Against the golden beaches of Goa, Goafest 2025 took place at the beautiful Taj Cidade de Goa where the sea breeze collided with a wave of ideas. As India’s leading advertiser, marketing, and media professionals’ festival, Goafest is not only a calendar-based event it’s a celebration of brash creativity, breakthrough thinking, and the best work in India and South Asia. Organized by the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and The Advertising Club, the three-day festival served up everything from motivational keynotes and wisecracking panels to dazzling award nights and unbeatable networking alchemy.
And on Day 3, time to enter the jury room—literally.
At a session filled with power called “What Ignited the Jury Room?”, VML India’s CCO Senthil Kumar removed the layers of what actually goes into creating an ad that stands out from the pack. The easiest test for great work, says Senthil, is this: “Would you watch that film again?” Because in a world where consumers are bombarded with content, true replay value indicates emotional and creative connection.
From snappy one-liners to in-your-face brand visibility, the session took a close look at the very ads that created controversy, kudos and some standing ovations in jury rooms nationwide.
Here’s what made the list:
1. Lahori Jeera – A lesson in effortless branding. Not a single frame celebrated the product without appearing forced a visual delight that kept the brand at the forefront.
2. Veeba Desi Chinese – A refreshingly innovative idea with Chinese characters behaving like Indians. Whimsical, memorable, and tasty done with a jingle that refuses to leave your head.
3. Snickers x Rohit Shetty – Evidence that execution makes all the difference. Although the underlying idea was known, the Bollywood treatment given to it added blockbuster vigor and imagination.
4. Dream11 – A mix of cricketing legends and silver-screen heroes posing the question, “Aapki team mein kaun hai?” It’s dialogue-driven storytelling driven by quick-witted dialogues and cultural chemistry.
5. Adani – This advert narrated a richer story of change: “Pehle pankha aayega, phir bijli aayegi.” From rural development being at its heart, this stood out for its emotional storytelling and social footprint.
Senthil’s session didn’t only analyze good advertising it honored its soul. From witty one-liners to mission-focused narratives, it reminded us that the most iconic campaigns are the ones that feel something, mean something, and do something.
As Goafest 2025 goes on to stage its biggest conversations and creative leaps, sessions like this one reaffirm that advertising, done perfectly, is not only effective it’s indelible.
-Priya Lalwani
