LG launched a series of videos in an interesting twist to Laundry stories – A museum of Laundry.

Every piece of laundry that is messed up actually leads us to eventually not use- make it a cleaning cloth – throwing away clothes. But what about the death of these clothes primarily because of poor laundry techniques?

I loved the concept of a series of laundry items that just keep getting added to almost like a museum of antiques.

The centre piece has a strong product go-to: The actual washing machine with a two part load. Let’s be honest – we separate our whites, our undergarments etc and do multiple loads. Product is on point. But the messaging – super on point too.

Diwali is about many things – lights, sweets and family.

But most of all the true emotion of Diwali lies in lighting up other’s people lives in our own small way.  Just beyond the celebrations, it stems from a pure emotion of wishing well for everyone around you.

This Diwali, HP showcased a story of a young boy lighting up the life of the lady who actually sells those diyas. Have we ever thought about what they are possibly feeling while selling those diyas on the streets? In a beautiful story, the short film takes people on the journey of what the protagonist (the diya seller) feels and goes through during the auspicious celebrations – trying to sell diyas and get by so she can celebrate with her family as well.

HP highlighted what Diwali really stands for – no fancy parties, dinners or card games. More than anything, I just loved the essence of the festival through this storyline. This spot really did showcase Diwali for it’s true and pure emotion.

PS: I cried a little when I watched this.

“Don’t feel like you need to be anybody, to be somebody”.

Please tell me that Nike is giving you the goosies, the tiny hair on your arms standing up, feeling electrified by the tenacity of the human race and the endless obstacles that you can conquer. You ought to be feeling those things by just the power of this ad.

It’s absolutely mind blowing. It reminds me of the Apple’s – Think Different campaign: giving the highest respect to the crazy ones, the misfits, the people who changed the world.

The human race is a story of continuous victory through the pains and struggles – picking ourselves up with the greatest falls. I am inspired, truly by the meaning behind this campaign – going so much beyond shoes if at all.

Sometimes I have questioned, the power of brands and human connection.  But this campaign is a great reminder that we are all in this together – taking the human race forward.

So, “Don’t ask if your dreams are crazy, ask if they are crazy enough”.

Amen.

Brands are still playing with out of home in cool, innovative ways.

Ariel created a disappearing billboard where the closer you get to the stain get’s wiped out. And once you almost get to the board, boom – the stain has gone.

Boom.

What are you going to do with all that trunk? Fiat comes up with another ‘boot’in’ campaign.

The new Fiat Tipo is just the right car for you if you need a hell lot of storage space. So much so, that an entire topography just fits right in.

And let’s be clear – what can’t really fit? Volcanoes, creature, helicopters and really cool terrains.

I love the exaggeration to make a point. Probably because I believe in everything being “extra”.

Goodbye Jurassic Park. Hello, Fiat.

You’re on the highway.

The wind is in your hair.

You are probably listening to the good old’ songs.

Singing along.

It’s kind of a custom – you are hungry, craving for a drive through meal.

You hate to admit it – but some hot fries and a juicy cheese burger would just so perfect.

Who is watching anyway?

Come-on, it’s a ‘take me home, country road sort of feels’. You want it to be perfect and golden.

Yes baby, you want some macca’s.

But where is the sign? Those beautiful golden arches, just like the crispy golden potato parallels fried at 168 degrees celcius.

You’re cravings have been heard my friend – Mac Donalds came up with the perfect sign to take you to that place so divine. (Haha, there is a reason I’m not a poet).

Follow the arches –  to the left, to the left.

I might not follow the super bowl (Okay, let’s be honest – I don’t), but I do wait for the Super Bowl just as much for the best ads to come out. The super bowl is like the series I wait to release every year. (Yes, it’s the marketing nerd in me out of the closet again).

I love picking my favourite ad, and debating about which one I liked the best. But this time, it’s not just an ad, it’s a strategy that wins.

And the best part is, it is an ad that you’ll never see.

The one thing that is universal is exclusivity. Something that not everyone has that just can’t keep us stop guessing. And as for Skittles this year, Marcos Menendez is their star.

I guess, he is the only one who got the full fledged ‘taste of the rainbow’.

Winter is coming…

And then, Next year is coming…

Live for everyday, Live for the story.

To help increase awareness about the Refugee Crisis – BBC Media Action took an immersive, super engaging approach:

Converting your phone to a refugee’s phone to help people realise what it is actually like to be in the shoes (should I say, hands?) on a refugee fleeing from a war torn country.

