#FlipkartBIG10 Throwback - Revisit these path-breaking Flipkart ad campaigns

Since 2011, when the first Flipkart advertisements featuring the adorable Flipkart Kids made a splash on TV and digital media, every ad campaign has captured the essence of the company's growth spurt -- from an eager, wet-behind-the-ears startup to a decisive, nimble and giant-slaying e-commerce market leader with a uniquely Indian DNA and spirit.

The ads kept pace with every small step and every giant leap -- from the revolutionary innovation of Cash-on-Delivery (COD) and the customer-delighting 30-day replacement policy to announcing the revolutionary Big Billion Day sale in 2014 (and again in 2015, '16 and '17, with a renewed promise each year).

These commercials did not just chronicle the innovation story and the Flipkart promise; they stuck a chord with millions of viewers over the years. Trace the journey of Flipkart through the better part of the last 10 years with this selection of ad films both entertaining and nostalgic.

Where do you start when you’re trying to convince an entire country to change the way it shops? How do you put customers' doubts and apprehensions to rest? You start small. You quell fears. You add humor. And you strike a chord.

Wondering what we're getting at? Watch one of Flipkart’s first TV commercials from the Shopping Ka Naya Address campaign (2012), which addresses the misconceptions about online shopping. Starring the soon-to-be famous Flipkart Kids, it was the first step towards making Flipkart what it is today -- the shopping address for India.

The message was simple: Shopping on Flipkart is easy, safe and secure.

Watch how the Flipkart Kids drove the point home in memorable unforgettable ways.

In the mid-2000s, most Indians found the very idea of online shopping ridiculous, not to mention downright scary. Who can blame them? They'd been at the receiving end of so many broken e-commerce promises that they wondered what Flipkart was getting at by assuring them that online shopping was safe.

How can you possibly pay without seeing the product? It defies logic!

Flipkart understood the customer's anxiety. 2010 saw the launch of Cash on Delivery, a game-changing move in e-commerce history that Flipkart executed with aplomb. Keep your credit card and debit card in your wallet, Flipkart said, just pay in cash at the time of delivery. Feeling better?

And what if the product you purchased didn't fit? Or didn’t meet your expectations? That’s why Flipkart pioneered the 30-day replacement policy.

It sounded too good to be true. And with the Flipkart Kids making these path-breaking innovations look like child's play, even the most skeptical customers flocked. Most came to shop, while some came back just because the immensely entertaining ads made them feel good about shopping online.

Watch this from the wildly popular No Kidding, No Worries campaign. It's a classic!

Flipkart pioneered the evolution of the e-commerce ecosystem in India, growing from strength to strength to encompass new categories in its fold. What started as an online bookstore in 2007 quickly added new racks and shelves with new labels. Launching mobiles and fashion was a big step forward. With Flipkart Kids taking the message to India, the stage was set.

Winning the e-commerce game was all about winning the customer's heart. The year was 2013. As Flipkart grew and scaled the Fashion category with a plethora of coveted brands, broader selection, and high availability, it was time to let the truth out of the closet and tell India where the deals were.

These TV commercials announced a big development — Flipkart’s entry into apparel and its transformation into a one-stop online destination for fashion shopping. And who better than the Flipkart Kids to thread a chuckle into every chic wishlist!

Here are three ads from the Fashion Has A New Address campaign. Which one is your favorite?

Just a few years ago, buying a new smartphone was an anxiety-inducing experience. Price, choice and affordability were the biggest stumbling blocks for the average Indian. As phones became an extension of ourselves, purchasing one became a necessity rather than a luxury.

Flipkart made owning a new smartphone easier for Indians with a host of thoughtful innovations that made the purchase process both hassle-free and affordable. On Flipkart, customers could reduce the price of a listed smartphone by availing of a raft of offers such as Mobile Exchange and more.

The Flipkart Kids have your number. In a familiar office setting as in this ad from the Mobiles Ka Sahi Address campaign, they tell you just how to get a hold of a new mobile phone without stressing out your mind -- or your wallet!

