Campaign decodeweek of 19 Oct

Why it works (our reading). The brand sells wires and switches, so it fixed the one thing it knows best. A safe workshop shows the brand's promise, which the reports give as India's Safe, Happy Connection, without a single sales line. The creator reel lets the story travel on social media. Our reading is that the deed does most of the talking.

What the report says about impact. The reports give no results yet. They say the aim was better electrical safety and a brighter, more efficient workspace. They add that Polycab's festive marketing focuses on local traditions, community engagement and regional creators. Those are aims, not results.

Done before in another industry. In 2023 Reliance Digital, a consumer electronics retailer, honoured pandal makers in a digital film called Ichchepuroner Sharodeeya. A man who oversees a pandal's construction watches it come to life over a video call, on a phone that young boys from the pandal authority gave him. L&K Saatchi & Saatchi made it, with Flying Leaves as the production house (MediaInfoline, 18 October 2023). Reliance Digital told a story about an artisan, while Polycab changed the artisan's workshop.

What your business can copy. Pick one small maker near you whose work links to what you sell, and fix one real thing for them, with their consent. Say a hardware dealer in a small town replaces the broken tube lights in a potter's shed and posts a short phone video. The dealer is made up. The cost is a few items. Ask first, and let the maker decide how the story is told.

Read the original: adgully, “Polycab spotlights Kumartuli artisans with RJ Praveen this Durga Pujo”, 17 October 2026, read it here. Also reported by MediaNews4U on 16 October 2026.

Why it works (our reading). A laminate covers a large surface and is likely costly to change later, so a buyer has a real fear of getting it wrong. The film names that fear in a joke, and the saree and necklace comparison needs no explaining. The ask is simple: come and see the full sheet.

What the report says about impact. The reports give no results yet. They say Studio Merino has 250+ outlets across India, which tells us where buyers can go and not how many did. Parveen Gupta, chief marketing officer of Merino Industries, says buyers can shortlist a design and still be unsure how it will look across a wardrobe or kitchen. That is the brand's own description of the problem.

What your business can copy. Find the moment when your buyer says, I cannot picture it. Then show the whole thing. Say a curtain shop hangs one full-length curtain at the door and keeps a phone photo of it in a customer's room, with permission. The shop is made up. Let people see the full result before they pay.

Read the original: MediaInfoline, “Merino Laminates uses humour to address the challenge of visualising interiors”, 12 October 2026, read it here. Also reported by adgully, which shows 14 October 2026. The two pages differ on the date, so we give both.

Why it works (our reading). Most of us have bought a safe gift in a hurry, so the film starts from something true and offers a better way. Rishi Vasudev, the CEO, says in the afaqs report, “Because a thoughtful gift is a reflection on you.” The gifting hours give shoppers a reason to visit at a set time. Our reading is that a fixed window may also help stores in their quieter hours, though the report does not say so.

What the report says about impact. The report gives no results yet. It gives only the timing, the seven print cities and the gifting window.

What your business can copy. Pick two quiet hours in your week and give them a name. Offer one small reward, such as free gift wrapping with a handwritten card, to anyone who buys in that window. Say a toy shop calls Tuesday afternoons its gifting hours. The shop is made up. Count the sales in those hours for four weeks and compare them with the four weeks before.

Read the original: afaqs, “Chumbak's new festive ad focuses on gifts that actually feel personal”, 16 October 2026, read it here.

Why it works (our reading). A fabric sits inside the garment, so a shopper cannot ask for it by name in the shop. A pink tag gives the shopper something to look for. The title is a short question that sounds like a friend at the shop, which makes it easy to remember.

What the report says about impact. The report gives no results yet. Sreecharan, vice president and global head of brand marketing at Birla Cellulose, says the aim is to build a habit of conscious shopping. That is a goal, not a result.

Done before in another industry. In April 2026 Jindal Stainless, a steel maker, launched its first large consumer campaign with actor Ranveer Singh. It asks buyers of pipes and tubes to look for the Jindal Saathi Seal, which the company presents as a mark of genuine stainless steel. The report says the company is moving from mainly B2B (business-to-business) marketing, which means selling to other businesses, toward consumers (The Machine Maker, 24 April 2026). Both give a material that hides inside a product a mark that the buyer can see.

What your business can copy. If your product ends up inside another product or on someone else's shelf, give it a small mark. Print it on the pack, the bill and the shelf card, and tell buyers to look for it. Say a spice grinder sells packs to many neighbourhood shops and prints a small red leaf on every pack. The grinder is made up. Keep the claim behind the mark true.

Read the original: afaqs, “Liva puts fabric tags at the centre of its latest campaign”, 16 October 2026, read it here.