realme turns ghanta humour into an INR 500 crore Diwali bet

realme has launched its #RealWaliDiwali campaign, putting festive offers worth up to INR 500 crore behind an unusual creative device: the colloquial word “ghanta”. Instead of the usual Diwali cues of family, gifting and nostalgia, the smartphone brand builds its message on the familiar disappointment of expecting a gift and getting nothing worth having.

01 · The joke that carries the offer

At the centre of the campaign is the everyday question, “Kya milega is baar?” realme turns “ghanta”—often used to mean getting nothing—into a humorous hook. The films set up an anticipated Diwali surprise, let it go wrong, and then resolve the joke with a product reveal and a tangible offer.

The campaign comprises three digital video commercials. Each film follows the same pattern: an intern receives a giant bell from her HR team; a young couple is handed the same bell by guests; a college competition winner finds a giant bell where her prize should be. The excitement fades into confusion, and the question lands: “Is Diwali bhi ghanta mila?”

Then the giant bell disappears, a realme smartphone takes its place, and the brand delivers the line, “Yeh chhodo, yeh lo.” From there, the films introduce realme smartphones and the festive deals on offer.

02 · Why a recurring gag works here

By using a recurrent visual prop and youth-language phrase, realme aims to make the campaign recognisable across different settings. The giant bell ties the three films together, while the closing line, “This Diwali, realme pe ghanta nahi, real offers milenge”, connects the creative idea back to the commercial proposition.

• Cultural shortcut: “ghanta” is already in the audience’s vocabulary, so the campaign starts from familiar territory.
• One consistent device: the giant bell repeats across all three films, making the campaign feel unified.
• Product payoff: humour resolves into a concrete offer—up to INR 500 crore in festive deals.

03 · What brand leaders can take from it

The campaign is a useful study for CMOs entering a cluttered festive retail window. Rather than competing on sentiment, realme uses irreverence to be remembered, then attaches that memory to an offer. The strategy only works because the joke and the deal are connected, not separate.

realme’s youth-first positioning supports the shift. Founded in 2018, the brand has expanded into 61 markets and reported more than 200 million users by 2023. It has crossed 100 million shipments in India and 200 million globally, and ranks among the top five smartphone brands in 21 countries.

Source: Campaign India

Mad About Marketing Desk The strategists and writers at Mad About Marketing, writing up what we see in the work every week.