Ad Tribe — Your Daily Dose of Ad World Buzz

A halftone face beside a broken speedometer dial and a magnifying glass

Why Authenticity Is the Hardest Metric in Social-First Advertising

Authenticity is the quality every brand wants and the one thing nobody can measure. Why it is the hardest metric in social-first advertising, and how to earn it.

A flat vector map-free illustration of many small houses, each with a different shaped window

The Ai Shift

Can AI Make Regional-Language Advertising Affordable?

Rohan Chincholi, chief client and AI officer at Havas Media Network India

People

Havas Media Puts AI Next To The Client, Not In A Silo

The Latest

News

Havas Media Puts AI Next To The Client, Not In A Silo

Samarjit Singh, chief revenue officer for branded content at Republic World

Republic World Puts Samarjit Singh Over Branded Content

Mayuri Nikumbh, chief design officer at Elephant

Mayuri Nikumbh Returns To Elephant As Chief Design Officer

Meghna Sharma Will Edit Prestige India

Sneha Redkar, associate director at Publicis Media

Publicis Media Elevates Sneha Redkar To Associate Director

Adarsh, enterprise business head at Jio Haptik

Jio Haptik Hands Adarsh Its Global Enterprise Business

FeatureWork LifeAll →

A small figure at the foot of an oversized staircase, the lowest steps drawn in pencil outline and the rest solid

Work Life

The First 100 Days In An Advertising Agency

Nobody hands you the map. The first hundred days are mostly spent working out who actually decides things.

Is Advertising Addicted To Urgency?

Some deadlines come from the client. A surprising number come from the agency, and nobody can quite remember who set them.

Nobody Has Built The Agency Young Talent Actually Wants

Most agencies are still built for a workforce that no longer exists. What talent is actually asking for now looks less like a perk list and more like a genuine redesign.

Would You Choose Advertising Again?

Ask people in advertising this question honestly and the answer rarely comes fast. The hesitation itself, more than whatever yes or no follows it, turns out to be the interesting part.

FeatureBrand BuildersAll →

Brand Builders

Nikhil Kamath, the Other Half of the Zerodha Argument

One brother built the company’s credibility. The other built its reach, largely by talking about things that were not the company.

Nithin Kamath, Who Built India’s Largest Broker Without Advertising

Harsh Mariwala, the Man Who Put Coconut Oil in a Bottle

Ashwath Swaminathan, Growth Marketing Under a Stopwatch

Rohit Kapoor, the CEO Running Swiggy's Food Delivery Business

Deepinder Goyal, the Man Who Gave a Delivery App a Personality

Adwaita Nayar, the Discipline Behind Nykaa Fashion

CampaignsAll →

The MARS x Giani’s branded canter in Delhi, and the MARS car carrying the MARSIE mascot on its roof in Mumbai

Campaigns

MARS Cosmetics Takes Its Mascot Out In A Mumbai Cab

If the campaign line is about moments that are entirely your own, the mascot can hardly stay indoors.

A frame from the Odonil regional campaign film

Campaigns

Odonil Makes Seven Films Instead Of Dubbing One

Campaigns

Tata Motors Turns What Everyone Already Says Into A Brand

A frame from the Kissht campaign film, Sachin Tendulkar mid-hiccup holding a glass of water

Campaigns

Kissht Gives Sachin Tendulkar The Hiccups Every Time A Loan Clears

MMTC-PAMP Makes Sidharth Malhotra The Face Of Purest And More

HDFC Life Builds A Term Insurance Film Around The Call You Dread

ACKO Health Insurance Sells Discipline Instead Of Fear

Chheda’s Enters Sweets With A Raksha Bandhan Film For Kaju Katli

FeatureSocial-FirstAll →

A halftone collage of a young person’s face, offset in two bands, beside a blank smartphone on a flat blue background

Social First

From Creators to Communities: Why Brands Need to Build Offline Connections With Gen Z

A halftone collage of festive lamps and phones filming a celebration, on amber

Social First

How Internet Culture Is Changing Festive Advertising in India

A halftone hand writing at a keyboard, surrounded by speech bubbles and window frames

Social First

The New Role of Copywriters in Meme and Creator Campaigns

Social First

Why Authenticity Is the Hardest Metric in Social-First Advertising

Authenticity is the quality every brand wants and the one thing nobody can measure. Why it is the hardest metric in social-first advertising, and how to earn it.

How Brands Balance Speed, Approval and Creativity on Social Media

Why Founder-Led Content Is Becoming a Brand Asset

How Social-First Brands Build Trust Through Everyday Content

The Risk of Chasing Trends Without a Brand Strategy

BrandsAll →

Ricky Ponting, ambassador investor at Century Cricket, in a white open-collar shirt

Brands

Ricky Ponting Buys Into The Company He Is Fronting

An ambassador can walk when the contract ends. An investor is stuck with the outcome, and every brand knows the difference.

