When Ads Stick Like Fevicol: A Look at the Hero MotoCorp's new ad , and a Troubling Trend

 

An ad is supposed to tell a story in under a minute. The best ones do more, they stay with you. They stick to your memory like Fevicol glue and refuse to go away. One such unforgettable campaign is Hero Honda’s iconic “Fill it. Shut it. Forget it.”

The iconic campaign was launched in India in 1985 alongside the introduction of the Hero Honda CD 100 motorcycle. It highlighted the bike's high fuel efficiency of over 80 km/litre.  The ad became a cultural phenomenon among young Indians. At a time when money was tight and fuel efficiency mattered deeply, Hero Honda struck gold. The punchline perfectly captured the brand’s core promise, unbeatable mileage. It was simple. It was sharp. And it worked.

The message was clear: fill your tank once and forget about fuel worries for days. (Of course, the ad did attract some criticism later for its subtle innuendo, but that’s a discussion for another day.)

The Comeback: Nostalgia Meets Modern India: Fast forward to today, and Hero MotoCorp has revived this legendary punchline in its new campaign: “Ek Raasta Hai Zindagi”, prominently being featured during IPL broadcasts. At first glance, the ad does many things right. It taps into nostalgia while blending it with contemporary themes. We see:

Rustic Indian settings and relatable everyday moments. A young man teaching his girlfriend how to ride a motorcycle, symbolizing independence. So far, so good.

Where the Ad Takes a Turn. Then comes a shift. Two young men on a Splendour bike are shown riding across different terrains, seemingly chasing something. Eventually, we realize they are following an army truck filled with young women in uniform, possibly heading to their posting.

One of the men rides alongside the truck and hands over a small box to one of the women. She opens it. In the next scene, she is seen wearing a ring. The young man’s wedding proposal has been accepted, and he is pleased as a punch. Cue the emotional music. Curtain call.

But Something Feels Off… While the ad is visually appealing and emotionally designed, it raises an uncomfortable question: Is it appropriate to use the Indian Armed Forces as a backdrop for romantic storytelling?

The Indian Army uniform carries dignity, discipline, and deep national pride. When such imagery is used in a commercial context, especially for a romantic gesture, it risks trivializing that symbolism.

There are further concerns: Public display of affection is still culturally sensitive in many contexts. Should such portrayals be shown when individuals are in uniform?  Does this blur the line between respect and commercial exploitation?

Not the First Time: This isn’t an isolated case. Fevikwik, known for its humorous ads, once depicted a scene at the Wagah border involving an Indian and a Pakistani soldier. The Indian soldier uses glue on the Pakistani soldier shoe, and the moment is played for laughs.

It was clever, but also questionable. Surprisingly, such ads rarely face serious scrutiny. They often escape criticism in mainstream media and are seldom challenged by bodies like the ASCI (Advertising Standards Council of India).

The Good, The Bad, and The Memorable: To be fair, the Hero MotoCorp ad does many things well: Strong emotional appeal, High production quality, Relatable Indian cultural moments (cricket, Janmashtami celebrations). A powerful reuse of an iconic tagline. But it also tries to do too much in too little time. At nearly a minute, the ad feels slightly stretched. A tighter 45–50 second edit could have made it far more impactful.

“Fill it. Shut it. Forget it.” remains one of India’s most brilliant advertising lines, simple, sticky, and strategic. The new campaign successfully revives its nostalgia, but stumbles slightly in its attempt to add emotional layers. Because sometimes, in advertising as in storytelling: Less is more. Respect matters as much as recall.

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P & G Creative Advertisement “Not a Kaccha Nimbu, 20 years of P&G Shiksha” that almost Misses the Mark!

Today, while I was walking back from class, my colleague Dr. Himabindu Madam called my attention to a rather unusual advertisement. She said, "Sir, you must definitely write a blog post about this one!" I’m always grateful when colleagues like her recognize my habit of writing about the odd and interesting things that happen in the world of marketing.

An Ad That Stood Out—But Only When Pointed Out by my colleague: This ad was published in The Times of India, and it caught her attention — but not mine when I did browse the same newspaper in the morning. It said:

Change of Name “I Kaccha Nimbu son of Amit Kumar and Jasawanthi Kumari, resident of Phoolpur Jilla, Pimpidi Tehsil, Pin 404181 – have changed my name and will hereafter be known as Bikas Kumar,– Scan know my story."

On scanning the QR code, I was taken to a YouTube video of P & G’s “Not a Kaccha Nimbu (unripe lemon), 20 years of P&G Shiksha”,  where the story of Amit Kumar unfolds — as someone who was once mocked or teased as a child but has now risen above it all to become a successful individual. He has rewritten his narrative and wants the world to know about it. An inspiring concept, no doubt!

 The Idea is Brilliant, But Execution? That said, there are three points I feel strongly about.

First, the execution didn’t do justice to the concept. When I saw the ad in the newspaper earlier, I didn’t even pause—it looked like one of those “name change” notices and didn’t grab my attention at all. Had Dr. Himabindu madam not told me, I might have missed it completely. That’s a big miss for an ad that’s trying to spark curiosity.

Second, the size and placement of the ad left a lot to be desired. It was not very big —barely noticeable. If the goal was to make an impact, the ad should have been at least a quarter or half-page. A catchy headline or a bold lead-in could have helped generate more interest. As it stands, it was too easy to skip.

The Video: A Bit Too Long. Also worth mentioning is the length of the YouTube video. At 2 minutes and 41 seconds, it felt longer than necessary. In today’s age of short attention spans, a tighter version under a minute could have had a much stronger effect—concise, punchy, and to the point.

Closing Thought: To sum it up, a wonderful idea that deserved better packaging. In marketing, especially with storytelling campaigns, grabbing attention is half the battle. And in this case, a little more thought in design, placement, and video duration could have turned a good idea into a truly memorable campaign.

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 Hashtags:#MarketingInsights #CreativeAdvertising #BrandStorytelling #PrintAds #QRCodeMarketing #YouTubeCampaign #AdvertisingStrategy #PandG #MarketingFails #ViralAds #AdAnalysis #MarketingBlog

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