Hit or Miss: The week in ads

This week's crop of campaigns refuses to sit still. Škoda hands the wheel to a sitar, Spotify turns concert-ticket anxiety into animated comedy, and Flipkart's viral albino buffalo returns to take not-so-subtle digs at rival loyalty programmes. Sony sends Messi web-swinging with Spider-Man, Google lets Harry Kane put Gemini through its paces, and Apple gives online trackers a face just to watch Safari chase them off. Elsewhere, Crocs turns the monsoon into a runway for self-expression with Rashmika Mandanna, Sun Pharma marks Doctors' Day by revisiting Shreyas Iyer's brush with mortality, and Daawat lets biryani lovers share the frame with Shah Rukh Khan. KFC fuses Zinger chicken with Korean noodles in the name of madness, while Reddit makes the case that real people, not algorithms, are still the internet's best asset. Craft, culture and a fair bit of chaos, all in one round-up.

Škoda - “Surrender to the rhythm. Surrender to performance”
Škoda Auto India has partnered with sitarist and composer Rishab Rikhiram Sharma for a new campaign that brings together the worlds of music and motoring. The film pairs Sharma's evocative sitar performance with the precision, elegance, and performance associated with Škoda vehicles, creating a sensory experience that blends speed with strings. Rather than focusing solely on product features, the campaign uses music and storytelling to highlight themes of craftsmanship, passion and excellence. Through this collaboration, Škoda aims to strengthen its emotional connection with audiences by celebrating the harmony between artistic expression and engineering prowess.




Sony Pictures Entertainment - “Super Fan Messi”
Sony Pictures has released a promotional film for Spider-Man: Brand New Day featuring an unexpected crossover between Tom Holland's Spider-Man and football icon Lionel Messi. In the spot, Messi uses a tracker to search for Spider-Man, leading him to Peter Parker before the superhero reveals himself and takes the football legend on a web-swinging adventure across New York City. The campaign has generated significant buzz online by blending the worlds of football and superhero entertainment, while also tapping into Messi's global popularity ahead of the film's release. The collaboration forms part of Sony's wider marketing push for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which follows Peter Parker's new chapter after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home.



Flipkart - “Presenting Don the Buffalo, aka the Bhains of Luck”
Flipkart has launched a quirky new campaign for its annual GOAT Sale, starring Don, the albino buffalo that recently became an internet sensation. Set in the fictional "Oval Gaushala", the film portrays Don as a celebrity reporter tasked with deciding the sale's daily offers. In a humorous twist, Flipkart executives present baskets containing different discounts, with the offer chosen by Don becoming the featured deal of the day. Built around the playful idea of a "Bhains of Luck", the campaign taps into viral internet culture and absurd humour to generate excitement around the sale, positioning Don as an unlikely but memorable ambassador for Flipkart's biggest shopping event.



Crocs - “Monsoon Ready With Crocs”
Crocs has launched the India edition of its global "Wonderfully Unordinary" platform, using the monsoon season as a backdrop to celebrate individuality and self-expression. Fronted by brand ambassador Rashmika Mandanna, the campaign film follows her journey from a world of conformity into a vibrant, rain-soaked universe where authenticity takes centre stage. Featuring creators such as Swayam Siddhi, Kevin Zhingkai, Krithi and Aryan Katoch, the film blends fashion, music and culture through a series of visually rich vignettes. The campaign also showcases Crocs' latest seasonal collection, including the Classic Ballet silhouette, monsoon-inspired Jibbitz charms and refreshed Classic styles, reinforcing the brand's focus on personal style and creative expression.

Sun Pharma - “Shreyas Iyer’s #SecondBirthDate story”
Sun Pharma has brought back its award-winning #SecondBirthDate campaign for National Doctors' Day, this time featuring Indian cricketer Shreyas Iyer and his recovery from a life-threatening spleen injury suffered during a match in 2025. Built on the idea that doctors often give patients a "second chance at life", the campaign encourages people to celebrate the date they recovered from a major health setback as their second birth date. Through Iyer's comeback story, the initiative pays tribute to healthcare professionals whose interventions help patients return to their families, careers and passions, while highlighting themes of resilience, gratitude and hope.



