4 Iconic Animated Ads That Changed Indian Advertising

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Animated ads in India have a fascinating journey. Until the late 90s, animation was mostly seen as a medium for kids. Just like “Xerox” became a synonym for photocopy, the word cartoon was commonly used for any type of animation, be it traditional hand-drawn animation, stop-motion, or early 3D props, thanks to Cartoon Network.

The early 2000s became a golden period for Indian animated advertisements. Studios like Vaibhav Studio and Eeksaurus Studio started experimenting with quirky ideas, targeting not just children but also young adults and the general audience.

Here are 4 Iconic Indian animated ads that every millennial still remembers – ads that went beyond products and became cultural moments.

1. Mentos Evolution | Dimag Ki Batti Jala De

Perfetti Van Melle launched Mentos in India in 1999, and in 2003, it rolled out its biggest and most famous campaign — “Dimag ki batti jala de.” It gave the country its much-needed dose of a fresh idea.

This ad took a hilarious spin on the theory of evolution. The TVC was created by Singapore-based Frameworks Studio and took three months to complete.

2. Vodafone ZooZoos | The White Creatures That Took Over IPL

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is probably the biggest carnival for ad lovers and creators. Being the country of cricket gods, IPL Season 2 in 2009 probably became most famous due to the white characters that appeared for 30 seconds in TV ads during breaks.

Vodafone launched this iconic campaign, where human actors in white costumes, without any dialogue, promoted Vodafone services in the most hilarious ways.

A total of 30 films were released, which went crazy viral. The campaign was created by Ogilvy & Mather India, directed by Prakash Verma, and produced by Bangalore-based Nirvana Films.

3. Big Babool Jingle Ad | The Power of Hand-Drawn Animation

This was probably the most favorite Indian ad of the early 2000s. It was a perfect combination of catchy lyrics, music composition, voiceover, background score, and traditional cel animation—where each frame was hand-drawn on translucent paper and placed on different backgrounds.

The narration and lyrics were composed by Prasoon Joshi, and the campaign was designed by McCann Erickson.

4. Amaron Batteries | Pandu Mangal Claymation

This ad broke the pattern that animated ads were only for kids. Amaron Batteries’ TVC “Pandu Mangal” was clay-animated by Vaibhav Studios.

Detailed clay modeling, life-like lighting, an adventurous story with humor, and a script that complemented the animation—this ad had everything. Fun fact: In an interview, Vaibhav, founder of Vaibhav Studio, mentioned that the character Mangalsing was inspired by his previous boss, Suresh Eriyat.

We hope you feel inspired by these ads and the experiments done by different creative people in the industry. Their efforts to make something new every time keep this industry motivated and running.

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