Unity is now Voldemort in advertising

Once upon a time, unity was advertising’s golden retriever. Harmless, tail-wagging, it made everyone feel warm. 'Mile Sur Mera Tumhara', cricket montages, Diwali ads with 18 families in one frame… job done. Now? You say the U-word in a creative brief and you can practically hear the legal team loading their disclaimers.

We’ve gone from 'We’re all in this together' to 'Please select your subculture, preferred pronouns and acceptable colour palette before we show you the ad.'

Why?

Because outrage is cheaper than a media plan. Everyone’s got a magnifying glass and WiFi. Unity is too big a target to survive the comment section.

Because the tribe's economy pays better than the nation-building economy. Micro-targeting gets you better ROI than ‘Bharat Ek Khoj’ vibes.

Because brands are now less about courage and more about crisis control. A safe ad today is one that offends no one, moves no one, and says nothing

The irony?

Consumers still want unity; they just want it in the WhatsApp group they trust, not onthe billboard they scroll past.

Can Unity make a comeback without brands risking polarisation?

Only if we stop treating it like a creative execution and start seeing it as a culturalproject. Unity can’t just ‘return’ in a 45-second spot; it needs to be rehabilitated inhow brands think, act and show up.

For that to happen:

1. We need to decouple unity from ideology. Right now, the word is loaded. It’s either co-opted by political symbolism or feared as one. Brands need to reclaim unity as a human truth rather than a political statement anchored in shared human experiences like joy, grief, aspiration, or even humour.

2. We need cultural intermediaries again. In the ’80s and ’90s, Doordarshan, radio, and marquee sports events acted asnatural national campfires. Today’s media is splintered every audience is in their algorithmic bubble. Unity can’t make a comeback unless brands and platforms investin creating new ‘shared spaces’ where those bubbles can overlap.

3. We need brands to play the long game. Unity can’t survive if it’s a one-off festive stunt. It has to be baked into brandbehaviour over the years, the way Amul made wit and topicality a permanent brandmuscle. Sporadic unity feels opportunistic; sustained unity becomes credible.

4. We need to shift from message to meaning. The risk isn’t in saying ‘we’re all together,’ it’s in saying it without proof. Brands mustlead with actions, partnerships, and product experiences that embody togetherness. The advertising then becomes the documentation of that reality, not the invention ofit.

5. We need to redefine ‘mass’ for a fragmented age. Unity doesn’t have to mean ‘everyone at once.’ It can mean ‘many, differently,’ aseries of diverse voices stitched together into a bigger whole. The frame has toexpand to fit contradictions rather than avoid them.

So, no, we don’t need another ‘Mile Sur Mera Tumhara’ as a nostalgia replica.We need the conditions that made Mile Sur possible:A willingness to invest in something bigger than quarterly sales; Cultural spaces where different Indians see themselves side by side.

Until then, unity will stay in the locked drawer marked: ‘Great idea. Not worth the Twitter storm.’

This article is penned by Mitul Shah, Founder & CCO at Calculated Chaos.

Disclaimer: The article features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the stance of the publication.