Brands tap into Samay Raina’s ‘Still Alive’ moment

Comedian Samay Raina’s comeback special “Still Alive” has quickly turned into a real-time marketing moment, with brands across categories creating social media creatives referencing the viral return.

In just five days since its April 7 release, Samay Raina’s “Still Alive” has racked up 37.7 million views and over 3.1 million likes on YouTube, signalling the massive pull of the creator’s comeback special.

Brands were not behind at all, within hours of the special gaining traction online, several brands began publishing meme-style posts and posters built around the theme of Raina being “still alive” or playing on his name Samay. The creatives circulated largely across Instagram and LinkedIn, reflecting how brands are increasingly reacting to cultural moments in real time.

Brands across categories including Airtel, ChatGPT, Chayos, YesMadam, Unibic, Parle 20-20, GeeksforGeeks, Biggies Burger, Magicpin and Duolingo tapped into the moment, each interpreting the comeback through humour, wordplay and product messaging.

Unibic Cookies used an emotional and comforting narrative in its creative. The brand showed Samay sitting with a friend over chai and cookies with the line “You just need a cup of chai, a cookie, and a friend who says, ‘This too shall pass.’” The message positioned the brand as a small comfort during difficult phases, linking the comeback narrative with the idea of friendship and reassurance.

Parle’s 20-20 Cookies leaned heavily into wordplay around the comedian’s name. Its creative featured a cookie pack placed on a stand-up stage beside a microphone with the line “Still Crunchin’” and the caption “Treat ka sahi Samay.” By placing the product in a performance setting, the brand humorously suggested that while Samay may have been away, the cookie never stopped delivering its crunch.

GeeksforGeeks approached the trend through a tech lens. The creative headline read “Why 100% debugging is necessary,” referencing programming logic, while the caption “Maine toh 99% kitaano maar diye the na yaar…” humorously compared the controversy around the comedian to an unresolved bug in code. The brand used the moment to reinforce its core messaging around learning programming and solving problems completely.

Biggies Burger used a friendship narrative but with its own brand twist. The creative showed a friend supporting Samay while offering him a burger with the line “Sometimes being the BIGGER person simply means being there.” The word bigger worked as a double meaning referring to emotional maturity as well as the brand name.

YesMadam, a home salon service platform, turned the moment into a self care message. Its creative read “Bad Samay? This too shall pass…” while depicting a stylist giving Samay a relaxing head massage. The ad played on the dual meaning of Samay as both the comedian’s name and the Hindi word for time, suggesting that difficult phases eventually pass.

Other brands also joined the meme wave with quick reaction creatives. Airtel used the comeback narrative to highlight reliability and constant connectivity, implying that its network is always active. ChatGPT appeared in the conversation with AI themed humour around always being present in online discussions. Chayos tapped into the chai culture surrounding stand up conversations and late night discussions, while Magicpin and Duolingo also created social posts referencing the viral moment in their own brand voice.

Raina, known for his stand-up comedy and digital content, released the “Still Alive” special after months of controversy and limited public appearances. The comeback quickly gained traction online, prompting fans and marketers alike to react to the moment.

For brands, such cultural moments often provide an opportunity to engage audiences without launching full scale campaigns. Instead marketers rely on reactive social first creatives that connect with trending conversations.