MAM
Vh1initiaties ticket 2 ride contest
MUMBAI: Vh1, the music & lifestyle channel, is organising a contest Vh1 Ticket 2 Ride which offers an all-expense paid trip to Amsterdam to witness Eminem, 50 Cent, Flipsyde and many more perform live and exclusive on 6 September.
According to a press release, Swapnil Kamble from Mumbai was the lucky one to win an opportunity to witness the U2 Concert live at Manchester courtesy Vh1.
In the same vein, Vh1 has tied up with Coffee Day Xpress, Planet M and Sify Max, whereby their customers across India will receive scratch cards that could entitle them to prizes.
But, for the grand prize, the participants have to tune in to Vh1 between 9 pm and 11pm for details on how you can win an all-expense paid trip to Amsterdam for the explosive Anger Management concert where Eminem, 50 Cent, Flipsyde and many more will perform live and furious, informs the press release. The contest closes on 22 August.
According to Vh1 general manager Keertan Adyanthaya, “For a music buff, it can’t get bigger than this – to be amongst thousands of screaming fans, amidst electrifying music and watching one’s music icons perform live. When we say ‘VH1 is your window to International Music, Icons and Lifestyle, we mean it literally.” He adds, “This is just the beginning of exciting times for Vh1 viewers in the months ahead.”
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.
