Do you remember when adverts felt like mini movies? Why people skip ads?
When did chocolates grow out of the ground in that iconic Cadbury Gems advert? When did the Vodafone pug become so famous that we genuinely called the breed “the Vodafone wala dog”? Or when “Bunty, tera sabun slow hai kya?” from Lifebuoy became less of a line and more of a life philosophy?
And how could anyone forget the gloriously ridiculous 5 Star campaigns that made absolutely no sense yet lived rent-free in our heads? Or the last memorable advert, “FOGG chal raha hai!”
Advertisements once felt like guests in our living rooms. Now, they feel like uninvited notifications, blinding flashes and chaos of trends chasing virality and relatablitity. In the current global capitalist work, ads are the new pollution and we are living amongst them- from billboards to buses, metros to mobile, shopping bags to cinema everything is marketing, or maybe just too much of everything.
So what changed?
The Era When We Waited for Ad Breaks
I grew up watching the Mahashay Dharampal Gulati uncle from MDH, smiling at us daily. I remember waiting for commercial breaks during films not to grab water – but to watch what would come next.
There was a certain rawness. A certain madness. A child holding up colourful Poppins saying “kya loge?” with dramatic flair. A cheeky Centre Fruit advert built entirely around awkward humour. A fizzy, mischievous Limca moment that made you crave both the drink and the vibe.
These adverts weren’t just selling products. They were selling moods, catchphrases, and inside jokes for an entire generation.
The Rise of Ad Blindness
Fast forward to today, and we have something called ad blindness.
People are not relating to ads anymore because we are overwhelmed. We scroll past sponsored posts without even reading them. We instinctively look for the “Skip Ad” button before the video even loads.
There are a few reasons behind this shift:
1. Overexposure:
We don’t just see ads on television. We see them on YouTube, Instagram, websites, podcasts – even our food delivery apps. When everything is an advert, nothing feels special.
2. Algorithm Fatigue:
Modern advertising is hyper-targeted. Yes, it’s clever. But when an advert follows you around the internet because you searched for one pair of shoes, it stops feeling magical and starts feeling mildly invasive.
3. Loss of Storytelling:
Earlier, adverts felt like stories. Now, many feel like sales pitches wrapped in motivational background music. The quirkiness, the randomness, and the “what did I just watch?” factor have reduced.
4. Short Attention Spans:
In the age of reels and 10-second content, brands are fighting for seconds. Depth often gets sacrificed for speed.
Nostalgia Is Winning (Thanks to Social Media)
Ironically, while we ignore modern adverts, we lovingly recreate old ones.
People lip-sync classic jingles. Meme pages recycle punchlines. Old chocolate ads trend again. Social media has become a museum of iconic advertising.
Why? Because those ads made us feel something.
They were imperfect. Slightly dramatic. Sometimes completely nonsensical. But they were memorable.
But now Why people skip ads?
So, Are Ads Really Failing – Or Are We Changing?
Maybe adverts haven’t entirely lost their charm. Maybe we’ve just grown up.
We’re more sceptical. More aware. More distracted.
But here’s what I believe: people will relate to ads again – the moment brands stop trying so hard to sell, follow a viral hook or chase a trend and start trying to connect with people beyond the screens.
Bring back storytelling. Bring back weird humour. Bring back jingles that get stuck in our heads for no logical reason.
Because deep down, a part of us still misses waiting for the ad break.
We just don’t want to admit it, while hovering over “Skip”.
