What does it take to stand out in a room full of India’s top marketing minds? On June 13, at The Westin, Goregaon, Mumbai, the answer became clear. Bold ideas. Consistent execution. And an honest understanding of what Indian consumers really want.

The afaqs! Marketers’ Excellence Awards (MEA) returned for its 5th edition, bringing together agencies, brands, OTT platforms, production houses, and music labels. Across 12 super categories and 80+ award categories, and 3 top honours, the spotlight was firmly on work that moved the needle.

For the complete list of categories, jury members, and event highlights, click here!

This year’s edition was made possible with the generous support of our Powered By Partner: Google, Gold Partners: CarBike360 and CMV360; Silver Partner: Raymond; Co-Partners: Apptrove by Trackier, Shelf Radar, and Cinepolis; and Gifting Partner: Lenskart. The event was also Supported By MMA India. Our partners played a vital role in bringing the event to life, helping us celebrate the spirit of marketing innovation and excellence.

These awards aren’t just about creativity for creativity’s sake. They’re about measurable impact. Campaigns that didn’t just look good, but worked hard. Work that understood the post-pandemic consumer—wiser, more mindful, yet still hungry for connection.

And that’s exactly what this year’s big winners delivered.

A platform built on resilience, now celebrating reinvention

The Marketers’ Excellence Awards were born during the pandemic, at a time when marketers were rewriting the rules in real time. Five years later, that instinct to adapt and stay relevant has only grown sharper.

From day one, MEA set out to recognise campaigns that break the mould — and this year’s edition took that vision a step further. With changing times and evolving industry needs, we went back to the drawing board, analysed the market, and reimagined the scope of the awards. The result? Over 40 new categories were introduced — from Maha Kumbh activations to CX-led innovations — reflecting the diverse and dynamic nature of marketing today.

Media-agnostic by design, MEA has always celebrated creativity across formats, and this year was no exception. The 5th edition welcomed everything from digital deep-dives to mass-media masterstrokes, making it bigger, broader, and more relevant than ever before.

Who topped the leaderboard

Let’s start with the big three.

Dentsu Creative India took home Agency of the Year, backed by a jaw-dropping 24 metals, including 6 Gold, 11 Silver, and 7 Bronze. That kind of consistency across categories doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of teams that are both creatively brave and strategically sharp.

Jiostar India Pvt Ltd was named Marketing Company of the Year, with 13 metals to its name, including 4 Gold, 5 Silver, and 4 Bronze. A reminder that great marketing isn’t limited to agency walls, it lives inside the client’s DNA too.

And Vh1 India clinched the title of Brand of the Year. With 7 metals in total, including 2 Gold, 3 Silver, and 2 Bronze. The brand made its mark by tapping into cultural conversations and staying fresh in a highly competitive space.

Other brands and agencies that made a mark

While the special awards were the night’s headliners, they weren’t the only stories worth telling.

Ogilvy India and Ogilvy Group India walked away with 7 metals (1 Gold, 3 Silver, 3 Bronze), showing once again why their legacy still holds weight.

WPP MEDIA collected 6 metals (4 Silver, 2 Bronze), keeping its media-first edge sharp.

VML picked up 3 metals (2 Gold, 1 Silver), while Setu Advertising and Monk Entertainment X Next Narrative also earned 3 metals apiece (both with 1 Gold and 2 Silver).

Want to explore the full winners list? Click here!

Who judged the best work in the business

It all came down to the people behind the scenes, the ones tasked with identifying work that truly moved the needle.

At the helm of the judging process was Shiv Shivakumar, author, leader and management thinker, who served as Jury Chair. Known for his cross-industry experience and strategic acumen, Shivakumar brought both insight and rigour to the process.

