David Ogilvy in his book famously wrote that he does not regard advertising as entertainment or an art form but as a medium of information. Often “Ad-Men” in pursuit of creatively presenting a product or campaign, end up making confusing and convoluted advertisements that sometimes look great, but fail to fulfill its purpose. However, there are some campaigns that do more than sell products. They inspire minds to initiate change. Meet Graham Peculiar piece of art Australian Safety Commission took an exceptionally creative route to campaign for road safety, leading them to two Cannes Lions Grand Prix awards . Instead of the usual “don't drink and drive” and “drive safe stay safe”, they presented a grotesque-looking, biologically enhanced man named “Graham” who could survive road accidents. The result is a hard-to-ignore brilliantly breathtaking piece of art. Dumb Ways To Die Smart, cute and creative McCann created this campaign for Melbourne Metro to spread awareness about safety around trains. Penned by John Mescall , composed by Ollie McGill from The Cat Empire, and performed by Emily Lubitz , this song became a phenomenon that is shared on social media even after a decade. The catchy chorus, funny lyrics, and memorable music were perhaps the most bizarre yet most effective choice to advertise safety around trains. Fearless Girl Simple yet effective The State Street Global Advisors to promote its index fund which invests in gender-diverse companies that have a higher percentage of women in their leadership positions hired McCann for the campaign. They came up with this simple yet effective idea to put a bronze statue of a young girl in front of the Wall Street building. The brilliance of this campaign was the positioning of the state, that stood right in front of the iconic “Charging Bull”. This strategic positioning of the state which seemed like it was challenging the traditional structure of the corporate world won four Grand Prix at the Cannes Festival. Like A Girl Do it like a girl Targeting the negative connotation attached to the female ways of doing things, particularly running, the ALWAYS campaign called “Like A Girl” is an impactful social commentary. The three-minute video challenges the viewers to move beyond stereotypes and redefine what it means to do things “like a girl”. Dove Sketches Impactful social commentary Women are often criticised for their appearances and their true beauty is not recognised. Keeping this in mind Dove created a self-esteem-boosting campaign. They hired FBI sketch artists to draw the woman based on her own description and a stranger’s description. As a result, the sketch based on the description by the stranger was more beautiful than the woman’s own description of herself. Hence, allowing the women to see their beauty through a stranger’s eye and encouraging them to be less critical of their appearances. Women are more beautiful than they think and this ad campaign evidently proved it. A Diamond is Forever Creating a ritual Debeers company in 1947, completely changed the diamond industry with its revolutionary tagline — “A diamond is forever”. Debeers continued to build on this theme for all its subsequent campaigns. Their recent campaign “I Do”. How does a man express his love to a woman? This might be a complicated question. But DeBeers company came up with a simple solution. Buy a diamond ring because diamonds are forever. The cultural impact of these ad campaigns cannot be quantified. It can only be understood. Proposing with a diamond ring became a ritual all around the world. “FCK” — KFC FCKing clever In February 2018, KFC was facing a chicken crisis in the United Kingdom. The UK operations were almost near collapse and the customers were moving away from the “finger lickin’ good” brand. What was supposed to be a marketing nightmare, became an advertising masterstroke with the “FCK campaign” by the creative agency Mother. KFC issued an apology poster showing an empty bucket of KFC with the words arranged as FCK. The capital loss of KFC was triumphed by the profit that the brand got with this genius campaign. Coleman Sweeney Bizzare but compelling In this two-minute commercial, the story of the world’s biggest asshole ends up encouraging people to donate organs. The asshole named Coleman Sweeny is rude and disgusting but somehow ends up becoming a hero for many individuals and families and leaves a lasting effect on the viewers. This brilliant ad breaks conventional boundaries of how an ad for charity can be made. And this peculiar thought and execution is what makes it so effective. Coleman Sweeny, the biggest asshole in the world deserves a chance to be viewed. The Man Your Man Can Smell Like — Old Spice Indirectly direct The Wieden+Kennedy