Hit or Miss: The week in ads

Brands are moving beyond surface-level selling to tap into culture, emotion and everyday insight with this week’s ads. From redefining traditional symbols like the mangalsutra and bridal jewellery, to reframing ease in electric mobility and determination in finance, these campaigns reflect a clear shift toward meaning-led storytelling. Sport emerges as a powerful unifier, with women’s cricket and cross-champion narratives taking centre stage, while food and FMCG brands lean into indulgence, convenience and format-native content to stay culturally relevant.

Whether through humour, nostalgia, tech-enabled festive moments or social-first collaborations, these campaigns reveal how brands are trying to earn attention by being more human, more contextual and more intentional in how they show up.

Palmonas - “Shraddha ka Vivaah”
Palmonas’s latest campaign brings together Shraddha Kapoor and Amrita Rao in a light-hearted ad that rethinks who mangalsutras are for. The film opens with Shraddha, who is also Palmonas’s co-founder and brand ambassador, humorously resisting the idea of signing another ambassador for jewellery traditionally tied to marriage. The conversation then playfully turns cultural, with Amrita Rao stepping in because of her iconic bride image from Vivah, a reference many viewers instantly recognise. Through this playful exchange, the campaign challenges long-held assumptions that mangalsutras are only meaningful in the context of marriage, shifting the focus to Palmonas’s nine-carat gold daily-wear designs that cater to women’s personal choices and lifestyles. The tone stays warm and humorous while subtly nudging jewellery’s cultural meaning forward. 

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Ather Energy - “It’s Easy on an Ather”
Ather Energy has launched its new integrated brand campaign, “It’s Easy on an Ather,” to highlight how its electric scooters make daily riding effortless by utilising rider-centric technology rather than focusing on specs. The films show common on-road moments where features like AutoHold, Reverse Assist, and SkidControl work quietly in the background to reduce everyday riding frictions, letting riders enjoy the journey instead of managing the ride. The campaign intentionally avoids typical automobile advertising clichés and instead uses clean visuals and relatable scenarios to show how Ather’s engineering enhances ease and confidence in daily use. Created by Ather’s in-house team and directed by Kishore Iyyar of Nirvana Films, the campaign aims to connect emotionally with riders by demonstrating real-life benefits of intuitive tech and will be featured across digital platforms and media.



JioStar - “Women in blue wrote history, it's time for Men in Blue to repeat history!”
JioStar, the official broadcast and digital partner for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, unveiled a new film in its campaign that flips the usual narrative by having India’s reigning ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup champions, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma, rally the nation behind the men’s team. The film begins with Rodrigues recalling the nation’s pride in the women’s World Cup win before urging everyone to energise support for the men’s title defence at home, creating a symbolic link between the two victories and celebrating the growth of the women’s game. The campaign positions one set of champions cheering another, using cinematic visuals and an emotive score to build excitement for India’s quest to become the first host nation to win the T20 World Cup on home soil.



Aisle - “Better Because of Love”
Aisle has rolled out its new brand campaign “Better Because of Love” to shift the conversation from casual dating mechanics to the real-life outcomes of meaningful relationships. After over 11 years in India’s dating market with 20 million members and 2.2 million relationships formed, the campaign targets urban singles seeking long-term commitment and deeper emotional connection. Instead of flashy dating features, the campaign highlights how stable, healthy relationships help individuals grow in subtle ways: becoming more patient, emotionally secure, and intentional in daily life. Insights from couples who met on Aisle show these changes often first noticed by friends, family, or colleagues. Two brand films, told through slice-of-life storytelling and light humour featuring digital creator Raghvika, bring this idea to life by showing how love quietly shapes behaviour and personal presence. 

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Kingfisher - “Chhori Aayi. Hutt le bro!”
Kingfisher Premium Packaged Drinking Water has launched a high-energy brand film for the TATA Women’s Premier League (WPL) that celebrates the rising excitement around women’s cricket in India. The campaign revives the brand’s iconic sonic cue, “O la la la leo,” with a playful new anthem titled “Chhori Aayi. Hutt le bro! Oooh la la la, oooh leo!”, capturing the confidence and dynamic spirit of the league. Rooted in Kingfisher’s long-standing “Good Times” philosophy, the film showcases action from WPL matches and fan moments, blending sport, music, and pop-culture energy to reflect the growing cultural relevance of women’s cricket. Conceptualised by Ogilvy, the campaign extends beyond the film to include expansive on-ground visibility, fan engagements, and digital activations throughout the tournament, reinforcing Kingfisher’s role in celebrating shared joy and competitive fervour.



