BE Extraordinary at #CannesLions with Brand Equity →
Brand Equity Editor Prasad Sangameshwaram and Senior Digital Content Creator Aprajeeta Tripathi sit down with Chief Creative Officer, Harsh Kapadia to break down the winners at Cannes Lions 2025 thru the week. The breakdown goes beyond the celebrated Grand Prix winners and looks at the world for creativity, marketing and technology.
BE Extraordinary series
👂 Ear And Now Cannes Lions audio special
😋 A Mouthful of Sky Outdoor shines at Cannes Lions
☝️ Finger on the pulp Print and publishing picks of Cannes Lions
❤️ The heart of the matter Pharma, Health and Wellness & Grand Prix for Good
🎞️ A heart for every frame Film craft
👁️ Eye for detail A Cannes Lions design special
🧠 Where mind meets matter Digital Craft picks from Cannes Lions
🎨 Voice of reason A Cannes Lions Industry Craft Special
🎭 All ears to entertainment
🤝 From brand to hand A Cannes Lions Direct Special
🏢 Mouth to market A Cannes Lions B2B Special
📈 Beyond eye candy A Cannes Lions Creative Data Special
📣 The PR eye
📺 Media moments of truth Cannes Lions top picks
🤳 Eyes that scroll A Cannes Lions Social and Creator Special
👌 Eye for the outcome
⏩ The transformed touch points
💸 The hand that guides to buy
🔍 The detail that echoes A Cannes Lions Luxury Special
🤖 Hearing the gap A Cannes Lions Innovation Special
🤔 The ear of insight, the eye of impact
The power of absorbing cultures
Harsh Kapadia, Chief Creative Officer at Grey India, spoke with Kite Hill CEO and Founder Tiffany Guarnaccia on the power of absorbing cultures, embracing AI, and his excitement for the Young Lions competition.
Ai Ai Ai. Did i say Ai?
An inspiring conversation featuring Rory Flynn, Founder of Systematiq AI and Harsh Kapadia, Chief Creative Officer of MRM. Together, they dive into the transformative power of AI, its impact on the agency world, and the creative possibilities it unlocks. This is your chance to hear from two leaders shaping the future of their industries.
TOP SPORTS MARKETING CAMPAIGNS OF 2024 →
March Madness encapsulates the thrill of the game—teams, players, plays, referee calls, beers, chicken wings and more beers. Amid this frenzy, how does a brand without a partnership engage an audience and be remembered? Oreo found a brilliant way.
By drawing a simple yet powerful connection between their iconic cookie and the referee's striped jersey, they engaged their audience in real-time. This perfect second-screen experience allowed fans to follow the game's calls while discovering new ways to enjoy their Oreos. Such simplicity not only entertains but also creates lasting brand associations. Now, whenever I see a referee in a basketball game, I will be reminded of Oreo's creative genius and might just crave a cookie. —Harsh Kapadia, chief creative officer, MRM
Dodging The Brand Police
In a world where one-third of the global population is estimated to be Gen Z, manals are being tossed by th wayside. And this year’s Cannes Lions saw the rise of the brave new brand order, finds Prasad Sangameshwaran.
Creativity At Speed
New York Festivals sets up the perfect stage to talk about Creativity at speed with the power of Ai. Will Ai replace my job or will it evolve my job? Listen to a 5 part episode featuring Tyler Deangelo, Josh Wolf, Elav Horwitz, Craig Elimeliah, Cherise Bernard and Harsh Kapadia
Saville Productions Purpose Podcast
Rupert sits down to talk to Harsh Kapadia about his philosophy on cultural macgyverism.
D&AD Jury President for Impact Harsh Kapadia on the cruciality of diversity, inclusion, and brand purpose →
LONDON, UK — Amid the rousing celebrations of creative excellence in the D&AD Awards, adobo Magazine’s Founder, President, and Editor-in-Chief Angel Guerrero engaged in conversation with Harsh Kapadia, Chief Creative Officer of MRM Worldwide, and Jury President of the Impact Category for D&AD 2024, regarding the cruciality of diversity, inclusion, and brand purpose for organizational success.
