MAM
Wunderman Thompson (WT) India has a thumping win at Facebook’s Thumbstoppers Summit ‘19
MUMBAI: Wunderman Thompson India has reason to celebrate as 5 of its creative minds won at Facebook India’s inaugural Thumbstoppers Summit hosted last evening. The 5 winners felicitated at last night’s event included Shibnath Sen, Samriddhi Shah, Yashaswini, Nuzhath Enayath and Ravi Mishra, out of which veteran senior creative director Shibnath Sen and junior copywriter Samriddhi Shah will travel to Cannes next year. Touted as the biggest platform in Asia for creativity in mobile advertising, ‘Facebook Thumbstoppers’ summit saw the coming together of some of the best creative talent from across Asia which included 500+ top creatives, marketers, production houses, and media companies. The event was also attended by leading Bollywood directors Kiran Rao and Zoya Akhtar and rapper Naezy who shared their insights on creativity and mobile video advertising.
Launched in May this year, Facebook’s Thumbstoppers format was created to help brands redefine storytelling in mobile video advertising with stories that evoke emotions under 10 seconds to change human behaviour. Wunderman Thompson India has worked closely with Facebook, film director-producer Kiran Rao and ad-filmmaker Prakash Verma to help pivot the advertising and marketing communities to embrace mobile-first storytelling. With participation in the challenge from more than 3500 creative scripts across 4 categories, top 16 films have been produced by Facebook and the top 4 winners travel to Cannes 2020.
Commenting on the wins Tarun Rai, Chairman & Group CEO, Wunderman Thompson South Asia, said, “It was a great night for Wunderman Thompson with five winners out of a total of sixteen – the largest number, by far, from any agency. It shows the depth of creative talent we have at the agency and also the diversity of our talent – whether it is gender diversity or age and experience. Congratulations to all the winners! We are a new breed of agency and I am happy to see a new breed of talent shining through. And of course, it was great to see Shibu amongst the winners – still young at heart.”
Senthil Kumar, Chief Creative Officer, Wunderman Thompson India, further added, “5 out of 16 winners in the Facebook’s Thumbstoppers Challenge demonstrates the creative firepower at Wunderman Thompson India. The fact that we have the youngest and the oldest winners going to Cannes 2020 proves that creativity is never dated. It’s been a Thumbstopping HeartMoving journey for the team over the last 6 months.”
Some of the winning entries from Wunderman Thompson included inspiring storytelling highlighting important social causes:
Shibnath Sen, Senior Creative Director, Wunderman Thompson – ‘Dogs don’t have an option, you do!’
https://www.facebook.com/WunThompsonSA/videos/729930257474313/
Samriddhi Shah, Junior Copywriter, Wunderman Thompson – ‘Give home-makers the respect they deserve’
https://www.facebook.com/WunThompsonSA/videos/506142670163831/
Nuzhath Enayath, Junior Copywriter, Wunderman Thompson – ‘Not all protests are loud’
https://www.facebook.com/WunThompsonSA/videos/2412120138904036/
Yashaswini Singh, Copywriter, Wunderman Thompson – ‘Courage is beautiful’
https://www.facebook.com/WunThompsonSA/videos/1139876862883035/
Shankar Mishra, Creative Director, ADK Fortune – ‘Donate to get’
https://www.facebook.com/WunThompsonSA/videos/1410246975790498/
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.