Jos Alukkas - “My Best Friend’s Wedding”
Jos Alukkas has launched its My Best Friend’s Wedding campaign featuring actors Dulquer Salmaan, Keerthy Suresh, and Suhasini Maniratnam to reflect how modern weddings are experienced today with intention and shared celebration. The brand, known for over six decades of association with weddings, uses this campaign to show jewellery as a meaningful but understated part of the occasion rather than a loud focal point. The film unfolds around a wedding narrative, with each star bringing a unique perspective, adding balance and emotional depth to the story. The campaign highlights evolving preferences in choice and celebration, reinforcing Jos Alukkas’s role in marking commitment and togetherness. It was conceptualised by Toki Creative Collective and aims to connect emotionally with audiences by portraying real, lived wedding moments.



Flipkart - Pongum Pongal Deals
Flipkart rolled out a festive campaign that reimagines the most iconic moment of Pongal, when the pot boils over (a symbol of abundance, joy and new beginnings) into a high-impact, tech-driven brand activation. Conceptualised by 22feet Tribal WW, the idea gamifies the ritual through an interactive microsite where users time the Pongal boil; the higher the foam rises, the better the deals they unlock on Flipkart. To launch the campaign, Flipkart premiered a theatrical trailer that matched the scale and emotion of the festival season, tying in with Pongal’s significance for Tamil cinema releases. The effort blends culture and digital engagement, turning a traditional celebration into a participative, playful brand experience for today’s digital-first consumers.



Tata Capital - Zidd Tarakki Ki
Tata Capital has launched its “Zidd Tarakki Ki” campaign featuring Indian cricket captain and brand ambassador Shubman Gill to tap into India’s aspirational growth story and connect with everyday ambitions. Anchored on the idea that determination fuels progress, the campaign opens with a multilingual lead film reflecting diverse dreams and resilience, mirroring Gill’s own journey. Alongside the main film, a series of emotionally resonant product films depict relatable milestones, like owning a two-wheeler, expanding a business, buying a home or commercial property, and achieving academic success, showing how people push forward in life.



KFC India - “GRWM with Tamannaah”
KFC India teamed up with actor Tamannaah Bhatia for a digital-first brand film that blends glamour and food culture to promote its Dunked range through a Get Ready With Me (GRWM) style video, a format native to social media content. In the film, Tamannaah is shown preparing for a red-carpet appearance with her styling team, but feels something is missing: a “saucy” element that only KFC’s bold sauces can provide. Midway through her prep, she stops to enjoy the Dunked chicken, even as her team frets over potential spills, highlighting the indulgent and playful nature of the product. The video wraps with her final glamorous look, tying in the theme of “glossy, sassy and saucy” with the Dunked range’s fiery, flavour-forward positioning. 

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e.l.f. x Liquid Death - Lip Embalms
e.l.f. Cosmetics and Liquid Death have reunited for a second limited-edition collaboration called Lip Embalms, blending beauty with bold branding in a playful way. The collection features six flavoured lip balms inspired by Liquid Death’s drink flavours, such as Severed Lime, Killer Cola and Sweet Reaper, and is packaged in mini replicas of Liquid Death cans, making the products visually striking and collectable. This follows their highly successful first collab in 2024 that sold out quickly and gained huge social traction. To promote the drop, both brands bring back their metal-themed character Glothar in new creative content and have integrated a Liquid Death world into e.l.f. UP! Roblox experience. 

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Birla Opus Prime - “Perfection Always”
Birla Opus Prime, the institutional paints brand under Birla Opus Paints, has launched its new campaign titled ‘Perfection Always’ to redefine how institutional brands communicate value. Moving beyond technical specs, the campaign uses human-centric storytelling rooted in the brand’s philosophy “Perfection Always” to highlight how the look and finish of a space shape perception, trust and credibility. The film follows two badminton coaches who launch an academy with excellent training but struggle to draw students because the building’s worn exterior fails to signal quality. After a redesign with Birla Opus Prime, the refreshed appearance changes how the academy is perceived, boosting confidence and enrolment.