The Best Ads Of 2014

If 2014's efforts were anything to go by, we think we're living in a golden era for advertising. There were plenty of ads that got noticed and made agencies beat the trumpet and clients proud.


We, at Business Insider India, asked four top advertising honchos which were the best ads of the year 2014, and this is what they had to share.

Rajiv Rao, National Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather

1. Nescafe: Stammering Stand-up Comedian

Beautiful idea meets brilliant execution in this ad. The story of a stammering stand-up guy was a very unique and endearing. People immediately warmed up to it and felt the need to go beyond clicking the Like button. It was shared and talked about. In this day and age, amongst a hundred ads that crowd our television and social media pages every day, that’s ‘effective’.

2. Idea: No Ullu Banaoing

A strong proposition that works across not one ad but an entire campaign. It literally shows how today everyone has the power of internet in their hands. Several plots offered relatibility across consumer segments. More importantly “No ullu banoaing” has become a popular catch phrase of sorts. And that’s ‘effective’.

Rohit Ohri, ‎Executive Chairman Dentsu India & CEO Dentsu Asia Pacific (South)

1. Nescafe: It all starts
Perfect execution of a great life story. Love the honesty and the simplicity. Touches the heart.

2. Airtel: Smart Phone Network
The Smart Phone Network finds a place, effortlessly, in today’s relationships. An ad that generated a lot of talk… perfect for a phone network.

3. DBS: Chili Paneer
Lovely story… beautifully told. What all advertising should be today.

4. Honda: Corporate Ad
An inspiring way to build brand familiarity for the Honda Wing Mark. Honda connect with piece of communication with the heart of India.


5. Durex: Ranbir Singh
Do the rex… a great idea born out of a brand name. The creative was very shareworthy. Created buzz

Santosh Paddy, Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Taproot, India



1. The Airtel Boss: It was talked about at Prime Time show by a leading news channel. It was very viral and an effective commercial as per.

2. Center fresh: They took on the category whether it was cameras or toothpaste. I thought that these ads were very wacky. They really managed to do something mind blowing and bizarre.

3. Mumbai Mirror: I think this work by us was a powerful piece as not too many brands take a negative stand. It was very brave and courageous positioning that the client agreed to. Today everybody wants to talk about good things, nobody can even think about taking a negative stand, forget how they will be perceived. At the presentation level only it gets killed or cornered. Abhinay has done a great job at story telling.


4. Tanishq: There are plenty of ads that are released around Diwali but this is one ad that stands out. I think it is very insightful and very true to a lot ofyouth in India today. They know that they can’t compete with their dads but it is not what you gift or how expensive is your gift but about if you have that emotion to brings gift for you mom or dad. This ad really captures the emotions very well and Tanishq has been doing some great work.

5. The KBC: Again very good positioning.

Swapan Seth, Chairman at Equus Red Cell

1. Nescafe: Stand up comedian. Brilliant insight, fabulous script. Flawless execution

2. Titan Raga: Ditto

Images: Ad grabs from YouTube