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New Delhi: BuzzInContent’s annual roundup is back, celebrating the most creative, culturally resonant, and impactful branded content campaigns from 2025.
This year, brands truly embraced storytelling across formats: films, podcasts, OTT series, reels, documentaries, and even gaming livestreams.
What stands out is the shift from overt advertising to narrative-rich content that blurs the line between entertainment, education, and engagement.
These 20 picks highlight brands that went beyond campaigns and created cultural moments.
1. Manyavar – The Manyavar Shaadi Show
Indian ethnic wear brand Manyavar partnered with Karan Johar for a YouTube talk-show series exploring modern Indian weddings. With candid conversations featuring real couples and wedding professionals, the series blended style, sentiment, and cultural insight. It stood out by celebrating rituals while acknowledging the evolving dynamics of Indian families, reinforcing Manyavar’s emotional connection to the wedding ecosystem.
Naukri.com – Hardly Working (Season 2)
Returning to Disney+ Hotstar, Naukri’s workplace comedy series dove into India’s office culture with observational humour and comic timing. Season 2 continued capturing work-life quirks through five engaging episodes, offering relatable laughs to young professionals. It solidified Naukri’s identity not just as a job portal, but a voice for India’s working population.
3. Dove India – The Reborn Collective
Dove reimagined empowerment with “The Reborn Collective,” combining podcasts, unscripted interviews, and a stirring anthem. Real women and public figures shared stories of resilience and reinvention. The campaign resonated deeply with audiences seeking strength and authenticity, reinforcing Dove’s purpose-driven ethos in a crowded beauty category.
4. WhatsApp – Baatan Hi Baatan Mein
A 10-minute short film told a heartfelt love story of a rural couple separated by distance and literacy barriers. WhatsApp’s voice notes became the emotional medium, transforming a utility feature into a storytelling tool. Premiered in local theatres and OTT platforms, this campaign spotlighted Bharat audiences and proved that long-form narratives still hold power.
5. OnePlus – The Edge of Time
Shot entirely on the OnePlus 15 and in Dolby Vision, this four-part series documented creators like Masaba Gupta and Ranveer Brar as they preserved endangered traditions. More than a tech demo, it blended cinematic visuals with cultural preservation, showing how smartphones could capture heritage with reverence.
6. Ching’s Secret – Ranveer Ching Returns
With a Rs 150 crore production budget, this over-the-top short film starring Ranveer Singh as Agent Ching spoofed spy thrillers. Directed by Atlee and packed with stunts, humour and masala, it pushed the limits of what branded entertainment can be—loud, fun, memorable and deeply rooted in pop culture.
7. Myntra – Myntra Mohalla
Instagram Reels became the platform for a six-episode micro-drama celebrating small-town wedding preparations. Through humour, fashion dilemmas, and digital creators, Myntra showcased its wedding collection in a way that was both organic and delightful. A true celebration of India’s wedding season as an emotion, not an event.
8. MuscleBlaze – India’s Strongest Unknowns
This emotional docu-series told the stories of India’s underdog athletes, focusing on their grit and sacrifice. It slowed down storytelling in an age of reels, proving that long-form formats still work when authenticity is at the core. It resonated with fitness communities and won hearts for its sincerity.
9. UNAIDS India – Ghotul (Short Film)
Launched on the International Day of the Girl Child, this powerful short film drew on tribal customs to discuss adolescent sexuality, consent, and education. By merging local tradition with progressive messaging, UNAIDS delivered a culturally grounded narrative that sparked real social conversations.
10. Maybelline x Terribly Tiny Tales – POOKIE
A Gen Z romance told through snackable episodes, “POOKIE” was equal parts love story and brand integration. By trusting TTT’s storytelling and launching across Instagram and YouTube, Maybelline showed that even beauty brands can win loyalty through fiction-first storytelling.
11. Stayfree turns casting rejections into campaign fuel to tackle period stigma
Stayfree’s 2025 Daughters’ Day campaign, From Rejections to Conversations, flips a creative roadblock into a powerful narrative tool. Conceptualised by DDB Mudra, the film reveals that 70% of parents refused to let their sons participate in last year’s menstrual awareness campaign. Rather than shy away, Stayfree leaned into the discomfort—spotlighting candid chats between a creator mom and those hesitant parents. The result is a bold, self-reflective branded content piece that pushes India’s period stigma into the open.
12. ITC – Mitti Mera Desh
These mini-docs humanised sustainable farming by showing real farmers using eco-friendly methods. By turning CSR into content, ITC gave urban audiences a window into rural innovation. Its success lay in combining policy with people, numbers with narratives.
13. Horlicks x Hoichoi – Chhoto Byomkesh
Reimagining a childhood detective for OTT, Horlicks co-produced a regional series to entertain and educate. The character’s curiosity aligned perfectly with the brand’s nourishment message. It marked a rare branded foray into regional fiction with true creative merit.
14. Britannia Bourbon – BourbonIt 2.0
An interactive voice-led dessert challenge in 7 languages made this biscuit campaign stand out. By using recipes, user participation, and regional creators, Britannia turned a snack into a storytelling moment. The inclusive tech made it both novel and nostalgic.
15. Noice – The Honest Party
With comics from the AIB alumni, Noice turned Diwali party chaos into a hilarious sketch, making audiences laugh while subtly introducing the snack brand. Nostalgia, relatability, and crisp writing made this a breakout hit on social media.
16. Swiggy x Britannia – Croissant or Prashant?
A 16-year-old’s viral blooper became a cross-brand cultural moment. Swiggy redirected search results, Britannia joined in, and even celebrities chimed in. This spontaneous, meme-first campaign exemplified real-time branded content and agility done right.
17. Johnson’s Baby – The Golden Minute: Why First 60 Seconds After Birth Matter Most
The emotional film about neonatal resuscitation shone a light on Johnson’s real-world impact. It was equal parts awareness and tribute to frontline workers. The use of a cradle song and cinematic treatment added gravitas to a life-saving story.
18. Adani Foundation – Arthik Azadi
This trilogy of micro-films captured how financial freedom affects everyday agency. From sarees to autorickshaws, the symbolism was potent and understated. By keeping branding minimal, the foundation gained trust and applause for storytelling rooted in realism.
19. Kotak Mahindra Bank – Hausla Empowered
A docu-series on entrepreneurs from small cities, it broke the mold of startup glorification. By showing struggles and Kotak’s real support, it blended inspiration with utility, earning both brand recall and content credibility.
20. NESCAFÉ – Latte & Loot Minecraft Invasion
By inserting cold coffee into Minecraft livestreams, NESCAFÉ won over Gen Z gamers with humour and seamless integration. Livestreams drew millions of views, proving that content, when fun and native to the platform, can outperform traditional ads.
2025 was a landmark year for branded content in India. These campaigns prove that when brands invest in narrative, cultural insight, and authenticity, they can transcend ads and become part of audience memory. Whether through social justice films, snackable comedy, or tech-powered docu-series, storytelling ruled—and the kingdom just got a lot more creative.