Hit or Miss: The week in ads

This week in advertising had everything, OTT platforms selling “trending” as a feature, brands borrowing celebrity warmth to mask thin product stories, and the internet doing what it does best: rewarding chaos over polish. From Prime Video pushing discovery-led narratives to legacy brands falling back on comfort and familiarity, the week offered a clear reminder that attention is no longer won by scale alone. The hits understood cultural timing, audience fatigue, and the power of restraint. The misses looked good, sounded right, but didn’t leave much behind once the reel ended.

Somewhere between nostalgia, influencer energy, and safe celebrity casting, brands continued to test what still works, and what doesn’t. Here’s a look at the ads that made us pause, rewind, or scroll past without a second thought.

Amazon Prime Video - Thamma ft. Ayushmann Khurrana, Yuvraj Dua

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Prime Video positions Thamma as a thinking person’s watch, leaning into Ayushmann Khurrana’s credibility as the curious, slightly self-aware everyman. The ad doesn’t oversell the plot; instead, it sells relevance, why this title deserves your attention now. The “trending” cue feels earned rather than inflated, helping Prime retain its discovery-first identity. It’s restrained, confident, and trusts both the content and the audience, which is increasingly rare in OTT marketing. It's a hit.

Amazon Prime Video - Thamma ft. Ayushmann Khurrana, Vishnu & Govind Kaushal

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This version tries to gamify discovery by introducing a talent-hunt angle, but the narrative buckles under its own cleverness. With multiple faces competing for screen time, the core message, why Thamma matters, gets diluted. It feels like Prime trying too hard to be playful when simplicity would’ve served better. Ambitious in intent, but the storytelling lacks focus, making the ad more confusing than compelling. It's a miss.

Ananya Panday & Lakshya for American Eagle India

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Everything looks right here, the styling, the chemistry, the global polish, but nothing surprises. American Eagle India leans into aspirational youth without interrogating what rebellion or individuality means today. The ad could belong to any international denim brand, anywhere. It’s not bad advertising; it’s forgettable advertising, and that’s a bigger problem for a brand built on cultural relevance. It's a miss.

Meta - Salon Business Ad

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Meta’s small-business storytelling finally finds its footing here. The salon setup is familiar, the problems are real, and the product solution doesn’t feel shoehorned in. Instead of grand promises, the ad focuses on everyday efficiency, appointments, visibility, growth. It’s practical, empathetic, and refreshingly grounded, proving that clarity can sometimes be more persuasive than creativity gymnastics. It's a hit.

Orry for Mokai India

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This ad understands internet culture better than most big-budget campaigns. Orry isn’t toned down, over-scripted, or forced into brand speak, he is the hook. Mokai lets chaos do the heavy lifting, trusting that personality-driven recall beats polish. Loud, unserious, and extremely self-aware, this is influencer-led advertising done without pretence. It's a hit.

Rohit Saraf for Digitek

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Rohit Saraf brings warmth and relatability, but the ad leans too comfortably on his likeability. The product remains secondary, and the brand’s purpose never fully emerges. You remember Rohit; you forget Digitek. Charm can’t compensate for a weak product story, especially in a category that demands clarity. It's a miss.

Crocs x SpongeBob

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Crocs continues to double down on joyful absurdity, and this collaboration doesn’t shy away from being loud, playful, and borderline ridiculous. That’s precisely why it works. The brand knows its audience and never apologises for its aesthetic. It’s cultural merchandising that understands fun as strategy, not accident. It's a hit.

Maggi - Me & Maggi: So Good Together

Maggi doesn’t attempt reinvention, and wisely so. The ad leans into emotional continuity, shared memories, and everyday warmth. It understands that nostalgia isn’t stagnation when handled with care. Comfort advertising that respects legacy while staying current, reminding everyone why Maggi still owns the heartspace it does. It's a hit.

Titan - Wear Your Story ft. PV Sindhu & Vikrant Massey

Titan stays in its comfort zone, quiet confidence, lived-in emotion, and storytelling that values depth over drama.

PV Sindhu and Vikrant Massey feel like natural extensions of the brand, not endorsements pasted on. The watch never shouts, but it’s always present. It's subtle, sincere, and unmistakably Titan, definitely a hit.