Voices Pushpesh Pant Devdutt Pattanaik Sheila Kumar Neha Sinha Shampa Dhar-Kamath Swami Sukhabodhananda THE new sunday express MAGAZINE Buffet People Wellness Books Food Art & Culture Entertainment april 20 2025 SUNDAY PAGES 12 By Anjana Vaswani T he world’s oldest advertisement dates back to the 1st century AD. Discovered in the Greek ruins of Ephesus in Turkey is a carved left foot on a , marble slab accompanied by the drawing of a woman’s head wearing a crown and a coin-filled purse. It was the advertisement for a brothel on the left side of the town. Ads have always been a part of life. They have evolved with us, from stories and narratives woven in, to Insta ads where AI creates adverts a dime a dozen, literally Earlier this year, . travel vlogger Shafeek Hashim offered to turn his bald head into a billboard. Hashim’s terms were simple: `50,000 for three months, where the vlogger would display a hair transplant company’s advertisement—temporarily tattooed—on his head while recording YouTube content during the period. The 36-year-old from Karoor, in Alappuzha district in Kerala signed with La Densitae, a Kochi-based company for the advertisement. “I expect better offers in the future,” he claimed in a video on his YouTube channel ‘70mm vlogs’ with more than 28,000 subscribers. In the neighbouring Karnataka, a 10-minute food delivery service in Bengaluru hired three men to act as ‘walking advertisments’. And no, we aren’t talking about distributing promotional pamphlets. The men acted as human billboards. In Noida, Uttar Pradesh, builders and developers too hit on this idea with youngsters walking down the busy streets with lit LED advertisements strapped on to them. When the posts went viral with their pictures, some netizens called it “extremely dehumanising”, while others thought it was a creative way to attract consumers. The ad world has shifted—from cinematic storytelling and trust-driven collaboration to fragmented media and celebrityfirst campaigns. While the old magic of advertising may seem like a thing of the distant past, industry leaders believe bold ideas and fresh thinking can still create stories that resonate deeply Prahlad Kakar, the . legendary ad filmmaker, says, “The brand trusted us to make decisions on the spot. That level of trust and collaboration was key to creating magic on set. Sadly such autonomy is rare , today he reflects. Kakar, who ,” founded Genesis Film Productions in 1977, carved a niche in advertising with his irreverent humour and culturally resonant campaigns. With iconic ads like Pepsi’s “Yehi Hai Right Choice Baby” and Gold Spot’s “The Zing Thing” among his many successes, his influence extends beyond advertising today He also . established the Prahlad Kakar School of Branding and Entrepreneurship (PKSBE) in 2016 to mentor the next generation of creative talent. Ramakrishna (Ramki) Desiraju, Founder and Creative Director of Cartwheel Creative Consultancy and Kakar’s peer, , recalls a high-stakes campaign in Cape Town. When unforeseen logistical issues forced a lastminute change in both location and storyline, the client’s reply was succinct and empowering: “You’re the man on the spot; take the call.” Ramki credits this trust for enabling some of the most memorable campaigns of that time. “Clients trusted agencies to understand the audience and make decisions independently ,” he says. This trust gave birth to iconic campaigns, from Ramki’s star-studded Lux commercials to De Beers’ diamond narratives of love and aspiration. Sumira Roy sees this reflected in how campaigns themselves come together. “Traditional The Great New AdVentures Jingles are gone, campaigns are forgettable, and the magic feels lost. As advertising evolves from cinematic storytelling to campaigns shaped by technology and celebrity culture, one wonders whether it risks becoming just another form of digital noise, or will it find fresh ways to move hearts and minds campaigns were born from teams working in close proximity , sparking off each other’s ideas,” says the former EVP of JWT and Ogilvy now co-founder of PS , Advertising. She pauses, considering the present reality “Now? We’re . always just one click away from a reference or an AI-generated concept. In this copy-paste world, with deadlines measured in hours rather than days, it’s easier to borrow than create.” From Cinema to Social Media The shift extends beyond just process to fundamental strategy . Shivendra (Shivy) Dungarpur, the award-winning filmmaker and archivist, who has directed and produced over a thousand advertising films under his production house, Dungarpur Films, says, “We were given the space to bring our vision to life, to push boundaries, and to tell stories that mattered to viewers.” Reflecting on what some might now look back at as the golden age of advertising, Dungarpur describes how the industry embraced cinematic storytelling. “Back then, we weren’t just selling products; we were crafting narratives. The product blended into the story It wasn’t the . protagonist of the story but part of , a larger world,” he says, pointing out that each campaign had its own soul. P iyush Pandey one of India’s , most iconic advertising figures, encapsulates his approach succinctly: “Advertising should make you laugh, cry think, and, most , importantly connect,” he once said. , As Ogilvy India’s Executive Chairman since 2004 and Global Chief Creative Officer for over two years, Pandey has championed campaigns that exemplify the timeless power of storytelling. For instance, Pandey’s Asian Paints “Har ghar kuchh kehta hai” campaign poignantly illustrated how family memories transform a house into a home. For Kinetic Group’s mopeds, “Chal meri Luna” cleverly adapted the phrase “Chal mere ghode,” making the moped aspirational and relatable for the middle class. Fevicol’s “Dum laga ke haisha” used humour and local idioms in a tug-of-war between an elephant and men to highlight the brand’s strength. These culturally rooted campaigns bridged urban and rural divides with messages that resonated with all audiences. “Humour works best because it disarms you and makes the message stick,” Pandey believes. Dungarpur knows this all too well. He recounts a memorable early experience when he worked on an ad for Vim, the dishwashing soap bar. “Ramki gave me 10 minutes to present my creative vision,” Dungarpur says, “The creative heads—whether it was Ramki, Sumira, or others—trusted the filmmaker’s vision. The product was part of the story not the , focus,” he notes. It was about crafting human stories that resonated with the audience. Sachin Jain, Regional CEO India, World Gold Council, says, “Advertising’s golden age of cinematic storytelling feels lost in today's digital deluge, fragmented by countless ads and often reliant on fleeting celebrity endorsements. However, this disruption also presents opportunities.” He believes technology enables personalised and deeply engaging experiences, moving beyond one-size-fits-all campaigns. “The challenge lies in moving beyond superficial trends and crafting bold narratives that leave a lasting impression in a saturated digital world,” he says. In the case of Vim, Dungarpur’s approach produced a black-andwhite gem, brimming with humour and relatability The story unfolds . in the intimate setting of a Turn to page 2 “Advertising should make you laugh, cry, think, and, most importantly, connect. Humour works best because it disarms you and makes the message stick.” Piyush Pandey, Ogilvy India’s Executive Chairman since 2004 and Global Chief Creative Officer for over two years. Maker of ads such as Asian Paints, Kinetic mopeds, Fevicol “The brand trusted us to make decisions on the spot. That level of trust and collaboration was key to creating magic on set. Sadly, such autonomy is rare today.” Prahlad Kakar, founder, Genesis Film Productions. He directed the Pepsi ad featuring Shah Rukh Khan and Sachin Tendulkar “The leaders of the past placed their faith in advertising, championing iconic campaigns and jingles that built enduring brands. In contrast, a sales-oriented approach prioritises immediate results—it’s about getting things done quickly.” Rahul daCunha, Director at daCunha Communications. He is the creative force behind Bajaj and Amul’s iconic campaigns