ad agency claims that they turned an insight about body wash into a cultural sensation, and they aren’t wrong. This campaign for Old Spice is weird, funny, and inventive. Woven around a physically well-built character who directly addresses ladies about the potential their men have to smell like and probably look like, this ad became a sensation and repositioned the brand as a cool and modern brand that appeals to both men and women. Creativity Goes On — Apple Creativity in crisis Ad agency TBWA created this campaign for Apple during the first wave of COVID-19 when most of the world was stuck inside their house during lockdown. In “Creativity Goes On” we see a variety of Apple users showing their skills despite the obstacles, creating something out of nothing and capturing precious moments. Creativity goes on, and so does humanity. Honorable Mentions Go Pro AwardsHeineken — ‘Worlds Apart’ CampaignSnickers: “You’re not you when you’re hungry.”Coca-Cola: “Share a Coke” CampaignPepsi: The “Is Pepsi OK?” CampaignWassup — Budweiser Advertisement isn’t just about selling products. It's about selling ideas and letting the audience make it their own. It is an art form that is often underestimated and overlooked. However, one quick look at these campaigns and a quiet introspection shows us that we are also products of numerous advertisements that we have seen, read, and subconsciously devoured. The world as we see it is a product of great advertisements. Some products, some people, and some ideas that were cleverly advertised changed the world.

“Great content is the best sales tool in the world” — Marcus Sheridan AMUL Manthan Amul is an acronym of the Indian cooperative society named Gujarat Milk Marketing Federation. Founded by Tribhuvandas Kishibhai Patel and later managed by Verghese Kurien . AMUL spurred India’s White Revolution which made India the largest producer of milk in the world. This incredible journey of the founders of AMUL was adapted into a film by Shyam Benegal called Manthan . This classic ad for AMUL called Manthan captures the spirit of this amazing journey that changed the lives of thousands of families in Gujrat. Happydent White Brilliantly bizzare This peculiar piece of creativity gripped viewers for its brilliant execution of a bizarre idea. Helmed by McCann India under Prasoon Joshi and Directed by filmmaker Ram Madhwani , the idea of humans working as light bulbs won accolades all over the globe. This commercial was listed by Bob Garfield of AdvertisingAge as one of his personal choices for the Cannes Gold in 2007, and it was chosen by a Gunn Report poll as one of the 20 best ads of the 21st century The use of professional mallakhamba gymnasts as human lightbulbs made this ad feel weirdly authentic as their flexibility can’t be achieved by normal actors. According to Prasoon Joshi, Trevor Beattie, one of the famous international admen from a competing agency wore a T-shirt with the lines “Happydent for Grand Prix” EA What an idea This ad starring Abhishek Bachchan and conjured by filmmaker R. Balki gives a simple explanation for India’s growing population. “From TV to Biwi” that translate into English as “From TV to wife” Whenever there is powercuts, and TV is off, husbands turn to their wives for good time and end up creating little humans. After putting forward this problem, the ad also provides a simple solution. Use IDEA 3G and go “from biwi to 3G” . l Matic Share the load This ad addresses the stereotypical division of labour with a simple question: Why is Laundry only a mother’s job? The idea is not something unique that other ads have not addressed. But, the “share the load” campaign conceptualised by BBDO Media utilise the experienced voice of an old man in the form of a monologue, who is realising his mistakes as a husband after seeing his daughter working in her husband’s place. He is not angry at his son-in-law for not helping, rather he sees himself in him, and his wife in the daughter. The monologue of this ad is a great message for the youth to “share the load” and not be a burden on women around them. Radio Mirchi Rudali Rudalis are the “professional mourners” , a professional native to Indian state of Rajasthan. The Rudalis were groups of women, mostly consisting of widows, whose job was to literally bawl at a strangers funeral. Ideated by McCann Worldgroup this ad tells the story of a group of Rudalis in which the younger ones find it hard to cry to the exasperation of the older rudaali. The elder tries different methods to teach the younger ones to cry professionally. Throughout its runtime this ad tickles the viewers, while they are amazed at the existence of such a profession. ative without strategy is called ‘art.’ Creative with strategy is called ‘advertising.” — Jef I. Richards Cadbury Cultural impact Cadbury is known for its creative ads and marketing campaigns. The volume of their impactful ads is vast. However, I have picked their “raksha bandhan campaign” as the best campaign for India. The reason for picking these series of ads is their cultural impact on Rakhi festival . This is one of the most important festival of India that is also quite unique as it is a celebration of the bond between brother and sister. Oligvy India touched the emotional core of Indians with their beautiful portrayal of sibling relations. In fact, gifting a Cadbury Celebrations became a common practice during the Rakhi festival after these ads. Surf Excel Daag Acche hain Lowe Lintas advertising agency under the supervision filmmaker R. Balki created this campaign called “daag achhe hain” for India. Surf already had a global campaign called “dirt is good” but in this Indian imagination they touched the emotional pulp of viewers which was different than what its rival brands were doing. The other giants in the market like Nirma, Tide, and Ghadi all had brilliant ad campaigns but somehow Surf’s “daag cache hain” managed to surpass them and got engraved in people’s memories. The key to their success was bringing a unique perspective to dirt and telling weaving heartfelt stories around it as ads. Samrat Atta Mit sakti hai ye duriyan In northern India, there is a concept of Sanjha Chulha which means community cooking. Grey Group India conceptualised this ad on this concept of food as a uniting factor. This ad beautifully shows that the difference of language, education, wealth can be bridged with a simple act of sharing food. This ad hits product promotion bullseye by cleverly turning a basic need into a uniting act. CRED Rahul Dravid has anger issues The wacky advertisements by cred stands out for its brilliant use of celebrities. Created by the group of funny writers including the likes of Tanmay Bhatt with the ad agency called Youngun for CRED, a fintech company. The series of ads featured someof the beloved Indian celebrities acting opposite to their public persona. But, the best gig that stuck with audience was the “one where Rahul Dravid had anger issues” . CRED ads has very much redefined advertising world by bringing back outrageous comedy in commercials. Dainik Bhaskar Zid karo duniya badlo Social issues are an adman’s favourite tool and has been used since the beginning of advertising. Dainik Bhaskar’s “zid karo duniya badlo” ad campaign is no different. On the surface it is a simple reel conveying the message of gender equality is education. Yet, its more effective than the most for its use of strong imagery. Adults fighting against injustice is common but children fighting against injustice is what moves the viewers. Tbest ideas come as jokes. Make your thinking as funny as possible.” — David Ogilvy Google Search — Reunion of two old friends Bridging boundaries Perhaps one of the most emotional advertisement video ever made. Ogilvy and Mather explores the tragedy of Indian partition through two friends who by the tragedy of fate gets divided for decades. Their longing for the lost time, when their little selves lived in united India with love and laughter is heart-breaking. However, their grand children manages to plan their reunion with the help of Google. And the emotional moment when these two friends meet could melt a stone. This ad is a masterpiece of emotional creativity. Ambuja Cement Ye deewar tut ti kyun nhi hai The line “Bhaiya ye deewar tootati kyon nahin?!!” has become a part of popular culture. Not only this line, but the whole ad starring a hilarious Boman Irani as two estranged brothers- SR Thakur and KR Thakur is embedded in people’s memories. Separated by a giant wall, desperately wish to get back together leaving all the grudges behind. They try every tactic possible to break the wall. From using hammers and other tools to bombing it down — the wall stands still strong. The setup and melodrama portrayed in the one minute film is no less than a Bollywood movie. It is a comedy gold standard. Mentos Evolution Dimag ki batti jala de The O&M creative agency under ECD Abhijit Avasthi and Creative Director Jignesh Maniar went the Pixar way and made a brilliant animated ad for Perfetti Van Melle’s Mentos candy. The retelling of Darwin’s theory of evolution imagines a human as the slave of a donkey and how he becomes the master with the help of mentos. Not only is this setup hilarious but also manages to tell an underdog story. ICICI Prudential Life Banday acche hain Creating customer trust in the finance market is a difficult job. People love their hard earned money and won’t give it away to any corporation, no matter how old