September was a good month for advertising, simply because it trusted good ideas to do the talking. The most memorable work did not feel over-written or over-engineered; it found a sharp human truth, a cultural cue or an unexpected detail, and built from there. Some made us laugh, some made us pause, while others stayed with us because they said something relatable in a novel way. There was also a welcome sense of restraint in much of the work, with brands allowing the central idea to breathe rather than explaining it at every turn. These are the campaigns that stood out for their craft, clarity and ability to leave an impression without trying too hard.
Campaign: #BetaStayfreeLeAana
Having grown up in a co-ed school, the hushed conversations around something as normal as menstruation is too familiar. Stayfree’s #BetaStayfreeLeAana campaign puts that discomfort right in the middle of a childhood moment. When Rohan is asked to buy a Stayfree, his friends mock him, wondering why would a boy do it. His simple question, “Main toh sirf mummy ki help kar raha hoon. Aur help karne mein sharm kya aayegi?”, cuts through years of learned awkwardness. The film makes a compelling case for starting the conversation with boys early, before embarrassment becomes a habit.
Brand: Stayfree
Agency: WPP Media
Creator: Sukesh Nayak, Team WPP
Campaign: ‘For The Love Of Plant Parenting’
What if Tiger Shroff’s legendary fitness and flexibility had less to do with the gym and more to do with growing up around plants? Ugaoo’s ad film plays with this unlikely premise, imagining Tiger as a child constantly competing with his father’s beloved plants for attention. Featuring Jackie Shroff as the ultimate plant dad, the film imagines Tiger growing up neglected while his father pours all his attention into his plants. From ‘40% protein, 60% neglect’ to Jackie casually parenting a plant, the film turns their real-life personalities into a brilliant chucklesome story.
Brand: Ugaoo
Agency: Kulfi Collective
Creator: Akshat Gupt, Director, CEO and Co-founder of Kulfi Collective
Campaign: ‘Honouring the Builders of India’
When every other brand seemed to be talking about Ganpati, JSW Group chose to focus on a different festival. Its Vishwakarma Diwas film spotlights the people we pass by every day but rarely pause to notice. We see bridges, factories and buildings, but never the hands that build them. The film moves through familiar cityscapes, showing workers already at work as the rest of the city wakes up. The creators made invisibility the central thought of the film. The closing line, ‘Ek pal ruk kar un haathon ko zaroor yaad karenge jo bina shor kiye duniya banate hain,’ ends the film on a powerful note.
Brand: JSW Group
Agency: Repinda
Creator: Neelanjan Dasgupta, NCD and VP, Brand Strategy, RepIndia
Campaign: ‘Kothaye Jaabe Dada?’
For anyone who has travelled through Kolkata, ‘BBD’ is a known name, thanks to bus conductors calling out BBD Bagh on their daily routes. Flipkart’s ‘Kothaye Jaabe Dada?’ uniquely owns that city ritual into a campaign for their Big Billion Days sale. The film follows a conductor who has spent 15 years shouting ‘BBD’ on Kolkata’s buses, only to finally get his due as a BBD ambassador. On top of that, the campaign also takes the idea offline, with conductors handing out BBD deals on BBD Bagh buses, giving the pun a life beyond the film.
Brand: Flipkart
Agency: Talented
Creator: Leena Gupta, Creative & Founding Member, Talented
Campaign: ‘You Got This’
There’s always a person who helps you achieve your goals, and it isn’t always the coach. Sometimes, it’s simply someone who believes in you. Adidas utilises that thought with Indian athletes Kartik Karkera, Lovlina Borgohain, Sumit Antil and Simran Sharma, as they prepare for the Asian Games and Asian Para-Games. The film uses messages of encouragement in Haryanvi, Hindi, Assamese and Marathi to bring the athletes’ voices from home into moments of pressure. A rallying cry comes down to one reassuring voice saying, ‘You Got This.’
Brand: Adidas
Agency: Tilt Brand Solutions
Creator: Kushager Tuli, President - Creative, Tilt Brand Solutions
