Who’s ‘Vaddy’? KJo and Orry’s mystery follow is Vadilal’s new mascot

Recently, Officially Vaddy, an Instagram account, gained significant attention on social media. Celebrities such as Karan Johar, Orry, Sharvari, Shalini Passi, Maheep Kapoor, and Veer Pahariya were following the account, which was set to private in a mysterious manner. If celebrities are following a secret profile, it likely belongs to someone noteworthy.To heighten the suspense, celebrities even shared posts about Vaddy in their stories, helping the account gain around 58k followers.

The drama started when influencer Orry shared a cryptic story, tagging the account with the message, “True friends don't let distance change them; they just pick up from where they left off.” Later, Sharvari extended a warm welcome, and Shalini Passi remarked that her skin was glowing “after meeting Vaddy”. Despite the good wishes, there was no photo or profile, just that he was a chill guy.

Fans naturally assumed the role of detectives. Was it Ranbir Kapoor? He recently hinted at making his account open to the public. Or a sneaky celeb soft launch? Or just another cryptic brand tease?

Well, it screamed ‘marketing gimmick’—but the brand succeeded in making it cool (literally). Turns out, Officially Vaddy is none other than Vadilal Ice Creams’ new mascot, bringing a whole new scoop of chill to the brand. 

Now that the account is finally public, the reveal is complete—and so are the ads. One stars Sharvari herself alongside the chillest cone in town, Vaddy, while the second one stars the popular filmmaker and producer, Karan Johar. The campaign is conceptualised by 82.5 Communications.

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A post shared by Sharvari 🐯 (@sharvari)

Vadilal's new series of ads features Vaddy—the easygoing, chill guy who manages to bring a smile in any situation. The campaign introduces the tagline Zara muskuraiye, Vadilal khaiye!, reinforcing the idea that ice cream can turn even an ordinary moment into something enjoyable.

Vadilal, known for its limited advertising throughout the year, has launched this campaign for the summer season. This follows the brand's previous campaign, Har moment banaye kamaal, Waah Vadilal!.

Recently, marketing gimmicks such as these have gained popularity among brands seeking to create curiosity and generate buzz on social media. Similar stunts have been observed previously, such as when Amazon Prime Video 'cleared their slate' by archiving all their Instagram posts to launch the trailer for Aashram 3, generating speculation and anticipation online.

Yes, Madam, the brand offering home salon services launched a new ad for Korean Glowup Cleanups. The brand removed all posts, released small teasers about the campaign, and then shared the final version .

These tactics may seem unusual at first, but they’re increasingly becoming part of how brands stand out in a crowded digital space—by turning the reveal itself into the campaign.

Vadilal’s Vaddy is just the latest in a long list of examples showing how a bit of mystery, followed by a reveal, can get people talking.