This Father’s Day, while most brands chase applause with offers and emotional ads, CARS24 is choosing sarcasm. The kind that hits just right.
Across Delhi and Bengaluru, unsuspecting visitors to markets and malls were met with an unusual sight: parking spots that were blocked off with simple signs that read: “Reserved. For the car you should have gifted your dad.”
Instead of putting up giant emotional billboards, CARS24 chose parking lots; the one place dads still visit in their 12-year-old cars with broken horns and faded dashboards. Because the truth is, they never ask for upgrades. And most kids… never offer.
The activation was designed as a quiet punch to the gut. Just enough to make people stop mid-scroll or mid-parking and think: “Damn. It is time that our dad drives a better car.
Most fathers in India don’t upgrade easily. Not their phones, not their shoes, and definitely not their cars. The suspension creaks, the stereo is still old school, but they will make it work. Because that is what they do.
“Everyone’s too busy upgrading their own life. Meanwhile, dad is still reverse parking without sensors,” said Gajendra Jangid, Co-founder & CMO, CARS24. “We didn’t want to sell a car. We wanted to make children think and maybe do something about it.”
In an ecosystem flooded with Father’s Day campaigns telling people to “do more,” CARS24 chose to say less, trusting the message (and the parking spot) to do the heavy lifting.
If the campaign made someone pause, smile, or think twice that is all it was meant to do. Well, that and maybe finally upgrade the man who never asked.
About CARS24
Founded in 2015, CARS24 is already one of India’s largest auto-tech companies. But this is just the beginning. Our vision is to grow 100x in the next five years, seizing the rare opportunity to build a $300 billion enterprise in India.
By harnessing cutting-edge technology, we aim to revolutionize mobility and positively transform lives across India and beyond. Our approach is grounded in solving for scale, ensuring simplicity, and embracing sustainability in every facet of the automotive ecosystem. From empowering customers to driving industry-wide change, we are building the future of mobility today.