From Bajaj Allianz’s push for hockey to vivo asking us to switch off phone: Ads we liked

There is no dearth of creativity in the Indian ad world and every day new campaigns are released that leave the world in awe of their goodness. From simple storytelling to bringing to life inanimate objects, this fortnight too had a series of excellent ads that emerged from the creative lanes. Here’s exchange4media’s fortnightly collection of the best ads, released between 04 November and 17 December, being loved by the audience and the critics. 

Please note, this is not a ranking of ads in any manner. The brands have been arranged alphabetically.

Bajaj Allianz General Insurance ‘#Care4Hockey’

Bajaj Allianz General Insurance’s #Care4Hockey campaign focuses on the brand’s initiative to support the game in the country. It has partnered with ‘OneThousand Hockey Legs’, a flagship project of an NGO - Hockey Citizen Group, to provide support towards coaching, nutrition, and equipment to the children playing the sport. 

The ad is a stunning representation of the initiative and stands out for the gender balance it has struck in casting, with both young boys and girls given equal standing. The campaign is led by Rani Rampal, who is the captain of the Indian Women’s Hockey Team.

Cult.fit ‘Kar Run Arjun!’ 

Taking ahead its series of campaigns from early this year, which feature a unique take on popular Bollywood scenes, Cult.fit released its latest spot inspired by Rakesh Roshan’s 1995 production Karan Arjun. 

Conceptualised by Anuya Jakatdar and Girish Narayandass, the ad picks the scene wherein characters Ajay & Vijay (played by Salman Khan & Shah Rukh Khan, respectively) were killed by the villains. This time, however, the duo runs away flaunting their Cult.fit outfits, insisting that fitness is not an option. 

Star Sports “#JoBhidegaWohBadhega for Vivo Pro Kabaddi’

As Pro Kabaddi is set to return after a gap of two years, official broadcaster Star India has released an extension of its #LePanga campaign with #JoBhidegaWohBadhega, starring MS Dhoni. The film cinematically envisages diverse stories featuring the youth, who will not bow down to any sort of pain, pressure or bullying and overcome such staunch challenges with equal aplomb. An injured player braving the pain for his team, a young girl fighting against harassment from a group of boys or a junior resisting from being ragged by his seniors at a hostel are some of the stories featured in the film. 

Swiggy ‘Swiggy One Membership’

In a two-film campaign, Swiggy very interestingly points out the benefits of having a Swiggy One membership that allows users to use its Instamart, Genie, and food-ordering services. The films, conceptualised by Lowe Lintas, are featured around the different reactions of a pet cat and a pet dog to their humans using the Swiggy app and never leaving the home. The films very beautifully portray the modern lifestyle of singles living alone and working from home, with pets as only companions. 

vivo ‘#SwitchOff x #HappyNewYear’

vivo’s new year film to promote its idea of switching the phones off to spend time on important things takes the age-old father-son narrative to take the point home. But the simple yet impactful presentation makes the film stand out from the clutter of kid-centric ad films that are dominating the space right now. Created by Lowe Lintas, the film shows a little kid talking to his father about how his best friend is not spending quality time with him anymore. The innocent conversation is beautifully written and very honestly performed by the actors.