Hit or Miss: Week in Ads 

With Diwali around the corner, brands across industries have stepped up their ad game, trying to capture the essence of the festival of lights. Whether it’s evoking nostalgia, bringing families together, or simply adding a sparkle of joy, the festive week in advertising showcases everything from heartwarming stories to clever humour.

With every brand vying for consumer attention, some ads shine brightly, while others fizzle out. This week, we dive into a variety of Diwali-themed and Family-themed ads to see which ones managed to light up our hearts and which failed to ignite a spark.

Giva Diwali ad

Giva released an ad with the tagline “Heart-warming Diwali nokh jokh & a whole lot of sparkle love!” The ad features a couple arguing over what the wife is missing in her Diwali look and if the husband knows his wife's taste and the husband surprises her with a Giva set, signaling that he indeed knows her. The ad is quite simple yet effective in terms of product placement and festive vibe, but it is nothing new or creative. The product show and surprising gift in the drawer feels like every Jeweller brand in India has done it at least once in their video ads. The ad might be good on some scales but misses the mark.

https://youtu.be/JBwu3iRWbrw?si=U3dR5dHqDhAHatl8

Parle-G Diwali

Parle-G came out with their Diwali film with the message “kyunki Genius wahi jo auron ki khushi mein paaye apni khushi.” The ad aims to revive old Diwali traditions and feels. It is a stereotypical video about a family coming together and celebrating old traditions that died down because of the second generation working and being busy, ignoring the sad grandparents and then the grandchild revives the Diwali by getting everyone together, tale as old as time at the point. The ad offers nothing new in those terms, is longish so you'd lose interest because of your dying attention span and the fact the ad isn't that engaging. The product is everywhere but there is a lack of connect with the actual ad storyline. It's a miss for us.

https://youtu.be/SSvLb49oII4?si=NIg9ppTPffJneDmB

Flipkart Diwali Sale

Releasing their Big Diwali Sale this 21st October, Flipkart released a video ad. The ad centres around the fact that it's time to refresh and replace all items that are old and dusty. Flipkart has done a great job with misdirection in this latest ad. They almost convince you that the wife wants to replace her husband this Diwali sale but indeed has been talking about the old TV. The ad is fun, swift and creative. It's a hit.

https://youtu.be/cmIlt95f2Pc?si=kksNWNPzgZDZoYhd 

Axis Bank Dil Se Open Celebrations

Axis Bank released their Diwali ad with the hashtag #DilSeOpenCelebrations. The message of the ad was that Diwali love of getting together goes beyond the festivals. The ad is a great creative addition to the Diwali homecoming. It’s not just about a grandson visiting for Diwali but the grandmother can now go visit her grandkid anytime because of Axis Bank. The story is fresh, and product placement is great. This isn’t a stereotypical Diwali ad and that's a big plus for us.

https://youtu.be/QOa6cMSAEMA?si=d0VnU73s1weBTaUl

Acer Diwali Wishes

Taking the route of making Diwali the Indian version of Christmas, the Acer Diwali ad features a child wishing something for all her family members as her wish. The ad is sweet heart warming and sits great with the product placement of acer. The storyline is also very creative and helps you see Diwali in a new light. It's a hit.

https://youtu.be/ePoIEDUrdcc?feature=shared

Zepto Soan Papdi Comeback

The #MakeSoanPapdiGreatAgain​ ad by Zepto is an innovative approach to the Diwali memes diss Soan Papdi feels every year. It's a bold dig on other brands like blinit bashing the ideas of hurting a mithai. The idea is fresh and opens stage for friendly fire and competition in between competing brands like Coca-Cola and Pepsi have had for years. The ad also is quite engaging and also has an appealing offer at the end. It's a big hit.

https://youtu.be/zZmU4s38gAc?si=1JZOPUvsux67SN0r

Party Smart 

This ad by party smart with Aditya Kapur as Party guru is a creative ad that is quite informative in terms of helping the audience understand the product. The ad shows how party smart will help you party anyway with their product. The star feature is also on point and the ad is quite fun in terms of aesthetics. It's a hit.

https://youtu.be/lVCBLKaohps?si=hixGnYdKeYxedwIq

Lloyd ad with DeepVeer

The latest ad by Lloyd about their brand new washing machine, Novate with 5D wash stars Deepika Padukoune and Ranveer Singh. The ad messages with a hashtag #khayaljogharkogharbanaye and is quite creative in showcasing another side of Deepika's career. Popularly known as an actor she is has also been a tennis player just like her father. The ad shows a supportive ranveer helping Deepika gain back her confidence by washing her years old dirty uniform to a brand new feel. The product and storyline feel both are perfect making it a hit.