MAM
Vishal Kumar returns to Madison World as VP, digital business (N+E)
Former Leapx.ai co-founder returns to lead digital growth across north and east markets
GURUGRAM: Madison World has welcomed back a familiar face. Vishal Kumar has been appointed vice president of digital business for the north and east portfolios, marking a homecoming to the agency where he once led non-traditional media solutions.
Based in Gurugram, Kumar will steer digital transformation and integrated marketing efforts across key markets. His brief is clear: tighten the link between media, data, technology and commerce, and turn that mix into measurable growth for clients.
He returns after a stint on the entrepreneurial side of the table. As co-founder and chief executive officer of Leapx.ai, Kumar built the DAC platform, a conversational multi-agent AI designed to simplify and optimise paid digital advertising. The experience added a start-up edge to his otherwise agency-heavy résumé.
Before Leapx.ai, Kumar spent over a decade in senior digital roles across GroupM, Wavemaker and Motivator, working on brands such as Apple, Sennheiser, Cars24 and Havells. His work ranged from e-commerce rollouts and data strategy to social, content and programmatic campaigns.
With this return, Madison World is betting on a blend of old familiarity and new-age thinking. For Kumar, it is less a new chapter and more a sequel, this time with a sharper digital script.
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.
