MAM
Hindustan Unilever and Mindshare Mumbai bag Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2016
MUMBAI: Mindshare Mumbai has done India proud at the 63rd Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, by winning the Grand Prix in Glass Lions category for its work on Hindustan Unilever’s Brooke Bond Red Label tea. The brand was honoured last Monday for creating India’s first transgender pop band, the 6 Pack Band as part of the campaign initiative.
The 6 Pack Band comprises six transgender singers hailing from India’s ‘Hijra’ community. It’s an initiative created and driven by Y-Films, the youth wing of Yash Raj Films, to help further the cause of gender equality in India with Brooke Bond Red Label as partner.
Describing the win as an ‘epic moment’ Mindshare South Asia CEO Prashant Kumar added he never doubted the campaign’s success given that the core idea was brilliant. “As an organisation we were expecting that the entry will get a recognition. But winning a grand prix was a great delight.”
“This campaign came out of a content day that we did for Unilever which listed great customised ideas for brand solutions. This was one of the shortlisted ideas amongst few other three to four ideas. Then Amin and his team designed on the concept based on the idea, which was further put to discussion with other partners. The result lead to larger things,” Kumar added.
From the brand’s perspective, Team Unilever South Asia, leader Amin Lakhani admitted that the idea was provocative to begin with. “But with each and every roll out of the content piece our confidence in the campaign grew.”
Kumar also pointed out the unprecedented amount of participation and acknowledgement that the campaign garnered post its launch.
Within a short time period of its launch the music videos featuring the 6 Pack Band grabbed millions of eyeballs on Youtube, was aired frequently on television and the radio. Digitally, it was further boosted by online music streaming apps like Hungama, Gaana and Saavn. The band was also invited to perform at the Radio Mirchi Awards and Indian Music Awards.
When asked how the campaign is a relevant brand communication for Red Label, Kumar answered, “The space the brand and the consumer is talking is about a comfortable ecosystem. The music video is a celebration of just that. It also leads into further such space of comfort, and red Label is able to liaison with consumers on the context of comfort. That’s the larger motive behind this campaign.” After all, Red Label’s proposition has always been to stand up for diffusing tension within societies over a cup of tea, Lakhani added.
The biggest success for the brand, Lakhani felt, was the amount of acceptance the six transgender members of the band received and the fact that they are now looked upon as role models — not just within their community but across various cross sections within the society. By using popular culture Red Label as a brand has started a positive conversation on gender equality, and the previous campaign with 6 Pack Band is part of a larger initiative the brand plans to build around the subject.
Brands
ZEEL transfers syndication business, invests Rs 505 crore in IP push
Restructuring, stake buy and FCCB moves signal sharper content strategy
MUMBAI: In the content economy, owning the story is half the battle monetising it is the real game, and Zee Entertainment Enterprises is doubling down on both. The company has approved the transfer of its syndication and content licensing business to its wholly owned subsidiary ZI-IPR Enterprises, alongside an investment of Rs 505 crore aimed at strengthening its play in content intellectual property (IP) acquisition, management and monetisation. The move, effective April 1, 2026, will see the business transferred on a slump sale basis at book value, including all associated assets, liabilities and commercial rights effectively consolidating IP operations under a more focused structure.
At its core, the restructuring signals a strategic shift. As content consumption increasingly fragments across digital and global platforms, the value of IP lies not just in creation but in how efficiently it can be distributed, repackaged and monetised across markets. By housing its syndication engine within ZI-IPR Enterprises, ZEEL appears to be building a more agile and scalable ecosystem, one that can better extract value from its vast content library while adapting to evolving distribution models.
But the company’s ambitions are not limited to restructuring. ZEEL has also approved an investment of up to Rs 20.09 crore in Culture of Real Experiences (CORE), acquiring a 51 per cent stake in the entity. The move expands its footprint into the broader creative and experiential space, suggesting a push beyond traditional broadcasting into areas where content, culture and immersive experiences intersect.
At the same time, ZEEL has moved to tidy up its financials, approving the redemption of $23.9 million in outstanding foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCBs) and cancelling an unused $215.1 million commitment. The twin steps are expected to ease pressure on its treasury, freeing up capital and improving financial flexibility as the company invests more aggressively in its IP strategy.
Taken together, the decisions reflect a company in recalibration mode streamlining legacy structures, sharpening its focus on content ownership, and exploring new avenues for growth. In a market where the lines between television, streaming and experiential entertainment are increasingly blurred, ZEEL’s latest moves suggest it is not just creating content, but building a system to make that content travel further and pay better.
