By SNEHA ULLAL
Quickly name a brand or product that you used often when you were a child. What’s the first thing about it that you remember — a specific memory, the first time you saw its ad, the jingle, the punchline, the actors or its mascot?
That really is the beauty of good, effective advertising, especially between the 60s and 90s — those ads and jingles that are all coming back to you now, make you respect the brands, and the makers of their ads, even more. In India, when TV became the source of entertainment in every home (even though there was only one channel then), the ads were what people easily related to, being family oriented, displaying real-life situations, and more often than not, with the catchiest tunes you still can sing out.
We spoke to industry leaders across domains to come up with this list - wish we could feature all the hundreds of names that came up; but here are just a handful, some now defunct, some still going strong. Hope they jog your memory and inspire you too.
MEMORABLE PRODUCTS
Remington
Remington’s India story may be short, with no known record of ads promoting the brand in India, but it is quite significant. The American typewriter brand was the first international one to officially set up shop in India in the early 1930s, relieving official scribes of the tedious job of hand-writing letters, documents, etc. The Remington typewriter, or simply ‘The Remington’ wasn’t just the scribe’s best friend, but because of its international name and ease of convenience, the machine became a status symbol and a centrepiece in the homes of noble men and women. While local name Godrej & Boyce became huge post Independence around 1955, producing mechanical and electronic typewriters that could type in local languages, the Remingtons continue to be functional and prize possessions till today, especially among journalists, government and court officials.
We’re not sure whether this is a legitimate ad. But this insertion on the left, published by the Remington Typewriter Co (India) in the Times of India dated January 1910, offers vernacular Remingtons in Marathi, Gujarati, Devnagiri, Urdu, ‘Arabia’ and Gurmukhi!
DID YOU KNOW?
• Remington was originally a fire-arm manufacturer based in New York. Latham Sholes, credited with designing the first commercial typewriter, approached Remington to redesign and market it.
• Gandhi, who famously detested typewriters because he had “a horror of it”, occasionally typed letters on a Remington. In fact, he once wrote a letter to Remington’s Bombay office, thanking them for fixing and returning his ‘Portable No 61625’.
Middle-class Indians, like me, had very few career options. The biggest fight I ever had with my parents was about learning typewriting on my dad’s prized possession, the Remington. What if I failed in my pursuit of my management roles? At least I’d be a qualified secretary, he reckoned.” PRADEEP GUHA, MD, 9X Media
Duckback
A brand synonymous with affordable, basic yet durable raincoats for kids, Duckback is still going strong at age 85. Founded in 1920 in Kolkata as Bengal Waterproof Works, which is now Bengal Waterproof Ltd, India’s first water-proofing factory, it was one of those few lucky brands that benefited from a few simple print ads and ‘armchair’ or no marketing at all, because the demand for their products always ended up exceeding supply. In fact, for school kids back in the 50s, Duckback was the raincoat and school bag to own — even though cheaper imitations were rampant, it became an aspirational brand.
DID YOU KNOW?
Apart from raincoats and school bags, the brand also manufactured boots, boats, tents, baby mats, medical beds and luggage. In the mid 2000s, it also got into the manufacture of rubberized astrodomes.
The rain in Nainital used to be torrential. Climbing a hill to get to my school with layers of clothing and a bag in heavy rain was tough, but our school was strict; you couldn’t enter class if your clothes were wet. That’s when I realized the worth of a Duckback raincoat. It was a must-have.” ASHISH BHASIN, Chairman India & CEO South East Asia, Aegis Group
Gold Spot
Gold Spot’s story is that of a brand that enjoyed almost overnight success especially after a new agency took over. Founded in 1952 by Parle, around the same time that Thums Up and Limca were introduced, it was initially positioned for kids. Once Coca Cola bought the brand, the positioning changed to young adults. The ads showed teens on roller skates, dancing and jiving to the Western pop influenced jingle ‘The Zing Thing’, and really just doing things they loved without having a care. Sadly, because Coca Cola didn’t want two orange drinks competing in the same portfolio (Fanta and Gold Spot), Gold Spot was discontinued.
DID YOU KNOW?
