As 2025 draws to a close, India’s advertising ecosystem reflects an inventive mix of long-form storytelling, AI-driven creativity, memeverse humour, emotionally charged narratives, and sequels to last year’s breakout work. To honour this rich and competitive year, IMPACT is unveiling a special editorial series celebrating the most influential campaigns that shaped the industry.
At No. 70, we spotlight Swiggy Instamart’s Rakhi film featuring none other than Shera Salman Khan’s long-time bodyguard. The campaign marks Shera’s first major on-screen appearance since his brief role in the 2011 film Bodyguard.
The narrative positions Shera as the go-to “bhai” for women in need. The film opens with him helping a woman stranded in the rain while searching for an autorickshaw. Speaking directly to the audience, he declares, “Raksha karta hoon, isliye har Raksha Bandhan, those without bros mujhe apna bhai bana leti hain.” The spot blends humour, relatability, and Shera’s cultural recall to deliver a fresh spin on Raksha Bandhan storytelling.
The commercial concludes with a crisp product plug: “Instamart se Rakhi aur gifts mangwao in just ten minutes.”
The campaign was conceptualised and executed by Swiggy’s in-house creative team under the leadership of Mayur Hola, VP – Brand.
To compile this year’s rankings, the IMPACT editorial team conducted a rigorous evaluation of every major campaign released in 2025. Criteria included narrative strength, creative ambition, cultural relevance, originality, production quality, executional finesse, and audience response. After extensive shortlisting sessions, debates, and deliberations, the final list represents what we believe to be the most influential and thoughtfully crafted brand stories of the year.
Stay tuned as we continue unveiling the campaigns that defined and, at times, disrupted India’s advertising landscape in 2025.
