For the Indian advertising industry, the year 2022 felt like the punishment of Sisyphus. Endlessly rolling the rock on top of the mountain, only to see it roll back down to the bottom again.
But amidst these ups and downs, the overall advertising revenue managed to see a considerable boost. This gave brands the much needed confidence and space to take more creative risks and stretch their arms after laying in one position for long.
The focus of ads shifted from merely selling the product to creating social awareness and trust. While doing so, some ads stood out, thanks to their thoughtful approach of rejecting stereotypes and bringing a positive change through their message.
So now as the year comes to an end, let us look back at the best ads of 2022 that created a buzz on YouTube and bagged the viewers’ appreciation.
1. Cadbury| #NotJustACadburyAd|
The pandemic was a difficult time for all of us but the ones who suffered one of the most were the small businesses. Cadbury took an initiative to support such small businesses across the country with the help of artificial intelligence.
The hyper-local personalized campaign features Shah Rukh Khan who became the brand ambassador for several local stores with the help of AI. Ogilvy creatively captures the generosity and message behind the ad, which went viral on social media with millions of views on YouTube.
Total views: 31M
Total likes: 18k
Total comments: 2.1k
Engagement factor: 0.06%
2. Dove | #StopTheBeautyTest|
From skin colour bias to body shaming there are a lot of beauty stereotypes that Indian women are conditioned to especially when it comes to the matrimonial space. However, Dove has always been challenging these conventional norms through their ads and #StopTheBeautyTest is no exception.
The ad campaign by Ogilvy questions the idea of ‘real beauty’ and takes a powerful stance against unconventional beauty standards.
Total views: 238k
Total likes: Not available
Total comments: 2.1k
Engagement factor: Not available
3. Facebook | Pooja Didi|
The shattering condition of the Indian economy during the lockdown which also led to people losing their jobs was captured beautifully in the ad campaign by Facebook ‘Dil Kholo, Duniya Khulegi’. The story celebrates the story of a large-hearted woman who provides employment to several jobless people in difficult times.
The film by Taproot Dentsu gives out a thoughtful and emotional message without being preachy. The ad campaign received 28 million views on YouTube.
Total views: 28M
Total likes: 25k
Total comments: 235
Engagement factor: 0.09%
4. Bhima Jewellery| ‘Pure as Love’|
The ad film by Animal features the story of a transgender person and their journey of transition from a man to a woman. The bold ad depicting the story of a trans woman and the acceptance of their parents is pathbreaking, as throughout the journey the jewelry plays an integral part. The creative and thought provoking ad crossed nearly 1 million views on YouTube.
Total views: 99k
Total likes: 64k
Total comments: 3k
Engagement factor: 0.67%
5. Tata Tea Premium | Kadak Insaniyat of Mumbai|
The ‘Desh ki Chai’ ad campaign by Tata Tea has been giving one of the most powerful and socially relevant ads for years now. The ad captures the ‘kadak’ spirit of every Mumbaikar who are strictly professional and sometimes come out as indifferent too, but they are known to be equally humane and generous which denotes the true ‘Mumbaikar Spirit’.
The ad features a high-end restauranter who firmly refuses to hire one of her employees’ brother as he lacks expertise. However, when she sees a group of underprivileged people seeking for shelter, she politely calls everyone in keeping the ‘kadak Mumbaikar spirit’.
Total views: 3M
Total likes: 1.5k
Total comments: 53
Engagement factor: 0.05%
6. Thumbs up| #PalatDe campaign for Olympics|
Thumbs Up’s digital campaign celebrates India’s entry into the 100th year of Olympics and motivates the sportspersons with the tagline ‘Toofani wahi jo sab palat de’. The ad features Sakina Khatun (Powerlifting), Suyash Yadav (Swimming), Mariyappan Thangavelu (High jump), Sumit Antil (Javelin throw), Navdeep (Javelin throw), and Avani Lekhara (Shooting) for this emotional ad campaign.
The trendy ad showcased the story of strength and resilience which garnered millions of likes and views. The soft drink brand Thumbs Up grabbed the attention of the masses with sports personalities and the heroic advertising act.
Total views: 1M
Total likes: 1.5k
Total comments: 111
Engagement factor: 0.16%
7. Truecaller| Shabd|
In every 55 minutes 1 woman in India falls victim to stalking. Unfortunately, this is an issue which is hardly addressed on prime-time or any other avenue. Truecaller with its ad film Shabd #ItsNotOk reinforces a stand against harassment and stalking.
The ad captures the story of a speech-impaired woman who is regularly stalked by a man, but she doesn’t need a voice to speak up against the man and expose her harasser.
The ad encourages women to speak up and take a stand against harassment. The ad film is ideated by Wirality media and produced in collaboration with Mission of Mortals Content Studio.
Total views: 2.5M
Total likes: 24k
Total comments: 1.2k
Engagement factor: 1%
8. Unacademy| #TeachThemYoung|
Another impressive ad was by Unacademy #TeachThemYoung that brings out the importance of empowering women and at the same time teaching the boys gender equality. The ad brings out the message that teaching our sons gender equality starts at our households and at a young age.
The ad went viral on various social media platforms and got over 2 million views on YouTube.
Total views: 2.2M
Total likes: 12k
Total comments: 700
Engagement factor: 0.57%
9. upGrad| The Office Canteen|
upGrad created a fun and quirky series ‘The Office Canteen’ starring the YouTube personality BeYouNick. The series is based on real life sketches of a regular office canteen scenario with a slice of comedy in it. The comedian adds his special touch by mentioning upGrad naturally in the storyline and telling its benefits.
The content series even won ‘YouTube Works Awards’ for the best collaboration in 2021.
Total views: 4.8M
Total likes: 361k
Total comments: 11k
Engagement factor: 7.7%
10. Tanishq| Marriage Conversation|
The ad film gives a thought provoking message about the importance of ‘real’ conversations between couples before marriage.
The storyline revolves around partners sharing their stories of mental health, adoption and financial stability with their other half.
Tanishq has been coming up with brilliant emotional and unconventional ads lately, which are being positively perceived by the audience.
Total views: 2.2M
Total likes: 6.6k
Total comments: 99
Engagement factor: 0.30%
We have tried to collate all the interesting ads for 2022. If you think we have missed any ad, do let us know in the comments and we would try to add it to the list.
Want to see festive season ads of 2022? Read our blog Diwali 2021: A Complete List of Diwali 2021 Ads.
Source: Exchange4media