“D&AD is a creative show; it doesn’t have to be marketing work, it doesn’t have to be advertising, it is ultimately about creativity,” Harsh emphasized. “It has to have an impact on society to eventually grow their own business, and then you obviously have the support role of the UN SDG goals because there are so many unmet needs.”
In conversation with Economic Times Brand Equity Editor Prasad Sangameshwaran and D&AD Impact Jury President Harsh Kapadia on the Seven marketing Campaigns that change the world. →
Taking a stance is easy when it overlaps with your business →
Brands are being scrutinised a lot these days, so it's not as easy as one might think for a brand to start an initiative that might have an impact. If you have a well-thought-out strategy though, you can have both short and long-term impact. If you have a well-thought-out strategy though, you can have both short and long-term impact. Great ideas sometimes start showing immediate spikes and impact, but the key is for brands to maintain that consistently, whether it be with the same idea or with a series of ideas as a movement. That's why D&AD has both Impact and Sustained Impact as categories this year, and where we will see the difference between the two is. Impact will celebrate recent ideas where we may or may not have yet seen the full potential of their impact, but we feel they have the potential to have a meaningful impact. For Sustained Impact, we’ll be looking for evidence on how brands have consistently been pushing impactful strategies out into the world and have created an interdependency between their cause and their brand philosophy.
New York Creativity - Panel with Gerety
The Gerety Awards kicked off the 2024 season with a champagne cocktail in the Big Apple, bringing together the Gerety community for networking drinks, hosted in the WPP campus at the 3 World Trade Center.
Welcomed by Rob Reilly, global chief creative officer at WPP the panel was moderated by Stephanie Paterik GM of Editorial, editor in chief The Trade Desk and included:
Harsh Kapadia, EVP, chief creative officer, MRM New York
Laura Maness, global CEO, Grey
Emma Armstrong, chief executive officer, FCB New York
Emily Sander, executive creative director, VML NYC
How Brands Around the World Celebrate Diwali →
In the United States, there's a sense that Diwali is on the cusp and gaining critical mass. Harsh Kapadia is CCO for MRM East, and having lived in New York since 2019, he's observed a definite shift in terms of broader society. Having said that, he thinks that many brands are still sleeping on an enormous opportunity.
"This year's Diwali comes at an interesting time where Indian culture is having a "moment" globally," he says. "India is dominating the Cricket World Cup, and in the U.S., Diwali is becoming more mainstream with New York City declaring it an official public school holiday as a testament to change.
"While this is true, there's still progress to be made in the U.S. with brands celebrating Diwali with the Indian diaspora in an authentic way. U.S. advertisers are in the throes of traditional "holiday" advertising in November/December, but there remains a huge opportunity to dedicate a focus on Diwali. America's Indian diaspora is the one of the largest in the world, with a massive purchasing power. Indians will spend good money on Diwali (in both celebrations and gifts), and for those in the diaspora it's a time where everyone wants to be in India or at least feel they are. Adding to the case, 43% of Indian Americans engage better with advertising shown alongside culturally relevant content. Brands can gain high loyalties if they build connections during this time."
At street level, Harsh says that New York has certainly been lighting up ahead of the festival. "This year, in New York, I've noticed an increased Diwali presence in retail - such as a pop-up clothing store that was followed up with targeted marketing. Hudson Yards also hosted Diwali celebrations that coincided with the backdrop of early holiday light decorations, which are perfectly fitting for the festival of lights. There are so many more untapped opportunities for brands to build meaningful connections during the celebration, especially as emotions and FOMO are high for members of the diaspora who aren't celebrating the holiday in India."
