Every year, thousands of startups are launched in India. They invest heavily in product development, packaging, websites, and digital marketing. But when it comes to advertising, many founders make one of two common mistakes.
The first mistake is avoiding advertising altogether because they believe it is too expensive.
The second is spending most of their marketing budget on a celebrity, assuming that a famous face alone will make the product successful.
Unfortunately, neither approach guarantees brand growth.
The Street Stall vs The Premium Juice Brand
Imagine walking down a busy street.
On one side, there is a small juice stall with no branding. The juice may be fresh and delicious, but very few people stop because nothing attracts their attention.
Next to it is another juice kiosk with a clean design, professional branding, attractive product display, consistent colours, and customers waiting in line.
The product inside both stalls could be equally good.
But consumers don’t buy only the product.
They buy confidence.
Branding changes perception before the customer even takes the first sip.
Advertising works in exactly the same way.
A great product without great presentation often struggles to compete against an average product with excellent branding.
The Celebrity Myth
Many startup founders believe,
“If we hire a celebrity, people will automatically buy our product.”
In reality, consumers usually remember the celebrity—but forget the brand.
A celebrity can attract attention.
Only a creative idea can create recall.
Think about the advertisements people still remember years later.
Most are remembered because of a clever story, an emotional moment, or a humorous twist—not simply because a celebrity appeared in them.
A celebrity should strengthen a creative campaign, not replace it.
Creativity Gives Small Brands a Chance
One of the biggest advantages of social media is that creativity often beats budget.
A funny 20-second Reel.
A relatable situation.
A surprising opening hook.
A strong emotional ending.
These ideas can outperform expensive campaigns because people share content that entertains or connects with them emotionally.
Today’s audience doesn’t say,
“Show me an advertisement.”
They say,
“Show me something worth watching.”
That is why storytelling has become more valuable than traditional selling.
The Biggest Fear of Indian Startups
Many startups delay advertising because they think,
“First we’ll become successful, then we’ll invest in branding.”
But the reality is often the opposite.
Brands become successful because they invest in branding early.
Advertising is not an expense after success.
It is one of the investments that helps create success.
Even a limited budget can produce powerful results when focused on one memorable campaign instead of dozens of ordinary posts.
Build a Brand, Not Just Content
Every social media post should answer one question:
Will people remember our brand tomorrow?
Random videos create views.
Creative advertising creates memory.
Memory creates trust.
Trust creates customers.
And customers create businesses.
The Mayhigh Films Philosophy
At Mayhigh Films, every campaign begins with an idea—not with a celebrity.
Led by Ad Film Director LD Sharma and Creative Head Ira Audichya, the team believes that the strongest advertising campaigns are built on creative storytelling, emotional connection, humour, and memorable visual experiences. Celebrities can amplify a campaign, but the foundation must always be a powerful concept.
Whether it’s a startup launching its first product or an established FMCG or cosmetic brand entering a competitive market, the goal remains the same: create advertising that people choose to watch, remember, and share.
Because in today’s digital world, the biggest brands are not always the ones with the biggest advertising budgets—they are the ones with the biggest ideas.