and relevant it is. ICICI’s “bandey acche hain” campaign smartly recognised that people primarily love money because it protects their families and loved ones. This particular ad celebrates men not just as resilient breadwinners but also as sensitive care givers. Fogg Fogg chal rha hai Throughout this article, I mentioned many ads that became part of the culture through its smart visuals and catchy one liners. Vini Cosmetic with the aid of the ad agency The Womb decided to take on one of the most difficult questions in the history of communication, “ kya chal rha hai?” and provided a simple answer “Fogg chal rha hai”. “Fogg chal hai” became a new favourite line of Hindi speakers and could be heard everywhere during this campaign. Even the mention of this would create nostalgia for people who grew up with this ad. Honorable Mentions Liril Girl Boost Nirma Everest Fevi kwik Center Fresh Bajaj These ads prove that advertisements are not just a field of suited businessmen and are not just about selling products. It’s also a stage for shabbily dressed and perennially confused artists. Taking two opposite thoughts and juxtaposing them into an eccentric short video, that becomes part of shared human existence is the most peculiar and amazing thing about advertisements. No wonder some of the most ambitious and creative people have been associated with advertisements. I know this was a longgg article. I hope that you enjoyed these brilliant ads and little bit of my writing. Thank you for staying with me and reaching this far.

Goa is the priority for Indian youth who seek to escape from adulting for a few days. The green and hilly state on the Malabar coast provides its guest with enough options to have eventful days and entertaining nights. However, there are a few impediments that can disrupt the vacation, which I am going to share with this article. Further, there are some general information that the tourists should be aware of, for an obstacle-free relaxing time on the beach. 1. Goa is bigger than you think. Goa has over 35 beaches for tourists. Each one of them has its essence. Baga and Calangute are party beaches busy with adventure sports enthusiasts during day time and party animals at night. Some beaches like Morjim are filled with foreigners and are less crowded . Palolem and Miramar are unique in their own right. Apart from the beaches, there are Churches, Caves, Museums, forts, etc. If you plan to cover the maximum parts of Goa, then have at least a week on hand. Otherwise, there would be just chaos and no relaxation. 2. Beware of damaged Scooty. Scooties are the preferred choice of wheels for travelers for being cheap, comfortable, and exciting at the same time. Also, for a scenic place like Goa, it is indeed the perfect vehicle. But, in Goa, most of the Scooties that are provided are either damaged or without paperwork. You can be stopped by the police anytime and would have to bribe them to avoid problems. There is a well-developed nexus of Police-Travel agencies working together to rip you off. So beware! Rent vehicles only from a trusted agency after thorough checks and with proper paper work. Even if it costs you more. Note : Do not go to central Goa riding without helmet or without proper paper work. 3. Travelling in Goa is unusually tiring. Goa is a hilly area and so the roads are of differing elevations with sharp bends and steep slopes. Travelling ten kilometers in Goa is like travelling fifty kilometers in Delhi. So do not make an itinerary that requires you to travel extensively in a single day. Stay in hotels that are closer to the places you want to cover for two days and then check in to another hotel in another area. 4. Don’t buy drinks in restaurants or bar. Goa trip is expensive. Hotels are expensive, and so are food and travelling. The only area that can be a money saver is drinking. Liquor is cheap in goa, and it is available almost everywhere. Do not waste money by buying beer on the beach or in a bar. Go out and look for a wine shop. You’ll probably find it in two minutes and save at least 60% of your money. Caution: Do not drink and drive. 5. Adventure sports aren’t that adventurous. Adventure sports in Goa are a big attraction, but one can easily get scammed. The sports include parasailing, jet skiing, speed boating, etc. The agency would offer 3 or 4 sports, giving excuses that the other sports are not allowed, tides are high, etc. But do not fall into their trap. Make sure to negotiate and take the package that includes the maximum number of sports. Also, negotiate the price vehemently, as each sport would only last thirty seconds. Keep these things in mind. Your trip to Goa shall sail smoothly. Enjoy the culture, landscape, party, and beaches. Have fun!