MAM

#Throwback2020: Ad campaigns that made waves

Published

5 years ago

January 2, 2021

NEW DELHI: Countless cups of coffee and hours of brainstorming lead to that one great creative idea that justified the brief from the brand. This used to be the scenario at a creative agency prior to Covid2019. However, with the outbreak of the pandemic, this process moved online and the entire creative industry was working from home.

It took a while for admen (and women) across the world to adjust to the new normal, but soon they did and it was full steam ahead. Despite challenges and adjustments, the agencies continued to deliver cutting-edge work that impacted people and made them think about the product and service. The creative teams also steered through the production challenges. In the initial days of lockdown, they created several films from the confines of their homes. Once the lockdown was lifted, production resumed slowly. IPL 2020 definitely gave a huge fillip to the industry as multiple brands released fresh creatives across mediums.

There is no doubt that 2020 has been an extremely tough year for the advertising industry, but it has also made them rethink, realign and push themselves to think out of the box and deliver stellar creatives.

Here’s a rundown of some of the top ads of the year.

· Burger King Moldy Whopper

Just before the pandemic struck the world and forced people to social distance, Burger King came up with an ad campaign that broke all rules of food and QSR promotions. The fast-food chain released a video of its flagship burger, the Whopper, decomposing and becoming covered in mold over the course of 34 days. The shock factor was to generate buzz about its new initiative to launch preservative free burgers in the US market. The film went viral and elicited an opinion from everyone.

· HDFC Hum Haar Nahi Maanenge

In order to spread hope and positivity amid the nationwide lockdown imposed in the country, HDFC bank released a song #HumHaarNahiMaanenge to celebrate the resilient spirit of citizens who are standing strong while also following guidelines to fight the Coronavirus. Through the campaign, the bank also aimed to draw attention to the importance of coming together for a cause and supporting more people during these tough times through the PM Cares Fund.

· Nike You Can’t Stop Us

The campaign gave hope to people in such trying times, especially with the cancellation and postponement of sporting events. The ad highlighted the power of sports and how it has the ability to bring us together and become agents of change. With a powerful narration and an equally stunning voiceover by Megan Rapinoe, the ad transcended all boundaries and became viral. It was touted as one of the finest pieces of editing.

· Amul – Dragon

The cooperative brand which has been releasing interesting topicals for over 40 years came up with another interesting piece where the Amul Girl stops a dragon. The ad was a take on the Indian government’s crackdown on Chinese apps and companies in light of the Galwan valley standoff. The creative piece was widely circulated and liked by the people even though a section of social media objected to it.

#Amul Topical: About the boycott of Chinese products… pic.twitter.com/ZITa0tOb1h
— Amul.coop (@Amul_Coop) June 3, 2020

· Cred – Auditions

Cred took IPL 2020 by storm with its six-film campaign featuring eminent Bollywood personalities like Madhuri Dixit, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Govinda, Bappi Lahiri and others auditioning for a brand ad. The films started conversation and generated recall for the brand. Despite being not-so-humorous, the ads caught the public’s attention. The idea behind the campaign was to scale up the service and reach larger audiences.

· Dream11 IPL

The fantasy sports app bagged the title sponsorship of IPL and launched a massive campaign on television with Indian cricketers like MS Dhoni, Jaspreet Bumrah, Rohit Sharma and others. The ads were funny and self-aware, as common people in the film took a dig at the brand ambassadors while playing gully cricket. For instance, one girl stopped Bumrah from bowling because he was too fast. The ads clicked and people signed up to sample the platform, hence, the campaign was successful.

· Tide Ayushmann Khurrana

Tide introduced its latest brand ambassador Ayushman Khurana and launched a new campaign with him. The actor played the role of all the family members in the film and his part reminded audiences of his role in the Bollywood flick Dreamgirl. Of late, Khurrana has become extremely popular on the back of several hits, which has helped him secure several big brand endorsements.

· PhonePe

The digital wallet brand embarked on a marketing blitz with new brand ambassadors Aamir Khan and Alia Bhatt. The campaign included a series of humourous ads that showcased different features of PhonePe. The film was staged in a police station set up and kept very simple for the users to understand and adapt PhonePe as the mode of payment in their daily lives. The brand has been active throughout the year and spent heavily on advertising. It has been working towards scaling the number of app users across the country.

