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Wednesday, August 27, 2025
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Vigyapanti

Manforce AIDS campaign is confused about what to market—awareness or social responsibility

In 2020, Manforce campaign asked Indians to use condoms without thinking about the brand, a clever way to build goodwill. This time it has fallen short.

New LIC ads are making the insurance agent jobs look cool. Not focusing on fear alone

The company has taken a humorous approach to selling what is possibly the most boring product that can land into a salesperson’s lap.

Internet is finding the BigBasket kid ‘irritating’ but the fault lies somewhere else

Kids have long been featured in commercials for products they have nothing to do with, so BigBasket can’t be blamed for choosing a kid as a protagonist.

With Akshay Kumar making chhole, Catch masala ad on track to make kitchen more masculine, equal

The best thing about the Catch masala ad, which also stars Bhumi Pednekar, is that it makes no ‘statement’. It just normalises a man in a kitchen.

Aamir Khan’s AU Bank ad shouldn’t hurt Hindu sentiments. But it should offend advertisers

In the ad, Aamir Khan plays a husband who chooses to stay at his wife's house. It led to online outrage, hate, trends.

After Zomato, Blinkit’s having ‘apna time aayega’ moment—with Bollywood songs ad campaign

Brands like Cornitos Nacho Chips, MTR, and Lays must’ve been very happy with the campaign since they get free billboard time, thanks to Blinkit.

Akshay Kumar’s PSAs usually hit the spot. But ad on car airbags unwittingly promotes dowry

Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways’s latest ad on cars needing six airbags is timely after Cyrus Mistry’s death. But someone should’ve checked the script.

Bolne Se Sab Hoga, the Google campaign that’s cool yet warm

Google says voice search is currently driving growth — 60% smartphone users interact with their phone using the feature.

Vicco Vajradanti ad starring Alia Bhatt is a cringe follow-up to an era-defining jingle

Vicco Vajradanti’s jingle has been running since the ’80s. Now, in a bid to reach a younger audience, the brand has brought in Bhatt.

Mainland China should see just how much the world’s changed. Their ads are 12 years behind

The desire to kiss the chef for a stupendous meal is a good creative device but the ad is in poor taste and does not keep up with the times at all.

On Camera

A vicious pest is teaching Americans a lesson on why global cooperation matters

The screwworm has breached the biological wall established in Panama over decades. The pest is relentlessly marching northwards—helped by Trump’s flailing foreign policy.

New insolvency frameworks to shorter timelines, how 2025 amendment bill proposes to transform IBC

New bill aims to fix key issues with IBC 2016, including delays & patchy implementation, and protect creditors, with window for genuine promoters to retain control of their companies.

CDS on differences on theaterisation—views welcome, final call to be in nation’s best interests

The Navy has always been on board with the theaterisation plan, but the Air Force feels splitting up air assets into several theatre commands is futile & will tie up critical systems.

That Oval Office picture for ages deserves closer Indian reading, with a geopolitical lens

Putin sees this as a victory. Europeans have decided to deal with Trump on his terms for the sake of the larger Western alliance. We look at the lessons for us in India.