The video blows up into a full screen vertical video that uses the simplest of everyday functionalities to convey a message so proud: We are all just the same, do the same things and want the same things.

By getting pings from ‘Dad’ who was concerned about ‘you’ / the protagonist – BBC Media Action humanised the entire experience though everyday technology.

GPS location: 29 degrees NE. I had chills.

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbbcmediaaction%2Fvideos%2F1240149006019483%2F&show_text=0&width=400

Burger King is back in the game. And this time not in just a smokin’ way, instead in a flaming comeback.

In an amazing set of print ads, Burger King showed actual images of stores on fire – reiterating that their burgers are always tasty, juicy because they use real flames.

While most PR talk would insist to shy away from things that have been ‘negative’, Burger King took the bold step to actually turn that into something they are (in a rather quirky way), proud of.

No matter what, they wouldn’t compromise on their style of making some flaming, juicy grill burgers. Even if sometimes it leads to their own stores burning down.

The truth remains: bold is always beautiful.

Love at first sight? Break the glass.

If you watched the super bowl, you’d see the spectacular site of everything new.

Drones, lights, cutting edge technology ads, political issues, and a few sneak peaks into Stranger things yet to come.

Amidst all of this was a ProClean ad that looked like advertising straight out of the 90’s. From an advertising era perspective, literally regressing 100 years in time.

The marketing nerd in me was enjoying all those creative – awe inspiring ads and Uhhgghh: ProClean. -_- (Even Don Draper would be disappointed, trust me).

For the most part, Bill Nye, the science guy – played the typical mad scientist role that people were apparently suppose to love and get all nostalgic about. Well, that wasn’t me. Neither was I feeling the ebbieess about how we did those ‘magical’ (not) advertising campaigns 20 years ago.

ProClean’s spot was a buzz kill for me. Uninspiring, lame and just so wannabe.

Impact on people’s lives: I’d say negative. 

Zomato is like the trip advisor of food. It provides information about restaurants, ratings and recommendations.

In a super witty campaign, they pledge that there are two kinds of people. It’s hyper relatable, funny and true.

Although there is no clear call to action or tag line – it sends a message that no matter what’s your type, Zomato will give you enough information to make the right choice about food. As they say, never have a bad meal.

I’ll share my type too. What’s yours?

Pizza: I’m the one on the left 

Fries: I’m the one of the left

Chocolate: I’m the one on the right. 

Dinner: I’m on the left. 

Metabolism: Let’s not talk about it. I’m cursed.  LOL. 

Boys = Blue and Girls = Pink. Since childhood, we assume sharp gender roles for boys and girls and any deviation is looked down up.

Hint, Hint: I grew up playing  WWF cards and beyblades.

Girls and Cars can be used in the same sentence – without a negative connotation.

Audi hit it’s top spin when it launched a thought provoking story set in the back stage of a toy store. A Barbie racing F1 drivers in her wonderful Audi. Zip. Zip. Zip.

Boys = Cars? Let’s change that equation. Let’s change the game.

Kick that cigarette butt, really far away.

A pharmacy brand in Sweden, Apotek recreated a realistic effect of a man coughing to remind people of the ills of smoking.

The billboards were plugged with smoke detectors and whenever, you smoke – the man on the billboard coughs.

No more coughing, no more smoking.

Let’s stop growing eggs on our heads. How many times do we wake up and push through our days with headaches?

Tylenol in Korea did a chicken’ed up commercial with a man walking around with an egg on his head that eventually grows into a fat, heavy chicken.

While the concept might sound strange to you – the video went viral with 10 million views in the first 2 days.

I really loved how they brought in cultural nuances like – men don’t have pills for headaches. However, this leads to horrid days, being ignorant at work and wasting time in meetings.

Kaboom – the light shines on the protagonist and boom! His head-egg bursts. Humorous end to a rather dramatic story.

Have a headache and getting fried? Korean fry chicken it away with Tylenol.

Bacardi did it again. Except this time – they got their Swag on 10x.

Introducing BBDO + Facebook’s Creative shop ‘pure genius’ dish…

Recipe:

• 1 tablespoon Instagram’s current stories feature
• 10 ounces of creativity
• A dash of magic

(Tadah!)

The Dish:

You tap on Bacardi logo on the left and the right, you can skip back and forth and make your own set.

I love this campaign because it is not only creative and relevant but also highly engaging. Engagement is something brands have struggled with in terms of platforms and placement. Clearly, that is changing now.

Sure enough, ‘Pure Genius’ is everyone’s sweet tooth now.

There is a new definition of ‘lifeline’.