· Chotu

Children are god’s voice and a reflection of his greatness. However, if we look around a lot of children are called ‘Chotu’ and employed in menial, backbreaking and dangerous jobs. Dentsu Impact in association with My Choices Foundation and Saregama Caravan launched an eye-opening film on Children’s Day focusing on their struggles. The film showcased how children’s basic rights, education, dignity, hope and most of all, their childhood is snatched away from them, every single day. Currently, millions of child labourers are employed across the country in various segments like homes, factories, and construction sites. It evoked a sense of guilt and shame in many viewers, who’re familiar with these scenes but chose to ignore it.

· Facebook – More Together – Pooja Didi

The social media giant has been focusing on small businesses and trying to bring them on the platform. This year on Diwali, it launched a seven-minute-long film which was the story of Pooja Didi, a milk centre owner, who employed those who had lost their jobs due to the Covid2019 pandemic. The film showcased how employees used Facebook to engage with and bring customers to the milk store. It reflected the power of connections and people coming together to help, support and celebrate with each other.

· Cadbury Celebrations Hyperlocal Ad

For Diwali 2020, Cadbury Celebrations launched a unique initiative that provided an advertising platform to local retailers whose businesses were impacted by the pandemic. It created a data-driven campaign platform ‘Not Just A Cadbury Ad’ that included 1,800+ local retailers across 260+ pin codes in Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Indore and Pune. The chocolatier developed an algorithm that served an ad customised to the viewer based on his geo-location. The film displayed small stores that changed based on the location in which the ad was being viewed. Therefore, a person viewing the ad in Pune would be guided to small stores in Pune, in their vicinity. Cadbury custom-designed hundreds of versions of the same ad, with the relevant geo-targeting based on pin codes.

· HS Kalekar Jewellers

Most jewellery brands accentuate a woman’s femininity by portraying her in the traditional roles of wife, mother or daughter. However, Kolhapur-based H S Kalekar Jewellers highlighted her strength and indomitable spirit. The ad titled Har Beetiyan Ko Ab Durga Banna Padega (Every daughter must become a Durga) sent a message that every woman should take her safety in her own hands. The commercial began with a young girl walking alone on a deserted street and stalked by a biker. The distressed girl changes her course, and spots an old lady sweeping on the road sides and takes her broomstick and proceeds to threaten the man in pursuit. The girl manoeuvres the broomstick at high speed in nunchuck-style, which is an advanced form of martial arts. Intimidated by her martial art skills, the eve-teaser runs away. The ad ends with the girl walking through the empty streets fearlessly and leaves a strong social message.

· HUL Glow and Lovely Glow ko na roko

In the wake of the #BlackLivesMatter revolution, HUL was forced to change the name of its flagship product from Fair & Lovely to Glow & Lovely to avoid any controversy. It released a new campaign called Mere Glow ko Na Roko featuring popular hip hop and rap artist Dee MC who narrates her journey of overcoming obstacles and urges other women to not let anything stop them from pursuing their dreams. Through the inspiring lyrics of #GlowkonaRoko, Dee MC equates ‘glow’ with her identity, which comes from her work, her determination, and self-assurance. The campaign was more than necessary because a new brand name meant a slight change in positioning and it had to be immediately communicated to the audiences.

· Tanishq Baby Shower

The jewellery brand launched a film around the baby shower ceremony in a Muslim family for a Hindu daughter-in-law. Though the film was simple and passed the message of peace and harmony, it was met with severe backlash. However, it did help the jeweller gain a lot of eyeballs on the back of controversy. Eventually, it was forced to pull the film down.

Tanishq has officially withdrawn their ad after being trolled viciously. Here's why this is a very sad state of affairs, and context from other such ads that were trolled (and some, withdrawn) https://t.co/Nb0cSiTPHX pic.twitter.com/sn3IMBqdmC
— Karthik (@beastoftraal) October 13, 2020

· Wakefit Qawali Bhaad Mein Jaa

The sleep and home solutions company launched a witty and topical video that encapsulated the trials and tribulations of 2020. It came at an opportune time to wrap up the highs, the lows, the untoward surprises and the eventful twists of 2020 and resonated with what people went through during the year.