We are in an era of Cultural Commerce. Different moments in culture will allow for impulsive purchases if played right.
Talking to a crowd at Expand Northstar’s Marketing Mania, Gitex Global, Dubai
Keynote Presentation: Attention, Emotion & Storytelling to Cultural Commerce
Responding to culture in a social post alone is now so 1995. Brands need to aspire to use culture to flip their own experience and give consumers a reason to explore and learn about them. Context is everything that will keep people curious and it is upon us to keep up with that expectation.
How to unlock Diversity's full POWER! Working in INDIA, Australia, NYC and LDN!
MRM EVP and Chief Creative Office Harsh Kapadia is the latest guest on untalented by UNKNOWN ... Harsh has worked at 3 agencies in 4 different countries, he earned his stripes at JWT and VMLY&R.
We discuss Harsh's journey, way to truly unlock a diverse workforce, the differences between working in India, Australia, England and the US, the importance of mentors, why creatives should seek therapy and why we need to be a little less serious.
Harsh Kapadia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harshkapadia/
🎧Listen Here: https://linktr.ee/untalentedbyunknown
👉 Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@untalentedpod
👉 Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/__weareunknown
Morning Buzz | S2E2 | How Cultural MacGyverism Unlocks Diversity’s Full Power
How Cultural MacGyverism Unlocks Diversity’s Full Power One of the most valuable skills I’ve learned from living and working in four distinct countries (India, Australia, United States and United Kingdom) can be articulated by a term I like to call “Cultural MacGyverism.” Much like the title character of the famous series, where our lead character was stuck with finite resources, trying to solve seemingly impossible briefs (sound familiar?), I’ve found that the best creative minds are adept at figuring out how to apply cross-cultural insights in order to navigate the challenging world of advertising. Gold Member | MRM Speaker: Harsh Kapadia | Executive Vice President & Chief Creative Officer, MRM Member Feature Talia Cotton | Founder & Creative Director, Cotton Design
Cultural Macgyverism →
Unlocking the power of cross culture thinking
The best creative minds are adept at applying cross-cultural insights to navigate the challenging world of advertising. One of the most valuable skills I’ve learned from living and working in four distinct countries (India, Australia, the U.S. and U.K.) can be articulated by a term I call “Cultural MacGyverism.”
All things advertising
After globe trotting across four continents, Harsh Kapadia is currently the Chief Creative Officer at MRM New York, has worked on some of the biggest brands in the world, won almost all the awards you can and has even been praised by Michele Obama for his leadership skills! 🏆 In the session, Harsh shares some expert advice on all things advertising. Enjoy the listen. Video Summary: Harsh Kapadia is a Chief Creative Officer and Executive Vice President at MRM New York. He started his career in advertising in India with J. Walter Thompson, where he worked on some of the biggest brands and learned from experienced mentors. Harsh then moved to Australia to pursue a Master's degree in communication design, while also working at J. Walter Thompson Melbourne. After several years, he was offered a job at J. Walter Thompson New York, which gave him the opportunity to work on big brands and learn from new mentors. Later on, he was offered opportunities to run an office in London and then become the CC of New York at MRM. Throughout his career journey, Harsh has emphasized the importance of mentorship and having good mentors, and has been lucky enough to have worked with some of the top agencies and mentors in the world.
"I was there" - Sitting down with The Drum and Sonoo Singh
Behind every iconic moment in advertising, lies an interesting back story – one that the public rarely gets to see. But at this year's Advertising Week, The Drum's 'I Was There' panel offered a window to the minds behind ads that stand the test of time.
'I Was There' panel at The Drum Arms
The Drum's associate editor, Sonoo Singh, asked the creative luminaries Harsh Kapadia, Simon Poett, Angus MacKinnon and Nanda Marth to delve into the process of creativity behind one particular campaign close to their hearts.
