Ad Campaigns
MS Dhoni dons the retro jersey look for Zed Black Agarbatti’s new TVC
Mumbai: Incense sticks manufacturing brand Zed Black has launched its new campaign with brand ambassador M S Dhoni, where he is seen engaging with his audience and reminiscing his demeanor and motivating approach towards youth of the country.
The campaign is part of the brand’s upcoming lineup of star-studded brand commercials which are aimed at targeting consumers across the nation and giving Zed Black the opportunity to engage the youth for the cause of Prarthna Hogi Sweekar. Along with the existing celebrity ambassador, Hrithik Roshan for Manthan Dhoop, Zed Black will continue to emphasise its hold on the Indian agarbatti sphere, it said in a media statement.
Conceptualized by Oberoi IBC, the integrated campaign for Zed Black 3-in-1 Agarbatti aims to get India praying to the mantra #prarthnahogisweekar. “Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket on 15 August last year and since then his popularity around the world has not diminished. The boy from Ranchi, who made his ODI debut in 2004, who changed the face of Indian cricket with his calm demeanor, sharp understanding of the game, and astute leadership qualities is still reigning the hearts of cricket fans as the pictures in the retro jersey are spreading like wildfire,” said the company.
MDPH director and partner Ankit Agrawal said, “Zed Black Agarbatti stands as a reflection of its ‘go getter’ spirit, devotion, resilience, belief and prayers. MS Dhoni, who is a staunch believer of tranquil state of mind that helps in focused efforts and better results, complements well with our brand value. Zed Black 3-in-1, which is a market-leader, creates an atmosphere of purity, hope & positivity that helps maintain a balance. Zed Black is elated to give MS Dhoni’s fans a moment to cherish by unveiling the TVC with the retro jersey look exactly after one year since he announced his retirement from International cricket on 15th August.”
Choreographer-filmmaker Farah Khan has directed Indian cricketer M S Dhoni for this commercial. Dhoni also got a new ‘faux-hawk’ cut from celebrity hair stylist Aalim Hakim which became a topic of discussion on social media. Ace photographer Daboo Ratnani captured all of Dhoni’s looks for the TVC campaign.
“It’s Zed Black’s journey of hope, success, prayers and innovation that drew me to the brand. To be the face of a brand that sends out a beautiful message like Prarthna Hogi Sweekar, giving people hope and strengthening their beliefs is what resonated with me. Their new campaign is inspiring and motivating,” said M.S Dhoni.
“Zed Black, has gone beyond just the advertising jingle, with the latest extension of its flagship ‘Prarthna Hogi Sweekar’ campaign being commissioned into mini-shorts indicating the thought that prayers will be answered. The new campaign with M S Dhoni has a moral underpinning that reflects the importance of family praying together, workplace worship, community prayers, the simple love of imparting the habit of praying amongst kids and love for the country”, shared Anshul Agrawal, Director & Partner, MDPH.
Speaking on the TV Campaign & roping in M S Dhoni, Ad film director & MD, Oberoi IBC India Anand Oberoi said, “I am hopeful that this association will ensure higher brand recall, and eventually create a larger following amongst the masses for Prarthna Hogi Sweekar”.
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.
