MAM
TheSmallBigIdea wins digital and social media duties for Maddock Films’ ‘Bala’
Mumbai: Full service digital agency, TheSmallBigIdea has been awarded the Digital and Social Media mandate for Maddock Films’ upcoming movie ‘Bala’, post a multi-agency pitch. As per the mandate, the agency will be responsible for the ideation and execution of the entire digital promotion of the film set to release on 8th November, 2019 across India. The film tells the story of Bala, a character played by Ayushmann Khurrana who is balding prematurely and how he copes with the situation.
The mandate includes managing social media accounts, digital partnerships and influencer activities for the film. The agency will be in charge for strategizing and executing digital first video concepts with the actors of the film to create engagements and interactions across social media platforms. In addition to this, TheSmallBigIdea will be responsible for conceptualising and implementing social media campaigns across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Speaking about the win, Harikrishnan Pillai, CEO and co-founder, TheSmallBigIdea, said, “With Bala, TSBI hits a hattrick with Ayushmann Khurrana films. It’s our first with Maddock Films and the experience has been wonderful. It’s extremely encouraging to work with a driven and passionate team. Our campaign ‘Bala Bechara’, encompasses the essence of the film which will see the cast, publishers & influencers come together to create enriching content experience.”
Commenting on the announcement, a spokesperson from Maddock Films, said, “TheSmallBigIdea has previously promoted movies such as ‘Badhaai Ho’, ‘Junglee’, ‘Judgementall Hai Kya’, ‘Jabariya Jodi’ and ‘Dream Girl’. This was an impressive line-up and we had enjoyed seeing these campaigns. They have not only been innovative but also extremely driven in their approach. We look forward to a great partnership.”
TheSmallBigIdea provides services such as Social Media Management, Video Content Production, Digital Media Planning & Buying, Social Listening & ORM services, Augmented & Virtual Reality amongst other ancillary marketing services. Recognized for their propriety creative-tech tool ACE, ‘TheSmallBigIdea’ has enabled brands to arrive at campaign messaging by integrating insights from social sentiments & enterprise data.
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.
