MAM
O&M’s Sinha wins the WPP Atticus Grand Prix yet again
MUMBAI: In a rare feat of intellectual achievement, Ogilvy & Mather India Discovery vice president Kunal Sinha has won the top honour in WPP Group plc’s annual Atticus awards for original published thinking in the marketing services, for the second time.
His entry — The Future of Technology and its Impact on our Lives — was chosen unanimously by the judges – HSBC group general manager marketing Peter Stringham, Market Leader editor Judie Lannon and Sunday Times business editor William Lewis – as the best contribution. He will receive the specially minted Atticus statuette and a cash award of $10,000 from WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell in London, later in the year.
Sinha’s thesis is an exercise in anticipating the future, as it explores the web of interconnections between technology creators, users and forecasters, to uncover those possibilities that hold the key to making technology brands successful.
All this leads to a driver-model for technology brands. He last won the Grand Prix in 1996 for his paper — Communication Effect – A Reevaluation of Beliefs — and is the only person in WPP history to have won it twice. Sinha’s previous Grand Prix was won when he was with Thompson Social.
Ogilvy Worldwide chairman Shelly Lazarus said, “Beating 285 entries from all across WPP to win the Atticus Grand Prix is no easy feat, but to have done it twice is extraordinary. It speaks of the brilliant work Kunal and the Ogilvy India Discovery team does every day. With this award they bring glory to all of us at Ogilvy.”
Ogilvy India and South Asia CEO John Goodman said, “This is an amazing achievement and brings great honour on Ogilvy India. We are truly proud of his achievement.”
This is a second for Ogilvy India as well. In 1999, Venkitachalam Balasubramanium (now with Group M – ATG/MCI) had picked up the Grand Prix.
O&M India was the only WPP agency in India to be recognised at the Atticus Awards this year. It won a Certificate of Merit in the corporate category, for its compilation of award-winning communication effectiveness case studies – Effective Ogilvy. Incidentally, this casebook was edited by Sinha and designed by Sameer Sojwal and Yogesh Pradhan.
Ogilvy Discovery is the account planning, consumer insight and knowledge management unit at O&M India.
MAM
Lego brings Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappé, Vinicius together
Campaign clocks 314 million views ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 buzz.
MUMBAI: Four legends, one frame and not a single tackle in sight. Lego has pulled off a crossover few thought possible, uniting Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior in a single campaign ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 only this time, they’re building dreams brick by brick.
Titled “Everyone wants a piece”, the campaign features the quartet assembling a Lego version of the World Cup trophy, before placing miniature versions of themselves atop it, a playful nod to football’s ultimate prize. Shared widely across social media, the ad carries a pointed disclaimer: it is not AI-generated, a subtle but telling signal in an era where even reality is often questioned.
The numbers tell their own story. The campaign has already crossed 314 million views on Instagram across the players’ accounts, with fans hailing it as a rare, almost nostalgic moment particularly for the reunion of Messi and Ronaldo, whose last shared campaign ahead of the 2022 World Cup became one of the platform’s most-liked posts.
Beyond the film, Lego is extending the play with exclusive, player-themed sets tied to each of the four stars, part of a broader football-led programme designed to ride the global momentum building towards 2026. The idea, as echoed by the players themselves, leans into the parallels between football and play experimentation, creativity, failure, and triumph.
Messi described the sets as a way to bring on-pitch moments into an imaginative, hands-on world, while Ronaldo called the transformation into a Lego figure a rare honour, blending sport with storytelling. Vinícius, meanwhile, struck a more personal note, recalling childhood moments of building with Lego and framing creativity as a universal language that transcends borders.
The timing is no accident. With the 2026 World Cup set to run from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico, and featuring an expanded 48-team format, global anticipation is already building. Argentina, led by Messi, will enter as defending champions, adding another layer of intrigue.
For Lego, the campaign does more than celebrate football, it taps into its mythology. Because when icons become figurines and rivalries turn into play, the beautiful game finds a new kind of pitch. one built, quite literally, by hand.
