Ad spot: Nike, Crocs, Netflix India and more

Last week’s ads explored cultural belonging, revived a rivalry, and celebrated individuality, reflecting shifting approaches to storytelling and self-expression.

02 Feb 2026 17:02 IST

New Update

Last week's standout campaigns arrived with boldness and intention, each tackling a different facet of brand storytelling, whether through cultural reflection, competitive jabs, or philosophical reinvention.

Netflix marked a full decade in India with a film narrated by Shah Rukh Khan, tracing the platform's journey from foreign curiosity to cultural fixture. The film captures this evolution through a subtle linguistic shift: from "Netflix pe kya dekha?" (what did you watch) to "Netflix pe kya dekhein?" (what should we watch). The change reflects how the platform moved from individual viewing to shared experience, learning to belong to the region by making global stories feel local and giving local stories global reach.

Pepsi, meanwhile, went straight for the throat. In a Super Bowl LX spot set to air February 8, the brand does something audacious: it recruits one of Coca-Cola's iconic polar bears. The ad shows the white bear, a Coke symbol since 1993 (and as far back as 1922 in print), switching allegiance to Pepsi Zero Sugar. It's the latest salvo in the cola wars, but this time Pepsi isn't just taking shots; it's claiming territory that Coke has held for generations. The move escalates decades of rivalry into something more symbolic.

Crocs took a different approach entirely. The footwear brand unveiled ‘Wonderfully Unordinary,’ its first global campaign since 2017's ‘Come As You Are.’ This isn't just a refresh but a narrative evolution, from belonging to becoming.

The 90-second film, created with agency Flower Shop and director Adam Berg, follows mannequins brought to life as they experience the world for the first time. It's a metaphor for self-expression in an age of algorithmic sameness, speaking to younger consumers who see individual perspective as something worth protecting.

Let's take a closer look at what made these campaigns worth watching.