• There’s an American band named Gold Spot, which of course got the name from the drink. The lead singer, Siddarth Khosla, is influenced greatly by old Indian film music; his band’s own version of the Kishore Kumar hit ‘Eena Meena Deeka’ is proof of it.
• One of the first ads Rekha modelled for was for Gold Spot. In an interview with a film magazine, she revealed she was only 14-15 years old when she posed for the ad!
When Gold Spot used to be focused on kids, they would collect pictures that came with the bottle, make an album out of them and take that album to a redemption centre in return for gifts. When Rediffusion got to work on the brand, they decided to introduce the drink to teenagers, who wanted to detach from everything that identified them as children! Kamlesh Pandey, the first superstar copywriter, almost as a throwaway reluctantly crafted the line ‘The Zing Thing’, which became the brand’s most memorable tagline.” ANAND HALVE, Author and co-founder, Chlorophyll Brand Consultancy
ALL ABOUT THE MASCOTS
Murphy
The noughties kids would’ve been oblivious about Murphy, if it weren’t for the movie Barfi, where the protagonist, played by Ranbir Kapoor, is named after the brand. Originally founded in England in 1929 with the aim of supplying radio sets to the British Armed Forces in World War II, Murphy came to India in 1948 and retailed transistors and big ‘valve sets’ with frequency needles as big as thermometers. They instantly became a part of the family in middle-class homes, since it was the only source of entertainment and news from the 40s till the 1980s. But what makes this age-old brand really memorable is the mascot — the cherubic baby, with cowlicks and his little index finger close to his lips, looking down in wonder, featured in all of the brand’s print ads, neon signs and billboards, along with the simplistic tagline ‘Delights the Home!’ (Ghar Ghar Ki Ronak). While there were a few one-off celebrity endorsements (check out the Diwali ad featuring a young Sharmila Tagore alongside), it was always that cherub that stole the show. While the brand still exists — the website says it manufactures and sells TVs and home theatre systems too — your best bet at finding a vintage, functioning Murphy is probably Mumbai’s Chor Bazaar or eBay.
There used to be a big neon sign of the Murphy baby right outside our Chowpatty home in Mumbai. While the connection between babies and radios was lost on me, I remember that clearly! We had a Murphy, which looked like a cabinet — it was double the size of a microwave oven.” RAM MADHWANI, Ad film-maker
I can never forget my Saturday nights with AIR on our good old Murphy. From the Shadows to the Beatles, Engelbert and Neil Diamond, I have a memory attached to every song that I was fond of in those days.” PRADEEP GUHA, MD, 9X Media
DID YOU KNOW?
The identity of the Murphy baby was a mystery, until recently. Apparently, the original baby mascot was a girl. After her untimely passing, she was replaced by a boy. That boy just happens to be Kagyur Tulku Rinpoche from Manali, the husband of 80s actress Mandakini. Rinpoche was three years old when they shot the ad.
Liril
In the 70s, Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) conducted a study among Indian women on their bathing routines. That survey brought out some interesting observations: that the Indian housewife valued her privacy, and that when she went for her bath, it felt like escaping into her own world, away from her monotonous, humdrum life. Based on these insights, HUL came up with Liril, a ‘liberation soap’ with a simple proposition of freshness, bathing with this product would remind people of being in a serene, clean place, like say, a waterfall. While the 1975 ad with the bikini-clad Karen Lunel became a cult classic, its later ads featuring similar scenery (except for the one featuring Preity Zinta perhaps) didn’t really make for memorable advertising and the brand itself didn’t take off after the 90s. Even rebranding it ‘Liril 2000’ didn’t do much to pick up sales. But thanks to that girl under the waterfall, the striations on the soap and of course that ‘la, la, la’ jingle — there hasn’t been an Indian bath soap brand as distinctive as Liril.
DID YOU KNOW?
Karen Lunel, the model who features in the first Liril ad in 1975, was discovered behind a sales counter in a Mumbai store. The ad was the brainchild of then Head of Lintas, Alyque Padamsee, and was shot by film-maker Kailash Surendranath, at Ootacamund, South India.
