CRED’s New Gautam Gambhir Ad Pushes the Limits of Bizarre Marketing

CRED’s latest campaign featuring Gautam Gambhir is surreal, unsettling, and meme-ready. The ad dives into AI absurdity while leaving viewers both entertained and confused about what the brand actually does.

When Advertising Turns Absurd

CRED has once again leaned into its signature formula—make something so strange that people cannot look away. The new commercial with Indian cricket team coach Gautam Gambhir takes this idea to the extreme. In the spot, a grotesque scene unfolds as a head perched on an ice cream cone licks Gambhir before they morph into a giant cone. The marketer proudly claims the ad was generated using artificial intelligence, only for Gambhir to smash his laptop in frustration.

AI as the Punchline

Beneath the shock factor lies a clever cultural wink at the current obsession with AI. The ad mocks the idea that machines can generate spectacle, but it is humans who truly understand timing and humor. The tension between AI-driven creativity and human instinct becomes the hidden commentary, even if it is wrapped in chaos.

Classic CRED Playbook

This is not new territory for CRED. The brand has built its identity around unforgettable, meme-worthy moments that blur the line between sense and nonsense. Rahul Dravid’s viral “Indiranagar ka gunda” and the celebrity auditions spot are perfect examples. Everyone remembers the jokes and characters, but fewer people actually recall that CRED is a platform for paying credit card bills. With this new Gambhir ad, the brand stays consistent with its strategy—generate buzz first, explain later.

Hidden in the Madness

Amid the surreal storytelling is a partnership with Instamart. Users who pay their credit card bills on CRED during Asia Cup matches could win ice cream, tying the bizarre visuals back to an actual product offering. While the link feels stretched, it shows CRED’s ability to mask simple campaigns under layers of cultural oddity, ensuring conversations around the ad extend far beyond the offer itself.

Why It Works Anyway

For most brands, such bizarre ads might be a risk. But for CRED, the unpredictability is the brand. The strangeness generates memes, trending conversations, and virality across platforms. In an age where attention is the most valuable currency, CRED knows that being unforgettable is sometimes more effective than being understood.

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