Hit or Miss: The week in ads

Advertising rarely moves in one direction at once. This week's campaigns are proof. A 100-year-old conglomerate uses AI to honour a Gandhian legacy. A fintech brand turns the cricket season into a founder's manifesto. A paint company reframes protection as the permission to live freely. A jewellery brand quietly dismantles who its gift is really for. And Nike does what Nike occasionally does best by throwing out the rulebook and letting two celebrities riff in a locker room until something genuinely funny emerges.

Beneath the variety, a common thread runs through the strongest work here: the willingness to lead with a human truth before reaching for a product claim. Whether the canvas is nostalgia, entrepreneurship, craft, or comedy, the ads that land this week are the ones that remind people why they watch in the first place.

Bajaj Finance - “Kathni Karni Ek Si”
The Bajaj Group has marked its 100-year milestone with ‘Kathni Karni Ek Si’, an AI-crafted film directed by Rajkumar Hirani that honours the Gandhian values of founder Jamnalal Bajaj. Conceptualized by Wondrlab, the film reimagines the historic bond between Mahatma Gandhi and Jamnalal Bajaj, with Gandhi returning to present-day India to assess whether the Group still upholds its founding principles. Blending legacy storytelling with AI-driven filmmaking, the campaign reflects the Group’s emphasis on trust, integrity, and purpose-led growth while also showcasing how emerging technology can be used to retell heritage narratives in a contemporary format.




Razorpay - “30 Founder Stories of Building Against the Odds”
Razorpay has launched its “Break to Build” campaign during the cricket season, celebrating 30 Indian founders and entrepreneurs who chose unconventional career paths to build successful businesses. Moving beyond traditional IPL-style advertising, the campaign focuses on ambition, resilience, and the realities of entrepreneurship, positioning Razorpay as a brand that supports builders rather than just transactions. Through founder-led storytelling and motivational narratives, the initiative aims to connect emotionally with India’s growing start-up ecosystem and digitally driven youth audience. The campaign reflects Razorpay’s broader positioning to empower business growth, using the high-attention cricket season to spotlight entrepreneurial culture in India.




ChatGPT - “Kunal vs Motorcycle”
A recent video titled ‘Kunal vs Motorcycle’ showcases how AI can move beyond digital tasks into practical, real-world problem-solving. In the film, Kunal uses ChatGPT to help restore his father’s vintage Yezdi motorcycle, turning the AI tool into a kind of digital mechanic’s assistant. The story blends nostalgia, family emotion, and hands-on engineering, while highlighting how generative AI can support complex restoration work through guidance, troubleshooting, and technical information. By framing the process as a collaboration between human effort and artificial intelligence, the project presents AI as an accessible everyday tool rather than just a futuristic concept.




JSW Paints - “Suraksha Ke Sang, Jiyo Apne Rang”
JSW Paints has launched a new campaign, ‘Suraksha ke Sang Jiyo Apne Rang’, for its luxury paint portfolio JSW Halo, positioning paint as more than just a decorative element. Built around the idea of carefree living, the campaign highlights JSW Halo’s Advanced Defence technology, which protects against germs, stains, fading, and everyday wear while maintaining premium aesthetics. Created by TBWA\Lintas, the film focuses on real, playful moments inside modern homes rather than walls alone, reframing protection as a source of confidence and self-expression. Timed around the IPL season, the campaign will run across television, digital, and social platforms.

GIVA - “For the man who commands attention”
Jewellery brand GIVA has launched a new campaign featuring Aditya Roy Kapur to challenge the idea that gifting jewellery is only meant for women. Titled around the thought that “men deserve gifts too,” the campaign positions men’s jewellery as both stylish and emotionally meaningful, encouraging gifting beyond traditional occasions and stereotypes. Through a light, contemporary narrative, the film highlights evolving attitudes among men toward self-expression and personal style. With Aditya Roy Kapur’s relatable charm and fashion-forward image, GIVA aims to strengthen its appeal among younger audiences and expand conversations around men’s accessories and gifting culture.



Tea Culture of the World - “Taste The World”
Tea Culture of the World marked International Tea Day with a cinematic global brand film celebrating tea as a shared cultural experience that transcends borders, traditions, and everyday routines. Moving away from conventional product-led advertising, the film focuses on the emotional and human connections built around tea across different countries and communities. Through rich visuals and storytelling, the campaign positions tea as more than a beverage, presenting it as a symbol of conversation, comfort, heritage, and togetherness. The initiative reflects the brand’s attempt to create a more immersive and culturally resonant identity while appealing to modern audiences through emotionally driven storytelling.



Fabindia - “That Summer Feeling!”
Fabindia has launched its Summer 2026 campaign, “That Summer Feeling,” celebrating the quiet joys of the Indian summer through breathable fashion, artisanal accessories, and handcrafted home décor. Rooted in the brand’s craft heritage, the collection features natural fabrics like cotton and linen along with traditional techniques such as Ajrakh, Ikat, Kalamkari, Dabu, and hand-block printing, reinterpreted for modern lifestyles. The campaign captures relaxed summer moments like poolside lounging, vacations, and slow afternoons while highlighting effortless silhouettes and earthy seasonal colours. Extending across menswear, womenswear, kidswear, workwear, and home essentials, the collection reinforces Fabindia’s focus on comfort, authenticity, and Indian craftsmanship.




Bridgestone - “Discover Your Car’s True Potential”
Bridgestone India has launched its new campaign, “Feel the Bridgestone Difference,” highlighting how the right tyres can significantly improve a car’s overall performance, safety, comfort, and control. The campaign aims to shift attention toward tyres as the critical connection between vehicle and road, emphasizing benefits like stronger grip, smoother handling, quieter drives, better fuel efficiency, and longer tyre life. Using nature-inspired imagery such as cheetahs, rhinos, and mountain goats to symbolize speed, strength, and stability, the campaign positions Bridgestone tyres as essential to unlocking a car’s true potential rather than just being a functional component.

Nike - “Normalize glazing the bros”
Nike’s new campaign for Kevin Durant’s upcoming KD19 sneakers stars Drake as the ultimate “yes man,” enthusiastically approving every bizarre shoe concept Durant shows him, from cowboy boot-inspired basketball shoes to fur-covered Arctic-style sneakers. Set inside a locker room, the humour-led film plays on internet culture, overhype, and male friendship dynamics, with Durant questioning whether Drake is being a genuine friend or simply agreeing with everything. Rather than focusing on technical product features, the ad leans into playful banter and meme-like energy, making the campaign feel more like a social media skit than a traditional sneaker commercial while promoting Durant’s long-running Nike partnership.

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