Ad Campaigns
Gulf Unstoppable Army campaign takes a creative turn with Dhoni lookalike film
Mumbai: In an exciting follow-up to the “Gulf Unstoppable Army” campaign, Gulf Oil Lubricants India has taken a step further by launching the eagerly awaited Dhoni Lookalike film. This innovative component of the campaign underscores the company’s unique strategy this IPL season – entrusting CSK fans with the creation of Gulf Oil advertisements, thereby allowing CSK players, including the legendary MS Dhoni, to dedicate their focus entirely to training and their pursuit of a sixth title.
The Dhoni lookalike film is an engaging nod to the fans, highlighting the absence of CSK players from this season’s advertising campaigns. It showcases a Dhoni doppelgänger stepping in to fill the void, emphasizing the campaign’s core message: while the real heroes are busy on the field, the fans have a golden opportunity to shine off it by creating their own Gulf Oil ads.
This campaign phase not only entertains but also deeply involves the fans in the promotional journey, offering them an unprecedented chance to be at the forefront of the brand’s advertising efforts. Gulf Oil invites all enthusiasts to channel their creativity and passion for cricket into crafting ads that resonate with the spirit of the game and the essence of the Gulf brand.
Contest details and gratification:
Fans are encouraged to submit their homemade Gulf Oil ads, embracing the chance to have their work featured on television and win an array of exciting prizes. The contest promises weekly gratification to spur participation:
. Bonus winners: A select few will win the coveted CSK match tickets, offering them a live experience of the cricketing action.
. Asli fan winners: True fans will be rewarded with CSK jerseys, allowing them to wear their support with pride.
. Gift vouchers: Participants stand a chance to win gift vouchers, providing them with more reasons to celebrate their involvement.
. Signed balls: A special prize of cricket balls signed by CSK players, creating a tangible connection between the fans and their idols.
This campaign is not just about advertisements; it’s an invitation to the fans to become an integral part of the Gulf Unstoppable Army, making their mark in a season where every swing, hit, and ad counts. It’s a testament to Gulf Oil’s innovative approach to fan engagement, blending the worlds of cricket and creativity in a way that celebrates the sport and its supporters.
The Dhoni lookalike film will be featured across digital platforms including YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
NATIONAL: Amazon Ads has laid out a sharply tech-led vision for the advertising industry in 2026, arguing that artificial intelligence, streaming TV and creator partnerships will combine to turn brand building into a more precise, performance-driven business.
At the heart of the shift, the company says, is the fusion of AI with Amazon’s vast trove of shopping, browsing and streaming signals, allowing advertisers to move beyond blunt reach metrics to campaigns designed around real customer behaviour.
“The future of advertising is not about reaching more people, but the right people with messages that resonate,” said Amazon Ads India head and vice president Girish Prabhu. “By combining AI with deep customer insights, we help brands move from broadcasting campaigns to having meaningful conversations wherever audiences spend their time.”
One of the biggest changes, according to Amazon Ads, will be the collapse of the wall between media planning and creative development. Retail media, powered by first-party data, is increasingly shaping everything from brand discovery to final purchase, pushing marketers to design campaigns around audience insight rather than internal instinct.
AI is also moving from a support tool to a creative engine. Agentic AI, which automates and accelerates production, is expected to make high-quality creative accessible even to small businesses, compressing weeks of work into hours and giving challengers the ability to compete with larger brands on speed and scale.
Behind the scenes, AI-driven analytics will take on a bigger role in campaign optimisation, identifying patterns, spotting opportunities and recommending actions that would previously have required teams of analysts.
Streaming TV is another big battleground. With India’s video streaming audience now above 600 million and connected TV users at 129.2 million in 2025, advertisers are set to treat streaming not just as a branding channel but as a performance engine, measured increasingly by sales, sign-ups and bookings rather than just reach.
Finally, Amazon Ads sees creators and contextual advertising reshaping how brands tell stories. Creators will act less like influencers and more like long-term partners, while scene-aware ads on streaming platforms will allow brands to insert hyper-relevant offers into the flow of what viewers are watching.
Taken together, Amazon Ads argues, these shifts mark a move towards advertising that is both more human and more measurable, where AI handles the complexity, and creativity does the persuading.
