Hey, I’m Mallika.
A work-in-progress strategist who reimagines business problems into human problems for a living.
My holy grail
Business problems are vague but human problems are unique. They make for single-minded creative briefs. They don’t just breathe new life into the creative process but identify realistic (and solvable) pain points and opportunities.
Changing perspective can change the paradigm.
My process
I build bridges between brands and people.
A two-way street, a give and take, an organic symbiosis. Something that enables brands and people to feed off each other and grow together. Something that enables brands to vibe with evolving mindsets, who don’t buy things to fulfil a ‘need’ – they buy into a promise that makes them feel seen.
“Well done is better than well said”
Won the Cannes Gold Lion (Use of Data) in 2023.
Stayfree is on a mission to normalize periods in India.
Won the Gold Metal at Effie’s India (Regional) in 2023.
Won the Silver Metal at Effie’s India (Media & Entertainment) in 2021.
Gatorade
India wasn’t playing enough - only 2% Indians play sports every day, especially in urban areas. Reason? 76% Indians complain ‘lack of space’ as their biggest barrier to play.
Introducing Turf Finder. An ingenious tech-innovation, in partnership with Google Maps, that tracks 20 years’ worth city traffic data and insights to forecast the time when roads go empty – becoming open spaces to drop the turf and play! Our modular, state-of-the-art turfs, equipped with sporting apparatus, enabled anyone to just turn up and play, for free - reimagining crowded urban spaces unlike anything before.
Stayfree
Dads are every girl’s biggest pillar of support, but suddenly become an absent figure when they hit puberty – distancing themselves due discomfort from social stigma. But who suffers? A young, clueless girl who needs support and care to maneuvre this confusing time.
Stayfree enabled silent dads and confused girls to find common ground and connect at this crucial stage with a social experiment. 70 dads had their first period conversation with their daughters, on camera. What follows next is confusion, awkwardness, and eventual realisation that it doesn’t take much to normalise the periods for our daughters.
Mountain Dew
People of India’s north-western state of Punjab didn’t connect with Dew’s India philosophy ‘glory lies in facing your fear.’ Punjab has historically been called ‘the land of the warrior tribe,’ with a culture and heritage rich in courage. Hence, for Punjabis, courage is inherent and showing/ accepting ‘fear’ is a sign of weakness.
We tapped into Punjabi culture itself, by championing Punjab as the ultimate custodian of courage. We changed Dew’s iconic tagline, exclusively for Punjab, to ‘Challenge fear itself,’ by launching an unofficial state anthem that celebrated Punjab’s legacy - with a regional music sensation.
Netflix
Netflix was struggling in a country that is heavily primed to ‘FREE’ samples and trials across products, and OTT was no different. Moreover, competitors offered stipulated content for free, familiarizing & connecting with people before they subscribed. Hence, the Netflix paywall became their biggest barrier with India, especially in 2020, when OTT became a household ritual.
Introducing Netflix Streamfest. A one-of-a-kind festival where anyone in India, could watch Netflix for free. The idea? Get India to experience the world of Netflix and realise what they have been missing out on – enticing them to subscribe. Strategically targeting a weekend, we spread the word with a 360 digital campaign using influencers, celebrities, print, outdoor, social media and PR.
All works on this site are the property of my clients and are featured here with their express permission.
My jam
To be the voice of the consumer people. People who feel, hope, dream, escape, strive, survive and thrive differently, every day. We may try defining them by demographics, but people are unpredictable with interests and behaviours evolving always-on.
Hence, at any point of time, you will find me scouring through editorials, scrolling endless reels, sparking conversations with gatekeepers, tracking Google trend alerts, getting lost in Reddit threads, just to keep pace with people.
I can be an annoying buzz kill or a stickler to push the envelope, in the same breath – anything to stress-test ideas to foster the most exceptional idea to exist.