Pepsi, Goibibo, Max Fashion, Licious, raise a glass to friendship

Here's a look at some of this year's stand out friendship day ads.

How many times have you sung ‘Har ek friend zaroori hota hai’ during a friend’s farewell, or texted your friend if you’re feeling sad or happy? Over the years, we have seen many iconic ads with catchy jingles, like Airtel’s ‘Har Ek Friend Zaroori Hota Hai', Docomo’s journey jingle, McDowell No.1 yaari etc., that have created marketing propositions based on friendships.

Friendship Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of August every year. This year, it falls on August 6 (Sunday). While this day was all about greeting cards earlier, it isn’t the case anymore, thanks to mobile phones, social media, etc.

To mark Friendship Day, brands have tried to create emotional and heartfelt ads over the years. Have the ads changed over the years?

Here are some Friendship Day ads that have stood out this year:

Pepsi teams up with Zakir Khan

In an exciting twist, Pepsi has teamed up with stand-up icon Zakir Khan to inspire friends to ‘Rise Up’ from the ‘friendzone’ situation. The campaign aims to empower youngsters to be true friends and help their buddies to break free from the dreaded friendzone.

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In the ad, Khan is seen with his signature comedic flair. He states, “Yeh jo friendzone hai na, yeh danger zone hai. Isse nikalo, bhaago, aur koi dost fassa hai toh use bachchao. Kyuki doston ki bhi zimmedari hoti hai. Friendzone ke chakkar se you’ve got to Rise Up Baby!”

Licious brings King, Clown and Colonel together

Licious’ new ad sees an amused Clown enter its kitchen with a red balloon. A Colonel and King follow him soon after.

A Licious team member at the counter nervously looks on, just as the sound of the bursting balloon breaks the tension. The Clown, King and Colonel burst into laughter, before breaking into a group hug. The Licious team member finally breathes a sigh of relief and gets busy preparing crispy chicken, kebabs and other Licious delicacies for his guests.

The party gets rolling with selfies and jokes, as the three friends dig into juicy chicken wings and burgers. The ad ends by bringing together the King (Burger King), Clown (McDonald’s) and the Colonel (Licious).

Goibibo unveils #FriendsWithBenefits campaign

Goibibo’s #FriendsWithBenefits campaign emphasises the value of friendships, sprinkled with some unreal perks. The campaign reintroduces a way to earn more from Goibobo’s acclaimed goCash initiative with the launch of the SyncN’Cash feature.

The ad opens up a world of shared travel rewards for every Goibibo user. This film’s take is a wordplay on the concept to highlight the benefits of the ‘SyncN’Cash’ feature.

The ad sheds light on the struggles of today’s youth in different social settings, as they seek out friendships that offer something extra. It puts emphasis on the concept of shared travel experiences and rewards.

Max Fashion’s ‘Friendship Beyond Words’

The heartening one-minute film opens with a boy, Ved, entering a Max Fashion store with his parents. He runs inside the store to meet a Max team member he is friends with, who is specially-abled. The duo greet each other and Ved goes on to wish her ‘Happy Friendship Day’ in sign language.

The girl gets emotional and gives Ved a hug. They then start smiling. She goes on to ask him about her friendship band is and Ved ties one on her wrist.

ShareChat celebrates ‘Dosti Ke trends’

The ShareChat app has unveiled a heartwarming topical film, titled ‘Dosti Ke Trends’. It celebrates the timeless essence of friendship in today’s fast-paced world.

The film features a heartfelt message from the narrator to his busy friend. Despite the challenges of work and daily responsibilities, physical meet-ups for fun and cherished moments may be limited – no more fooling around outside the house or sharing delicious parathas or smashing birthday cakes. The dream of a Goa trip may be on hold, but the narrator assures that the bond still remains intact.

Sending humorous memes, tagging in exciting Goa posts, engaging in heartfelt video calls with both the friend and their mother, and sharing breaking news headlines, the narrator pledges to stand by their side, bridging any distance.

The film beautifully captures the strong connection that continues to thrive between friends.