MAM
SoCheers bolsters leadership team with two key appointments
Mumbai: SoCheers, a digital-first full-service advertising agency, has appointed two new members to its leadership team with Jaideep Thackeray and Randal Gomes. They joined the ranks as creative head of design and head of business development, respectively.
“We have quite significantly grown in the past few years in terms of clients and people both. Therefore, we wanted to further strengthen and have some seasoned leaders to drive the teams,” stated SoCheers co-founder and CEO Mehul Gupta. “Interestingly, both the leaders tend to understand the evolution of digital and its acceptance in the years gone by as well as foresee its growth to come. I am confident that with such synchronised synergies, the agency will surely touch newer heights as we gear up to expand our client base to more markets as well as up the game with our existing brands.”
Thackeray comes with an array of creative experience with prominent agencies like JWT, Ogilvy, Contract Advertising, Rickshaw Communications, to name a few. In his professional career of around 12 years, he has worked with revered brands like Shoppers Stop, Asian Paints, Palladium, and High Street Phoenix.
In his new role, he will be responsible for developing and growing the internal design team, championing client pitches, and helping the agency chart a fresh and innovative way forward for upcoming projects. “Just like other aspects of digital marketing, design too is witnessing a constant evolution. Having the best design artwork and impactful brand message go hand in hand because the former enthralls the viewers with its aesthetics and the latter demonstrates the brand ethos. Having said that, this is the balance I always try to achieve with my work. For me, this is the perfect opportunity to grow as a creative professional, as SoCheers is on a growing curve, working with some of the biggest brands in the industry,” Thackeray said.
Gomes brings with him a decade worth of experience in the digital marketing industry. Before joining SoCheers, he led the strategy and business development team at MindShift Interactive where he played a crucial role in developing landmark and trending campaigns like #FeelingBlue (for Reliance 3G), and #ChappalMaaro (for The Bombay Store).
In his current role, he will be leading the business development vertical and will be responsible for growing the agency’s footprint by helping them acquire new clients. “The digital industry never ceases to amaze me. With the pandemic outbreak, the digital landscape has become even more revolutionized, having a plethora of brands test waters. Both the digital agencies as well as brands have acknowledged innovations in this space. Therefore, for me, SoCheers is definitely a new terrain of possibilities and I am super excited to have the agency expand its client roster,” commented Gomes.
Brands
DeVANS sparks buzz with self-chilling beer can April Fools campaign
Godfather stunt racks up 7 million impressions, blending humour with hype
NEW DELHI: DeVANS Modern Breweries has stirred up the marketing pot with a playful yet high-impact campaign teasing a futuristic “self-chilling beer can” under its flagship Godfather label.
What began as a seemingly bold product innovation quickly turned into one of the most talked-about brand moments online, before being revealed as an April Fools’ Day prank. The reveal, however, did little to cool the buzz.
The campaign clocked over 7 million organic impressions across platforms including LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and X, with users debating whether the concept was a genuine breakthrough or clever marketing theatre. Thousands of shares and comments turned the idea into a full-blown conversation, drawing in both consumers and industry insiders.
The hook was simple but effective. A self-chilling can positioned as an on-the-go convenience product tapped into the imagination of younger, urban audiences. Add the timing around April Fools’ Day, and the campaign struck the perfect balance between curiosity and scepticism, keeping audiences guessing.
Marketing experts have pointed to the campaign as a case study in leveraging cultural moments. By leaving just enough ambiguity, the brand invited audiences to participate rather than simply observe, turning passive viewers into active contributors to the narrative.
“Godfather has always been an iconic brand, but iconicity must evolve to stay meaningful,” said DeVANS Modern Breweries chairman and managing director Prem Dewan. “The ‘Self-Chilling Can’ was our way of showing up in a cultural moment with confidence and a sense of humour.”
Beyond the numbers, the campaign signals a broader repositioning for Godfather. Long seen as a legacy beer brand, it is now leaning into youth culture, digital-first storytelling and topical engagement to stay relevant in a crowded alcobev market.
In a space where attention is fleeting, DeVANS has shown that sometimes the coolest idea is the one that keeps people guessing.
