August 2025

Vertical collage juxtaposing vintage and modern Indian scenes, blending black-and-white Doordarshan-era motifs with contemporary images inspired by SBI General’s Sound Symphony campaign.

When the National Anthem Becomes a Ringtone: The Troubling Arc of SBI General’s Sound Symphony

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In the August of 2025, SBI General Insurance—a subsidiary of State Bank of India, the nation’s largest public sector undertaking—commissioned Sneha Khanwalkar to reimagine the national anthem through India’s sonic journey. The result echoes the earnest patriotism of Doordarshan’s golden era, but strips away the sincerity that made classics like Mile Sur Mera Tumhara cultural touchstones. What makes this appropriation particularly troubling is SBI’s status as a government-owned institution with 500 million customers and 57.51% public ownership. When such an entity enlists the anthem for subsidiary insurance marketing, it transforms from corporate overreach into institutional cultural colonisation—commodifying not just heritage, but citizenship itself.

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Canva India Dil Se Design Tak campaign montage featuring Dalip Tahil as grandfather magician with family members across multiple advertisement scenes showcasing AI design tools and emotional storytelling

The Canva Campaign Canvas: A Critical Deconstruction of ‘Dil Se Design Tak’

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Canva’s ambitious ‘Dil Se Design Tak’ campaign positions itself as emotional storytelling meets technical prowess, yet beneath the polished surface lies a case study in creative conservatism. Through veteran actor Dalip Tahil’s portrayal of a grandfather whose magic tricks pale beside his granddaughter’s digital creativity, the campaign cleverly subverts expectations whilst remaining disappointingly safe.

This comprehensive analysis examines not just the flagship ‘Jaadu Dadu’ narrative, but the complete campaign ecosystem—from AI tool demonstrations to workplace dynamics—revealing how even sophisticated brand communication can prioritise execution over experimentation. For a platform dedicated to democratising creativity, the work paradoxically avoids the creative risks it ostensibly champions.

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MG Motor EV Sahi Hai campaign testimonial collage featuring nine real customers sharing authentic electric vehicle experiences in their home and office environments

MG Motor’s “EV Sahi Hai” Campaign: A Strategic Deconstruction

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MG Motor’s “EV Sahi Hai” campaign represents a masterclass in testimonial-driven marketing, systematically addressing India’s electric vehicle adoption barriers through authentic customer voices. Launched in August 2025, this strategic initiative employs real customer testimonials to tackle specific concerns: range anxiety, charging infrastructure, and running costs.

The campaign’s greatest strength lies in its authenticity—featuring unscripted testimonials with natural speech patterns and regional accents that resonate with Indian consumers. From Sai Datta Vamshi’s interstate journey to Dr. Jitesh Sahgal’s ₹10 lakh savings claim, each testimonial provides concrete evidence against EV scepticism.

However, the campaign exhibits notable vulnerabilities. Its predominantly urban demographic may inadvertently reinforce perceptions that EVs suit only metropolitan consumers. Most critically, it fails to address service infrastructure concerns—a significant adoption barrier identified in multiple studies.

The campaign succeeds in reducing consumer scepticism through strategic authenticity, but whether it translates into sustained market leadership depends on MG Motor’s ability to maintain testimonial quality whilst scaling consumer education across India’s diverse automotive landscape.

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Collage of family and sibling moments from Tanishq’s Raksha Bandhan ad campaign, with jewellery, rakhis, and household rituals.

How a Raksha Bandhan Campaign Quietly Redefined Gender Roles in Indian Advertising

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In Tanishq’s “Brothers, Written by Sisters” Raksha Bandhan campaign, everyday moments—like sharing household chores, updating a family nameplate, and challenging gender roles—become acts of gentle rebellion. The campaign weaves these lived realities into a reimagining of classic rituals, offering a nuanced vision of equality and siblinghood for modern India.

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Kenstar No Phone Hour Independence Day campaign creative featuring hand gesture replacing phone with text 'This Independence Day, I pledge one hour of real freedom

The Great Disconnect: How Kenstar Turned Independence Day Into a Masterclass in Marketing Paradox

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Yesterday or the day before, as Kenstar unveiled its “No Phone Hour” campaign for Independence Day, the irony wasn’t lost on anyone—least of all the home appliances brand that had just executed one of the year’s most fascinating exercises in cognitive dissonance. The brand asks Indians to pledge digital abstinence through digital means, to celebrate freedom by logging off, to reconnect by first connecting to their website. Welcome to the authenticity paradox of contemporary marketing, where the medium inevitably devours the message, and yet somehow, the entire enterprise works brilliantly.

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Three friends holding a #FF sign and phone, Bingo Forgotten Friends campaign message about chance at redemption

More Than Snacks: Bingo!’s “Forgotten Friends” and the Unspoken Rules of Modern Friendship

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When romance takes centre-stage and old friendships slip into the background, who’s left holding the tissues and the witty comebacks? Bingo!’s “Forgotten Friends” campaign hilariously spotlights that universal moment every best mate dreads: being ditched for a new “bae.” Through memes, Reels, and relatable redemption arcs, this campaign transforms friendship FOMO into a digital ritual, proving that in modern marketing, a little emotional honesty (and plenty of snacks) go a long way.

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Conceptual image showing a human hand and a robotic hand holding a glowing light bulb symbolizing ideas and innovation, surrounded by digital marketing icons and video play buttons in a futuristic style

The AI Creative Revolution: When Algorithms Meet Marketing Reality

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Google’s latest AI case studies promise a creative revolution in digital marketing, with brands like Zepto, Ajio, and Zee5 reporting dramatic efficiency gains. But beneath the surface, technical limitations, authenticity challenges, and creative industry disruption reveal a more complicated—and more human—story about the intersection of algorithms and imagination.

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