MAM
BBDO appoints Varun Mehta as senior creative director
MUMBAI: BBDO India has roped in Varun Mehta as its senior creative director – special projects.
Mehta returns to advertising after an 18-month-long sabbatical and will be based in Mumbai.
Says Josy Paul, “BBDO India will leverage Varun‘s strengths as a conceptualiser, copywriter, photographer, illustrator, QuarkXPressor and sculptor!”
Mehta started his career in advertising in 1999 as a copywriter with O&M (Ogilvy & Mather), where he worked for nearly three-and-a-half years. There he worked on various accounts including Orange, World Gold Council and Asian Paints.
After that, Mehta had a short spell of about eight months with McCann Erickson. He then moved on to TBWA India where he worked for about two years, and handled clients such as Samsonite, BPL Mobile and Indian Oil.
Mehta has also worked with Rediffusion DY&R and Mudra.
Paul further adds, “Like cricketer Harbhajan Singh, we expect Varun to throw a few ‘doosras‘, and create some surprising solutions for our client‘s brand problems. He will translate marketing objectives into creative strategies and help in production and marketing collateral.”
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.
