Advertisers had a whirlwind ride in 2024. The year kicked off with controversy when Bold Care teamed up with Ranveer Singh and Johnny Sins for an awareness campaign.
As the year progressed, brands surprised the audience with unexpected collaborations and bold creative moves, proving they weren’t afraid to push boundaries.
Here are some advertisements of 2024 worth revisiting:
1. IKEA
Released on World Pride Day, IKEA’s digital film The Closet let viewers experience life through the eyes of the queer community. The brand aimed to foster empathy for those hiding their true selves out of shame and fear of rejection.
Created by Leo Burnett India, the campaign carried a powerful message, “Closets are for clothes, not identities.”
The choice to place participants in actual closets symbolised the societal pressures faced by queer individuals. The film’s simplicity added to its impact, delivering a strong message without feeling preachy or heavy-handed.
The engagement may have been low, but in terms of creativity, this film wins our vote hands down.
Also read: YouTube India is using Komolika, Prerna & Ganji Chudail to target millennials & Gen Z
2. Flipkart
Flipkart’s front-page jacket ad in leading dailies might just take the crown for ‘most innovative’ of the year, turning a simple newspaper read into an interactive session.
A quick swipe with a wet tissue revealed hidden messages, cleverly showcasing Flipkart’s new 10-minute delivery service for groceries, electronics, and more.
Bold, outlandish, and just the right amount of fun, this was a risky move. The brand likely poured some serious resources into pulling this off in Mumbai, Bangalore, and New Delhi editions of top dailies. If not successful and viable, it was an applaudable attempt at changing things in traditional print ads.
Also read: Clinic Plus campaigns mix haircare with heart. Pregnant mother wishes for daughter in new ad
3. Jeevansathi.com
Jeevansathi.com took marketing creativity to a whole new level with a quirky campaign that mimics the famous audio announcements on the Violet line of the Delhi Metro. With wedding season in full swing, the brand decided to bring some humour and relatability to the daily metro ride.
In one viral clip, the announcement advised passengers to save their dance moves for the wedding baraat, not the metro. Another video poked fun at single men scrambling for seats, encouraging them to “secure a seat” at the mandap instead via the matrimonial app.
While metro ads aren’t new, Jeevansathi’s playful twist took them by surprise.
4. Cadbury 5 Star
Whether it was Coca-Cola’s festive Christmas Cheer or Zomato’s witty take on the Tata IPL 2024 season, AI became the buzzword for marketers. But only Cadbury 5 Star managed to turn the tables in a way that made it an instant favourite.
Rather than battling AI head-on, Cadbury 5 Star and Ogilvy India chose to disrupt its precision. The campaign introduced the “world’s first server farm”—its sole mission to make AI less efficient. These servers churned out thousands of fake web pages, confusing AI with meaningless data and leading to hilarious errors and corrections.
The ad, which garnered over 38 million views, ended with a man blissfully enjoying his chocolate bar while AI gets caught up in a loop of mistakes.
This campaign didn’t just mock AI’s over-reliance on data, it strengthened 5 Star’s reputation as a brand that thrives on irreverent humour and refreshing creativity.
Also read: Yes Madam’s ‘fake firing’ stunt is a lesson on how not to do shock marketing
5. YouTube India
From Bollywood film re-releases to TV show reunions, 2024 was the year of nostalgia. YouTube India took this sentiment and brought it to commercials, resurrecting childhood memories for millennials by bringing back TV actresses Urvashi Dholakia and Shweta Tiwari as Komolika and Prerna from Kasautii Zindagii Kay.
The campaign resonated deeply with millennials who grew up watching these characters, making it one of the best celebrity collaborations of the year. By tapping into nostalgia, YouTube could emotionally connect with its audience. On Instagram, the clip got over 33 million views.
Views are personal.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)