Advertisers tearing up the old playbook

Zandu Balm is more than 100 years old. Yet its latest campaign, #UndoWithZandu, speaks directly to Gen Z, taking on doomscrolling and “tech neck”. It isn’t alone. Legacy brands from Bajaj Pulsar and Sunsilk to VIP Bags and even Badshah Masala are flexing Gen Z lingo.

Don’t dismiss it as aura farming. The numbers explain the rush. India’s 377 million Gen Zs, born between 1997 and 2012, already account for 43% of the country’s consumption spending, worth about $860 billion, according to a joint report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Snap Inc.