A halftone paper cutout of a battery and a recycling arrow loop on a flat coloured background

Eveready Turns Zepto Deliveries Into Battery Collection

A halftone paper cutout of a cricket jersey and a cricket bat on a flat coloured background

KragBuzz Sports Dresses Three UP T20 League Sides

A halftone paper cutout of an electric scooter and a charging plug on a flat coloured background

Ather Builds An Ownership Business Around The Scooter

No Secrets Enters India With Rannvijay Singha As A Shareholder

A halftone paper cutout of a fountain pen and a folded newspaper on a flat coloured background

InCred Capital Launches InCred Black For UHNI Clients

A halftone paper cutout of a dog bowl and a bag of kibble on a flat coloured background

Wipro Consumer Care Enters Pet Food With Snuggles

Newsletter

The Buzz, in your inbox.

Ad world news, campaigns and moves, a few times a week. No noise.

FeatureIndian Ad LegendsAll →

A graphite pencil portrait of Mohammed Khan, the adman who built Enterprise

Indian Ad Legends

The Story of Mohammed Khan, the Gentleman Who Built Three Iconic Agencies

Read the story of Mohammed Khan, the elegant adman who learned his craft in 1960s London and went on to help found Rediffusion, run Contract and build Enterprise, shaping brands from NECC to Lakme.

Graphite pencil portrait of K.V. Sridhar, the Leo Burnett creative chief known across Indian advertising as Pops.

Indian Ad Legends

The Story of K.V. Sridhar, the Artist the Industry Calls Pops

A graphite pencil portrait of Prasoon Pandey, drawn with a film camera and a clapperboard

Indian Ad Legends

The Story of Prasoon Pandey, the Director Who Filmed India's Most Loved Ads

A graphite pencil portrait of Prahlad Kakkar, drawn with a film camera, clapperboard and diving gear

Indian Ad Legends

The Story of Prahlad Kakkar, the Man Who Made Ad Films Fun

The Story of R. Balki, the Adman Who Turned Ideas Into Films

The Story of Swati Bhattacharya, the Voice That Changed How India Talks About Women

The Story of Alyque Padamsee, the Brand Father of Indian Advertising

The Story of Piyush Pandey, the Man Who Taught Brands to Speak Like India

NewsAll →

Outlook Goes Down And Takes The Working Day With It

Tim Cook Steps Down As Apple Chief Executive

Messi Ends Twenty Years With Argentina

BULLET Puts Out A Feature Anime Made Entirely On Its Own AI

Apple Becomes The First Brand In The Creative Hall Of Fame

Benedicct PR Enters The UAE Through DigifyMe

Redhill India Picks Up Queen's University Belfast

Rohit Sharma Gets A Family Entertainer On Sony

FeatureCreative RoomAll →

A collage of a film reel and a strip of film with a pair of scissors on a blue ground

Creative Room

How Editors Find the Strongest Story Inside an Ad Film

A collage of a vintage film camera and a clapperboard on a slate blue ground

Creative Room

How Production Teams Turn Scripts Into Shootable Films

A halftone script marked up in red pen, on an orange ground with cut paper shapes

Creative Room

How Scripts Are Shaped Before an Ad Film Shoot

A crumpled ball of paper in halftone on an olive ground with scattered shapes

Creative Room

Where Rejected Ideas Go and Why They Still Matter

Most ideas generated for a campaign never ship. Where they actually go, and why experienced creatives keep track of them.

How AI Tools Are Changing the Creative Process

How Advertising Teams Use Research Without Killing Creativity

How Designers, Writers, and Strategists Build One Idea Together

How Brand Tone of Voice Is Decided Inside Creative Rooms

Ad TechAll →

A halftone paper cutout of an auction gavel and a sealed envelope on a flat coloured background

Ad Tech

The FTC Says Amazon Quietly Raised The Floor On Ad Auctions

A halftone paper cutout of a shopping cart and a play button on a flat coloured background

Ad Tech

YouTube Puts Amazon Products Into Its Affiliate Programme

A halftone paper cutout of a key and a plug connector on a flat coloured background

Ad Tech

X Gives Away API Credits To Get Grok Bot Connected

A halftone paper cutout of a film clapperboard and a stack of layered sheets on a flat coloured background

Ad Tech

VerSe Unveils SparkStation, An AI Pipeline For Whole Productions

FeatureCampaigns That Built IndiaAll →

Halftone collage of an ornate chandelier of bare bulbs glowing in darkness, marking the Happydent Palace commercial

Campaigns That Built India

How Happydent's Palace Lit a Kingdom With Teeth

The client asked for the international commercial: a girl on a date with a whiter smile. What McCann and Ram Madhvani delivered was a palace lit by human beings with gleaming teeth.