Ad Campaigns
Ray-Ban launches new campaign by Steven Klein
MUMBAI: Global eye wear group The Luxottico has tapped the creative instincts of renowned American photographer Steven Klein for the second in a series of communication campaigns for its iconic brand Ray-Ban.
The campaign will feature four shots starring four singular characters, each embodying a Ray- Ban icon. The images celebrate the liberating force of the road trip, interpreted as a metaphorical escape from the constraints of modern society.
The campaign is another part of Steven Klen’s 2017 story in which the protagonists shook off their past to free themselves. The spirit of the campaign is immediate, irrepressible and authentic, capturing the transformative power of self-expression.
Commenting on this Steven Klein says, “It’s about freedom and letting go. Living in turbulent times, one of the things that evokes that for many people is a road trip. This campaign represents that no matter what hardships come your way, you can be an individual, go on your own path and experience fun, optimism, creativity, love… everybody’s looking for their own personal freedom.”
The protagonists each wear a Ray-Ban icon, an extension of their distinct personalities: The Marshal, Wayfarer Blaze, Aviator Evolve and Hexagonal.
Alongside the images the campaign also features a video campaign, four separate character videos and additional digital content, revealing more about the protagonists’ unique personal odysseys.
1. With the straight-jacket of the city in the rearview mirror the protagonist drives into a never ending sunset. Literally stripped of restraints, his skin absorbs the warm light of freedom.
The protagonist wears a pair of Ray-Ban Marshal. This Ray-Ban icon is the modern take on the tribute to the pioneering spirit of lieutenant Douglas MacArthur, launched in 1987.
2. She’s her own person and on the road she can finally express that true self. With the wind in her hair and no fixed destination, the protagonist embraces the cool thrill of the unknown.
She wears a pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarer Blaze. Ray-Ban’s mirror block reinvention of their iconic 50s design is beloved of musicians, celebrities and adventurers.
3. With his dog and guitar for company our protagonist takes the road less travelled. He’s on a journey of self-discovery, and he’s not looking back.
The protagonist wears a pair of Ray-Ban Hexagonal. The slim profiles of this new acetate optical shape give the iconic hexagon a new dimension. Featuring contemporary angles and vintage-inspired keyhole bridge, plus the classic Ray-Ban rivets and temple logos.
4. Hitching a trip to “everywhere”, our protagonist runs through early morning light, towards a new dawn of authenticity and self-realisation.
The protagonist wears a pair of Ray-Ban Aviator Evolve. The world’s most iconic sunglasses re-imagined withphotochromatic washed lenses that change colour density with light. Pink lenses recall the flamboyant 70s eyewear trends.
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.
