MAM
Weekend Unwind with: Thought Blurb Communications managing director & chief creative officer Vinod Kunj
Mumbai : With yet another weekend upon us, it’s once again time to unwind with our special series ‘Weekend Unwind’. Where we take a peek into the mind of a corporate head through a fun lens in an attempt to get to know the person behind the title a little better.
In this week’s edition, we have Thought Blurb Communications managing director & chief creative officer Vinod Kunj sharing with us his musings on the daily rigmarole that life and work has to offer. Having worked with a clutch of big names in adland like Saatchi & Saatchi, Enterprise Nexus (now Bates), FCB Ulka, Lowe Lintas and Rediffusion DY&R in a span of thirteen years, Kunj was ready to take the entrepreneurial plunge. His last stint as an employee was in the Mumbai office of Capital Advertising, a Delhi-based ad firm, heading its creative department.
Kunj then teamed up with his life partner, Razia, even as the couple leveraged their individual strengths- his in advertising, and hers in design- to launch their own advertising agency, Thought Blurb Communications – “a one-stop shop for advertising, designing, strategy planning and activation services” in the year 2007.
So without further ado here goes…
Your mantra for life
‘You are what your deep driving desire is.’ From the Upanishads.
A book you are currently reading / plan to read
‘Daily Rituals’ by Mason Currey on the routine that more than 160 creative people followed throughout their lives.
Your fitness mantra, especially during the pandemic
Yoga for 30 minutes every day.
Your comfort food
Fish curry and rice. (like more than 30 million Malayalee brethren)
When the chips are down a quote/ philosophy that keeps you going
‘This too shall pass.’
Your guilty pleasure
A Single Malt with a dash of Perrier and a cube of ice.
When was the last time you tried something new?
I am in advertising, if I do not try something new everyday, I would be extinct!
A life lesson you learnt the hard way
That you lose a battle at the precise point you stopped trying.
What gets you excited about life?
People! Every single person I meet. Each one is such a mystery and it’s so much fun trying to figure them out knowing fully well that I won’t.
What’s on top of your bucket list?
Launch an app. I have been planning to for a long time now!
One thing you would most like to change about the world
Do we still need organised religion to bring us closer to God!
An activity that keeps you motivated/ charged during tough times
A nice long drive into the countryside, preferably the hills.
What lifts your spirits when life gets you down?
A good piece of creativity by one of my colleagues or a peer. A nature trail also has the same effect on me.
Your go-to stress buster
Classical Indian music or a Kishore Kumar song.
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?
Leap before you look!
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.
