Battlegrounds Mobile India(BGMI), in collaboration with creative agency Talented, has launched ‘BGMI Drops’, a campaign that reimagines the widely used surrogate advertising technique through satire. The initiative uses parody FMCG-style branding, fictional products and nostalgia-driven commercials to engage younger audiences who are familiar with meme and scroll culture.
According to the company, the campaign takes recognisable elements from the BGMI universe and converts them into spoof products, including BGMI Energy Drink (featuring creator Vijay3Guy), BGMI Helmet, and BGMI OnlyPans. Each fictional product is accompanied by a film styled as a typical FMCG commercial. The films were directed by Akimbo (Mandakini Menon and Bopanna MG) and produced by Potli Baba Mediahouse. The first film received over 40 lakh organic views within 24 hours, as informed by the brand.
The campaign extends to a parody website: trybgmi.com, which has been designed like an online storefront. Here, users can explore the spoof products, discover hidden references and participate in digital interactions modelled as 'easter egg' hunts.
“BGMI has always set the tone for pop culture in India,” said Srinjoy Das, Associate Director - Marketing and Product, KRAFTON India. “With BGMI Drops, we wanted to speak in the native tongue of our players - referential, meme-driven, and self-aware. The films don’t just entertain; they invite participation. We can’t wait to see how the community takes this and runs with it.”
Ritika Shriram, Brand Strategy and Aaliya Sheikh, Creative at Talented, add, “Surrogate ads were about hiding intent. We turned that inside out. These films wear their disguise proudly, inviting viewers to spot the subtext - and in doing so, make BGMI part of everyday conversations.”
Mandakini and Bopanna, Directors, said, “We treated the BGMI films like time travel through Indian ad tropes. One film lives in the 90s FMCG world where everything was squeaky clean, shiny, and slightly over the top. That nostalgia shaped everything - casting, cinematography and even music. Each film had its own comedic meter and visual language for us to play with.”
The campaign blends parody, cultural commentary and gameplay references without explicitly showcasing the game itself. BGMI and Talented said that the intent was to reinterpret traditional advertising workarounds by making them self-aware and intentionally obvious, aligning with the tone of internet culture.
Watch the campaign films:
