MAM
Adidas gets women up and running
MUMBAI: Adidas has launched a digital campaign with its digital agency Isobar. Titled #ItsOnYou, the core objective is to expand the brand’s community of runners, especially targeting women non-runners. While most brands are striving to garner new audience through strong communication, which is driven by motivation and persuasion; Adidas came up with a digital film with a counterintuitive concept. Instead of giving reasons to women to run, the brand rode on the belief that no one can make someone run unless they want to.
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The goal of the film was to make women realise that no external motivation can drive them, nor can any excuse hold them back.
The campaign will be further propelled via a 360 degree initiative, digital and on-ground branding.
Adidas business unit head Sunil Gupta says, “The campaign echoes an urban dilemma of the clash between the excuse and the tiny voice within, that knows the hollowness of the excuse. Through the film, we set out to showcase some of the thoughts people might have at the moment of truth, that metaphorical wake-up call which may spur us into action or lull us into accepting another excuse. Through real people and their very real stories, we hope the message reaches women across strata, geographies and professions that their run, their energy is in their own hands. The team at Isobar captured this thought beautifully,” he adds.
Isobar India national creative director Anish Varghese mentions, “In today’s busy lifestyle, it’s getting easier for people to find excuses whether it’s to run or not to run. This is an attempt to make people realise that no matter what excuse you choose, nothing in the world can make you run. There will be many things which will pull you back, but in the end, the onus is on you to get up and go for that run.”
MAM
Why storytelling is the most powerful marketing tool we underuse
Insights by Glad U Came founder & CEO Maddie Amrutkar.
MUMBAI: The marketing ecosystem has never been more advanced. Real-time dashboards decode consumer behaviour instantly. Platforms promise reach, scale, and optimisation at the tap of a screen. Yet, despite all this progress, what truly separates brands that are remembered from those that are merely noticed is not technology, it is storytelling.
Not the performative kind. Not glossy brand films that look beautiful but say very little. But real storytelling, the kind that creates context, builds meaning, and allows people to see themselves within a brand’s journey.
In the race for scale, storytelling is often sidelined. Speed replaces depth. Virality becomes the goal. Campaigns are optimised to perform, not to endure. Somewhere along the way, brands forget that consumers are not just impressions on a dashboard but emotional beings shaped by narratives, memory, and belief.
Stories create meaning, not just visibility
Modern marketing is engineered to be seen. Visibility today is easy to buy. Meaning, however, remains priceless.
Storytelling moves communication beyond product features and price points. It frames a brand as something that has observed real consumer pain points and chosen to respond with intent. It connects what a brand does to why it exists and how it fits into a larger cultural or emotional context. Without this framing, even the most innovative products risk feeling transactional.
People don’t engage with brands because of features alone. They engage because the brand stands for something they recognise or aspire to. Stories are what give that recognition shape.
We mistake storytelling for format
One reason storytelling remains underused is that brands often reduce it to a format, a brand walkthrough video, a founder interview, or a feature-heavy launch film. But storytelling is not an asset; it is a discipline.
It doesn’t belong to one medium or moment. It is about structure, continuity, and intent across every consumer touchpoint. A social media post can tell a story if it carries context. A press release can tell a story if it links action to purpose. Even a product launch can become narrative-led if it reflects evolution rather than announcement.
At Glad U Came, we’ve seen storytelling emerge most powerfully in spaces brands often treat as purely tactical like celebrity gifting. Across fashion, beauty, and food, a well-crafted narrative can transform a product handover into a cultural moment. When a denim label aligns with youthful stardom, or a clean beauty brand frames science through personal routines and real personalities, the result isn’t just visibility, it’s continuity. Communication begins to feel less like promotion and more like participation in a story audiences already want to follow.
Performance pressure has replaced connection
Brands aren’t entirely at fault. Today’s markets are crowded, fast-moving, and relentlessly competitive. With clicks, conversions, reach, and engagement dominating boardroom conversations, connection often becomes collateral damage.
Stories don’t always deliver instant gratification. Their impact is cumulative. They work linearly, embedding themselves over time, which makes them harder to justify in performance-driven environments.
But storytelling builds emotional equity. It helps audiences understand not just what a brand sells, but who it is. And that understanding is what sustains relevance when trends fade and platforms evolve.
Consistency is where storytelling earns its power
A story told once is content. A story told consistently becomes identity.
Strong brands don’t reinvent themselves with every campaign. They evolve. They revisit the same values and themes from new angles, allowing audiences to grow alongside them. This consistency builds familiarity, and familiarity builds trust.
Audiences remember more than brands assume. They notice tonal shifts. They recognise inconsistency. Storytelling provides the discipline that keeps communication aligned over time.
Looking ahead
As marketing continues to evolve, tools will change and metrics will multiply. But the human need to find meaning before making a decision will remain constant.
Storytelling bridges the gap between message and memory. Brands that prioritise purpose over noise, and clarity over spectacle, will be the ones that endure.
Storytelling is not an optional layer in marketing. It is the foundation we often overlook—and the advantage we gain when we use it well.
