MAM
US Olympic Committee hires GSD&M for brand campaign
COLORADO: The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) has announced that it will work with GSD&M Advertising. The aim is to create a branding platform to promote the 2004 US Olympic Team. The games take place in Athens in August.
An official release informs that the USOC has charged GSD&M with developing creative strategy and brand communications, including print and television public service campaigns. The heart of the assignment, according to USOC chief of entertainment properties and brand marketing, Keith Allo, is to rally the American public’s enthusiasm for US Olympic hopefuls in their journey to the make the 2004 US Olympic Team.
Allo added, “Our brand is our Olympic athletes and that’s where our focus will continue to be as we prepare for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Not only are Olympians world-class athletes, they are individuals who are doing incredible things to represent our country. They are also everyday people with families, friends and struggles. What makes them unique is their dedication to be the best for America and for themselves.”
The release adds that the USOC has a long history of corporate support for its athletes, community outreach programs and training facilities. Many US Olympic sponsors use their Olympic connection in their own advertising. GSD&M’s work will be independent of these marketing efforts, but will complement the collective effort of the USOC’s partners to raise awareness and support for American Olympians.
This is the second partnership between GSD&M and the USOC. In 1999, GSD&M developed a national branding campaign leading up to the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Allo said, “We came back to GSD&M because of its creative reputation and history of representing some of the most respected brands in the country. But more than that, they appreciate our values and culture. They show the same commitment to their clients as we do to our athletes.”
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.
