Ad Campaigns
Kantar launches 3rd edition of its Creative Effectiveness Awards India
Mumbai: Kantar, the world’s leading marketing data and analytics company tested more than 13,000 creatives for its clients around the world in 2022. Over 10% (1,400+) of those creatives were tested in India alone.
Kantar unveiled the ads that were most effective and creative across India in 2022. What makes these awards unique is that consumers are the jury. As people control a brand’s fortunes through their spending power, their voice decides what is effective advertising. The India report shortlisted close to 400 ads, tested across categories, markets, TG’s and media channels.
Across television ads tested in India, Kantar has awarded standout performers across 7 categories- Food & Beverage, Personal Care, Technology, OTC, Home Care, Services and Short Format (under 15 seconds). Kantar had also introduced an ‘Un-stereotype’ category last year, which focuses on celebrating gender progressive advertising. This category has been included this year as well.
Creatives for the digital medium are also a growth area for brands and will continue to be so in the future as well. For bringing to life the exciting storytelling possibilities in the digital world, Kantar has awarded a standout performer for digital this year as well.
All ads exemplify essential characteristics of being creatively engaging and landing persuasive stories that enhance brand sales.
Here are the Kantar Creative Effectiveness Awards 2023 India Winners:
| Medium | Award Category | Corporate | Creative Agency | Brand | Creative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TV | Food & Beverage | Hindustan Unilever | Ogilvy | Red Label | Hospital |
| TV | Personal Care | Honasa Consumer | Korra Pvt Ltd | Red Label | Shaadi Wala Glow Everyday |
| TV | Services | Burger King | Black Pencil | Burger King | Rs.50 Stunner Menu Stuns Hrithik Roshan |
| TV | Home Care | Hindustan Unilever | Lowe | Surf Excel | Holi |
| TV | OTC | Haleon | Leo Burnett | Iodex Ultragel | Iodex Ultragel IPS |
| TV | Technology | Lowe Lintas | Voice Search Director | ||
| TV | Short format (15 sec or less) | Godrej Consumer Products | Bates Chi & Partners Jakarta | Kala Hit | Dark Side of Mom |
| TV | Un-stereotype | Hindustan Unilever | Ogilvy | Bru | Bru New Pack – Photograph |
| Digital | Link for Digital | Welspun | Ogilvy | Welspun | Welspun QuikDry Towel Ad |
Commenting on this year’s findings, Kantar managing director & chief client officer- South Asia insights division Soumya Mohanty said, “Our research has found that the most creative and effective ads generate more than four times as much profit as those which score low on effectiveness measures. So cost effective ad testing is possibly a much better option that a costly mistake of airing a wrong ad. Our winners exemplify how testing can progressively refine the ad ultimately leading to better brand results.
Kantar head of creative domain & executive vice president- South Asia, insights division Prasanna Kumar added, “With short-form advertising on the rise in India, brands face the task of adapting to newer advertising structures and storytelling styles. Short ads, designed for 15 seconds or less, now require meticulous scripting and visualization to captivate audiences and meet higher standards for entertainment and engagement set by rampant popularity of short-form video content on social media platforms. To cut through content clutter and grab consumer attention in this rapidly changing landscape, pre-testing plays a crucial role for brands. It enables them to develop ads that have a strong impact and are memorable, while also providing valuable insights and learnings along the way.”
Key highlights from this year’s report:
1 Creativity needs to connect intuitively to the brand:
The Brand Magnifier ensures meaningfully different cues & story for advertisements. Brand cues established through consistent use, over time and across multiple channels:
- Distinct styles or visuals
- Music or Sound
- Slogans or Jingles
- Brand icons, spokespeople, celebrities
2 Creativity needs to connect natively in each environment:
The best context is not always the one you’d expect. It is important to stand out among the other content. Customising creative as per platform makes a massive difference to viewing and impact
3 Creativity needs to connect each experience coherently:
Coherence is key to creative performance-
When the creative is customized to platform and integrated cross platform, it gives far better results-
4 What Bharat wants: a higher relevance to their context:
Product first, entertainment next.
Payoffs to be anchored to category needs.
Avoid complexities and deliver clarity.
Signal cultural familiarity and affiliation.
Challenging loyalty harder than breaking clutter.
5 Creativity needs to impact in 15 seconds: Key themes across Impactful 15 secs:
Sharp: Focus on key moment of truth.
Singular: One key reason to consider or reason to believe.
Vivid dramatization: Brings in both engagement & memorability of the message.
Creative visualizations of the product: Distinctive, dramatic (retained from longer edits), how it works, ingredients etc.
Humour: Highly prized viewer reward.
Summary:
The recipe of successful advertising applies to all media and cohorts:
1 Imprinting meaningfully different associations:
- What does the ad say about the brand? Is it on strategy?
- Is it meaningful and differentiated?
2 Driving branded engagement
- Will the ad be noticed and remembered?
3 And will the brand play a role?
- Creating short and long-term predisposition
- Will the ad drive brand predisposition now and into the future?
Ad Campaigns
Indian Silk House Agencies launches ‘Shubho Smriti’ PoilaBoishakh campaign
Brand celebrates Bengali New Year with stories of 100 women and their saree memories.
MUMBAI: Indian Silk House Agencies has woven a beautiful new story for PoilaBoishakh, one stitched together with memories, emotions, and the timeless elegance of a saree. The leading saree retailer has unveiled ‘Shubho Smriti’, a digital-first campaign that brings together the voices of 100 women sharing their personal celebrations of the Bengali New Year. The campaign highlights how the saree remains an essential thread in these evolving traditions, from daughters gifting their mothers after years of quiet sacrifice to sarees passed down through generations carrying decades of love.
Indian Silk House Agencies CEO Darshan Dudhoria said, “What gives any tradition its relevance over time are the memories people attach to it. For over five decades, we have been closely connected to this cultural fabric. This campaign came from a simple intent to listen to these stories of our customers and bring them together.”
To mark the occasion, the brand has launched a dedicated PoilaBoishakh collection featuring handwoven textiles such as Matka silk and Jamdani, along with classic reds and whites, softer seasonal hues, and brighter options. The collection starts at ₹999 and is now available online and in stores across Eastern India.
By blending cultural nostalgia with contemporary storytelling, Indian Silk House Agencies has created more than just a campaign, it has turned personal memories into a shared celebration of tradition, emotion, and timeless style.
This PoilaBoishakh, the brand reminds us that the most beautiful things in life are often the ones we weave into our own stories, one elegant drape at a time.
