MAM
Time to steel nerves as G-Shock ticks with Shubman Gill
MUMBAI: Some watches tell the time. Others tell you to keep going when the clock feels stacked against you. G-Shock has rolled out a new brand campaign fronted by cricketer Shubman Gill, putting the spotlight on its G-Steel GBM-2100 series and doubling down on a familiar refrain Never Give Up. The film frames toughness not as a moment in the limelight, but as the quieter discipline of turning up, taking hits and moving forward anyway.
The campaign leans into G-Shock’s long-standing association with durability and self-expression, while positioning G-Steel as a sharper, more refined take on what the brand calls “absolute toughness”. Here, resilience is stripped of theatrics and recast as routine grit, the kind built through repetition, pressure and recovery rather than applause.
At its centre is the GBM-2100, launched in three new colour variants Champagne Gold, Metallic Blue and Burgundy. Built on the angular design language of the 2100 series, the watch blends metal construction with the brand’s trademark shock resistance, nudging G-Shocvk further into the space where rugged engineering meets everyday wearability.
Shot against a backdrop of motion and impact, the film mirrors the cycles familiar to professional sport uncertainty, scrutiny and the grind of staying consistent. Gill’s presence anchors the narrative, drawing parallels between elite performance and the campaign’s underlying message that toughness is less about dominance and more about durability.
Casio India managing director Takuto Kimura said the campaign reflects a generation shaped by setbacks as much as ambition, where resilience and style increasingly overlap. Gill echoed the sentiment, pointing to perseverance and comebacks as the qualities that ultimately define a career.
The project was developed in collaboration with Ducktape Studios and directed by Raylin Valles, with a clear focus on reframing what toughness looks like for Gen Z and millennial audiences.
In a crowded market of bold claims and louder endorsements, G-Shock’s latest outing keeps its message simple, steel yourself, stay unbreakable, and let the timepiece do the talking.
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.
