Remember the dodo?
Famously extinct. Not because it was weak or slow, but because it lacked one basic survival instinct: fear. While humans evolved by being scared of the dark, predators, and bad decisions, the dodo looked danger in the eye and said, “It’ll be fine.”
It wasn’t.
Experimentation is great. Necessary, even. But history is clear: when experimentation happens without caution, strategy, or self-preservation, extinction follows. A little fear isn’t cowardice, it’s quality control.
Which brings us neatly to The Jungle’s underwhelming ad campaigns of 2025. In the race to be edgy, unconventional, and “unexpected,” the work forgot to ask the most human question of all: Does this actually make sense? The result wasn’t bold. It wasn’t brave. It was… confusing. And occasionally invisible.
There’s a lesson here: innovation doesn’t mean ignoring your instincts. Sometimes, playing it a bit safe helps you last long enough to achieve something truly great.
5. Pakola Milk ft. Mahira Khan | Mohammad Ahmed
This ad tells a life story centered on a single glass of milk, featuring Mohammad Ahmed and Mahira Khan in a unique office-meets-mehndi outfit. On paper, it has everything: nostalgia, single parenting, emotion, office and home life, and a glass of milk that somehow sits on the table from dawn to dusk.
There’s so much going on that viewers can focus on whatever they want. Some were impressed by Mahira Khan’s outfit, while others were distracted by the milk. Did it spoil? Did he replace it? Is Pakola milk now shelf-stable?
By the end, confusion quietly replaces emotion. Was this meant to make us cry? Was the father okay waiting the entire day with the same glass? Did he refill it, or are we expected to suspend basic dairy logic? And most importantly, how did Mahira still look that flawless after a full workday, and where can one acquire that dress?
The film tries to be heartfelt, but instead, it just makes us wonder if the real star was the milk.
4. Mezan x Islamabad United
This PSL-season favorite had everything: star cricketers, punchy humor, and enough familiarity to keep media planners happy. With Naseem Shah, Azam Khan, and New Zealand’s Collin Munro, the Mezan x Islamabad United campaign was everywhere and did exactly what it was meant to do.
Which is why it comfortably sits at number four on our list.
Cricketers selling cooking oil remains advertising’s most undefeated pairing. Logical? No. Effective? Apparently always. Add a foreign player speaking carefully rehearsed Urdu, served with a Lagaan-core English accent and slow-cooked on halki aanch, and you’ve got instant virality, zero risk.
But the charm has faded. The moment when a foreigner speaks Urdu doesn’t surprise anyone anymore; it just makes us smile out of habit. What was once endearing now feels routine.
There’s also a relevance issue. Elite athletes, who rely on nutrition and fitness and likely avoid fried foods, are still the main faces for edible oil. Not because it makes sense, but because it’s the easy choice. And in 2025, that’s obvious.
To be fair, this isn’t a bad film. It’s slick, well-produced, and impeccably timed for PSL season. But it plays so safe that it barely leaves the pavilion. No new insight, no creative risk, just familiar faces hitting familiar shots.
Everyone will like it.
Everyone has already seen it before.
That’s how a perfectly fine and popular campaign ends up at number four on the list of underwhelming Ad Campaigns of 2025.
3. Telenor-Tension Ko Smash Karo, Full Time Aesh Karo
At number three, there’s a star-studded mess with a jingle that’s just as annoying. From the first frame, you’re left wondering what’s actually happening.
A group of impossibly hot friends in an 80s-inspired setup heads to the cinema. Tickets are sold out. Naturally, the alpha male decides to take everyone on an “adventure.” Logical escalation? Not quite. What follows is a jingle that sounds like Cocomelon, if Cocomelon were AI-generated and designed to haunt your algorithm.
With Shuja Asad, Aima Baig, Kinza Hashmi, and others, the ad throws us into a world of fast internet, shown with wild CGI and over-the-top effects. In this world, physics doesn’t matter: you can fight random people, sit on car roofs, and do anything except show good taste.
And just when you think it can’t get worse, the ad ends with a dance sequence so aggressively edited it makes Salman Bhai look like a trained choreographer. Trust me, this dance sequence has more cuts than a TikTok editor on triple speed.
The real tragedy is that Aima Baig is barely used in this campaign, even though she could have sung the jingle herself instead of what we got.
This is the kind of ad you want to skip, not because it’s bold, but because it’s tiring. It’s loud, messy, and tries too hard to be fun, but doesn’t succeed.
This leaves us wondering: when did Telenor go from being iconic to being forgettable?
2. Innovative Frisky | Dangerously Delicious
Dangerously Whatever This Was
Dangerously delicious. Dangerously absurd.
Ironically, ‘dangerous’ is the only word this ad gets right.
As good as the product may taste, it will never be the same once you’ve seen this film. In just 20 seconds, this ad manages to crawl into your brain and refuse to leave, mostly because you’re too stunned to look away. This ad is nasty. Not bold. Not edgy. Just… deeply uncomfortable.
The experience begins with aggressive ASMR. Our main character cracks open a wafer roll, which promptly erupts, drenching everyone in its path with chocolate. The supporting cast remains completely unbothered, as if this is a perfectly normal thing to happen on set, while the visuals spiral into what can only be described as a fever dream. Matlab kuch bhi.
The problem isn’t a lack of subtlety; it’s that there’s none at all. The chocolate doesn’t just spill; it shoots everywhere. The camera work and banner art don’t help. At times, the visuals feel accidentally adult, making you wonder if this is a snack ad or a failed attempt at shock marketing.
Maybe the creators knew what they wanted. Maybe they aimed for a ‘frisky frenzy’. But without a clear concept, story, or joke, the ad just feels awkward. What could have been playful feels forced, and what could have been cheeky just feels embarrassing.
Instead of cool, it’s confusing.
Instead of memorable, it’s uncomfortable.
That’s how a genuinely good product ends up in an ad people wish they could forget, earning its spot at number two on our Underwhelming Ads of 2025 list.
1. Opus – Dil Walon ki Chocolate
You’d think an ad would work if it stars Hania Aamir, right?
This one film was enough to prove that rule wrong.
This ad is so off-track that even Hania Aamir couldn’t save it, even though she tried. That says a lot.
The brief is painfully obvious. Every frame carries it proudly on its shoulders: attract attention, demand desire, hold the gaze. Subtlety was clearly not invited to this shoot. The film prompts you to wonder, will this chocolate have the same effect on us as it did on Hania? Will it burst, overwhelm, transport us to another realm? Will we be left wanting more? emotionally and otherwise?
And that’s where things start to slide.
The ad isn’t playful, it’s trying too hard. It confuses excess with appeal and intensity with seduction. There are so many hints and lingering shots that you might watch it twice, not because it’s clever, but to figure out why it made you uncomfortable, or maybe for other reasons, depending on your perspective.
Yes, it aims for pleasure. Yes, it wants to feel indulgent, immersive, sensorial. But somewhere along the way, it forgets restraint. What should have been cheeky turns heavy-handed. What should have been tempting turns awkward. Instead of craving the product, you’re left hyper-aware of the ad’s intentions.
The film tries very hard to take us to a “realm of pleasure.”
It succeeds, just not in a good way.
This campaign is bold but not smart, and steamy but not tasteful. It mixes up provocation with persuasion. Even though Hania does her best, even star power can only do so much.
In the end, the chocolate may be good.
But the ad leaves a bad aftertaste.
