MAM
UBON ropes in Rana Daggubati as the new brand ambassador, target expansion into Southern Market
UBON, India’s leading Gadget Accessory & Consumer Electronics brand has roped in superstar Rana Daggubati as its brand ambassador to tap the Southern market. What makes Rana the best choice for this position is that he enjoys a massive appeal across the southern part of the Country. That brings immense value to us as one of the unique selling propositions of our brand lies in making cutting edge technology, fun, stylish, quality-driven products within everyone's reach and across all price segments.
Keeping up with the Ubon's tagline ‘born to be free,’ Rana was a unanimous choice for brand ambassador. No-one can represent the true spirit and energy of UBON better than Rana in the South-Indian part of the country. Apart from being a powerhouse of acting, Rana is big-time tech-savvy and his philosophy inclines very well with the UBON‘s vision.
Commenting on the occasion, UBON’s Managing Director Mandeep Arora said, “Having Rana Daggubati on board with a mammoth fan following will help us reach and tap into that target audience of ours. He is young, dynamic and a very popular face in every household of South India. With our aim to tap the southern market none better than the versatile Rana Daggubati to stand for this thought.
Elated Brand Ambassador Rana Daggubati said, “Tech and Trend go hand-in-hand when it comes to buying stylish consumer electronics and gadgets accessories jam-packed with modern technology, UBON is the first brand which strikes our mind. Being a tech-savvy myself, I am delighted with this new association. UBON is a brand that provides great audio quality in conjunction with trendy designs, also resonating with my personality,” he further added.
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.