With the launch of Flipkart's refreshed brand identity and brand positioning came a new approach. The kids made way for a 'Wish Chain' film sequence that chronicled Flipkart’s journey of fulfilling wishes across India.

In a country of a billion people, the wishes are a billion strong. And what part did Flipkart play in all of this? A TV that’d make your house the village’s connection to the outside world, a book that’d let a student compete in an all-India test, a smartphone that could make friends and lovers momentarily forget the distance between them...

Flipkart delivers thousands of wishes to Indians every day. In these ads from the Ab Har Wish Hogi Poori campaign, watch how a time was heralded when nothing would stand between you and your dreams!

Big Billion Days, BBD, Flipkart sale — these are words that every Indian taps into the keypad during the festive season each year. So much so that we’ve almost forgotten what it was like before festive sales became the norm!

Before October 2014, India had never seen an online sale of this scale and scope. When Big Billion Days kicked off in 2014, Indians sat up and marveled at how affordable their yearly shopping had become.

By 2015, when Flipkart rolled out the second edition of the Big Billion Days sale over five days, it had set off a furious spate of coinciding online festive sales in India. Why would the online shopping customer complain?

Enjoy this recap of BBD campaigns over the years.

This suspense-filled ad for The Big Billion Day campaign unlocks the anticipatory mood as it unveils one of the most successful campaigns in e-commerce history -- India's first online mega sale. Simply put, it gave a whole new meaning to the word ‘sale’!

2016 was the year that Flipkart's The Big Billion Days (TBBD) established itself as the de facto king of big sales for India. But even before the media went wild over the numbers and heaped praise on India's undisputed e-commerce leader, the ad campaign went on to steal the hearts of Indians everywhere. 

Who else but Flipkart would have the audacity to urge customers to break into their savings for a sale? The ads urged Indians to do just that, because -- duh! -- the right time to shop was during the Big Billion Days sale! Even a child knows that! 

With the Flipkart Kids back in the game, the larger-than-life stars of the Itne Mein ITNAAAA Milega campaign stole the show. And, in the end, the customer won big, without any regrets for breaking that piggy bank!

Indians love to crib, na? Oh, how they love to crib! About everything under the sun and behind it -- life, politics, relationships... But most of all, they love to crib about prices. Prices going up. Prices skyrocketing. Prices going through the roof. There's no dearth of creative phrasing for that singular complaint.

In one word: Mehengaai.

What would it take to get those spirits up? Bring those prices down, of course.

The convention-defying Ab Mehengaai Giregi campaign took the country by storm ahead of the 2017 edition of The Big Billion Days. Of course, the Flipkart Kids were here to stay. In a fresh and bold new avatar, they breathed new life into the spate of deals and offers that was to deluge India for five days in September 2017.

These ads didn't just make prices fall. We heard people fell off their chairs laughing!

Fess up -- did you ever think that shopping was a chore? You're not alone. This ad for the Flipkart mobile shopping app reached out to the tens of thousands of Indians who stress out over a trip to the market.

The Apne smartphone ko banao smarter campaign established your Flipkart mobile app as a destination for smart, convenient and quick shopping. It was a sign of things to come. Today, the Flipkart mobile app has over 100 million downloads in India!

India's entrepreneurial spirit is legendary, and Flipkart has catalyzed a revolution by enabling them to profit from the advent of e-commerce. The Sell On Flipkart campaign brought these stories alive, with the subtle yet powerful message: Apne sapno ko jee kar dekho.

Live your dreams.

From family-owned businesses making a digital shift, to first-generation startups breaking new ground, the entrepreneurial spirit runs in the veins of Indians. Over the last decade, selling on the Flipkart marketplace has given a second wind to several existing businesses and inspired many new ones waiting to unfurl.

Flipkart's seller ecosystem is second to none. Its heroes have their own tales of guts and glory to share. And to inspire others like them to dream and achieve.

These are just the highlights of the ad campaigns that have endeared Flipkart to India. For more videos, subscribe to the Flipkart channel on YouTube.