AD Agencies
O&M bags 17 awards at 47th Annual Effie Awards
MUMBAI: Ogilvy & Mather was recognized with top accolades as both O&M North America and the New York office were recognized as the most effective individual office and agency network of the year in their respective categories.
This is the third consecutive year the New York office received top honors on behalf of all creative agencies and the fourth year for the network as a whole. WPP was also recognized as the most effective holding company.
In total, the O&M network won 17 awards across categories including two Gold, nine Silver and six Bronze Effies for noteworthy work on behalf of clients such as IBM, British Airways, IHG, Nestlé, Kimberly-Clark and Caterpillar.
“This honor reinforces the fact that there is a powerful correlation between innovative creative thinking and overall effectiveness. By understanding what people value most at different moments in their lives, we continue to deliver the best for our clients – by creating campaigns that drive true business results,” said Ogilvy & Mather worldwide head of planning Colin Mitchell.
IBM was awarded with a total of seven Effies for work with the agency and was named the most effective brand. It was also recognized as the second most effective marketer in North America. Kimberly-Clark was recognized as the third most effective marketer in North America.
“At Ogilvy, we exist to ‘Make Brands Matter.’ It is through the discipline of that mission that we can deliver not just exceptionally creative work for our clients, but work that drives business results and growth. I could not be prouder of what we’ve accomplished at the Effies for the past three years in New York,” said Ogilvy & Mather New York CEO Lou Aversano.
The awards, which recognize the most effective marketing communications cases and agencies in the United States and Canada, are based on the analysis of the North America Effie Awards finalist and winner data from the past year.
“To continue to receive such high recognition by such a prestigious award is an honor. It speaks to the volume of talented individuals that live within our network and the innovative and creative efforts we’ve proven to deliver to our clients over and over again. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to help them build their brands and are excited to share this honor with each of them,” added Ogilvy & Mather North America chairman and CEO John Seifert.
AD Agencies
AdTrust Summit 2026 to examine trust, AI and Gen Alpha in advertising
Two-day summit in Mumbai to explore ethics, regulation and the future of advertising trust
MUMBAI: At a time when advertising is navigating a delicate trust deficit, the Advertising Standards Council of India is preparing to bring the industry to the table. On 17 and 18 March, the body will host the inaugural AdTrust Summit 2026 in Mumbai, a two-day gathering designed to spark conversation around responsibility, regulation and credibility in modern advertising.
The summit, to be held at the Jio World Convention Centre in Bandra Kurla Complex, will bring together leaders from advertising, media, technology and policy to examine how brands can build trust in a marketplace increasingly shaped by algorithms, influencers and artificial intelligence.
In an age of deepfakes, dark patterns and blurred lines between content and commerce, the question is no longer just how brands capture attention, but whether audiences believe what they see. The AdTrust Summit aims to unpack that challenge.
Day one will turn its attention to the youngest digital natives. Titled Decoding Gen Alpha, the session will unveil ‘What the Sigma?’, a study by ASCI and Futurebrands Consulting that explores how children growing up in a hyper-digital environment encounter advertising and commercial messaging.
The report presentation will be delivered by Santosh Desai, founder and director at Think9 Consumer Technologies and a social commentator known for his insights into consumer behaviour. The discussion that follows will attempt to decode how Gen Alpha consumes media, interacts with brands and navigates the growing overlap between entertainment and marketing.
In a move that mirrors the subject itself, two Gen Alpha students will also join the conversation, offering a rare perspective from the generation advertisers are trying to understand.
The second panel of the day will shift the focus from observation to implication, asking what the report’s findings mean for brands, agencies and society. Speakers include Karthik Srinivasan, communications strategy consultant; Preeti Vyas, president at Mythik; and Abigail Dias, associate president planning at Ogilvy. The session will be moderated by Sonali Krishna, editor at ET Brand Equity.
Day two moves from insight to regulation. Under the theme From Compliance to Trust, ASCI will release its Ad Law Compendium, a comprehensive guide to India’s advertising regulations.
The day will open with a keynote by Sudhanshu Vats, chairman at ASCI and managing director at Pidilite Industries, followed by a chief guest address by Sanjay Jaju, secretary at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Legal experts from Khaitan & Co., including Haigreve Khaitan, senior partner, and Tanu Banerjee, partner, will present an overview of the current advertising law landscape in India and examine whether existing frameworks are equipped to deal with emerging technologies and formats.
Subsequent panels will explore issues increasingly shaping the industry’s ethical compass. Conversations will range from the limits of persuasive design and the rise of dark patterns, to the growing scrutiny brands face from digital creators and consumer watchdogs.
One session will also feature Revant Himatsingka, widely known online as the Food Pharmer, whose critiques of packaged food brands have sparked debate around transparency and corporate accountability.
Later discussions will turn toward media literacy among Gen Alpha, asking how children can be equipped to navigate a digital world where gaming, content and commerce are becoming indistinguishable.
The summit will conclude with a final panel on the future of advertising, bringing together voices from agencies, legal circles and technology platforms to discuss how innovation, intelligence and integrity can coexist.
For an industry built on persuasion, trust has always been its quiet currency. But as audiences grow more sceptical and digital ecosystems more complex, that currency is under pressure.
Events like the AdTrust Summit suggest the advertising world knows it cannot afford to take credibility for granted. The real challenge now is turning conversation into commitment.