The video was a raging success among netizens, as it struck an instant chord with people whose lives have been turned upside down due to the pandemic and being cooped up at home. Using the hashtag, #BhaadMeinJaa2020, some claimed that it captured the emotions of the year aptly while others declared it was the best video of 2020.

Related Topics:advertising brand Campaign Film marketing

Up Next

BARC week 51: Lizol leads the brands list

Don't Miss

#Throwback2020: Linear TV ad volumes on the mend, revenues sluggish

Click to comment

Brands

Netflix India names Rekha Rane director of films and series marketing

Streaming giant bets on a seasoned marketer who helped build Amazon and Netflix into household names

Published

4 days ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Netflix has put a proven brand builder at the helm of its films and series marketing in India, naming Rekha Rane as director in a move that signals sharper focus on audience growth and cultural cut-through in one of its most hotly contested markets.

Rane steps into the role after seven years at Netflix, where she has quietly shaped how the platform sells stories to India. Her latest promotion, effective February 2026, crowns a run that spans brand, slate and product marketing across originals, licensed content and new verticals such as games.

A strategic marketing and communications professional with roughly 15 years’ experience, Rane has spent much of her career building technology-led consumer businesses and new categories, notably e-commerce and subscription video on demand. She was part of the early push that introduced Amazon.in, Prime Video and Netflix to Indian homes, then helped turn them into everyday brands.

At Netflix, she most recently served as head of brand and slate marketing for India from March 2024 to February 2026, leading teams across media and marketing for global and local content portfolios. Before that, as manager for original films and series marketing, she led IP creation and go-to-market strategy for titles including Guns and Gulaabs, Kaala Paani, The Railway Men* and The Great Indian Kapil Show, spanning both binge and weekly-release formats.

Her earlier Netflix roles covered product discovery and promotion in India and integrated campaign strategy to drive conversations around the content slate, product awareness and brand-equity metrics.

Before Netflix, Rane logged more than three years at Amazon in brand marketing roles in Bengaluru. There she handled national and regional campaigns for Amazon.in, worked on customer assistance programmes in growth geographies and contributed to the go-to-market strategy for the launch of Prime Video India.

Her career began well away from streaming. At Reliance Brands in Mumbai, she worked on retail marketing for Diesel and Superdry. A stint at Leo Burnett saw her work on primary research for P&G Tide, mapping Indian shoppers’ paths to purchase. Earlier still, at Orange in the United Kingdom, she rose from sales assistant to store manager, running a team and owning monthly P&L for a retail outlet.

The arc is telling. As global streamers fight for attention in a crowded Indian market, executives who understand both mass retail behaviour and digital habit-building are prized. Rane’s career sits at that intersection.

For Netflix, the bet is simple: in a market spoilt for choice, sharp marketing can still tilt the screen. And with Rane now leading the charge, the streamer is signalling it wants not just viewers, but fandom.

Brands

Orient Beverages pops the fizz with steady Q3 gains and rising profits

Kolkata-based beverage maker reports stronger revenues and profits for December quarter.

Published

4 days ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: A fizzy quarter with a steady aftertaste that’s how Orient Beverages Limited, the company that manufactures and distributes packaged drinking water under the brand name Bisleri closed the December 2025 period, as the Kolkata-based drinks maker reported improved revenues and a healthy rise in profits, signalling operational stability in a competitive beverage market.

For the quarter ended December 31, 2025, Orient Beverages posted standalone revenue from operations of Rs 39.98 crore, up from Rs 36.42 crore in the previous quarter and Rs 33.53 crore in the same quarter last year. Total income for the quarter stood at Rs 42.24 crore, reflecting consistent demand and stable pricing across its beverage portfolio.

