MAM
VML Qais ups Preethi Sanjeevi to client solutions director
MUMBAI: VML Qais has promoted Preethi Sanjeevi to regional client solutions director. The role has been newly created for her to lead the business team across the APAC region and facilitate the agency’s expansion there.
Sanjeevi held the post of business director prior to this announcement.
She will be responsible for both client growth and acquisition across Asian markets. While Sanjeevi will be based out of Singapore, she will be spending a considerable part of her time in India as well to develop the business here.
Sanjeevi has spent the last decade working in the marketing communications industry with experience in both traditional advertising and online marketing across India and SEA markets. She has also worked in the field of entertainment marketing.
Sanjeevi has been with VML Qais for the past six years, during which she has led end-to-end digital consulting for clients including Changi Airport, Banyan Tree Resorts, Ministry of Defence, Dell, Revlon and Estee Lauder.
VML Qais CEO Tripti Lochan said, “Preethi has done a phenomenal job this past year – energizing, leading, and inspiring the people around her. This promotion is very well-deserved and we wish her continued success in her new role.”
Sanjeevi said, “I’m very much relishing the challenge of my new role at such exciting times for VML Qais, and the digital environment as a whole. It’s such an invigorating and energetic environment, demonstrated by how much we’ve grown already this year, both client-wise and geographically, I look forward to being an integral part of the next phase of growth.”
VML Qais, WPP’s wholly-owned pure play digital network, is headquartered in Singapore and recently launched its India operation. The agency is the Asian arm of brand consulting agency VML and was formed after it acquired Qais Consulting in February 2012.
VML Qais has a six-member team in Mumbai and is expected to set up operations in Delhi by the end of the year.
MAM
Barista partners Ginny Weds Sunny 2 with mango campaign
Cafe chain blends cinema buzz with summer menu and 20 per cent offer.
MUMBAI: Love may brew slowly, but marketing clearly doesn’t especially when coffee meets cinema and mangoes steal the spotlight. Barista Coffee Company has partnered with the upcoming hindi film Ginny Weds Sunny 2 as its official beverage partner, in a move aimed at tapping into youth culture through entertainment-led engagement. The collaboration is not just a logo placement exercise. Instead, Barista is translating the film’s high-energy vibe into its cafés with a themed summer menu titled “Main Hoon Mango”, accompanied by a limited-period 20 per cent discount on combo offerings across outlets.
Actors Medha Shankr and Avinash Tiwary feature in the campaign, seen engaging with the mango-themed menu inside Barista cafés, a visual cue designed to blur the lines between reel and real-life consumption moments.
The strategy reflects a broader shift in how consumer brands are leveraging hindi film industry not just for visibility, but for immersive, on-ground engagement. By embedding the film’s narrative into its product experience, Barista is aiming to drive footfall, especially among younger audiences who increasingly seek experiential touchpoints over traditional advertising.
Barista Coffee Company CEO Rajat Agrawal described the partnership as both a branding and growth play, focused on expanding reach beyond the existing customer base and aligning with evolving consumer preferences.
The emphasis on a seasonal, flavour-led hook mango, one of India’s most culturally resonant ingredients adds a timely layer to the campaign, aligning with summer consumption trends while riding on the film’s promotional momentum.
For Barista, the move is part of a larger positioning shift. Rather than operating purely as a coffee retail chain, the brand is increasingly framing itself as a lifestyle destination, one that intersects with entertainment, conversation and shared experiences. By integrating cinema into its physical spaces, Barista is effectively turning cafés into micro-extensions of the film’s universe, where consumers do not just watch a story unfold but participate in it sip by sip.
The 20 per cent offer further nudges trial, lowering the barrier for consumers to engage with the themed menu while amplifying recall through a tangible incentive.
Brand-film collaborations are hardly new, but their execution is evolving. Where earlier partnerships relied on co-branded ads or product placements, the current playbook leans towards immersive storytelling and retail integration.
In that sense, Barista’s “Main Hoon Mango” push is less about promotion and more about participation inviting consumers to experience a slice of the film within a familiar, everyday setting. As the film industry continues to act as a cultural amplifier, such partnerships underline a growing truth, in today’s attention economy, it is not enough to be seen brands must be experienced.
And if that experience comes with a mango twist and a cinematic backdrop, all the better.
