10 most relevant Indian ads from last 10 years

Source: Google 

The latest celebrity appearances in CRED might have left you in a state of surprise and got everyone talking about it. Even the ones who had no idea about the start-up also began discussing the element of surprise in that. As an advertisement, it did get the population to talk about their product.

In this blog, I'll take you on a walk down the memory lane of advertisements. Having picked up one advertisement each from the last 10 years, I will discuss they represented the time we were in and how some stood apart from the crowd. The inclusion here is a purely personal choice. 

2020 – WhatsApp's Caregiver Ad

 

With a 400 million + user base, WhatsApp attempted to establish itself as a household name that it has become since its inception. In 2020, they launched the 'It's between You and Me.' campaign with touching ad stories with a social appeal.

The first of their video shows a nurse taking care of an elderly woman through video conferencing and chat. Since last year, the country was under lockdown, and many living in the cities were left lonely. Caring about them was possible only from afar. WhatsApp used the moment to educate and empathise with people facing the plight of the solitary old people. It was one of the most touching and remembered ad from last year.

2019 – Axe's Make your own rules

Well, this year had a lot of good advertisements and choosing one was really difficult. On the one hand, the cell phone giant OnePlus launched its 8 series using the growing popularity of NETFLIX. On the other hand, Ford broke the stereotypes regarding the big car with their 'Discover More in You' campaign. We had also seen beloved actors Rajkumar Rao and Sanya Malhotra come together for our even more beloved Maggi.

But there was something that made Axe's 'Make your own rules' campaign appear in the list. The brand associated with manliness and flamboyance went a step ahead and tried breaking the gender expectations from men. The ad film had an ensemble cast from various professions. It included movie star Ayushman Khurrana, Rapper Naezy, footballer Sunil Chhetri and YouTubers BeYou Nick and Shashank Arora urging men to make their own rules.

Looking at how gender stereotypes are being broken and toxic notions of masculinity questioned in every literature, coming up with such a campaign is welcome in the times we are in.

2018 – Swiggy's what's in a name?

 

Which company would accept the negativity associated with their brand name for the greater good? Well, Swiggy did it. Back in 2018, people used to address their delivery persons as 'Swiggy.' and not their names.

Addressing the delivery people as Swiggy seemed like an ignorable offence, like casual sexism or subtle racism. The offenders don't think what doing so would mean to the other person. But someone needs to bell the cat; someone needs to initiate the conversation.

Swiggy realised the pain of their employees and decided to raise the issue through their campaigns. It shows how shameful it will be if any person is named Swiggy. The ad asks people to call their delivery personnel by their names.

Such a simple yet remarkable concept is beautifully represented in this campaign. So would you still call the delivery persons as Swiggy after watching this?

2017 -  Samsung India's service reach

 

This is the most beautifully made advertisement on the list. You can find detailed coverage of this advertisement in the blog AdShad India

This advertisement shows delivery personnel travelling across the terrain to a remote location for providing television repair service in an orphanage. The reveal at the climax is the most emotional moment of the story.

This advertisement talks about how much effort Samsung takes to reach out to their customers' call and how they provide more than just service through their emotional journey.

I won't go much into the details, but I would want you all to watch the ad and experience their brand message for yourself. 

2016 – Dove's Let's break the rules of beauty.

 

While many personal care products were focused on their positioning as a 'fairness brand', with 'Fair and Lovely' being the most prominent of them all. Dove, on the other hand, decided to go the other way.

The brand launched a campaign in 2016 titled 'Let's break the rules of beauty' celebrating the 'real women'.

According to their website, 67% of women would like to see diversity in the representation of beauty. Going by the rise in the demand for women empowerment, Dove decided to position itself in line with their international message of inclusivity and acceptance.  

Dove's decision to take this step was much needed back then. From the point of view of a brand, it was a commendable action. But at the company level, HUL was yet to let go of their brand 'Fair and Lovely' till much later. It is now positioned as 'Glow and Lovely,' removing the term 'Fair' from their name.

Hope in the future, the brands won't be encashed on meaningless beauty standards and take a stand towards making the world better for all.

2015 Star Sports’ Mauka Mauka

 

Who can forget this ad?

This advertisement is everything ads meant to be. It was funny, eye-catchy. It was at the right time (World Cup 2015). It rang a chord with the masses capturing the evergreen cricketing rivalry between India and Pakistan.

This advertisement got the entire nation humming to the tune of 'Mauka Mauka'. This was the most successful advertisement from a Television Channel in years. While other brands rope in cricketers to promote their products, they promoted the famous Cricket Tournament without using any Cricketers yet making an impact. The campaign is advertising genius at its peak, making it a worthy inclusion in the list.

2014 Idea Internet's No Ullu Banawing

 

Back in 2014, the nation was caught up in an election frenzy. In such a time, how could brands not jump in?

In 2014, many brands like Dollar. Club, Havells fan came up with TVCs related to elections and voting; even the brands like Yippee Noodles and Dominos didn't stay behind in the race.

But of all these campaigns, Idea. Stood out with their 'No Ullu Banawing' campaign. They released a set of funny and bold advertisements calling out on the fake promises made by politicians before every election, in their very own way. They ask the politician to not think of the civilians as 'Ullu' – the Hindi colloquial for Fool. 

2013 Google Reunion

 

I remember studying this ad as a case study. This beautifully made advertisement feels like a movie in itself with its own background score.

In 2013, the Indian subcontinent had been adapting to mobile phones, and we had an app for everything. Google wanted to be established as a one-stop solution for all your information. The film shows the characters using the search engine for all their required information like weather, local news, flight status, and even VISA application throughout the duration.

The campaign touches upon the human nature of friendship, longing, partition and a final reunion.

2012 The Hindu warns about the youth

 

What comes to your mind when you read 'Parliamentary Behaviour'?

And now imagine, what comes to your mind when you read the word 'Parliament'?

I'm sure two different visuals are coming in your find, both contradicting each other. This contradiction was captured by the most revered English Daily – The HINDU's campaign 'The youth is watching'.

It showed how students went bonkers and resorted to violence once their teacher asked them to behave 'Parliamentary'.

The ad was a part of their awareness campaign against the consumption of Junk News. It called out to Indians, asking them to behave appropriately as the nation's youth, the impressive mind is watching. The youth often emulate their environment, and that's precisely what Hindu didn't want to happen. Going by their reputation of being the best source of authentic news, they established themselves further by raising their voice against the nation's mal activities.

2011 – Coca Cola's rays of Sunshine

 

Released late in December that year, Coca Cola's campaign 'Crazy for Happiness' became viral in no time.

The jingle – 'Ummeed wali dhoop' Meaning 'rays of hope' is written for the Indian audience in line with the same international campaign. This ad promotes positivity throughout its video, presenting optimistic facts against each negative news until they reveal their brand.

The message of positivity and hope was relaunched again in 2020 during COVID, receiving applause yet again.

 

Conclusion

So what do you think about the advertisements mentioned in the list? Which one of them is your favourite?

Do answer in the comments sections and let me know about any other ad from the last decade that was your favourite.

Share this blog with your friends, teachers, colleagues, any advertisement enthusiasts.