Brands
New 5Star campaign addresses the youth’s pressure of life’s purpose
MUMBAI: Chocolate brand 5Star is known for its smart and catchy TVCs but now it's singing a new tune. 'Eat 5Star, Do Nothing’ is a progression from ‘Get lost in 5Star’.
Ogilvy India, explaining the thought process behind the new ad campaign, said that the ‘always-on’ generation has been taught to ‘always do something’, either to get noticed, be successful or to keeping with their appearance.
Ogilvy India chief creative officer Sukesh Nayak, speaking exclusively to Indiantelevision.com said: “The execution of the creative idea is an exaggerated, comical way to suggest that not doing anything is not necessarily a bad thing, and that sometimes even good can come out of it.”
According to Nayak, “Young people today live in a world that is obsessed with being purposeful and the pressure of ‘purpose’ is getting to some of them.”
“Almost after being hit for 10 years, ‘Jo Khaaye, Kho Jaaye’ campaign with Ramesh & Suresh was starting to get predictable and the youth abhors predictability. Hence the decision to refresh the proposition was made to take the campaign to the next step,” said the chief creative officer.
As times have changed dramatically in the last 10 years, especially for our core target group — the Indian youth — the Ramesh & Suresh campaign, being our strong creative asset on the brand, was also making it a blind spot, he added.
The earlier campaign of the brand with Ramesh & Suresh was about the story of two brothers, who generally get lost in time, whenever they have a bite of Cadbury’s 5Star and forget everything they were doing at that moment. The campaign had received astounding response from the audience.
Further pointing out the discontinuation of Ramesh and Suresh campaign, Nayak said: “The ‘lost in the taste of 5star’ was so ingrained in the Ramesh Suresh execution the idea that any message using them would be seen as yet another ‘Lost in the taste’ ad. Hence we needed a creative and an execution idea that was very different from Ramesh & Suresh to land the change.”
The brand recently come up with an advertising campaign wherein a television commercial (TVC) starts with an aged woman, who is sitting on a roadside bench, asks a young boy, who is standing a little away from her and eating 5Star, to pick up her walking stick that's fallen on the road.
The young boy busy enjoying his 5Star bar, responds with 'Ji Maaji' but fails to not move from his position. To which, old lady gets up to pick the stick herself, and moves away from the bench. The moment she tries to pick up her stick a grand piano falls on the bench she was sitting on. The lady eventually thanks the boy for not doing anything.
Brands
Ather Energy doubles service network to 500 centres nationwide
EV maker scales support alongside growth to keep riders on the road
MUMBAI: Ather Energy is quietly building more than just scooters. It is building the backbone to keep them running.
The electric two-wheeler maker has expanded its service network to 500 authorised centres across India, nearly doubling its footprint in a year from 277. The move mirrors its growing retail presence and signals a clear focus on one often overlooked part of EV ownership, what happens after the purchase.
From the outset, Ather has prioritised service support in every city it enters, aiming to make ownership as smooth as the ride itself. Its Gold Service Centres bring in upgraded customer lounges, modern equipment and processes designed to make servicing more transparent and reliable.
Speed, too, is part of the pitch. Through its ExpressCare initiative, riders can get periodic maintenance done in about an hour, now available across 82 centres, turning what used to be a chore into a quick pit stop.
Ather Energy chief business officer Ravneet Singh Phokela said, “Crossing 500 service centres is an important milestone as we scale across the country. Reliable after-sales support is central to the ownership experience, and our focus remains on consistent service quality and accessibility.”
The expansion comes as demand grows for models like the Ather 450 and the Rizta, which have helped the company reach a broader set of riders across metros and emerging cities alike.
Alongside servicing, Ather continues to power up infrastructure through the Ather Grid, now one of the largest fast-charging networks for two-wheelers, with over 4,300 charging points.
With plans to scale further and deepen its presence, Ather’s approach is clear. Selling the scooter may start the journey, but keeping it running smoothly is what sustains it.
