Ad Campaigns
Volkswagen India revs up emotional appeal with ‘Whatever Diwali Brings You, We Got You’
Mumbai: The new campaign by Volkswagen India explores the chaotic fun of last-minute Diwali preparations.
‘Whatever Diwali Brings You, We Got You’ is a series of four digital films that capture the imperfect yet memorable moments when plans don’t’ turn out the way they are supposed to, during last-minute Diwali preparations and Volkswagen steps in to save the day. Through humorous storytelling, the films highlight how fixing problems is a seamless and enjoyable experience when you are in a Volkswagen, thanks to the brand’s emphasis on safety and fun-to-drive.
The first film, titled ‘A Decoration Situation,’ humorously portrays a family’s attempt to put up Diwali lights, only to realize they’ve picked the wrong size. A last-minute dash to rectify the situation becomes a memorable part of their celebration.
‘Same Pinch,’ the second film, takes us to a party where a girl finds herself in an unexpected outfit clash and goes back to change, only to later find out that someone else brings the same gift as hers.
In ‘Forget-me-nots,’ the third film, a family is on their way to celebrate Diwali, when the couple suddenly recalls that the husband left behind the festive gifts. A swift U-turn in their Volkswagen becomes the solution to this forgetful moment.
The fourth film, ‘Tight Spots,’ starts with a young boy entering the room with ill-fitting pants, leading to a spontaneous trip to buy a new pair.
Each of these scenarios showcase Volkswagen as the solution to the unexpected festive challenges. Departing from traditional product-centric approaches in the auto industry codes of advertising, the new Volkswagen campaign focuses on warm, human-centric stories, emphasizing togetherness during the festive season. The campaign aligns with the new brand positioning of ‘You’re in a Volkswagen’ which built robust emotional equity in the market, underscoring the joy of owning a Volkswagen and how it made owners feel when they drove it.
DDB Mudra Group CCO Rahul Mathew shared, “With ‘You’re in a Volkswagen,’ we aimed to capture the various emotions that we unlock in the lives of our customers. So for Diwali, we decided to look beyond the typical festivities and embrace the significance of little moments.”
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.
