e-commerce
Brave new ads win hearts while playing it safe fades into the feed
MUMBAI: If your campaign doesn’t make you squirm a little, you’re probably doing it wrong. That was the bold takeaway from Paris-based creative powerhouse Marcel CCO & CEO Youri Guerassimov who took the Goa Fest 2025 stage with a keynote titled Creativity That Dares to Disrupt.
In an age where consumers are bombarded with over 6,000 ads a day, Guerassimov made a case for courage over comfort. “Visibility is not enough,” he said. “To stand out, you have to stand for something.”
And the numbers agree. According to Edelman, 86 per cent of consumers expect brands to take a stand on social or environmental issues. Two-thirds (66 per cent) are even willing to switch loyalties if a brand stays silent on values that matter. In short: if you’re not bold, you’re forgettable.
Guerassimov pointed to iconic examples of brand bravery from Nike’s controversial Colin Kaepernick campaign to Volvo’s decision to open-source their safety innovations. Whether it’s risking backlash or sharing competitive advantage, these brands chose purpose over polish and won loyalty in the process.
But bravery, he clarified, isn’t just activism. “It can be design-led, strategic, or operational.” Take McDonald’s minimal outdoor ad that simply showed its fries arches pointing to the nearest outlet. Or Marcel’s own work with Intermarché, turning ugly produce into a national movement with the “Inglorious Fruits and Vegetables” campaign.
Some acts of courage are barely visible like adding a few meaningful words to a supplier contract. But when done with conviction, even the smallest gestures echo the brand’s beliefs. “True bravery can show up in backrooms and boardrooms,” he said.
He also highlighted Patagonia’s radical profit pledge, where the brand’s CEO donated all company profits to fight climate change, as the ultimate example of purpose-driven marketing that became part of global culture.
According to Guerassimov, bravery is not about budget or bravado, it’s about belief. It’s a tool to cut through the noise, create culture, and connect with consumers on a level that spreadsheets can’t quantify.
As he put it with disarming simplicity, “Fear is temporary. Regret is forever.”
So the next time a campaign idea gives you a nervous twitch, take it as a sign you might be on the right track.
e-commerce
Instamart and Duolingo launch street spell check campaign for Instaprint
Duo the owl fixes signboard typos across cities to showcase instant printing.
MUMBAI: If spelling mistakes had a sworn enemy, it might just be a bright green owl with a printer. Instamart has teamed up with language learning platform Duolingo for a quirky nationwide campaign that turns everyday spelling errors into a public spectacle while promoting its instant printing service, InstaPrint. The playful activation takes aim at the many misspelled shop boards and public signs scattered across Indian streets. From “saloons” that promise haircuts rather than drinks to menus and posters peppered with punctuation mishaps, the campaign sends Duolingo’s mascot Duo on a mission to restore linguistic order.
Armed with Instamart’s instant printing feature, Duo prints corrected versions of the mistakes on the spot and pastes them over the originals. The result is a series of humorous street interventions that have quickly begun circulating on social media.
Photos and videos of the grammar correcting owl have been widely shared online, with amused users reacting to the unexpected spell check patrol. One user joked, “Ab ayega na maza bhidu,” capturing the internet’s delight at the unusual campaign.
Behind the humour lies a practical message. The activation is designed to showcase the capabilities of Instaprint, Instamart’s printing service that allows users to print documents and posters almost instantly.
The company says the feature is meant for everyday needs such as printing resumes, visa documents or last minute posters without the usual scramble to locate a print shop.
Instamart introduced Instaprint in 2025 across select metropolitan cities including Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi. The service allows users to order printed materials directly through the platform, extending the quick commerce model beyond groceries and household essentials.
By combining Duolingo’s famously persistent owl with India’s street level spelling quirks, the campaign taps into the internet’s long running fascination with grammar mistakes while demonstrating a real world use case for instant printing.
After all, in a world full of typos, sometimes what you really need is a quick printer and a very determined language teacher.
