Beyond advertisements, these brands conveyed a deeper message this year

From Vicks portraying the impact of love and care in one’s life to showing how you can handle your personal data, these advertisements exemplified a better and secure tomorrow.

Advertisements have always been a bridge between a brand and its customers. Over the decades, certain brands have conquered and learnt the art of placing their products through an individual’s perspective. From portraying everyday life of a common man through a footwear advertisement or tracing the life traits of the rich through luxury brands, advertisements have managed to cover all spectrums of the society.

But there are some advertisements that go one step ahead by drawing on specific issues affecting our lives, progress and growth.

In this list, YourStory presents some advertisements that highlighted the struggles we faced as a country in 2018.

Brooke Bond’s Unity in Diversity

When you purchase an idol for a pooja, how often do you wonder about the religion of its maker? In a time rife with religious differences, what truly unites us is passion, art and beauty.

Portraying this beautiful concept, tea company Brooke Bond takes a humble yet moving approach to show the concept of diversity in unity. Watch how a bond forms between a sculptor and a buyer from two different religions.

Light an ‘Umeed ka diya’ with HP India

During the festive season, how often do you buy things from vendors hailing from rural areas who come to cities only during these special occasions? The answer will mostly be a resounding ‘NO’. With ecommerce companies growing and prominent shopping malls around you, these less fortunate traders end up losing their value.

This Diwali, HP India showed us how we may be lighting up our houses, but several rural vendors and small businesses plunge into darkness in the wake of larger retailers and ecommerce companies. Using a simple story, the company showed how an HP printer and an innocent kid can light up someone’s Diwali.

#StandStrong with Women’s Horlicks

Not much has changed over the years, has it? Indian society’s hostility towards women going out late to it blaming women’s attire and actions for any assault and abuse they face, nearly everything is the same.

Women can no longer sit back and wait for society to change its perception to be able to start living life on their own terms.

To make women self-reliable, Women’s Horlicks, in collaboration with Krav Maga, started an initiative to train women with free self-defence classes.

Stayfree’s #ProjectFreePeriod

Often, we hear of women talking about the painful cramps, irritability and discomfort that periods bring. But for sex workers, the first three days of period mean something very different. Some say it’s their three days of freedom, while others say this is the time they can spend with their kids. Stayfree’s #ProjectFreePeriod is a campaign that aims to help women in the sex trade learn a new skill on these days.

In Mumbai, the company has partnered with local NGO, Prerna Foundation and other skilled trainers to impart skills like beauty services, henna design and candle making under this campaign.

The touch of care by Vicks

Household brand Vicks took a different approach. In this advertisement, the company showed a true story of a family adopting a child with a rare skin condition Ichthyosis. Told from the child’s point of view, the video shows how society rejects her on sight because of her condition, which is a genetic disorder and not infectious by nature. What makes us alike are our thought process - not appearance.

Nisha tells her story and how the unconditional love and care of her parents helped her form a life today.

Road Safety with Akshay Kumar

Let’s be honest - if the traffic signal is red and there is no moving traffic on either side, will you ignore it, or wait for it to turn green?

Road safety isn’t something you can ignore, especially because of the increase in road accidents, a prime concern in urban areas, or an attitude aptly described by Akshay Kumar’s, ‘’Sadak aapke pitaji ki hai?’’

This advertisement by Sadak Suraksha Jeevan Raksha Road Safety shows Akshay Kumar playing a cop and taking a witty jab at carefree traffic violators.