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Saatchi Propagate India onboards Saurabh Mankhand as EVP & head of consumer experience
MUMBAI: Publicis Groupe India’s full-funnel digital agency Saatchi Propagate has enhanced its leadership team by appointing Saurabh Mankhand as EVP & Head of Consumer Experience.
Saurabh will spearhead the agency’s Consumer Experience (CX) practice, focused on integrating strategy, data, content, platform innovation, and emerging technologies to deliver measurable impact for brands. He will also play a key role in promoting Publicis Groupe’s unique ‘Power of One’ model to unlock new opportunities and strengthen client partnerships.
Marking his return to Publicis Groupe India, Saurabh brings over two decades of experience in driving integrated marketing strategies, digital innovation, and business transformation. He has led mandates for brands including Unilever, Jio, Vodafone, and IBM, while building teams and service lines across e-commerce, B2B, and consumer sectors. Prior to this, he served at OLIVER+ as the Business Head for eCommerce & Technology Services. He has also held leadership roles at Indigo Consulting and Ogilvy India.
Reporting into Saatchi & Saatchi India, BBH India, and Saatchi Propagate India CEO Paritosh Srivastava, Saurabh will work closely with Saatchi Propagate India EVP & Business Head, Prachi Bali and Saatchi & Saatchi India, BBH India and Saatchi Propagate India, Group Chief Strategy Officer, Snehasis Bose.
Speaking on the appointment, Srivastava said, “Saatchi Propagate India has been on an amazing growth journey over the last few years. Today, we are amongst the top digital agencies in the country, working with some of the major national and international brands. To keep this momentum going, we are strengthening our capabilities with a focus on owning the entire CX journey. Saurabh’s deep expertise in this space makes him the perfect partner to lead us into this next phase. With Snehasis, Saurabh and Prachi at the helm, Saatchi Propagate India is ready for its next phase of growth.”
Mankhand added, “The future of brand growth is about creating predictive, personalised experiences through a seamless convergence of strategy, data, and platform innovation across the entire omni-channel ecosystem. This has placed CX at the very core of the business, and I’m excited to join the team at Saatchi Propagate India, who are already deeply engaged with clients on these strategic journeys. My focus will be on enhancing our collective ability to deliver proactive CX solutions that not only meet modern customer expectations but deliver the significant, measurable growth our clients demand.”
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.
