Cricket was and still is India’s favorite sport and with it come to some amazingly ludacris ads between overs. Back in the 90s and early 2000s, India cricket matches were grand events in themselves with family and friends coming together to cheer the boys in blue. Between overs, you’d get to see some of the shortest and most sticky ads that have now cemented themselves into Indian pop culture and are super nostalgic. 

They’d often ease the tension or make it worse but had clear propositions of brands that were considered boring yet integral to the everyday.

Here are a few that bring back memories – 

Simply put, this campaign was sticky and has stayed with me ever since. The over-exaggeration is a treat and could easily be understood throughout the country irregardless of where you lived or which language you spoke. 

This one’s a bit longer and usually came on during the drink’s break somewhere around the 15 over mark in a one-day cricket match. The lyrics simply repeat – Your heart illuminates, your mind illuminates. It starts with the mystique of the rural landscape and ends with an unexpected ending that clearly tells you what the product does in a ludicrously exaggerated manner. 

The execution is just mind-blowing especially with the spotlight at the end. The gum was a best seller and almost did convince the punters that it would brighten their teeth. 

This one’s a T20 classic, it’s just plain weird and I love it. With the bustle and energy from a T20 game, this just fit in naturally and sent out a clear message. 

These ads were probably more entertaining than some parts of the matches. The ideas still seem so campaignable and the products they sold were often reliable too. Most of all the exaggerations worked extremely well and perhaps why they’re still remembered to this day.