He was supported by a distinguished Grand Jury, comprising 19 industry leaders from marketing, creative, media, and digital domains, including Aditi Mishra, CEO, Lodestar UM; Anindita Veluri, director marketing, Adobe India; Babita Baruah, CEO, VML India; Deepali Naair, group chief marketing officer, CK Birla Group; George Kovoor, CCO south, Famous Innovations; Harsh Shah, managing director, Punt Creative; Jai Lala, CEO, Zenith India; Kaacon Sethi, CMO, Dainik Bhaskar Group; Lloyd Mathias, angel investor & business strategist; Meera Sharath Chandra, founder CEO & CCO, Tigress Tigress; Partha Sinha, president & chief brand officer, The Times of India Group; Partho Dasgupta, business & management leader; Pops KV Sridhar, global chief creative officer, Nihilent Limited; Raj Nayak, managing director, House of Cheer Networks; Rishabh Shekhar, co-founder & COO, Pepper Content; Sankarson Banerjee, independent director, Nuvama Wealth; Srishti Sawhney, founder president, Celebrity Quotient; Tista Sen, founder, TistaThinks; Tusharr Kumar, CEO, OML Entertainment.

The evaluation process was further strengthened by a panel of 48 senior professionals who formed the Jury, including Aakriti Bhargava, co-founder, Wizikey; Alok Chitre, chief business officer, Rajasthan Royals; Amitabh Pande, chief strategy officer, Diageo India; Anil Gurnani, CSMO, TTK Prestige; Avijit Mohapatra, senior director, Flipkart; Dhiraj Sharma, head of marcom and brand, Panasonic India; Dr. Kushal Sanghvi, chief revenue officer, iCubesWire; Gaurav Ramdev, executive vice president & chief growth & marketing officer, Protean eGov Technologies Ltd.; Gaurav Sharma, CMO, Campus Activewear; Geetanjali Kothari, CMO, Future Generali India Life Insurance; Harikrishnan Pillai, CEO and co-founder, TheSmallBigIdea; Joydeep Mukherjee, CMO, Deltatech Gaming; Kabeer Ghosh, marketing lead, Roy Kapur Films; Lishoy George, chief creative officer, Creativeland Asia; Manoj Pandey, executive creative director, Cheil India; Mehul Rawat, senior manager – category head, Neeman’s; Moneesh Chakravarty, vice president – marketing head, Business Standard; Neha Rao, vice president – marketing, Bikaji Foods International Limited; Nikita Desai, VP marketing and brands, D Decor Home Fabrics; Pooja Asar, Tata Passenger Electric Mobility, Tata Motors; Pramod Sharma, national creative director, Rediffusion Group; Prasad Shejale, founder & CEO, LS Digital Group; Priya Bendre, SBU lead – PR & corporate communication, Fortis Healthcare; Radhika Trivedi, director & regional go-to-market leader – India and ASEAN, GCC marketing services, Alvarez & Marsal; Rahul Regulapati, founder & CEO, Galleri5 – a part of Collective Artists Network; Rahul Vengalil, CEO & co-founder, TGTHR; Rajshree Dubey, director – brand experience, EssenceMediacom; Raghav Bagai, co-founder, SW Network; Ramya Ramachandran, founder & CEO, Whoppl; Rima Kirtikar, CMO, Runwal Realty; Sandeep Patwardhan, senior vice president, Enormous Brands; Saurabh Agrawal, CEO, DAIOM; Saumitra Prasad, CMO, DOMS Industries; Sahil Shah, president, Dentsu Creative Isobar; Saugata Bagchi, global head – digital, content, experiential & martech, Tata Communications; Shantiswarup Panda, CMO, Indriya – Aditya Birla Jewellery; Shardul Bist, head – marketing (FMCG – consumer nutrition), USV; Shreh Madan, co-founder, Burgrill; Shwetal Basu, senior vice president and head brand & marketing, Polycab India; Sushmita Kashyap, director marketing & communication – north and east, McDonald’s India; Tamanna Chanana, business marketing lead (global), Truecaller Business; Tajalli Ghosh, head of marketing, The White Crow by Reliance Brands Limited; Utkarsh Narain, head – marketing, MOVIN Express; Varun Goswami, AVP head of creative & content, Air India; Vikas Nair, vice president and head of marketing and communications, Century Real Estate; Vishal Sharma, chief sales and marketing officer, Raymond Realty; Vishnu Srivatsav, national creative head, 22feet Tribal Worldwide; Yashasvi Vats, head – partner marketing, JioCloud.

In a landscape that’s constantly evolving, the afaqs! Marketers’ Excellence Awards continue to be a reminder of what matters: relevance, resonance, and real results.

This year’s winners didn’t just tick boxes, they told stories that stuck. And in marketing, that’s what wins hearts—and metals.