Flipkart - “The GOAT is back with an Amazin Flip”
Flipkart's latest GOAT Sale campaign takes a playful dig at Amazon's Prime ecosystem by imagining a world where a buffalo named Don enjoys celebrity status simply because of his association with the sale. The film humorously portrays villagers showering Don with perks, privileges, and special treatment, mirroring the exclusive benefits often associated with premium membership programmes. By exaggerating the idea of preferential treatment, the campaign reinforces Flipkart's message that shoppers don't need a subscription to access major discounts and deals during the GOAT Sale. Using satire and light-hearted humour, the ad positions Flipkart's sale as an inclusive shopping event while drawing a subtle comparison with rival e-commerce platforms.


Daawat - “Star with SRK”
Daawat has brought back its annual World Biryani Day celebrations with a campaign featuring Shah Rukh Khan and a personalised AI-powered experience for consumers. Marking the fifth edition of the property, the campaign allows biryani lovers to upload their photos and create customised videos in which they appear alongside the Bollywood star, turning fans into co-stars of the celebration. By blending technology, entertainment and food culture, the initiative aims to deepen consumer engagement while reinforcing biryani's status as a dish that transcends regions and generations. The campaign positions World Biryani Day as a cultural moment, inviting fans to celebrate their love for biryani in a more personal and interactive way.



KFC - “A match made in madness”
KFC India has launched "Match Made in Madness", a campaign introducing its new Double Chicken Dynamite, an unconventional burger that combines crispy Zinger chicken fillets with Korean noodles, spicy mayo and cheese. The film leans into the product's unlikely pairing by following a Korean man and two Indians who find themselves comically inseparable through a series of absurd everyday situations. Their unusual bond is ultimately explained when they arrive at a KFC restaurant, where chicken and noodles come together in a single menu item. Through humour and exaggeration, the campaign celebrates unexpected combinations, positioning the Double Chicken Dynamite as a bold fusion of two comfort-food favourites.



Apple - “Privacy on iPhone: Safari helps block data trackers”
Apple has launched a new global Safari campaign, which turns invisible online trackers into physical characters that relentlessly follow people around, highlighting how users are tracked across the web without their knowledge. Created by TBWA\Media Arts Lab, the campaign uses humour and discomfort to dramatise the issue of data collection, with the intrusive “clingers” only disappearing when Safari steps in to block them. The film showcases Safari's privacy features, including Intelligent Tracking Prevention and Fingerprint Defense, positioning the browser as a tool that helps users browse more privately.



Google - “For Every Goal”
Google has expanded its FIFA World Cup marketing push with a new Gemini campaign starring England captain Harry Kane, using football-style storytelling to demonstrate the AI assistant's everyday utility. The film opens with Kane turning to Gemini for help managing a barbecue, with the interaction narrated like a dramatic match commentary before broadening its focus to showcase how ordinary users employ the tool for tasks such as building websites, folding baby strollers, experimenting with hairstyles and creating cinematic visuals. By combining the excitement of football with practical AI applications, the campaign positions Gemini as a helpful everyday companion while reinforcing Google's broader strategy of integrating its AI products into World Cup culture and fan engagement.



Spotify - “Introducing Reserved”
Spotify has launched a new campaign to promote Reserved, its ticketing feature that gives an artist's most dedicated fans early access to concert tickets. The animated film humorously showcases the extreme lengths fans often go to secure tickets (from obsessive preparation to frantic online battles) before revealing that Reserved eliminates much of that stress. Available to eligible Spotify Premium subscribers, the feature identifies top fans based on their engagement with artists and holds tickets for them before the general sale begins. Through the campaign, Spotify positions Reserved as a reward for genuine fandom, ensuring devoted listeners get a better chance of seeing their favourite artists live.

Reddit - “People Are The Best”
Reddit has launched a new brand campaign titled "People Are The Best", celebrating the authentic conversations and human connections that define its online communities. Created with agency Mischief, the campaign spotlights discussions across beauty, television and football subreddits, showcasing how real users share advice, recommendations, opinions and experiences that help others navigate everyday interests. Running across television, streaming, social media and out-of-home channels, the campaign positions Reddit as a place for genuine, community-driven interactions at a time when much of the internet is increasingly shaped by algorithms and AI-generated content. Through the initiative, Reddit reinforces its core proposition: that real people remain the platform's greatest asset.