MAM
Ramesh Narayan becomes IAA honorary lifetime member
NEW DELHI: Celebrated advertising professional and founder of Canco Advertising Ramesh Narayan has recently been conferred the IAA Inspire Award — honorary lifetime membership. The award presented by the International Advertising Association is to pay tribute to an individual who is retiring from business and/or who has given long and distinguished service to the association.
IAA immediate past chairman and world president Faris Abouhamad has also been honoured with the same.
Boasting of around two-and-a-half-decades of experience within the industry, Narayanan has been a past president of the IAA India Chapter and the VP marketing and communications for IAA Global.
He was also inducted into the IAA Hall of Fame in 2014 and is a recipient of the lifetime achievement award by the Advertising Agencies Association of India (2014). n 2015, he was named 'Global Champion' by the IAA at the inaugural Inspire Awards in London.
IAA had also recently announced the managing committee for India chapter 2020-21 under the leadership of newly appointed president Megha Tata who is also the managing director – south Asia at Discovery Communications India.
The Mancom members included: Laqshya Media Group MD Alok Jalan; The Advertising Club, Madras past president and independent communication consultant Anbuchezhiyan K; DAN CEO APAC and chairman India Ashish Bhasin; Intelligent Insights founder Venkatramani; Republic TV group president Bhaskar Das; Eenadu director I Venkat; India Today Group VC Kallie Purie; Mathrubhumi PTG & PBG MD MV Shreyams Kumar; Hungama Digital Media Entertainment MD and CEO Neeraj Roy; Viacom18 head – Hindi and kids TV Network Nina Elavia Jaipuria; The Advertising Club, Mumbai president Partho Dasgupta; 9x Media MD Pradeep Guha; Amar Ujala Publications president – marketing Rajiv Kental; Havas Group India CEO Rana Barua; Indira Television director Rani Reddy; Orient Electric business unit head – appliances Salil Kappoor; Madison Communications CMD Sam Balsara; Pantaloons (Aditya Birla Group) CEO Sangeeta Pendurkar; R K SWAMY BBDO CMD Srinivasan K Swamy; BARC India CEO Sunil Lulla’ Zee Entertainment Enterprise Tarun Katial; and Dailyhunt co-founder Umang Bedi, along with Ramesh Narayanan.
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.