It’s called data.

Life without the internet is clearly no life at all.

Circles.life, a newly launched virtual telco made people’s heart beat stop when they cut out the ending of some super funny viral videos because ‘Data limit exceeded’.

It’s so simple, but it surely made me hit their website and consider switching to them.

Texting and driving is a complete NO, NO.

Yet, so many people are obsessed with the new ping on i-message. Who could it possibly be? :smirks:

Mitsubishi came up with a smart way to convey the message – spelling errors because you can’t focus while driving.

Moral of the story: Don’t endanger lives. Let’s all SOTP texting while driving.

Once upon a time,

There was a store – where everything was simply FREE.

Take what you want, the store said.

Except…

No one could manage to take anything.

Why?

Everything was stuck with Fevicol – the #1 adhesive solution.

So, everyone lived happily ever after? Well, you decide.

The end.

What can you do with a sum total of 11 minutes?

Good question.

If you are curious to know – trade in a cigarette and discover how much you can gain in precisely those 11 minutes.

Campaigns have always made smokers feel guilty and miserable, Aetna simply shows them a better, happier alternative.

Trade it in. All in.

How does an insect killer brand aka – fundamentally functional, pseudo disgusting, bring humour to the air?

If a picture is equal to a thousand words, I’m not going to type anymore.

Clearly, an insect killer so strong, even spiderman fell to the floor.
Haha, Baygon. My friend in my darkest hours.

Sometimes, you wish somethings never changed. Sometimes, you wish people never grew up. I feel that towards my sister, who will always be my baby. And I suppose, parenting would give you similar Dejavu moments when you realise time passed so fast and suddenly your kids are all grown up.

Ikea tapped into this beautiful ‘pause, and reflect’ moment. The universal emotion of a mom watching her son suddenly grow up and ready to move out of the house, even if it is just ‘around the corner’.

The campaign is subtle, yet so powerful. To think about it – even furniture brands are now integrating so much raw emotion into their products. They are sharing real, authentic and relatable everyday stories.

A fantastic piece of work that effortlessly integrates with the brand. Wish we could keep somethings small forever…

If ads were steak, this one would be very well done.

‘The visit’, an advertising piece created by Ogilvy&Mather  for an online fashion portal, Myntra has created a lot of buzz by taking a positive stance for LGBT rights. Although this is not the first local brand standing up for LGBT rights in India, it is most definitely one of the most beautiful and polished ads.

“We tried to avoid the stereotypes associated with gay people. There was no one woman looking more masculine or feminine in the film. We tried to give it a candid feel like it is any other couple being apprehensive about meeting the parents,” Avishek Ghosh, co-partner of Hectic Content, the production house that made the film, told the Times of India.

Beautiful isn’t it? After this, even your preferences might shift to ‘very well done’.

I am currently spending half a month in New Zealand and can swear that their ice-creams are divine. Personally, I have become quite a fan of Tip-Tip – a popular ice-cream brand here in NZ. We are know the age old trick – Ice Cream makes everyone happy and happy people are more likely to give into your demands.

Tip – Top reinvented this hypothesis to create Yes Sticks – customised for different requests, addressed to different people. Eat into the ice-cream and once you are all happy, find the question to which you should (if you are a little bit nice) – say Yes to!  People requested for all sorts of things – borrowing a car to asking someone’s hand.

Watch this cute-fuzzy-ice-cream-video here:

Simple idea, but a 7% increase in market share. Yes, Happiness = Ice Cream. Just watch out for the end :)

There was a time when great advertising came from the ‘West’ and the ‘East’ was just a smart-photocopying-ape. I’m happy to report that – that ‘time’ is over.

Auto-mobile companies are killing it with amazing campaigns that go beyond hose-power and mileage. Infact, they have been zoom into people’s hearts and stay there. 2 amazing Japanese and Korean car companies – Honda and Hyundai are redefining marketing in the car industry.

1) Honda: The Sound of Honda

Honda recreated history when they brought Ayrton Senna’s (the Formula One Racing Legend) fastest lap to life. The engine sound was re-created by combining Senna’s driving data collected from 1989. Hundreds of networked speakers and LED lights were placed along the race line to bring back Senna’s fastest lap. To me, this is one of the most beautiful and surreal moments that advertising ever created.

2) Hyundai : A Message From Space

Hyundai delivered a message to a little girl’s father… in space. 11 Hyundai Genesis were used to replicate the Huston girl’s message in her own handwriting for her father to see. The “The largest tire track image” is something her dad will surely cherish for the rest of his life.