Mahabali reimagined in Deconstruct’s Onam 2025 campaign titled “Kuda Mathram Mathiyavilla”
The festive beats continued as brands marked their presence at Ganesha Chaturthi pandals and Onam celebrations and started whipping up early Durga Pujo fervour. Meanwhile, purposeful messaging by some brands caught the eye.
Mahabali’s sun protector
Skincare brand Deconstruct’s Onam 2025 campaign titled “Kuda Mathram Mathiyavilla” (Umbrella alone is not enough) introduces sunscreens as a festival essential accessory. In the brand film, Mahabali reimagined for today’s Kerala accepts sunscreen alongside his umbrella, embracing it as a thoughtful gesture of modern care while staying rooted in culture. The 25-second digital brand film is accompanied by GIFs on Meta and other digital platforms, influencer collaborations with Malayalee lifestyle and entertainment creators,and meme marketing through popular Kerala meme pages.
Grains and Ganesha
The campaign unveiled the image of Lord Ganesha engraved on a single grain of pure wheat
ITC’s Aashirvaad Atta’s festive initiative at one of Mumbai’s most iconic Ganesh pandals – Andheri Cha Raja – grabbed attention. Accompanied by the slogan “Gehu, gehu hai vishesh, har gehu mein hai Ganesh” (Every grain has a Ganesha), the campaign unveiled the image of Lord Ganesha engraved on a single grain of pure wheat. The centrepiece of the campaign was the Ganesha Creation Zone – where devotees were invited to create their own vision of Lord Ganesha, with each artwork magnified onto a majestic golden wheat grain installation and personalised with their name.
A time for self-expression
Actor Trina Shah presents a variety of looks for different days of Durga Puja
Tata CLiQ Fashion has launched its Durga Puja campaign, ‘Amar Pujo, Amar CLiQ’ (My Pujo, My CLiQ), highlighting festive collections available on the platform, and playing up the House of Utsav. The campaign frames Pujo as a time for self-expression. It highlights the different ways people participate in the festival — from Mahalaya morning and planning outfits with friends to visiting pandals, dancing on Nabami night, and taking part in Sindoor Khela. In an instagram collaboration, Bengali television and film actor Trina Shah presents a variety of looks for different days of the festival, sourced from the Durga Pujo curation at the House of Utsav.
Dreams, big and small
A still from the ad
Urban Company’s fifth film under its Dignity of Labour series, titled Chhote Sapne created by Talented and Superfly Films, takes on cultural perceptions. The film highlights the entrepreneurial spirit of Urban Company Service Professionals, who are micro-entrepreneurs building their own businesses with skill and hustle, yet rarely recognised as such. It shows a customer subconsciously looking down upon an Urban Company beauty professional’s work – chiding her on how long she will lug this small box around. The response – comparing the UC Pro’s small box, carrying skills, survival, and her big dreams with the white-collar laptop bag of her customer, opens up the biases and urges audiences to reconsider how they view those whose unseen work sustains their lives. A moving film.
Modern man’s jewellery
Jim Sarbh in the ad campaign
Male jewellery seems to be the next big trend. We saw Mohanlal winning the internet in the campaign for Vinsmera Jewels. Now it is the turn of Jim Sarbh to wow as he models necklaces for Tyanni Jewellery by Karan Johar with great panache. The campaign Forces of Tyaani, spotlights the fast-growing men’s jewellery segment and also reflects a cultural shift towards inclusivity, authenticity, and personal storytelling. In the film, Jim Sarbh breaks away from the expected style codes such as belts, watches, cufflinks and adorns himself with glorious long necklaces and rings.
Powering Mumbai
It’s not often that you see utility providers do big brand campaigns. Which is why Mahanagar Gas Ltd. (MGL)’s first-ever brand campaign ‘Mumbai chalta hai MGL par!’ catches the eye. The campaign brings alive real Mumbai moments but anchors them in numbers that show how the MGL fuels the city’s rhythm – be it the way it powers more than 28 lakh households with Piped Natural Gas (PNG) and fuels over 11 lakh vehicles with Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). Taking the message to the streets, this multimedia campaign runs across print, outdoor, radio and digital platforms. The print-cum-outdoor campaign is also MX’s first AI-generated campaign.
Published on September 8, 2025