One of the bravest brands out there is Burger King. When it comes to stretching the limits of innovative marketing and reinventing themselves consistently – my vote will always go to Burger King.

They took things to another level this time – by using augmented reality to wait for it – Burn Ads from the BigM. Apparently, McDonalds had their out of home ads everywhere, so instead of competing on expensive out of media space, Burger King earned love by getting people to download their app, have an interactive experience and generating a ton of earned media. Sneaky? Yes. Brave? Yes. Smart? Yes.

Guess that Mc Donalds ain’t loving it no more.

Monster.com – the job portal site has nailed down on one key use case why people should consider changing jobs.

Work-Life Balance. 

What I loved was taking a specific use case and exaggerating it to a humorous level – a use that that is beyond the generic narrative. It’s no longer about changing jobs because of a bad boss or career growth or more money. It’s about changing your life to give more time to other dimensions such as relationships.

This awesome spot demonstrates how consumed you might get in office that the solution to all problems is perhaps – following best practices, more 1:1s, team building activities.

I have literally watched this 15 times and laughed ever since. (Hint: It’s probably because I talk like this at home too.)

If there is one permanent magical place in this world today – it is Disneyland. I still remember going to Disneyland in Orlando and seeing all those childhood stories come to life.

All those stories and characters – they all live in Disneyland. Together. It is the place where Magic truly get’s real. 

Disneyland Paris shares the story of a ducking that also is inspired by all those Donald Duck stories growing up as we were. Seeing Donald Duck in real life – it’s eyes lit up. So adorable!!

You know the one thing I always say – Gotta turn up your magical <3

Love this spot so much. The child in my is thrilled.

No experience needed. Phew.

Seeing that literally every job including a university level graduate program needs 2-3 years of work experience now – it’s a big relief that no work experience is needed for something atleast.

And no work experience like how? Haha!

Oh Come-on! Fries and Oreo Mc Flurry could actually be a great innovative combination. Trust me, I know.

Levels of Hunger:

Level 0: Sort of Hungry

Level 1: Really Hungry

Level 2: Hangry

Level 3: Midnight Crisis

So, What happens in the middle of the night when you are getting “hangry” and it sort of  starts feeling like a midnight CRISIS? Well, food better be on it’s way.  And fast.

Dominos has some outdoor billboards to remind us that when you are in the midst of a midnight crisis, Pizza’s should be at your door before you know it.

Dominos – Saving lives, at-least until 4am :)

Remember all those things they were saying about how tradition retail can’t disrupt the amazon’s of the world. Well, there are a few bold ones that know that they need to evolve. And evolving, they are.

Walmart is rebuilding it’s business model to cater for groceries of the future – a cross between the online and offline world – The new drive through, if you will.

Order online, Zoom in and pick up your groceries for the evening. Zoom and then boom!

What’s amazing is reinventing yourself requires courage but also needs a voice. You need people to know that you are here – integrating with the future. What better way to do it then, use the most famous cars that we have all grown up watching?

Scooby Doo, Flintstones, Jurassic Park, Transformers – You watch them and the 70s, 80s or 90s kid in you is strong and alive.

Walmart isn’t building for the 18 year olds of today, Walmart is building for everybody else – people who are between “I want to see what is coming to my door step” but “I could use the convenience of technology if it can save me time”.

Not only do I love this campaign, Kudos for Walmart as a business for bravely reinventing itself AND putting itself out there with a message that clearly I will never forget.

Zoom. Boom. Bam.

Spread Joy, Not Rumors.

Taking social responsibility and educating everyone about how fake news spreads so rapidly is so important. Many times, we don’t realise that we are part of the system that fuels the fire.

I believe that Whatsapp India took the bold move to be deliberate in their communication to stop the spread of fake news. Be like Kavya who helps people understand that if that content didn’t originate from you, it is important to validate it before sharing it.

In a world where forwards happen with just a click of a button, we all have to take up more responsibility to ensure that these channels of communication remain clean and reliable.

I really enjoyed the pace of the creative and messaging – “Spread Love, not Rumors” hits the nail on the head with a strong social message in a fun and relatable delivery (remember the times, people in white suits would preach us about the right ways of life?)

One of the most common topics of discussion around  women is that they are often instrumental in certain wins or achievements but don’t get the credit they deserve – sometimes due to systematic issues, sometimes because of a male dominated rewarding environment and sometimes simply because they lock themselves in and don’t demand that well deserved recognition.

Whatever the reasons, it’s been proven that systematically women who deserve to be on the front lines are fighting battles in the shadows of other people at the back. Stabilo, a highlighter brand decided to make that connection with a higher purpose – highlighting women like Katherine Johnson who was instrumental in saving lives of the people in Apollo 11 through her pure mathematical genius.

