MAM
Promart Retail brings McCann on board as creative partner
MUMBAI: Promart Retail, a chain of stores based on the discounted retail chain and value format concept, has decided to go with IPG’s McCann Erickson as its creative agency. This is the first time that Promart planned to hire a full-fledged creative agency.
The agency’s Mumbai office will handle the account. Up until now, the creative duties for Promart were being handled by an in-house team. As a part of this mandate, McCann Mumbai will be responsible for all brand communications.
The development is the result of a multi-agency pitch process that was held in Mumbai.
Promart MD Ashish Garg said, “We are happy to have McCann as our creative partner as the agency will be responsible for providing 360 degree creative inputs on print, store visuals and retail merchandising to start with. McCann has a proven track record in building iconic brand strategies which will help elevate the positioning of our brand.TV and social media will be looked upon at a later stage as we are a relatively new and are a growing brand.”
Promart CEO Punit Agarwal said, “We were quite impressed with McCann, as after a multi-agency pitch, they came across as the best choice in terms of understanding the brief and what they could bring to the table. Their innovative approach to positioning brand Promart helped the agency clinch this win. The new concept of Promart’s business was easily understood by the team and we feel their level of understanding is aligned with our strategic roadmap. Hence, we feel they will do justice to our brand.”
McCann Worldgroup India executive chairman, CEO and chief creative officer Prasoon Joshi said, “We are thrilled to work with Promart as it’s a brand that seems to be on a new journey in the retail space. The team’s bold ambition excites us and together we will democratize apparel in a world where fashion has always been about exclusivity.”
McCann Mumbai has diverse expertise in servicing clients across categories. Some of their clientele list includes Johnson and Johnson, Marico, Nestle, Coca-Cola, L’Oreal, Cathay Pacific, Aircel, TVS, Britannia and Master Card.
Lifestyle retailing brand Promart bought out the IP and assets from Provogue in November 2011 and targets the youth in the age group of 15-25 years with providing discounts all through the year. Promart houses over 50 brands which include Levis, Pepe, Lee, Wrangler, Spykar, Gini and Jony under one roof.
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.
