Bombay Shaving vs Gillette escalates as LIONS rebrands Spikes Asia
Comparative-advertising litigation dominated the cycle with the Bombay Shaving Company and Gillette fight running a third straight day in Delhi High Court, even as the trade saw a landmark awards rebrand and a run of senior media appointments.
Regulation and litigation
- Bombay Shaving Company pulls Switch4 ad after Delhi HC calls it "outright mockery" (2026-09-17) — The disparagement fight with Gillette has now run three straight days in court and BSC's founder is publicly sparring with the brand even as his agency complies with the takedown order. Business Standard
- Gillette rejects Bombay Shaving Co's revised ad, court leaves door open for fresh challenge (2026-09-17) — Even after the climbdown on the courtroom-spoof film, the revised advertisement still drew objections from Gillette on obscenity and disparagement grounds; the matter is now listed for October 29. BestMediaInfo
Agencies, accounts and appointments
- Publicis Groupe India hires Omnicom veteran as VP Strategy (2026-09-17) — Shiv Acharjee's move from an eight-year Omnicom Media run to Publicis's Gurugram strategy desk is a reminder that senior planning talent keeps circulating between the big two networks. BestMediaInfo
- Sony Pictures Networks India brings back Spandana Ravindran as VP Ad Sales (2026-09-17) — A JioStar exit lands at a direct broadcast rival, handing Sony an ad-sales leader who spent the last stretch inside the very streaming giant she now competes against. BestMediaInfo
Global platforms and industry structure
- Spikes Asia rebrands as LIONS Asia, festival returns to September from 2027 (2026-09-17) — The nearly four-decade-old APAC creative awards will fold into the global Cannes Lions-WARC-Effie stable and move back to its original September slot, a scheduling shift Indian agencies will need to plan entries around. Exchange4media
Worth watching
Watch whether Gillette escalates to a formal interim-injunction plea against Bombay Shaving Company's new ad ahead of the October 29 hearing, and track how LIONS Asia's 2027 relaunch reshapes Indian agencies' awards-entry calendars.
