A tale of two campaigns: Borrowing from the past without looking at recent history?

Ideas don’t emerge in isolation. They are shaped by shared cultural touchpoints—films, books, music, and collective memories. This often leads to cultural coincidences, where different creators arrive at similar concepts independently. 

But when two major brands roll out campaigns referencing the same film within months of each other, the conversation shifts from coincidence to creative dilution. That’s exactly what happened with Oppo and Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island. 

Both brands tapped into the nostalgia of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (ZNMD) to position themselves uniquely—Oppo to highlight the Reno13’s camera capabilities and Reno’s stance of ‘Live in the Moment’, and Yas Island to position itself as a dream destination for Indian travellers.

However, Excel Entertainment—the production house behind ZNMD—licensed the film’s rights to both brands within a short span, leading to an unintended brand overlap. The result? Two high-profile campaigns that, instead of reinforcing their distinct messaging, risked diluting each other’s impact.

Oppo’s playbook: Leveraging Bollywood nostalgia

Oppo and Famous Innovations have a history of using Bollywood nostalgia to craft emotionally resonant campaigns. Before ZNMD, the brand had successfully reassembled Ranbir Kapoor and Konkona Sen Sharma for a WakeUp Sid-inspired campaign, tapping into a generation’s love for the coming-of-age film. The strategy worked—fans responded to the emotional pull, and the campaign stood out in a sea of smartphone advertising.

Building on this momentum, Oppo and Famous Innovations sought to repurpose the nostalgia of ZNMD, linking it to the Reno13’s ability to capture fleeting moments, coming from the brand’s tagline ‘Live in the Moment’. The brand chose not to reunite the original cast but instead introduced a younger trio—Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ishaan Khatter, and Vedang Raina—to make the campaign more relevant to Gen Z. The idea was to translate the film’s theme of spontaneity into something new rather than simply recreate the past.

Yas Island took a more literal approach, bringing back ZNMD’s original stars—Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, and Abhay Deol. The campaign wasn’t just inspired by the film—it recreated its essence, banking on the reunion factor to drive emotional engagement.

It was a well-calculated move. For a destination brand targeting Indian travellers, the film’s legacy provided the perfect backdrop—ZNMD, after all, was about adventure, friendship, and unforgettable experiences.

Yet, despite its distinct objectives, Yas Island landed in the same cultural space at the same time, creating a scenario where nostalgia didn’t feel exclusive to it. The challenge wasn’t in execution—it was in perception.

When nostalgia becomes overkill

Consumer attention is fleeting, and repetitive messaging erodes impact. When two brands reference the same film in quick succession, the emotional effect weakens. Instead of triggering fond memories, the campaigns risk blurring into each other.

Timing was the critical misstep here. Oppo launched its campaign in January 2025, while Yas Island’s campaign followed in March. A two-month gap might seem like a safe distance, but in a digital-first world where content spreads rapidly, this proximity created a branding challenge. 

For Yas Island, the ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ reunion lost some of its novelty because another campaign had already played with the film’s nostalgia.

The result? A devaluation of exclusivity.

The bigger question: Borrow or build?

This scenario raises a fundamental question for marketers—is it better to borrow nostalgia from pop culture, or should brands focus on creating their own cultural moments?

Borrowing from existing cultural properties is effective. It shortcuts emotional connection by leveraging memories that audiences already cherish. However, as seen in these two brands’ case, it also comes with risks: lack of differentiation, creative redundancy, and dependency on external entities (in this case, Excel Entertainment’s licensing deals).

The key difference between the two approaches was this - for Oppo Reno13, we started with the brand first. Our task was to bring alive their global tagline ‘Live in the Moment’ and the phone’s camera capabilities.

ZNMD proved to be a pop culture vehicle that also delivered the same message and hence fit with the brand’s purpose. When nostalgia is just done for the sake of nostalgia, the brand becomes too dependent. 

Crafting a more sustainable approach

For brands considering nostalgia-driven marketing, the real challenge isn’t in borrowing cultural references—it’s in making them feel fresh and ownable. There are some significant learnings for marketers from Oppo and Yas Island’s overlap. 

The first is to assess timing and competitive landscape. If a pop-culture reference is in play, check if competitors are leveraging the same space. If yes, evaluate whether your execution will still feel distinctive.

They also need to prioritise long-term brand building over short-term engagement. While nostalgia can boost instant recall, investing in original brand narratives leads to stronger equity in the long run.

Brands need to use nostalgia as a springboard, not a crutch. The best nostalgia-driven campaigns don’t just recreate past moments—they reinterpret them for a new audience. Oppo succeeded in doing this with its cast choice, while Yas Island relied more on replication.

They should also think beyond film licensing. Bollywood nostalgia works, but brands should explore broader cultural moments—sports, music, internet trends, or even consumer behaviour shifts—as triggers for emotional connection.

Nostalgia remains a powerful marketing tool, but its impact depends on execution and exclusivity. If multiple brands tap into the same cultural memory too closely, the magic fades.

Ultimately, the most powerful form of nostalgia isn’t the one you borrow—it’s the one you create.

- Sumit Chaurasia, creative head at Famous Innovations worked on the Oppo Reno13 campaign.