Bridging the Creativity Gap: Reviving Dishoom's Chai Sutta Ritual
Organisation
DandAD
Role
Strategy & Creative Lead
Duration
2 weeks
Tools & Technologies
Canva
DandAD
Problem
Dishoom's brief was wide open, disrupt "takeaway Britain," build a social first movement, no discounting allowed, TikTok as the primary platform. Open enough that most teams would land on the same safe answer: something vaguely about brand purpose and community, with nothing specific tying it back to Dishoom itself.
My role
Strategy & Creative Lead
Outcome
Graded A overall for MARK6103, with presentation and comprehension both marked A and application marked A-. The brief specifically praised the campaign as a "highly creative on-brand campaign to disrupt 'take-away' Britain," with strong marks for demonstrating the full D&AD process end to end, from research and market insight through to agency execution.
How i solved it
We started with the 5Cs before touching any creative, because the constraints mattered as much as the ambition. No discounting meant the idea had to work on desire alone, not a deal. We looked at the audience through what they were seeing, feeling, and doing day to day, and the pattern was consistent: constant exposure to content that felt fake, and a real craving for something that didn't.
From there we tested three directions, a documentary style tribute to Bombay's Irani cafe owners, a concept built around the shared table, and Chai Sutta, built around the specific ritual of tea and unhurried conversation. We picked Chai Sutta because it was the only one that was actually Dishoom's story to tell, not a borrowed idea any hospitality brand could run. The proposal paired a digital reel using archival footage against modern Dishoom imagery with a physical activation, communal cafe style tables installed in high footfall areas, giving people a real reason to sit down instead of just watching an ad about connection.
What shipped
Graded A overall for MARK6103, with the brief specifically praised as a "highly creative on-brand campaign to disrupt 'take-away' Britain," and full marks for demonstrating the D&AD process end to end, from research through to agency execution.
What worked
Choosing the narrowest, most specific idea over the two broader ones. Chai Sutta only worked for Dishoom, which is exactly why it stood out instead of reading as another generic community pitch. Grounding the creative in real theory (Keller, Escalas, Holbrook and Schindler) rather than instinct alone gave the concept a reason to exist beyond "it feels right," and it's likely what earned the strong marks on comprehension and application specifically.
What I'd Do Differently
Build a stronger rationale for why this campaign made sense for Dishoom specifically at this moment, competitive pressure, brand positioning, rather than assuming the idea's creativity would speak for itself. Define clearer campaign objectives and how we'd actually measure them. And mock up more of the supporting campaign elements, like the social post formats, rather than leaning on the one hero digital asset.
// Other works
Have a look at my other work
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