Profit before tax for the quarter came in at Rs 3.47 crore, a sharp improvement from Rs 1.31 crore in the September quarter and Rs 0.39 crore a year ago. After accounting for tax expenses of Rs 0.79 crore, the company reported a net profit of Rs 2.68 crore, nearly three times the Rs 0.99 crore recorded in the preceding quarter.

On a nine-month basis, the momentum remained intact. Revenue from operations for the period ended December 31, 2025 rose to Rs 117.66 crore, compared with Rs 106.95 crore in the corresponding period last year. Net profit for the nine months climbed to Rs 5.51 crore, more than double the Rs 2.18 crore reported in the same period of the previous financial year.

The consolidated numbers told a similar story. For the December quarter, consolidated revenue from operations stood at Rs 45.06 crore, while profit after tax came in at Rs 2.06 crore. For the nine-month period, consolidated revenue touched Rs 133.57 crore, with net profit of Rs 4.49 crore, underscoring the group’s improving profitability trajectory.

Operating expenses remained largely controlled, with cost of materials, employee benefits and other expenses broadly aligned with revenue growth. The company continued to operate within a single reportable segment beverages simplifying its cost structure and reporting framework.

The unaudited financial results were reviewed by the Audit Committee and approved by the Board of Directors at its meeting held on 7 February 2026. Statutory auditors carried out a limited review and reported no material misstatements in the results.

In a market where margins are often squeezed by input costs and competition, Orient Beverages’ latest numbers suggest the company has found a reliable rhythm not explosive, but steady enough to keep the fizz alive.

MAM

Washington Post CEO exits abruptly after newsroom cuts spark backlash

Leadership change follows layoffs, protests and a bruising battle over trust.

Published

4 days ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: When the presses are rolling but patience runs out, even the editor’s chair isn’t safe. The Washington Post announced on Saturday that its chief executive and publisher Will Lewis is stepping down with immediate effect, bringing a sudden end to a turbulent two-year tenure marked by financial strain, newsroom unrest and public backlash.

Lewis’s exit comes just days after the Bezos-owned newspaper announced sweeping job cuts that triggered protests outside its Washington headquarters and a wave of anger from readers and staff. While newspapers across the US are grappling with shrinking revenues and digital disruption, Lewis’s leadership had increasingly come under fire for how those pressures were handled.

The Post confirmed that Jeff D’Onofrio, a former Tumblr CEO who joined the organisation last year as chief financial officer, has taken over as CEO and publisher, effective immediately. In an email to staff, later shared by reporters on social media, Lewis said it was “the right time for me to step aside.”

The leadership change follows the announcement of large-scale redundancies earlier this week. While the Post did not officially confirm numbers, The New York Times reported that around 300 of the paper’s roughly 800 journalists were laid off. Entire teams were dismantled, including the Post’s Middle East bureau and its Kyiv-based correspondent covering the war in Ukraine.

Sports, graphics and local reporting were sharply reduced, and the paper’s daily podcast, Post Reports, was suspended. On Thursday, hundreds of journalists and supporters gathered outside the Post’s downtown office in protest, calling the cuts a blow to public-interest journalism.

Former executive editor Marty Baron described the moment as “among the darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organisations.”

Lewis defended his record in his farewell note, saying “difficult decisions” were taken to secure the paper’s long-term future and protect its ability to publish “high-quality nonpartisan news”. But his tenure coincided with growing scrutiny of editorial independence at the Post.

Owner Jeff Bezos faced criticism for reining in the paper’s traditionally liberal editorial page and blocking an endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris ahead of the 2024 US election. The move was widely seen as breaking the long-standing firewall between ownership and editorial decision-making.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, around 250,000 digital subscribers cancelled their subscriptions after the paper declined to endorse Harris. The Post reportedly lost about $100 million in 2024 as advertising and subscription revenues slid.

While the wider newspaper industry continues to battle declining print advertising and the pull of social media, some national titles have stabilised. Rivals such as The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times have managed to build sustainable digital businesses, a turnaround that has so far eluded the Post despite its billionaire backing.

As Jeff D’Onofrio steps into the role, the challenge is stark, restore confidence inside the newsroom, win back readers who walked away, and prove that one of America’s most storied newspapers can still find its footing in a brutally competitive media landscape.