I am often super charged with women issues and this creative immediately ignited a yellow flame in me. I adore brands like Stabilo who dare to take the bold step and stand up for a purpose that is much, much larger than the utility of a ‘mere highlighter’.

It’s true, we need to really highlight more women like this.

Magic, the feeling I have. Absolute magic. Taking charge of that wheel and going steady endlessly at 80km/hour at the road without a destination.

That’s the thrill of driving today. Road-‘tripping’ in essence.

Audi imagined a world in the near future where you will in-animately be transported from Point A to Point B in your driverless car. And, while that’s perhaps an inevitable future that could be fun too, I loved how Audi positioned the thrill of taking the wheel in their new Spyder R8. The trick to learn from them is to not sound backward, be technologically forward and stay classy Audi the entire time.

Wonder if we will pay a premium for a self (= yourself talking the wheel) driving experience in the future?

In all honesty, it’s the right positioning for Audi atleast until driverless cars become mainstream. Let’s all enjoy the thrill of the wheel, atleast while it lasts? Maybe we will tell our grandkids about these good old’ times :)

What does hot and spicy mean to you?

(Well, let’s not go down that path -_-)

But there is a path I’d like to take your neural network down – tender, juicy, spicy, fried chicken. The kind of tub you want to secretly gobble up while watching Netflix and giving yourself the well deserved cheat day after days of slogging and salad’ing.

Ogilvy and Mather worked with KFC to create almost a real life visualisation of fire to depict chicken that is as spicy as explosions and space take offs.

I always say – the fundamentals of marketing, they don’t change.

And, neither does the fundamental love for tender, juicy Kentucky fried chicken.

Amen.

At Adidas, something binds everyone together beyond different functions, races, interests and sports hobbies.

As the manifesto states – It’s a passion to create.

Building is the most rewarding thing about any job. Keep creating.

Bob, the builder is watching & Inspiring.

Never under-estimate the power of a witty copy. A lot has changed in marketing, but the fundamentals – the things that move people, make them laugh and build connections, that will never change.

Check out dominos’ midlife vs midnight crisis.

A picture truly is a 1000 words. And, 4 words, that’s more than a 1000 words.

Would you say, Word?

Nike plays again. And, in my opinion – wins again.

With innovation at it’s forefront and experiential campaigns in it’s pocket, Nike goes strong again. In a market like China where e-sports and online games is mainstream, Nike brings their ‘React’ shoes to the people of China in the virtual ‘React land’.

Get on a threadmill and gamify yourself to go through mountains and roofs. Best of it all, it’s really just trying to prove how ‘bouncy’ the shoes are with every jump. Message received.

Some might call it gimmicky, but I call it smart. Experiential marketing is here. Retail experience 2.0. is here. Nike is here.

Time for you to ‘react’ and ‘make the jump’ too?

Sapeurs to me is elegance, sub-cultures, colour, and hope.

That’s the real story of the Sapeurs. No no, it’s not just another fashion style. ‘La Sape’ is a movement based in the Republic of Congo that has so much cultural and social richness. In most ways, they are fighters for peace.

I love how Guinness gave these group of extraordinary people a global stage – to show their culture, the colours, and really the joy of celebrations.

Other than the awards this campaign has won, Guinness truly celebrates the brilliant people who live life with joy amidst the turmoil. It is a reminder for all of us to constantly fight to not just live, but to be alive.

Guinness – Always made of more.

Embed yourself in the conversation. Be part of the culture. Be more than a function in people’s lives.

Apple has been great in doing that – integrating itself right in places, in people and in hearts. It’s always stood for more than the megapixels and storage.

And with the ‘first dance’ – Apple celebrated same sex marriages in Australia capturing moments that truly matter – on the I-phone.

I’ve been doing a fair bit of flying lately.  Safety instructions and videos are perhaps one of the most boring and un-engaging things you have to go through on flights. (Don’t get me wrong – plane rides still excite me!)

Virgin Airlines did this ultra cool – dance jam safety video that broke the internet, but I give them 5/10 points.

But honestly, for me – Singapore Airlines gets my full vote – hands down. They created something that brought out the best views in Singapore, was totally on brand with their quality of service and to be honest, was just so calming.

I think before you are about to take off, you want to be assured that your life (literally) is in the hands of the best people – and with Singapore Airlines, I believe it to be true.

And that’s what brands need to be – authentic and true to themselves. Singapore Airlines, you have my heart. Always.

Alexa, We need you.

Most of the times, we just need our simple, predictable friend.

No surprises, no additional thought.

Just simple, elegant and working.

Alexa showed us what happens without her. I personally, loved the personification.

I guess more than celebrities, don’t we just love her?

Loved the celebrity humour, but come on – Alexa could have atleast cracked one joke. :P

Greenpeace is an organisation that is fighting for a greener, healthier world for our oceans, forests, food & climate.

They burned Trump with the print ad below.

