While British Airways shared what the best gift could be for Diwali, Burberry decide to take viewers on a surreal journey, at a time when travel restrictions are easing worldwide. Meanwhile, John Lewis released an ad which was a clever way to illustrate the benefits of its home insurance. Unfortunately, it got taken down after being widely criticised. Read to find out more about the ads that Ritwika Gupta enjoyed this week –

Brand: British Airways

British Airways has released a heartwarming Diwali campaign titled ‘The Best Gift’ with a simple message that the best gift you can give your loved ones is you. Aimed at last minute flyers to make the most of this year’s festive season, the campaign reminds viewers that there is no better time to go home than Diwali. The ad opens with a young guy living overseas, looking for Diwali gifts to send home, to his family. Each gift idea is rejected for being either too expensive, unfashionable, or just unnecessary. He then realises that there could be no better gift than a trip home to celebrate Diwali with the ones who miss him the most. He takes a British Airways flight and reaches India to surprise his family on Diwali. As the worldwide lockdown halted international travel in many countries, many people were separated from their families for nearly two years. Therefore, the timing of this ad is perfect not just because Diwali is around the corner but also because it comes at a time when travel is slowly easing up. Going forward, it will also be interesting to see how other airlines start advertising and what their focus will be. This one’s enjoyable as it promotes the airline while drawing upon the age-old Diwali tradition of gifting. The ad ends with a beautiful message that one can never go wrong with a surprise visit from a loved one.

Campaign: The Best Gift
Agency: Ogilvy India

Brand: Burberry

British fashion house Burberry has unveiled a surreal campaign that takes viewers on a journey through the freedom of imagination. Blurring the lines between reality and fantasy, the brand’s latest ad focuses on freedom and the outdoors. The latest advert called Open Spaces shows well-dressed individuals seemingly fly across the likes of fields, forests, lakes and eventually, the white cliffs of Dover. The new campaign aims to capture Burberry’s “pioneering spirit,” and “explore new spaces and places”. The advert has racked up millions of views across platforms like TikTok and YouTube and has resulted in a lot of social media chatter. Well, I think it is such a feel-good film which takes viewers on a fantastical journey, coming at a time when lockdown restrictions are easing worldwide. It’s truly a visual masterpiece. Towards the end, we see the characters being magnetically pulled together, becoming one entity flying through the sky – a symbolic representation of interconnectedness with nature and one another.

Campaign: Open Spaces
Agency: Megaforce

Brand: John Lewis

John Lewis has expanded in the home insurance market with the release of a new ad campaign which sees a young boy literally on a rampage through his home – smashing vases, spilling paint and toppling lamps. He is dressed up in presumably in his mother’s clothes with a face load of badly applied make-up. Set to the upbeat notes of ‘Edge of Seventeen by Stevie Nicks’, the ad wants to illustrate the benefits of putting money aside for unforeseen events. The ad, however, has been taken down after being criticized widely as the young boy, in female clothing and make-up, made “provocative movements and poses”, hence “sexualizing” the child. Some people also felt that the ad encourages children to be destructive and behave however they want because insurance will cover it. To me, I liked the idea of self-expression – a kid being a kid and having fun. Secondly, I do not think the ad was trying to promote destruction or spoilt behaviour. Take for example – Surf Excel’s ‘Daag Acche Hain’ where a young boy beats up the mud for his younger sister. The ad wasn’t advertising kids to get dirty in the mud but it was trying to say that no matter how bad the stain, Surf Excel is there to solve the problem. Likewise, in this case, the ad aims to deliver a similar message that no matter how much the damage, the home insurance will cover it all. I actually thought this was a unique and unexpected way to advertise home insurance.

Campaign: Let Life Happen
Agency: Adam & Eve DDB