Hit or Miss: The week in ads

The festive season has well and truly taken over the ad world, and this week’s crop of films shows brands leaning on emotion, humour and familiar faces to cut through the noise. ChatGPT turns to an Indian large family, complete with names like Chat bhai and Chat beta, to make an AI assistant feel like one of the household. Sunder Biscuits takes the opposite route, packing brand recall into just ten seconds. Cadbury Celebrations finds sweetness in neighbourly squabbles, while Swiggy brings women from Sonagachi and artisans from Kumartuli together to sculpt a Durga idol in a film that lingers long after it ends.

Jewellery brands are out in force, with Reliance Jewels, Kisna and NuHome building stories around family, memory and celebrity chemistry. Axis Bank and Visa conjure a dollhouse full of festive wishes, SBI Life salutes para-athletes as anokhe heere, CRED uses Disha Patani to make credit scores less intimidating, and Facebook Marketplace borrows rom-com tropes with Kristen Bell. From heartfelt to hilarious, here is a look at the campaigns that stood out this week, and what makes each of them worth watching. Some tug at hearts, some tickle the funny bone, and a few refuse to be ignored.

ChatGPT - “The Notice”

OpenAI has released a long-form brand film for ChatGPT, directed by Reema Kagti and produced by Tiger Telly, the short-form content venture of Tiger Baby, co-founded by Zoya Akhtar and Kagti. Set within a large family navigating a difficult situation, the film weaves ChatGPT’s utility into everyday interactions, with different family members turning to the platform for help with business, cooking and UPSC exam preparation. A standout detail is the affectionate range of names they use to address the chatbot, from “ChatGPT Ji” and “Chat bhai” to “Chat beta”, lending the film a distinctly Indian family dynamic.

Sunder Biscuits - “Dus Second”

Sunder Biscuits and Namkeen has launched a mass-media campaign for Sunder Super Coconut Cookies, conceptualised by The Script Room, to build brand awareness and name recall in a category dominated by larger players. The campaign comprises five 10-second films set in different situations, including a PT class, a Kung Fu fight, a movie hall, an airplane and a tuition class, with each scenario repeatedly featuring the brand name, “Sunder Super Coconut Cookies”. The films culminate in the line, “Ab 10 second ke ad mein bas biscuit ka naam milega. Baaki biscuit mein milega.”

Cadbury Celebrations - “This Nok Jhok Is Sweet”

Cadbury Celebrations has unveiled a new Diwali campaign, created by Ogilvy India, that explores the familiar mix of affection and friction between neighbours. The film captures everyday disagreements over parking, shared spaces, pets and noisy celebrations, showing how these small conflicts can give way to warmth during the festive season. Built around the idea that a little sweetness can help people reconnect, the campaign positions a box of Cadbury Celebrations as a gesture to mend differences and start afresh. The launch also coincides with the introduction of Cadbury Celebrations Milky Mithai, combining chocolate with the flavours of traditional Indian sweets.

CRED - “look beyond the obvious”

CRED Foundation has concluded its credit awareness campaign with a new film featuring Disha Patani, using humour and celebrity-led storytelling to highlight the importance of understanding credit scores and maintaining financial discipline. The campaign aims to make credit awareness more accessible by encouraging consumers to pay attention to their credit health and recognise how financial behaviour can affect their borrowing prospects.

Swiggy - “Amader haathe gora Ma”

Swiggy has launched ‘Ebar Amader Haathey Gora Ma’ for Durga Puja 2026, bringing women from Kolkata’s Sonagachi together with master artisans from Kumartuli to help sculpt a Maa Durga idol themselves. The initiative builds on the centuries-old tradition of using punya mati (sacred soil) from red-light districts in making Durga idols, extending this connection by enabling the women to participate directly in the idol-making process. Directed by Ronny Sen, the digital film documents the journey from the first touch of clay to the completed idol, capturing the women’s experiences, emotions and aspirations.

