MAM
Tribal DDB boosts creative team in India
MUMBAI: Tribal DDB India is investing in a significant ramp up of its creative team. The agency has entrusted DDB Mudra Mumbai group creative directors Ashish Phatak and Aman Mannan the additional role of driving the Tribal DDB creative mandate. Both joined DDB Mudra Mumbai in 2010 and have been working on LIC, Godrej, Future Group, Union Bank of India among others.
The duo have individually and together worked on brands like Union Bank of India, Parachute, Saffola, Tata Indico, Hit, Jaipur Foot Foundation.
The agency has a newcomer in Satish Sethumadhavan (popularly known as Sethu) who has joined as creative director. His last stint was with Ogilvy & Mather, Bengaluru. Over the past decade, Sethu has worked with brands such as Coca-Cola, Western Union, American Express, ITC’s Bingo, Marico’s Parachute, Haywards, Vicks and Titan.
DDB Mudra Group chairman and CCO Sonal Dabral said, “With technology opening up endless possibilities in the way we converse with our target audience these are truly exciting times. At DDB Mudra Group we want to be the best when it comes to providing breakthrough creative solutions to our clients across multiple media and platforms. With this new beefed up creative structure at Tribal DDB we are walking our talk.”
Tribal DDB and Rapp India president Venkat Mallik said, “At Tribal DDB, we believe that the best work in the digital space will emerge from the fusion of the highest standards of brand creative thinking with Digital inventiveness. We are building our team with award winning talent with backgrounds in digital, as well as, mainstream brand communication. Aman & Ashish and Sethu are individually outstanding creative talent who we are proud to have lead the creative show for us and help set a new benchmark for digital brand creativity.”
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.