Civilians are #NotATarget - Harsh Kapadia, executive creative director at VMLY&R
VMLY&R’s executive creative director, Harsh Kapadia outlines what went on behind the scenes of the ‘Civilians are #NotATarget’ campaign, which the agency created to raise awareness to the work done by the United Nations (UN).
While some news coverage can often overlook the impact war has on civilians, #NotATarget aimed to tell the story of people living in conflict areas and educate a global millennial audience to push for change.
VML's challenge? After winning the pitch the team had just 45 days to bring it to market so that it coincided with World Humanitarian Day.
“We drove the agency crazy,” Kapadia remembers. “Everyone who worked on it didn’t take no for an answer.”
Although he wouldn't use it as a 'blueprint' for future campaigns, Kapadia found it remarkable how the agency came together as "one team" to get the job done.
T.O by Lipton - Simon Poett, The Brooklyn Brothers
The Brooklyn Brothers’ executive creative director Simon Poett chose a T.O by Lipton campaign that featured Cirque De Soleil dancers, an underwater tank and an unwelcome court order.
The brief from Lipton was to showcase the different ways it could capture the "spirit of tea leaves brewing".
Poett wanted to bring to life the display of colour that escapes a tea bag in hot water and enlisted the Cirque de Soleil group to create an underwater visual drama that mimicked the blend of three different teas.
Somewhat surprisingly, Poett admitted the team wrote “48 different versions” of the script before they trekked over to Montreal to meet the dancers. Then it was up to the dancers, who had made bespoke costumes and choreographed a dance for the different flavours of tea.
The team then hurled four custom made tanks, which were five inches thick, from Chicago to Bucharest to shoot the dancers underwater.
"It was a wild imaginative cake, and every layer felt amazing," Poett said. "Until after we edited it, a competitor in France said 'it's the same as the ad we made 18 months ago.'"
If it wasn't for the power of owner Unilever and it's defense team, the vision could have been lost, but as Poett said - "no one can own making ads underwater."
EE Wembley Cup - Angus Mackinnon, Poke
The EE Wembley Cup is an annual football competition played by male YouTube football stars, and ex-professional 'legends', which was developed by Poke in 2015 to engage a younger generation of EE users. In a seven-part YouTube series, the influencer driven platform sees the stars battle it out for a live final at Wembley stadium.
Since 2015, the series has received 148 million views, and with 22 content creators on board, this gives EE access to over 10 million subscribers between them.
Poke’s group creative director, Angus Mackinnon lauded the cup's ability to repeat itself year after year, with only a little bit of fine-tuning.
Although, as a blueprint, the EE Wembley Cup is an extraordinary piece of IP - the memory of 22 competitive content creators battling it out was a nightmare for MacKinnon.
"They all work in a Black Mirror-style dystopian," said MacKinnon. "When you get this quantity of influencers together and put them in a competitive environment, the sparks start to really fly because the politics is insane."
Hypoglycaemia - Nanda Marth, WPP Health and Wellness UK
Nanda Marth, executive creative director at WPP Health and Wellness UK chose an ad that was not aimed at consumers, but doctors.
Hypoglycaemia is a serious condition caused by a very low level of blood sugar, that a lot of people know little about.
"The symptoms are often confused with everyday life symptoms, like headaches, dizziness and sweats," explains Marth. "And it's difficult for doctors to diagnose."
The work was for Novo Nordisk - the Danish pharmaceutical company which represents its challenges. One: "craft is important, as in healthcare you can have the best medicine, but you can't say it's the best."
On top of this, talking about a human condition in adverts "is a challenge, because you have to reference back with scientific references," Marth explained.
The reality for hypoglycaemia sufferers is the illness can be fatal. To raise awareness of the illness, Marth's team created a sensorial film, that placed the viewer behind the eyes of someone with the disease.
"You have different volumes of music, so you hear what she hears, and see what she sees," Marth detailed.
"And you feel her confusion and vulnerability. The craft was to push the message to get people to empathise," she said.