Good and Bad PR: Sprite's AI chill vs. Saif-Ibrahim's winning wardrobe

Welcome to this week's Good and Bad PR where we rate some of the most high profile PR campaigns we've seen in India over the past two weeks. We rate each campaign by our complicated black box evaluation methodology which uses 3 assessment levels:

[Rating Metre: Hmmm… → Not bad at all! → Oof, this is awesome!]

Sprite's AI roasting AI? The nerve! 😜

Anyone who has survived an Indian summer knows heat is never just heat.

Mumbai has sticky, humid heat, Delhi has the kind that feels personally offensive, Chennai summers should be outlawed.

That’s what makes Sprite’s “Chipchipi Garmi” campaign so smart.

Instead of selling summer as one generic problem, it localises discomfort. Using AI-generated regional films with Sharvari Wagh, the campaign turns familiar heat struggles into absurdly relatable moments—like taking an ice bath in traffic—before landing on the only practical solution: a cold Sprite.

But what I found to be classically Sprite was their cleverness in using AI to mock AI itself. Over-the-top solutions meet the brand’s usual irreverence: stop overthinking, just cool down. It reminded me of Sprite’s old “Bujhaye only pyaas, baaki sab bakwaas” days. Different generation, same cheek.

When a tagline from the ‘90s still feels relevant in 2026, that’s no longer just good advertising. That’s good PR.

Rating: Oof, this is awesome!

Saif, Ibrahim's first joint ad

For Once, the Celebrity Isn’t the Shortcut. Celebrity endorsements can sometimes be the PR equivalent of panic buying. When the idea is weak, add a famous face and hope nobody asks questions.

Linen Club’s “Passion for Pure” avoids that trap.

When I first saw the ad film, my immediate thought was: if Mufasa from The Lion King had lived to watch Simba grow up, this is probably how he would have looked at him—equal parts pride, amusement, and quiet approval. 

Pairing Saif Ali Khan and Ibrahim Ali Khan for their first father-son campaign is strategic shorthand. They represent legacy, restraint, intergenerational style, and understated luxury.

Here’s the real test: people care more about people than they do about fabric. So, if the audience only remembers the celebrity moment, that’s PR for the stars, not for Linen Club. 

In this campaign, the celebrity doesn’t overpower the idea—it carries it. The father-son dynamic strengthens the brand story instead of replacing it.

Here, the casting is the campaign. And we’re here for it. 

Rating: Not bad at all!

The complexity of public health comms in India  

Eli Lilly’s “We Know Now” campaign sits in an tough place: where public health advocacy and pharmaceutical marketing could overlap.  The message is an important one. Obesity is a chronic disease, not a character flaw. In a country where weight is still treated as a moral failure rather than a medical issue, that shift matters. It deserves awareness, better diagnosis, and serious treatment.

After a PIL was filed, DGCI has halted the campaign and issued a warning against advertising of prescription drugs, even indirectly per a letter seen by Reuters. While the pharma joint has halted the campaign it has also said, per Reuters, that the guidance from DGCI has created, "significant regulatory uncertainty."

This one needs a serious policy discussion.

Rating: the very rare TBD