Hit or Miss: The week in ads

From heartfelt cultural storytelling to celebrity-led spectacles, this week's ad roundup is a masterclass in brands finding their voice, and making it count. Whether it's Axis Bank championing regional accents, Nike plastering cricket heroes across Mumbai's cityscape, or Adidas turning a sneaker hunt into a surrealist pop-culture odyssey, the campaigns below share a common thread: they're selling far less than they're saying something. Emotional resonance, humour, nostalgia, and bold creative swings are the currency of the week, here are the ads worth your attention.

Axis Bank - "Mother Tonguelish"

Axis Bank has launched a culturally rooted campaign called #MotherTonguelish to celebrate linguistic diversity and accent authenticity, timed with International Mother Language Day (21 Feb). Conceptualised by Curativity, the film turns a common workplace moment of an employee nervously speaking English with a regional accent into a story about acceptance and self-confidence. Instead of correcting the speaker, his manager mirrors his pronunciation and reassures him that how you speak from the heart matters more than polished diction. The narrative then moves through scenes of employees and customers using their own dialects with warmth and ease, all tied to Axis Bank’s “Dil Se Open” philosophy of inclusive communication and belonging.

Voltas - “Har Ghar Voltas”

Voltas has launched its ‘Har Ghar Voltas’ campaign featuring Ranbir Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor, pivoting away from traditional cooling ads to spotlight the “cool factor” as a lifestyle attribute. The creative layers star power with AI-enabled product promise, focusing on the brand’s new Vertis ACs and their smart, climate-responsive features, to make cooling feel aspirational and culture-forward. The films position summer comfort not just as relief from heat, but as an experience of style and ease, using the Kapors’ on-screen dynamic to bring warmth, relatability and celebrity charisma into everyday home moments.

Goel TMT - "Band Baaja Bitiya"

Goel TMT’s “Band Baaja Bitiya” campaign flips traditional steel-bar ads by redefining strength as moral courage and support instead of brute force. Featuring Gajraj Rao, the film shows a father publicly bringing his daughter home with a marching band to stand by her amid domestic abuse, challenging societal norms and “log kya kahenge” mindsets. By turning a familiar wedding trope into a powerful act of dignity and family backing, the ad connects emotional storytelling with brand purpose.

Nike - “Born To Beat The Odds”

Nike launched a bold campaign titled “Born to Beat the Odds” across Mumbai as the Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup unfolded on Indian soil, turning the city itself into a stage for self-belief and aspiration. The work reimagines cricket advertising by placing giant cut-outs of Indian cricket stars, including Jemimah Rodrigues, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, and Shafali Verma in landmark urban spaces, borrowing a visual language historically tied to cultural icons to make sport feel everyday and accessible. Alongside these giants are emerging grassroots talents, reinforcing the notion that greatness isn’t exclusive to elite arenas but begins with mindset and confidence. 

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Godrej - “No More ‘Expert’ Neighbour Advice”

The Appliances Business of Godrej Enterprises Group has launched a new digital film featuring Deven Bhojani to highlight its air conditioners’ five-year comprehensive warranty with no hidden costs, including no charges for technician visits, gas refills, or remote replacements. Set in a relatable home setting, the film uses humour and the familiar trope of an overconfident neighbour to reinforce the brand’s promise of reliable cooling, transparent offers, and complete peace of mind during peak Indian summers.

Mamaearth - “Bad Man Goes Good”

Mamaearth has flipped the script on celebrity endorsements with its playful “Badman to Goodman” digital campaign for its 100% Natural Lip Balm, casting Bollywood veteran Gulshan Grover (famed for his iconic villain persona) in a humorous narrative that reimagines him as an everyday lip-care user. The 70-second film leans into nostalgia and humour, placing the tough-guy image in a relatable situation where even a screen villain gets tripped up by dry lips, using the product to transition from ‘Badman’ to ‘Goodman’. 

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Sintex - “50-Year Warranty”

Sintex, marking its 50th anniversary, has launched a 30-second TVC for Sintex Eterno, a water storage tank backed by an industry-first 50-year warranty, airing on connected TV during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Rather than a straight technical pitch, the work uses generational storytelling to dramatise longevity and trust, turning the long-term warranty into an emotional proposition about future-proofing family decisions. The narrative plays out in a retail setting where a shopkeeper unexpectedly addresses a child as the “customer,” subtly conveying that the purchase isn’t just for today, but for decades, including the next generation.

Adidas Originals - “Superstar”

Adidas Originals has rolled out its latest chapter of “The Original Icon - Superstar” campaign, featuring Samuel L. Jackson in a surreal, cinematic journey as he searches for his iconic Superstar sneakers, the brand’s cultural cornerstone. Rather than a straightforward product ad, the film positions Jackson as a narrator-protagonist, navigating the dreamlike “Hotel Superstar,” where each room reveals a different cultural figure: from Kendall Jenner to Lamine Yamal, James Harden, Olivia Dean and more, each embodying a facet of contemporary influence. Directed by Thibaut Grevet with creative direction by Johannes Leonardo, the work blends pop-culture iconography, avant-garde visuals and narrative fluidity to signal that Superstar isn’t just footwear; it’s woven into fashion, sport, music and street identity. 

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