Center Fresh becomes the pause button for overthinking

New Delhi: Center Fresh has launched a new campaign that responds to consumer insights around overthinking, drawing from the recently released India Overthinking Report conducted with YouGov. The study suggests that 81% of respondents spend over three hours daily caught up in excessive thoughts.

The films, developed by Ogilvy, are intended to resonate particularly with younger audiences navigating everyday uncertainty and mental clutter.

The campaign, titled ‘Dimaag pe rakhe lagam’, introduces two television commercials that take a humorous approach to overthinking in everyday scenarios. Through lighthearted storytelling, the ads depict how minor concerns can quickly spiral in the mind, a space where Center Fresh positions itself as a small intervention to pause and reset with a moment of clarity.

Gunjan Khetan, Director Marketing, Perfetti Van Melle India, said, “Center Fresh has always stood for freshness, and with the new campaign, the minty burst of freshness will help break the cycle of overthinking and bring moments of clarity. The TVC shines a light on those amusing moments of overthinking, inspired by insights from our recently released Center fresh India Overthinking Report. With the tagline ‘Dimaag pe rakhe lagaam’, we’re encouraging consumers to take a pause, stay present, and enjoy a fresh perspective when thoughts start to wander.”

Nikhil Sharma, Managing Director, Perfetti Van Melle India, added, “At Perfetti Van Melle India, our brands have consistently stayed in step with culture, bringing joy, refreshment, and humour to every possible conceivable moment. With the ‘Dimaag pe rakhe lagaam’ campaign, Center fresh steps into an interesting new space. The brand has presence in over 3 million outlets in India and that’s why it aims to excite its consumers with new campaigns. The two TVCs directed by Nitesh Tiwari and conceptualised by our agency partner Ogilvy delivers, interesting look into overthinking spirals in our everyday lives.”

Director Nitesh Tiwari, who helmed the two spots, said,  “While directing the ad films, what excited me most was the opportunity to visualise what overthinking actually feels like, the inner chaos, the spiral, the absurd ‘what ifs’ we all carry. The opportunity was to keep it real but light, to find humour in the madness that is relatable. Center Fresh’s role as a simple disruptor, a small moment that snaps you back to the moment, fits in beautifully. It’s rare when a brand insight gives you such rich, relatable storytelling.”

Anurag Agnihotri, Chief Creative Officer, West, Ogilvy India, said, “We wanted to capture those universal moments of overthinking that people silently battle every day. Reading too much into a deleted message, wondering if your own cash looks like a bribe, these moments perfectly reflect how the smallest trigger can send your brain into complete overdrive. Center Fresh, with its burst of freshness, becomes that tiny but powerful moment of clarity. A reality check that snaps you out of the spiral and puts the brakes on your racing mind. Because sometimes all your overthinking brain needs is to hit refresh.”

The campaign is being rolled out across television, digital platforms and social media, continuing Center Fresh’s shift from a product associated purely with taste to one linked with mental refreshment.

Watch the campaign films: