Top 5 Ad Campaigns 2025: Redefining Bonds in a Changing World

Zomato's "Fuel the Hustle": Celebrating the Grind Over Glamour 

Zomato started the year with a paradigm shift campaign, abandoning its traditional food-based advertisements in favor of a more philosophical approach.

Entitled Fuel the Hustle,created by LoudMouth Film, the project aimed at the gritty nature of ambition and hard work, asking some probing questions, such as, what is their secret ingredient? and arriving at the conclusion that success is nothing but hard hustling.

The ad film included historical footage of the struggling days of Shah Rukh Khan, AR Rahman at his early recording sessions, Mary Kom in the middle of rigorous training, and Jasprit Bumrah in the gym by himself. Interestingly, there was no page promotion of app, pictures of food, or calls-to-action, just the manifesto with the Zomato logo at the end. 

This was a strategic shift of direction by Zomato, as it tried to establish brand affinity beyond transacting. Founder Deepinder Goyal defined it in social media and positioned the brand as the facilitation of daily ambition by saying: A belief in effort over everything else.

The cinematic quality of the campaign, along with the influence of its star, became compared to the Apple commercial Crazy Ones, thereby attracting debates on Instagram and X.

Although it was well-regarded in terms of craft and inspirational spirit, critics were surprised at its lavish budget, implying that it could be used to benefit delivery partners. Effects were visible: Zomato announced an increased activity of users, as the profits in FY25 reached Rs 527 crore, compared to 351 crore last year. It also acted as subtle employer branding, which brought in talent in a competitive tech market. 

The campaign was targeted at ambitious millennials and Gen Z and was launched in digital channels and gained millions of views and shares. Its unique feature? No hard sell, just inspiration, which demonstrates that in 2025, advertisements would no longer be about product but would reflect ideologies.