AD Agencies
Platinum Guild celebrates friendship between couples
MUMBAI: We are living in transient times, where this search for novelty and individuality has taken precedence over building or even preserving an emotional connection. Today, the smallest hiccup in a relationship has the ability to conjure up thoughts of giving up and letting go. We are so busy chasing our individual goals and responsibilities that we become unmindful of the strong foundation that we had once created with our partner.
So, this Friendship Day, Platinum Days of Love, PGI’s flagship brand wants you to pause and remember, amidst your mind faltering thoughts about your relationship, that you were #FriendsFirst. For the first time ever, an endearing campaign that celebrates friendship between couples.
Developed and conceptualised by Dentsu Webchutney, the digital campaign features three short and three long digital videos that bring out little instances of pure friendship that exists among couples. The stories beautifully exhibit rare relationships which have honesty, vulnerability, companionship, and mutual respect because it has friendship at its core. The love that results from such a partnership is truly one of a kind and deserves to be celebrated with an equally rare and precious metal – platinum.
“Our research has shown that ‘friendship’ is extremely aspirational in a couples’ relationship both before and after marriage. Finding a best friend in your partner is rare, retaining friendship in your relationship even rarer. With this campaign, we aim to encourage couples to remember and aspire to be #FriendsFirst. Mark this friendship day as your Platinum Day of Love,” says Platinum Guild International India director consumer marketing Sujala Martis.
Commenting on the campaign, Dentsu Webchutney executive creative director Pravin Sutar adds, “Friendship should outlast other emotions in a couple’s relationship, but more often than not it takes a backseat. Through #FriendsFirst, we are starting a conversation that highlights the importance of friendship in a relationship through highly relatable and alluring scenarios. We are asking viewers to ponder and eventually revisit this rare bond that once was the initiator of their relationship.”
This campaign will further give couples an exciting opportunity to share their #FriendsFirst story along with the picture to win celebration vouchers.
In addition to the digital videos, from 2-11 August, the campaign will also run an in-store reward program where every customer will receive exciting gifts on purchase of platinum love bands.
AD Agencies
Publicis Brazil’s creative chief Mauro Ramalho lands the jury chair at Abby Awards 2026
Mauro Ramalho brings 25 years of global advertising firepower to the new creative commerce, use of data and B2B category at Goafest
GOA: The Abby Awards 2026, powered by The One Club and The One Show, has appointed Mauro Ramalho, chief creative officer of Publicis Brazil, as jury chair for its newly launched creative commerce, use of data and B2B category. The announcement, made on 18 March, signals the awards’ intent to bring serious international muscle to a category that sits squarely at the intersection of creativity and commercial performance.
Ramalho is not a name that needs much introduction in global advertising circles. Over 25 years spanning three countries, he has worked at some of the industry’s most creatively restless addresses. At AKQA in San Francisco, he worked across McDonald’s, Nike, Fox, Target, Kraft Foods and GAP, and helped lead “The Lost Ring” for McDonald’s, one of the first alternate reality campaigns and among the most awarded projects of its era. He later moved to Organic in Toronto, bridging the Detroit and Toronto offices on Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler, before spending over a decade building CUBOCC into one of Brazil’s most iconic and innovative independent agencies, which subsequently joined the IPG network.
A stint at FCB followed, where Ramalho led integrated work bridging online and offline, before he joined R/GA São Paulo as vice-president and executive creative director, stitching together the São Paulo office with New York, London, Portland and California on global clients including Verizon, Google, Meta, Samsung, American Express and Heineken. He now heads Publicis Brazil as its chief creative officer.
His trophy cabinet includes Clios, Effies, TikTok awards and MMA Smarties, and he has served on juries at the Andys, TikTok and the Lisbon Awards.
The Abby Awards 2026 is scheduled to take place at Goafest 2026 on 20, 21 and 22 May in Goa.
For Indian advertising, landing a jury chair of Ramalho’s calibre for a category built around data-driven creativity and commerce is a statement of ambition. Goafest just raised its own bar.
