What makes ads memorable? One research to answer this question found that funny ads have the highest recall factor. Followed by the content value or information mentioned in the ad, and the third reason was the presence of an interesting character. Sometimes if the ad quality is low or the ad portrays as low-budget, the audience is likely to remember the ad for the wrong reasons too.
Today, we will cover a few memorable Indian ads published in the last twenty years. Since the list is long, we will present these ads in two parts.
Part 1 – Memorable Indian Ads from the Last Two Decades
Surf Excel’s ‘Daag Ache Hain’
The commercial was created by Lowe Lintas in 2005. Two young siblings with the boy splashing in the dirt for his sister are cuteness overloaded. The innocence of the kids made this ad endearing. It's sure to make you smile even today!
Bournvita’s ‘Tayari Jeet Ki’
Released in 2011, the brand has created a niche with this series of ad campaigns. Moving away from highlighting nutrients and composition, Bournvita addressed the elephant in the room – the fitness of kids, an obvious stress point for parents. The tagline today is synonymous with the brand!
Cadbury’s ‘Kuch Khaas Hai’
Kids from 90s will remember this relatable ad released in 1994. The ‘Asli Swad Zindagi Ka,’ made its way into the audience’s heart because it used the most popular sports, cricket, as the backdrop of the ad. The bite of the Dairy Milk chocolate and the uninhabited jiggle in the field of the female character was apt for those days when male cricketers had huge women fan following.
Pepsi’s ‘Dil Maange More’
This ad was released in 1998 featuring newbie Shahid Kapoor and the star cast from the very popular movie, ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.’ The clever use of celebrities like Shahrukh Khan, Rani Mukherjee, and Kajol made this ad indelible considering all the stars had incredible fan following back then.
Airtel’s ‘Jo mera hai wo tera hai, Jo tera hai wo mera’ campaign
The brand celebrated Friendship Day in 2012 with this ad that made every person remember the good old college days. Masti, fun, and a lot of sharing – have a look and you will reminisce those days too!
Lifebuoy ‘Help a Child Reach 5’
Lifebuoy’s 2012 ad was created to spread awareness about the rising deaths in kids below 5 years due to diarrhea. It was not limited to an ad campaign only. The brand went on-ground to start a physical campaign in Thesgora, a small hamlet in Madhya Pradesh. The village had the highest reported cases of deaths in kids due to diarrhea.
Hutch’s ‘You And I in this Beautiful World’ campaign
One of the most memorable ads in the Indian domain, is the cute glimpse of the bonding between the boy and his dog, following him everywhere he goes. The contextual representation of Hutch’s one-liner, ‘wherever you go, our network follows’ was done extremely well.
Vodafone’s ‘Every day I want to Fly’
Another addition to the nostalgia is Vodafone’s Customer Care ad ‘Happy to Help.’ The 30-second jingle ‘Every day I want to fly, stay by my side; Every day I want to dream, stay by my side. Every morning I wish I could just play, wish the morning would just stay’ takes you back down memory lane. Definitely, another remarkable ad dished out by the brand for its Indian audience.
Idea’s ‘Save the Tree’
Idea Cellular was futuristic in its ideas, must say. This ad released in 2010 spoke about reducing the use of paper to save trees. It also spoke about shifting to the digital medium to reduce the usage of paper. And, in less than a decade, Idea’s idea turned into a reality. The visionary concept makes this ad truly memorable.
Google Search’s Reunion Ad
This one is sure to pull the heartstrings of one and all. Not only does it portray Google Search’s incredible potential but also brings to the forefront the ache associated with India’s partition. Created by Ogilvy & Mather India, the ad was released in 2013.
That's all in this part...
We will be back with the second part of the most memorable Indian Ads from the last two decades in some time. Till then, keep enjoying these iconic ads.