To let:
A vintage 4 by 4 box. Unused since 2019, give or take. Fully unfurnished. Rent - one, simple, mindblowing idea which doesn’t ‘think outside the box.’ An idea so genuine, it lights up the box like Jaipur on Diwali night. Rooted, insightful, sweet. 
No mental gymnastics needed.

Advertising, as I see it now is broadly divided into a) making a chest thumping manifesto for your brand with Akshay/Shahrukh/Salman/Mr. Bachchan b) riding on the self-deprecating humour of an influencer with the freshest FIR in town, c) nostalgia baiting, the lure of ‘yaad hein woh din’ and, the one I personally have a personal enmity against - d) the rebel without a cause... maybe some cashback. Definitely no cause. 

We’re a nation rooting for the underdog. So what do we do? Invent one in our brand narratives. Every brand operating for the Gen Z wants to be seen as the outsider. No nepo kids here. No chamchas, we’re on the streets with our signs and we’re going to start a movement, break the rules, make a new world. Except - when everyone is a rebel, who is left to rebel against?

Commodified dissent. It’s almost formulaic. Pick up a 'social knot' (HAVE IT APPROVED BY LEGAL!), tie it in with the product and call it authentic. It used to work beautifully - when there were campaigns like 'Jaago Re'. A campaign that truly spoke for activation, not just consumption. 

Remember the subtle rebellion in the Liril ad? At the time of writing this, I did some research and saw that it was actually quite groundbreaking in Indian advertising to show women of the time break out of daily confines and be one with nature. A true roar to ‘feel free’ from domestic routine. 

The Amul topical ads are the closest we have left of rebellion as commentary. Here’s exactly where I think brands are being silly - instead of making rebellion a brand strategy, even just a tone of voice - they’re making it their entire identity. 

“We want to say something new.” says every brand. Add two megatons of mandatories and every other ad comes out all the same. Break the rules - live your life - be different (and inbred permutations and lofty combinations of it.” 

• A t-shirt brand says ‘reject hype’ - sure. How?
• An audio brand tells me to ‘plug in, not fit in’ - As if buying bluetooth headphones are a political act 
• A condom brand turns orgasm inequality into a hashtag. 
• A kulfi brand is all about living the slow life, in giving sweet resistance to hustle culture. The end slate calls for you to order it on a Q-comm site NOW NOW NOW.

Everyone is rebelling against the system, from inside an ad. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a problem that they have something to say - I just think they all want the execution to be anti-go-with-the-flow, but they’re all rebelling against the same ominous 'them.'

Real rebellion should make people uncomfortable. Maybe it lies in silence. Brands that do the work before they speak. Brands that create and not co-opt. Brands that show up instead of showing off. 

Until then - rebellion is a content format. One can decipher that someone on the client team said “let’s do something crazy, bold.” That’s okay too - starting conversations is one way to rebel. Just make sure you’re not rebelling against something real. Define it. Study it. Don’t make it another aesthetic. 

Until then, go back to the box. 
The empty four by four box, lying vacant. All of us have forsaken it for an ‘out of the box’ idea. Fill it with magic and wonder and all the things that made you believe. 
Whatever happened to, ‘Keep it simple, silly?’

The author is head – creative and brand communication, Kult. This article first appeared in the November issue of Manifest, which can be purchased here.