Truth be told, Let’s not let history retweet itself.

Simple. Genius.

There is nothing more exciting than going home after a long time and filling your bag with thoughtful gifts for everyone you love!

Coca cola yet again opened happiness with a #Wishuponacoke. For everyone who was carrying excess baggage mainly full of gifts, Coke sponsored 5kgs excess baggage for free.

I’m on my way back home, and so excited to see everyone. To some it’s just 5 kilograms, to me, It’s an infinite amount of love.

Chili’s is refocusing on its core products and therefore cutting down 40% of its menu.

That’s a painful goodbye given that some of their food was delicious attached to a lot of fun memories.

Instead of quietly bidding goodbye, Chilis created a humorous social campaign to bid adios to some of its favourite dishes – Chicken Enchiladas (Bacon critic), Southwest Chicken Soup (Professional Snuggler) and Buffalo Cauliflower (Broccoli Impersonator).

I enjoyed the dramatic and social turn a restaurant took to build some brand love through their dark, red times.

The perks of good brand content riding on a strong social conversation = Fantastic.

In the world full of ‘gas’ marketing, I believe this is a solid strategy.

Just before the Game Of Thrones release this Sunday, Bud-light released a humorous spot about different subjects presenting the King with different levels of beer.

All well and good, until a smart-a** comes with “spiced honey mead wine.”  He is immediately banished to the pit of misery.  Haha.

Loved it!

Being true to your brand while catching a wave of conversation around Game of Thrones. Dilly, Dilly. (raises a toast).

When a new form of content hit the ‘market’, you start to wonder – is this really a thing? Fashionable? Faddish? Or a long term behavioural change?

A few years ago, Video got ’em questioning. But no more. We have fundamentally changed the way we consume content. No more tweets, but quick disappearing photos. And no more quick photos, but live, immersive videos.

We aren’t the same anymore. Facebook recognises that and rode the way. Facebook recently launched ‘Watch’: An immersive video hub that will appear as a tab in the mobile app and also be featured on the desktop web.

Bye bye Youtube? Only time will tell.

The entire country of Sweden is on AirBnB – one of my favourite travel sites in the world.

Come explore the relaxation area, the bathroom, the bedroom, the infinity pools and the breath taking terrace.

Take a holiday here. You won’t regret it.

Smirnoff Vodka #21 Recipe:

• 100% Wit
• Dash of sarcasm
• Served on the rocks
• Note: Only to be served ice cold

As Trump questions are raised over Trump’s ties with Russia during the elections, Trump is well known for quoting that he is happy to reveal his more only under oath.

The same with Smirnoff that originated in Russia but is not made in America.

I love bold advertising. I love smart advertising. And I most definitely love witty advertising.

For every working women, there is a pivotal time in their career to make one single choice: Career or Family.

A life time of hard work boils down to a single moment – What would she choose?

Not only in Italy, but also in a lot of other countries – women sign blank resignation letters – the decision to quit their jobs once they become pregnant. In a lot of other scenarios, women choose to not have kids for the fear of fewer career progression opportunities.

But why are these scenarios mutually exclusive? What would happen if a woman chose to do this the other way around? What if women quit their jobs as mothers in order to work?

If children can understand that this would be such a cruel thing to do, why can’t we? #momsdontquit

Almost every brand is trying to capture a moment -> a memorable piece of time that brands can make strong, lasting associations with.

Father’s day is one such moment. A moment where sons and daughters cherish that special bond they have with the believer, adventure seeker and cool headed dude in the house – their dad.

A lot of touching stories are shared by individuals and brands. But one teary eyed story that pushed me into that emo zone was  – The Hero: A Bollywood Story.

It reverses the roles of a father and son – where generally it is the father’s role to make their child’s dreams come true. Google reversed the dynamic where instead the son fulfils the father’s dream to become a Bollywood Actor.

‘Heros never retire, Papa’.

In the ultimate battle of #besthugs – Nothing competes with a mom’s warm hug.

Not so far out in the future, we will have artificial intelligence monitor and guide us through every step of our lives – waking up, getting breakfast, scheduling things.

Not too far out in the future, AI might replace mom’s thoughtful reminders to get things done.

Not too far out in the future, our lives will be lead by someone speaking to you through the ceiling of our perhaps lonely home.

Maxis, a telco in Malaysia sets out to remind everyone that no amount of software can compete with a mother’s intuition. She knows more than you even convey and is always there to hold you when you fall.

To my mom,

Thanks mom for being there for me! You’re intuition is stronger than anything in the world. <3 You know me better than I know myself. Happy Mother’s Day!

World Wildlife Fund has always been able to make you stop, pause, and think.

In India, they have a powerful, yet subtle message. And what is a better way to demonstrate that than to use one thing we see everyday – money. That very same coin that could be used to donate money to the cause of saving – lions.