Come February and brands begin smelling of roses and romance. Even as Valentine’s Day fever is peaking with brands playing Cupid, Cadbury as usual gets the eyeball for taking a very different tack. Globally, all eyes are on the Superbowl which brings out ad land’s creative best.

The mush can sometimes get too much. For several years now, Cadbury 5 Star, with the tagline “Eat 5 Star, Do Nothing” has been showing support to people who dread Valentine’s Day. This year, the brand is back with an audacious plan to subvert Valentine’s Day with a secret weapon: Uncles. Conceived by Ogilvy, the hilarious campaign features a data scientist who explains that several youth trends in the recent past — from skinny jeans to social media platforms — have died when older audiences adopt them. Cadbury 5 Star proposes that if uncles ambush Valentine’s Day, youth will quickly lose interest. To test this theory, the brand is paying older couples to go on dates and will also promote mushy Valentine’s Day videos made by older couples on social media platforms. Full marks to the brand for its counter-culture play!

Penguin love

While 5 Star may oppose Valentine’s Day, Cadbury pays homage to the day of love with its Dairy Milk Silk in a beautiful way — an animated film featuring penguins. Conceptualised again by Ogilvy, the film captures the essence of love and perseverance as it follows a penguin on a quest to express its feelings to its mate. The penguin needs a nudge to take the first step. Even a die-hard cynic will be moved by the sweet film set in the penguin world.

Shoulder before wicket

Moonshot’s new campaign for Dr Agarwal’s Eye Hospital is not only a casting coup but also a laugh riot. The ad starts with a face-off between Aussie legend Glenn McGrath and Sachin Tendulkar, who are arguing over the old controversial dismissal of the master blaster. The way the argument is settled neatly, weaving in the need for an eye check-up, is a master stroke. The campaign is complete ’90s nostalgia for cricket lovers. Well played, Moonshot!

Intriguing teaser

Zepto’s recent ad showing a delivery boy striding into a Skoda showroom and saying he is there to pick up an order sparked a lot of buzz. Was the quick commerce platform now going to deliver cars? The campaign does show a Zepto delivery boy driving out in a big vehicle loaded with a Skoda car. The brand later clarified that a car delivery is not on the cards — instead the teaser was about the opportunity to book a test drive of the Skoda Kylaq through Zepto!

Superbowl Sunday

Artificial Intelligence has dominated headlines as the calendar turned to 2025. Not surprising that Superbowl ads too are AI flavoured . Meta’s ad plugs AI-powered glasses while Booking.com pushes its AI tools. Humour and celebrity cameos are the other big devices used by brands during their Superbowl outing. For instance, the Stella Artois ad, directed by Ben Affleck, has David Beckham bonding with Matt Damon.

More Like This

Published on February 9, 2025