Hit or Miss: The week in ads

If advertising is a mirror held up to culture, this week's slate is cracked, colourful, and occasionally a little chaotic in the best possible way. ChatGPT is making everyday Indians into quiet heroes during IPL season. Havells is weaponising trolls to sell ceiling fans. Pond's is letting the Rajasthan sun do the creative heavy lifting. And Asian Paints is reminding us that in this country, your wall colour is basically your postcode.

Throw in a rapper-fuelled Uber pitch for ₹25 rides, a father-daughter gold conversation for the ages, Farah Khan auditioning badminton stars for a bank, Google Pay handing pocket money controls to nervous parents, and Spotify insisting you deserve better ears, and you have a week where brands showed up with something to say. Most of them meant it.

OpenAI - “ChatGPT: Bala vs Waterfall”
OpenAI’s latest campaign uses a simple household problem, a leaking water purifier, to demonstrate how AI like ChatGPT can act as an everyday problem-solving tool. In the film, a man named Bala turns to ChatGPT to diagnose the issue, showing how users can describe real-world situations and receive practical guidance. By grounding AI in a familiar, low-stakes scenario, the campaign demystifies the technology, positioning it as accessible, intuitive, and useful for everyday troubleshooting rather than complex or futuristic tasks. 

Havells Fans - “Bano Achhe Fan”
Havells’ latest ‘Hawa Badlegi’ campaign flips the typical product-led narrative by tapping into social media culture and the “trolls vs fans” dynamic. Featuring Varun Dhawan, Anurag Kashyap, and Yuzvendra Chahal, the films bring online trolls face-to-face with the celebrities they criticise, only for those harsh comments to be reframed as fandom. Conceptualised by TBWA\Lintas, the campaign uses humour and confrontation to encourage more positive fan behaviour, positioning Havells as a brand that understands and shapes digital conversations rather than just advertising within them.

Ponds - "Sun Portraits: A Sun Protection Initiative"
Pond’s Sun Portraits campaign takes an unconventional, on-ground approach to highlight sun damage by turning walls into living metaphors. Set in Rajasthan’s Phalodi, where temperatures can reach extreme highs, the campaign features life-size portraits of local women painted using UV-sensitive paint that gradually fades under the harsh sun, mirroring the invisible effects of prolonged UV exposure on skin. Instead of traditional advertising, it embeds the message into everyday surroundings, making the risk tangible. While widely noted for its creativity and cultural grounding, the campaign has also sparked debate around its real-world impact and long-term effectiveness.

Uber Bike - “Daam Pachis Ft. Divine and Roll Rida”
Uber’s latest IPL 2026 campaign for Uber Bike shifts away from celebrity-heavy storytelling to a sharp, product-first approach, highlighting rides starting at just ₹25 for short distances. Built around 15-second, music-led films featuring artists like Divine and Roll Rida, the campaign uses regional sounds and cultural cues to drive recall while showcasing riders zipping through city traffic. By focusing on speed, affordability, and everyday mobility, Uber leans into a simple, functional message, reflecting a broader shift toward short-format, high-impact advertising in a cluttered IPL environment.

Asian Paints - “Colours Become the Real Address”
Asian Paints’ Rangon Ki Warranty campaign builds on the insight that in India, homes are often identified not by addresses but by their colours: ‘the blue house’ or ‘the red building’. Rooted in the thought “Rang hi asli pata hai,” the film shows how long-lasting colours evolve into markers of memory, familiarity, and belonging. Extending its earlier warranty narrative, the campaign reframes warranty as more than a functional promise of durability, positioning it as an emotional assurance that preserves not just walls, but the identity and stories attached to homes over time.



Reliance Jewels - “Shubh Akshaya Tritiya”
Reliance Jewels’ Akshaya Tritiya campaign, featuring Gajraj Rao and Pratibha Ranta, uses a slice-of-life father–daughter conversation to reflect a shift in how gold is perceived today. Moving beyond purely ritualistic buying, the film positions gold as both culturally significant and a smart, wearable investment, especially amid price volatility. By blending emotion with financial awareness, the campaign targets younger, value-conscious consumers, highlighting how modern buyers are balancing tradition with informed decision-making.



DBS Bank - “The Right Choice is Right in Front of You”
DBS Bank India’s latest campaign featuring filmmaker Farah Khan and badminton stars like Lakshya Sen, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, Treesa Jolly, and Gayatri Gopichand uses a light, narrative-driven approach to communicate trust in decision-making. The film follows Khan as she searches for the perfect cast for an ad, guided by qualities like credibility and global recognition, eventually landing on the athletes. Built around the line “The right choice is right in front of you,” the campaign uses humour and relatability to position DBS as a dependable banking partner where trust simplifies choices.



Google Pay - “Start Pocket Money on Google Pay”
Google Pay’s latest campaign for its Pocket Money feature targets teenagers stepping into digital payments, using relatable, everyday scenarios to show their growing independence alongside continued reliance on parents. Created by TBWA\Lintas, the films highlight how teens navigate situations like paying for tuitions or small expenses, often needing adult support. The feature, built on UPI Circle, links a teen’s UPI ID to a parent’s account with built-in controls, allowing supervised spending. Featuring young cricketer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the campaign positions Google Pay as a tool that balances freedom with responsibility for first-time users.

Spotify - “AI DJ and Lossless Music”
Spotify’s latest campaign for Premium Platinum focuses on elevating everyday listening by spotlighting two key features: AI DJ and Lossless Audio, positioning the platform as more than just a music app. Built around relatable, real-life moments, the films show how AI DJ acts as a personalised curator that intuitively sets the mood, while Lossless Audio delivers a richer, high-fidelity sound experience. By centring these features, the campaign highlights a shift from passive listening to immersive engagement, reinforcing Spotify Premium as a seamless, intuitive, and deeply personalised music companion across diverse listening habits in India.