SBI Life Insurance - “India's Anokhe Heere”

SBI Life Insurance has unveiled a new film titled ‘Anokhe Heere’, celebrating Indian para-athletes whose determination and perseverance help them pursue their aspirations and honour promises to their loved ones. Narrated through the curiosity of a young boy named Aksh, the film follows his search for extraordinary diamonds, leading him to a para-athlete training centre where he discovers that true brilliance lies in the athletes’ resolve and actions rather than outward appearances. Built around the thought, “Yehi toh hai Anokhe Heere, jo apne iraadon ki chamak se vaadon ko nibhate hain,” the film connects sporting resilience with the commitments people make to those who matter to them. The campaign reinforces SBI Life’s ‘Apne Liye, Apno Ke Liye’ philosophy and its association with para-sport as Principal Partner of the Indian contingent at the Para Commonwealth and Asian Games 2026.

NuHome - “Art woven into every space”

NuHome has appointed Mrunal Thakur as its first brand ambassador and partnered with filmmaker Imtiaz Ali for a new campaign to build an emotional connection with consumers around home furnishings. The campaign uses Ali’s signature storytelling style to explore how everyday home essentials shape personal spaces and meaningful moments. Featuring Thakur, the communication positions NuHome’s products as more than functional additions to a home, highlighting their place in people’s daily lives and relationships.

Reliance Jewels - “Khud Ke Traditions Banaaiye, Saath Mein Diwali Manaaiye”

Reliance Jewels has unveiled its Diwali campaign, ‘Khud ke traditions banayein, Saath mein Diwali manayein!’, featuring Raveena Tandon and Rasha Thadani and created by The Script Room. The campaign explores how mothers and daughters can preserve their emotional connection to traditions while celebrating them in their own ways. Using jewellery as a link between generations, the film highlights how pieces passed down or exchanged within families carry memories and shared histories while leaving room for individual expression. Directed by Punit Malhotra and produced by Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta and Punit Malhotra under Dharma 2.O, the film positions jewellery as an expression of relationships beyond festive dressing.

Facebook - “You Don’t Live In A Rom-Com, But You Can Shop Like You Do”

Facebook Marketplace has teamed up with Netflix to promote the third season of Nobody Wants This through a campaign starring Kristen Bell. In the film, Bell races through a crowded train station searching for a man named Noah, evoking the romantic drama of the show before revealing that this Noah is a stranger selling an end table on Facebook Marketplace. Titled “You Don’t Live in a Rom-Com, But You Can Shop Like You Do,” the campaign plays on the series’ romantic-comedy tropes to connect entertainment with social commerce.

Kisna - “Dekhiye Khushi ke Pal”

KISNA Diamond and Gold Jewellery has brought back its ‘Woh KISNA Hai’ campaign for the festive season, featuring brand ambassadors Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput Kapoor. The campaign builds on the couple’s chemistry to celebrate the role of jewellery in expressing affection and making festive moments special. Through its festive storytelling, KISNA positions diamond and gold jewellery as more than a gifting choice, highlighting its emotional significance across relationships and celebrations.

Axis Bank - “Har khushi ko banao badi”

Axis Bank and Visa have launched their festive campaign under ‘Dil Se Open Celebrations 2026’, titled ‘Iss festive season, har khushi ko banao badi’, featuring Shahid Kapoor. Conceptualised by Leo India, the digital-first film follows a little girl whose magical dollhouse brings her wishes to life, with objects placed inside appearing in the real world as Kapoor uses his Axis Bank Visa Credit Card to enable the transformations. The dollhouse serves as a metaphor for festive dreams and aspirations, highlighting how small wishes can become more meaningful celebrations. The campaign is supported by an original festive score composed by Amit Trivedi and extends beyond the film through more than 100 offers across electronics, lifestyle, travel and other categories for eligible Axis Bank Visa Credit Cardholders.