If 2025’s Ad Land had a mood board, it would be meme, mic drop and meaning. Muzz dragged every “ghar walay nahi maanay” guy and left him on read. Kenwood’s father-in-law’s roast became an AC flex. And The Nerve!’s barbed jewellery PSA cut deep without a word. Conglo threw Talha and Shaheen into the meme blender and hit viral. BBDO? They sold a bank with cat reels and a wink.

Brand: Muzz

Agency: In-house
Campaign: #NiyyatSaafHai
Message: When “Ghar walay nahi maanay” becomes the national breakup line, switch to Muzz
Effectiveness: We have all been there, sitting across from a guy who was all “you’re the one” until he suddenly remembered he’s got a strict ami and a cousin he is “sort of promised to.” Muzz’s latest ad takes that painfully relatable moment and spins it into a no-holds-barred takedown of commitment phobia. Add to that the amazing protagonists whose untimely wails make us all go “damn girl, we feel you!”
Verdict: Muzz nails it. A savage, spot-on campaign that finally says what every girl has been texting on the group chat.

Brand: Zero Lifestyle

Agency: Conglo
Campaign: Rethinking Possibilities – Zero Lifestyle Regal Smartwatch
Message: When Mr Most Streamed meets Pakistan’s premium fast bowler, virality isn’t a question, it’s a guarantee.
Effectiveness: This is what we (Conglo) do what we do best – taking two unexpected worlds and colliding them with the right amount of cheek. The “Kaun Talha?” hook is a masterstroke, drawing audiences in with playful banter. What could have been a standard crossover morphs into a meme fest – with Shaheen owning the ‘premium fast bowler’ bit so hard it spills over into social feeds. The smartwatch may be the product, but the real winner here is the art of nailing a viral moment without forcing it.
Verdict: Clever, calculated and undeniably Conglo. This is how you break the internet without even trying.

Brand: Kenwood

Agency: Arey Wah
Campaign: Smart Toh Hongay Hi
Message: When a son-in law meets a father-in-law, someone’s bound to break a sweat.
Effectiveness: So, here is a dynamic we rarely see. The father-in-law vs son in-law power play. Behroze Sabzwari is the classic desi dad who has seen it all and has a roast for every occasion. He zeroes in on Tabish Hashmi’s so-called ‘big job in Japan’ with a line that cuts deep, “pata wata hai nahi, Japan ja rahe hain.” Ouch. But just when you think Tabish is down for the count, he flips the script. Instead of playing defence, he goes full nerd, rattling off Kenwood AC specs with the confidence of a guy who has just watched 12 hours of appliance infomercials. The result? A fumbling Mr Know-It-All trumped by a damad who plays it out of the park.
Verdict: Sharp, funny and the kind of family banter we rarely see in ads. Arey Wah played it cooler than Kenwood’s T3 on this one!

Brand: Centre for Human Rights (CFHR)

Agency: And The Nerve!
Campaign: Kaante Na Lagao
Message: A quiet but piercing call to rethink what we call ‘security.’
Effectiveness: This communication carries a haunting weight – from the imagery of a bride bound in barbed jewellery to the palpable absence of Ibrahim Baloch in every frame. Fahad Hussayn and the Centre for Human Rights turn bridal finery into a prison, a symbol of the agency that is denied through nikahnama crosses. And The Nerve! led by women who know the unspoken boundaries all too well, this communication delivers a silent gut-punch with precision and power.
Verdict: Unflinching and gut-wrenching, ‘*Kaante Na Lagao’* flips the script, shedding light on how women are stripped of their agency every day.

Brand: Easypaisa

Agency: BBDO Pakistan & IMPACT BBDO
Campaign: Easy Wala Bank
Message: Don’t like ads? Cool. Here’s a cat reel instead.
Effectiveness: This is BBDO flipping the script, taking the ‘ads suck’ sentiment and running with it. Instead of shoving a bank pitch down your throat, they serve up cat reels, travel montages and celeb clips – the stuff you actually watch. And just when you are about to scroll past, they hit you with the hook: “You hate ads, we hate complicated banking. That’s why Easypaisa is now the Easy wala bank.” It’s clever, it’s casual, and it’s exactly the kind of anti-ad that makes you stop and listen.
Verdict: This is how you reintroduce a brand without the usual chest-thumping. BBDO keeps it playful and light and nails the art of
the soft sell.

Emen Iftikhar Kiani is Chief Creative, Conglo. emen@conglolife.com