Ad Campaigns
Sun Pharma’s #SecondBirthDate returns with a shot of inspiration from Sumit Antil
MUMBAI: Sun Pharma is back with its acclaimed #SecondBirthDate campaign this National Doctors’ Day, and this time, it packs a javelin throw of inspiration. Fronting the initiative is para-athlete Sumit Antil— a five-time gold medallist, Padma Shri and Khel Ratna awardee — who credits his second shot at life to the doctors who pierced him back together after a devastating accident.
Antil’s moving story begins in 2015 when a road accident at age 17 shattered his dream of joining the Indian Army or becoming a wrestler. “26 May 2015 is my #SecondBirthDate — the day I began chasing a new dream,” said Antil. “It was the doctors who helped me rise again.”
The campaign, now in its third year, continues to honour doctors as life-givers, with Antil joining previous campaign faces like actor Sushmita Sen and cricketer Rishabh Pant, both of whom shared their stories of recovery and gratitude.
Sun Pharma CEO – India business, Kirti Ganorkar said, “#SecondBirthDate is our tribute to doctors who give people a second chance at life. What began three years ago as a humble initiative to celebrate the life of healthcare professionals has grown into a national movement, powered by countless personal stories of hope, courage, and gratitude. We are truly honoured to have Sumit Antil join the initiative this year. His resilience and determination to make a meaningful impact reflects the same spirit that drives our doctors, a shared commitment to making a difference in society.”
Also lending their voices this year are Indian Idol winner Pawandeep Rajan and digital creator Himani Guher, both sharing deeply personal accounts of resilience and recovery.
Crafted by Ogilvy India, the campaign has gone live across print and digital, with past champions like Harmanpreet Kaur and Sushmita Sen once again backing the cause.
Because some heroes wear white coats — and every saved life deserves a birthday party.
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.
