AD Agencies
Shobiz completes 40 years; adopts new brand identity as Shobiz Havas
Mumbai: Shobiz, the experiential communication agency of Havas Group India, has completed 40 glorious years in India. To commemorate this historic milestone, Havas Group India and Shobiz have launched a new brand identity, a new logo – Shobiz Havas – to display the company’s integration with the French network. In 2019, following Shobiz’s acquisition by the Havas Group India, the agency became a critical strategic pillar in the growth of the network in the country.
Shobiz has also launched a 40-year celebratory logo to mark this momentous occasion.
The agency has been offering services in strategic planning, communication and content design, creative, graphic & architectural design, audience acquisition, production, and logistics for the last four decades. Founded by Rehmatali Tobaccowala in 1982, the Mumbai-headquartered Shobiz has four offices and over 250+ professionals across India, said the statement.
Over the years, the agency was lauded for its long-standing client relationships in India. This includes HUL, Tata, Ford, SAP, VMWare, Mercedes, HPE. Today, the agency works across sectors, such as IT, Automotive, FMCG, Corporate, BFSI, Healthcare and Media, with over 150 recurring clients.
“I want to congratulate Sameer and the entire team at Shobiz Havas for achieving this tremendous milestone. Its legacy and reputation in the market is unrivalled,” said Havas Group India group CEO Rana Baru. “Over the last four decades, Shobiz has gone through several transformations, but the one over the last two years was perhaps the biggest in the history of the company and reflects in the business growth of the company despite the market challenges. Very soon, the company will venture into newer functions and partner many of our group companies to offer a meaningful and seamless brand journey to clients.”
“The legacy of Shobiz in the field of experiential is unmatched. The brands that we built over the last four decades and the long-standing client relationships that we cherish are a testimony of this legacy,” stated Shobiz Experiential Communications CEO Sameer Tobaccowala. “I take this opportunity to thank everyone who associated with us over the years. A huge thanks to Havas Group global and Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas Group India, who stood by us when we were at our lowest. I also want to thank my team for their unwavering support. Lastly, we wouldn’t have been here without the business acumen of my father Rehmatali Tobaccowala, who taught us to never say never, always be open to learn and do it all with impeccable humane touch and a sense of joy.”
AD Agencies
AdTrust Summit 2026 to examine trust, AI and Gen Alpha in advertising
Two-day summit in Mumbai to explore ethics, regulation and the future of advertising trust
MUMBAI: At a time when advertising is navigating a delicate trust deficit, the Advertising Standards Council of India is preparing to bring the industry to the table. On 17 and 18 March, the body will host the inaugural AdTrust Summit 2026 in Mumbai, a two-day gathering designed to spark conversation around responsibility, regulation and credibility in modern advertising.
The summit, to be held at the Jio World Convention Centre in Bandra Kurla Complex, will bring together leaders from advertising, media, technology and policy to examine how brands can build trust in a marketplace increasingly shaped by algorithms, influencers and artificial intelligence.
In an age of deepfakes, dark patterns and blurred lines between content and commerce, the question is no longer just how brands capture attention, but whether audiences believe what they see. The AdTrust Summit aims to unpack that challenge.
Day one will turn its attention to the youngest digital natives. Titled Decoding Gen Alpha, the session will unveil ‘What the Sigma?’, a study by ASCI and Futurebrands Consulting that explores how children growing up in a hyper-digital environment encounter advertising and commercial messaging.
The report presentation will be delivered by Santosh Desai, founder and director at Think9 Consumer Technologies and a social commentator known for his insights into consumer behaviour. The discussion that follows will attempt to decode how Gen Alpha consumes media, interacts with brands and navigates the growing overlap between entertainment and marketing.
In a move that mirrors the subject itself, two Gen Alpha students will also join the conversation, offering a rare perspective from the generation advertisers are trying to understand.
The second panel of the day will shift the focus from observation to implication, asking what the report’s findings mean for brands, agencies and society. Speakers include Karthik Srinivasan, communications strategy consultant; Preeti Vyas, president at Mythik; and Abigail Dias, associate president planning at Ogilvy. The session will be moderated by Sonali Krishna, editor at ET Brand Equity.
Day two moves from insight to regulation. Under the theme From Compliance to Trust, ASCI will release its Ad Law Compendium, a comprehensive guide to India’s advertising regulations.
The day will open with a keynote by Sudhanshu Vats, chairman at ASCI and managing director at Pidilite Industries, followed by a chief guest address by Sanjay Jaju, secretary at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Legal experts from Khaitan & Co., including Haigreve Khaitan, senior partner, and Tanu Banerjee, partner, will present an overview of the current advertising law landscape in India and examine whether existing frameworks are equipped to deal with emerging technologies and formats.
Subsequent panels will explore issues increasingly shaping the industry’s ethical compass. Conversations will range from the limits of persuasive design and the rise of dark patterns, to the growing scrutiny brands face from digital creators and consumer watchdogs.
One session will also feature Revant Himatsingka, widely known online as the Food Pharmer, whose critiques of packaged food brands have sparked debate around transparency and corporate accountability.
Later discussions will turn toward media literacy among Gen Alpha, asking how children can be equipped to navigate a digital world where gaming, content and commerce are becoming indistinguishable.
The summit will conclude with a final panel on the future of advertising, bringing together voices from agencies, legal circles and technology platforms to discuss how innovation, intelligence and integrity can coexist.
For an industry built on persuasion, trust has always been its quiet currency. But as audiences grow more sceptical and digital ecosystems more complex, that currency is under pressure.
Events like the AdTrust Summit suggest the advertising world knows it cannot afford to take credibility for granted. The real challenge now is turning conversation into commitment.
