This must be the busiest February for brands, who have been showering Valentine’s Day love, pulling out new activations at Mahakumbh, celebrating Shivaji’s birthday and then padded up for the Super Sunday India-Pak cricket clash unveiling contests galore.
A lot has been said about Amazon cartons — from cute posts by cat parents who share how their fur babies enjoy the boxes to irate posts by eco- conscious consumers who crib about the wasteful packaging. But at the Maha Kumbh, Amazon has earned grateful thanks from tired pilgrims. The ecommerce giant has upcycled its cardboard packaging boxes into comfortable beds, which have been placed in key areas across the festival grounds. The video campaign that shows how the Amazon carton became so much more than just a box at the Maha Kumbh is endearing.
Check-in vibe
Travel booking app Cleartrip’s latest campaign takes a fresh approach to hotel booking — matching vibes. To do the vibe check, it brings together two unexpected personalities — cricket’s Captain Cool MS Dhoni and YouTuber and rapper CarryMinati. In the film, CarryMinati, known for his unfiltered persona, attempts to match Dhoni’s legendary composure — only to realise that not every setting is meant for him. He walks off in a huff. Whether or not #DhoniMinati vibe together, Cleartrip “ensures that every traveller finds a stay that fits their mood effortlessly”, goes the closing tag line.
‘Assal Marathi’ tribute
Pickle brand Nilon’s created a culturally resonant campaign on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s birthday that not only paid tribute to the legendary king but also showcased the brand’s bold ethos in a unique and memorable way. The campaign centred around creating a monumental 10,000 sq ft portrait of Chhatrapati Shivaji using 51,000 bottles of Nilon’s Assal Marathi Pickles. The project was completed in just five days, with the bottles meticulously placed. The campaign video garnered 1.5 million views, reports the brand.
Dancing eyebrows
After the lungi dance, will eyebrow dance be a thing? SW Network’s innovative eyebrow dance challenge for Samsung F06 5G launch on Flipkart has gone pretty viral. The film features Bollywood star Ayushmann Khurrana, whose eyebrow dance challenge kicks off a social media movement with influencers, dance communities and everyday users embracing it. The agency also conceptualised attention-grabbing digital billboard campaigns across cities. “Our goal was to create something beyond traditional advertising. Something people would genuinely want to participate in,” says Raghav Bagai, co-founder of SW Network. Well, it certainly had people raising their eyebrows funnily!
The greatest rivalry
We had our own Superbowl moment this Sunday with the India–Pakistan match, when brands padded out in full strength, unleashing one bouncy ad after another. But Star Sports’ promo film for cricket’s ‘Greatest Rivalry’ scored! It had none other than MS Dhoni teaching a bunch of fans how to cheerlead India. Sitting in a yoga studio, he turns the serene atmosphere into a raucous, passion-filled setting with crazy chants. “Apna number agla hai, 2017 ka lena badla hai,” shout the fans in training. A pleased Dhoni turns to the camera, saying, “Ab aayi na feel India-Pak waali.”
