The launch
Hershey’s India has released a new Diwali campaign for Hershey’s Kisses, titled Stolen Moments. The digital film was conceptualised by TBWA\Lintas, part of Omnicom Advertising India, and is being amplified across social and connected TV platforms in the run-up to Diwali 2026. The launch material does not name a director. Notably, the film itself was produced entirely using AI.
This is the latest chapter of the brand’s “Giving Kisses Is Hard” platform. That platform began with Valentine’s Day communication around the hesitation of expressing affection openly, and the new work carries the same thought into a festive Indian setting.
What the film says and how
The ad follows a couple at a Diwali party who keep trying to steal a quiet moment together. Family members interrupt them at every turn, and the comedy comes from how difficult it is to be alone in a full house. In the closing beat, one partner offers the other a Hershey’s Kiss, and that small gesture becomes the sweet resolution the couple had been chasing.
The film does not treat the product as a grand gift or a festive prop. It treats the Kiss as the stolen moment itself: a private exchange that fits into the platform’s name. The storytelling works because it leans on a specific festive truth rather than a broad celebration montage. Family gatherings create togetherness, but they also leave little room for intimacy.
The AI production gives the spot a polished, slightly stylised finish. The creative choice is a test of whether an automated pipeline can deliver the emotional recognition that seasonal advertising usually tries to build with live-action warmth.
What the brand and agency say about it
Kamy Devaguptapu, Director of Marketing, India and APAC at Hershey’s India, described Diwali as a time of togetherness filled with family, friends, laughter and celebrations. He said finding a quiet moment with someone special is not always easy amid the festivities. In his telling, the film brings that familiar Diwali dilemma to life through a playful, tongue-in-cheek portrayal.
Devaguptapu also pointed to the platform’s flexibility. The same brand thought can adapt from Valentine’s Day hesitation to a Diwali setting where intimacy competes with a crowded family room. Tejal Waradkar, Executive Creative Director at TBWA\Lintas, said the strength of “Giving Kisses Is Hard” is in taking a simple human truth and finding a culturally relevant way to bring it alive. For Waradkar, Diwali supplied the perfect setting to expose an unspoken tension: how hard it can be for couples to steal a moment of intimacy when the entire family is around.
The category context
Diwali advertising in India has long been dominated by family reunions, gift packs and festive abundance. Chocolate brands usually compete on premium gifting and seasonal assortment. With Stolen Moments, Hershey’s Kisses is trying to own a narrower, more relatable tension: the difficulty of privacy during a family festival. That reframes the product as both a small gift and an intimate gesture.
The AI production angle also matters for the wider industry. Brands are increasingly testing faster, lower-cost ways to make seasonal films without surrendering cultural relevance. The risk is that viewers may read synthetic visuals as less emotionally rich; the potential gain is speed, scale and the ability to ship timely festive creative across multiple platforms.
What to watch next
- Whether Hershey’s India extends Stolen Moments beyond the film into influencer-led Diwali gifting or retail content.
- How the brand tracks consideration for Kisses gift packs, not just video views.
- If fully AI-produced festive films become a repeatable format for the Omnicom network in India.
The campaign is a tightly scoped seasonal installment rather than a repositioning. Its success will hinge on whether the platform can keep stretching without losing the simple human truth at its centre.
Watch the original: Hershey's Kisses on YouTube
Source: Adgully
