Exceptional R Balki campaigns on social media

From Lintas to Lowe Lintas to Lintas and Partners, to Mullen Lowe Lintas; from Humara Bajaj to Gondappa; from Doordarshan to YouTube – the industry changed, but, that one name didn’t! (Ou)R Balki – existed, evolved, and escalated the industry into the raw, bold Mad Men era.

The man who walked out of the Madras Film Institute because he didn’t like the interviewers’ panel took little time in unleashing sheer passion in his career. Balki knew what the audience needed even before they did – he ushered the era of catchy jingles in the 90s and induced storytelling in short format advertising a decade later.

Shashi Shankar, CMO, Idea Cellular once shared the dilemma that the telecom brand was going through when the network first started advertising. They didn’t have the advantage of a strong network, or reach at that point; it was then that Balki came up with Idea ads that narrated short tales in a span of a minute and a half.

And there is no forgetting the revolution that he heaved with #HelpAChildReach5 on social media.

It is impossible to encapsulate the magic called Balki in one article, all we can do is take a walk down the memory lane. Presenting, the digital marvels carved by the Mad Man of Indian advertising.

Google #TogetherOnline First Day

First Day, a moving narrative of a girl who reminisces how her mother stood for her during the first day of school and feels the same love and pride when her mother learns to use the internet. The digital video commercial was released to promote Google’s #TogetherOnline initiative.

Lifebuoy Tree of Life

Utari’s story was one that got the world to face the reality of the number of lives lost before turning 5. Lifebuoy’s #HelpAChildReach5 was a moving account of Lifebuoy’s dedication towards bettering and protecting lives.

YouTube Head Spin

It was Balki that captured the heartbreaking pain of a buffering YouTube video. The simple yet funny campaign marked the launch of YouTube offline.

Hum Honge Kamyab

One of the first video campaigns to successfully capture the never dying start-up spirit. The campaign aced content marketing by marketing Paper Boat in the most subtle way possible.

#AajKhaneMainKyaHai

Yet another campaign that touched us right in the feels. Across ages and cultures, the one woe that stays consistent is Bhindi for dinner. Capturing the almost national issue with some chuckles, #AajKhaneMainKyaHai redefined Faaso’s changing proposition with creativity.

Sometimes it was rib-tickling humour and at times a tear-jerker, Balki always made us think and re-think. On the brighter side we get more of gems like Cheeni Kum and Paa, but, it is safe to say that Indian Advertising shan’t be the same again.