-led hook mango, one of India’s most culturally resonant ingredients adds a timely layer to the campaign, aligning with summer consumption trends while riding on the film’s promotional momentum.
For Barista, the move is part of a larger positioning shift. Rather than operating purely as a coffee retail chain, the brand is increasingly framing itself as a lifestyle destination, one that intersects with entertainment, conversation and shared experiences. By integrating cinema into its physical spaces, Barista is effectively turning cafés into micro-extensions of the film’s universe, where consumers do not just watch a story unfold but participate in it sip by sip.
The 20 per cent offer further nudges trial, lowering the barrier for consumers to engage with the themed menu while amplifying recall through a tangible incentive.
Brand-film collaborations are hardly new, but their execution is evolving. Where earlier partnerships relied on co-branded ads or product placements, the current playbook leans towards immersive storytelling and retail integration.
In that sense, Barista’s “Main Hoon Mango” push is less about promotion and more about participation inviting consumers to experience a slice of the film within a familiar, everyday setting. As the film industry continues to act as a cultural amplifier, such partnerships underline a growing truth, in today’s attention economy, it is not enough to be seen brands must be experienced.
And if that experience comes with a mango twist and a cinematic backdrop, all the better.
