The psychology behind Nutella’s Ranveer Singh Diwali ad

The ad in one paragraph

Nutella’s new Diwali film is a small domestic story with a clear job: move Ferrero’s hazelnut cocoa spread from the breakfast shelf to the festive table. Brand endorser Ranveer Singh prepares his home for the celebration, a familiar scent triggers a memory of his grandmother, and he discovers the table spread is missing one thing. He places the Nutella jar at the head of the table, and the guests land the campaign line: “Diwali tastes better with Nutella.” The campaign will run on digital platforms, where festive shareability does a lot of the work.

The levers it pulls

The film works by attaching the product to an existing ritual rather than interrupting it. Three principles do the heavy lifting.

• Occasion-based mental availability. Diwali is already a strong buying and sharing occasion in India. The ad links Nutella to a precise moment—the final check before guests arrive—so the next time a host scans the festive table, the brand is more likely to come to mind. The jar is not added as a hero product; it is added as the thing that makes the scene complete.
• Affect transfer. Ranveer Singh’s high-energy persona is the vehicle. His presence gives a Western-style spread a local, festive texture and makes the brand feel like an effortless part of the celebration, not an outsider trying to belong. The ad borrows his warmth instead of explaining the product.
• Nostalgia as a bridge. The film uses a sensory cue, the fragrance of mogra flowers, to open a personal memory of his grandmother. Nutella then arrives as the missing piece in that warm family scene, borrowing the emotional weight of tradition without claiming to replace it.

What it does for the brand

The campaign widens Nutella’s role from everyday treat to festive essential. Zoher Kapuswala, marketing head at Ferrero India, framed the intent as spotlighting shared moments and showing how the spread can make a festive table feel more complete. That matters because Diwali is a concentrated window for gifting, hosting and family consumption. The advertising does not need to create desire from scratch; it needs to be the item that completes a ritual the audience already values.

What to borrow for your next campaign

Don’t invent a new habit. Find an existing ritual and show the specific point where your product becomes the missing piece. Name the cue your audience already notices—the festive table, the first rain, the late-night deadline—and let a familiar face carry the brand into the scene. The real signal is the product’s placement, not the pitch. A jar at the head of the table can do more than a loud sales message.

Watch the original: Nutella on YouTube

Source: Afaqs!