It’s IPL season and the volume of ads has gone up. It also means CRED is back with its signature disruptive ads. It’s also poll season and there is fair buzz around political ads.

Different strokes

CRED has served up an ace of an ad this cricket season getting Leander Paes to show off his forehand, his backhand and solid serve in a hilarious setting. His opponents — pesky mosquitoes. The champion acted so well that none other than tennis legend Andre Agassi took to social media to praise it. A great coup for the brand pushing its new UPI features. It also served a second round of wit and whimsy with Ila Arun, who has to choose to become the side-eyed soundtrack to high-society gossip or upgrade the way she pays.

A sweet homage

Cadbury Dairy Milk breaks through the cricket clutter by paying sweet homage to the unsung heroes behind the success of cricket stars. Its #ThankYouFirstCoach campaign shines a spotlight on the mentors of Surya Kumar of Mumbai Indians and KL Rahul of Lucknow SuperGiants, who played pivotal roles in shaping their careers. Created by Ogilvy, the films are highly emotive and the brand is following through offline by extending an exclusive invitation to the first coaches of every IPL player to join them in the family box during matches.

Tech for good

Dell’s new ‘Back to School and College’ campaign, highlights how the PC can be a transformative tool and help social change. The two brand films — “Lamps” and “Mountains” — tell the stories of three students who come up with novel solutions to pressing subjects. The first film shows how a young boy along with his friends helps children in rural communities get access to light. Using Dell’s G15 laptop, the boy creates a design for handmade solar lamps and presents the lamps to the children. The second film highlights a young girl who understands the power of teamwork to address the issue of piling up waste in the mountains. The films have been conceptualised and developed by VML.

Finding the groom

BJP has got first off the block when it comes to election campaign ads. Its Dulha Kaun Hai ad lampooning the INDIA alliance has gone viral. The video features lookalikes of key members of the opposition alliance and while it pokes fun, there is an entertainment quotient too in the film. It appears to be a strategy to appeal to the young voters. The BJP had chosen McCann World Group and Scarecrow M&C Saatchi as its creative agencies but reports suggest this film has been made by a different independent agency.

comment COMMENT NOW