In late September 2026 I posted a series of LinkedIn updates that dissected four Indian ads, examined a career‑storytelling LinkedIn profile, and noted a TikTok debate about interview etiquette.
- LinkedIn Narrative – Chandan’s profile treats his career as a story, linking early hires to later senior roles (Futures First → Classplus) and includes humor, vulnerability, and a 10‑month career break.
"the note under his Marketing & Training role at Futures First: \"Hired one person during this stint who I will be working for in a few years\""
"The guy I hired in 2012 now hires me and gives me my first CXO role"
"Very good use of reverse storytelling in this Zurich ad where we trace the couples life backwards, starting with their current state where they have just overcome a health crisis."
"Only 10 questions to begin with, and a bigger operational difference: the classic version of 20 Questions is based on Yes/No questions."
- Elimination math in WLDD ad:
- After first two Yes answers: 6 cricketers – Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag, Ashish Nehra.
- After “Batter or bowler?”: 3 – Sachin, Sehwag, Harbhajan.
- After “Did you ever lift the big one for India?”: 2 – Sachin, Sehwag.
- After Bharat Ratna question: 1 – Sachin Tendulkar.
- Bharat Ratna awarded Feb 2014; age 40 (youngest recipient at the time).
I link these observations to my broader thinking about narrative‑driven branding, which I also discuss on my LinkedIn experience page.
- Creative Advertising Analyses – Four ads examined:
- Ogilvy’s milestone brand ad builds mystery before a reveal.
- The Shout Group’s Zurich ad uses reverse storytelling, tracing a couple’s life backwards.
- WLDD’s ChatGPT ad starring Sachin Tendulkar compresses 20‑questions into 10 questions.
- A brief note on a recruiter’s TikTok about interview‑coffee etiquette.
- Narrative Devices – Reverse storytelling, progressive mystery, conversation tone on LinkedIn, and constraint‑driven scripting (limiting questions).
- Results / Numbers – Elimination steps in the WLDD ad: 6 → 3 → 2 → 1 cricketer, ending with Sachin Tendulkar, who received the Bharat Ratna in Feb 2014 at age 40 (youngest sportsperson then).