MAM
Peers salute the Lodestar
|
Industry is quite unanimous in its opinion that Lodestar Media is a deep rooted agency that ensures the best value for their clients and is equipped with good media thinking. And it is to Shashi’s credit that they all sang paeans for the operation that he, Dias and Menon have built. Hear out some of the comments: “Lodestar is well integrated with its creative agency. They are good strategists and media thinkers. The core team has good people and are well trained in all aspects of the media. They are an agency which consciously focuses on planning.” – Group M CEO Ashutosh Srivastava, “Lodestar has an extremely strong bonding with their clients. The agency has some of the best minds in media with Shashi, Nandini and Arpita. Their strengths lie in planning and how they use consumer insights to make a difference to their clients.” – Madison Media Group CEO Punita Arumugam.  “I see Lodestar as a rock solid organisation, both on business and people. Their biggest plus point is their well-balanced performance, which comes through consistantly at the Emvies – where they shine through across a range of categories. From the outside, one gets the feeling that there is a large team effort at play within. Lodestar has built its credentials on the strength of its people and work, with a very understated PR approach.” – Mediacom South Asia president Jasmin Sohrabjee “Shashi is a good leader and runs a good planning agency. They have got some good local tools, and also have a good portfolio of clients which allows them to innovate. It’s a big achievement that they have managed to be in the same league as Mindshare.” – Media Direction CEO Sandip Tarkas. “Lodestar has been our media agency for the past five years, and the support that they have given us is commendable. The shift of the Henkel account was based on a global alignment and nothing to do with the performance of Lodestar. Considering we were based out of Chennai, Lodestar ensured good communication from Mumbai to its regional office.” – Henkel India president and managing director Satish Kumar “Lodestar is a very responsive agency and we get very good deals through them.” – Mahindra & Mahindra executive vice president marketing and sales Rajesh Jejurikar. A weakness if any some in industry point out to, off the record, is the perception that Lodestar is lacking in buying skills. Lodestar vice-president Nandini Dias dismisses this saying: “We believe in having a strategic focus even while buying. We don’t beat down media – we believe in the strategic intent of the brand.”
Adds Menon: “When we were handling Tata Motors, prior to the Tata AOR consolidating we had done a landmark TOI deal. There has never been a deal like that ever struck again. Lodestar does not give you the lowest rate, but it gives you the best buys.” |
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