Shooting the Liril ad again in 1991 — with two separate girls
“Liril always had several ‘fathers’. Every small thing on the brand had to be cleared by Shunu Sen and Alyque Padamsee, both of whom often had diametrically opposite views. Finding the Liril girl, while it sounds like fun, used to be a huge challenge, because it was hard to find anybody who would step into Karen Lunel’s shoes. Brand managers at Hindustan Unilever including me spent hours going to college canteens, cafeterias and fashion shows. Finally, we had a shortlist of two girls and placed them before Sen and Padamsee. We expected them to choose one soon because we were scheduled to go for a shoot at Picara Dam near Ooty, with Kailash (Surendranath) and his team. It was a massive shoot, so the girl had to be selected quickly. To my utter dismay, Alyque selected one girl and Shunu the other! So I had to shoot the entire film separately with each girl and have a complete press shoot with them too, because these gentlemen decided that they would make the choice after seeing the final film. Hence, it is a little known fact about Liril that the 1991 film was identically shot with two models, and finally Anjali Jathar was selected.” ASHISH BHASIN, Chairman India & CEO South East Asia, Aegis Group
The model was probably the country’s first celebrity model. In fact, I remember there was a rumour that she had died in a road accident, and people were shocked — they couldn’t believe the Liril girl was no more. But of course that wasn’t true.” ANAND HALVE, Author & co-founder, Chlorophyll Brand Consultancy
CUTTING-EDGE ADS
Vimal
A few branding experts will tell you that if it weren’t for that deceptively simple tagline coined by the great Frank Simoes ‘Only Vimal’, it would’ve been just another fabric brand. And it wasn’t just that line or its memorable tune. Vimal, the textile brand from the Reliance stable, was a pioneer in ‘glamour advertising’, featuring female supermodels and male TV and film stars draped in the brand’s fabrics and suitings. Vimal was also the first to use international cricketers in their ads, the first being the one launched during the 1987 World Cup. The ad featured Australian captain Allan Border, West Indies captain Viv Richards and Ravi Shastri. While the advertising has evolved to cater to younger generations, the tagline and that tune haven’t changed.
DID YOU KNOW?
• Dhirubhai Ambani named the brand Vimal after his older brother’s son.
• Vimal was the first client of the agency Mudra, under Sam Balsara’s leadership (post Frank Simoes Advertising).
• Some of the famous Vimal supermodels were Kabir Bedi, RK Karanjia (former editor of Blitz magazine), Kanwaljeet Singh, Kamal Sidhu and Mehr Jesia.
Vadilal
Vadilal started out as a soda company way back in 1907, and eventually became Gujarat’s biggest selling ice-cream brand in the 70s. When they wanted to expand to Mumbai, they were faced with a roadblock — how to set up shop in a city where Kwality was the number one icecream brand? Their ads created by Trikaya weren’t making the impact they wanted. When the account moved to ad guru Mohammed Khan’s agency, he decided to use real photographs of the ice-cream in the ads instead of the black and white line drawings originally used in Trikaya’s ads. “No one wants to lick line drawings!” he said. So with the help of photographer Swapan Mukherjee, in a room full of dry ice, they shot not mounds of coloured mashed potatoes, but actual ice-cream. The end results?Ads worth licking off the page.
DID YOU KNOW?
• The brand’s founder Vadilal Gandhi made ice-cream using an old technique called ‘kothi’, which involved using a hand-operated machine that could churn milk with ice and salt among other natural flavours.
• Have you seen the brand’s first TVC? You can try and spot actors Deepak Tijori and Rahul Bose, and ace ad film-maker Prahlad Kakkar.
Old radio, TV programmes we miss
Back in the days of no TV, sitting by your radio was fun and full of surprises because you didn’t know what song would play next. As kids, apart from the songs, we’d listen to shows like Bournvita Quiz Contest, Modi Ke Matwale Rahi, a popular weekly crime/mystery show on Vividh Bharti, and of course, who can forget Ameen Sayani’s Binaca Geetmala! On TV, the programmes I really miss are Rangoli and Chitrahaar. I remember waking up at 7am on Sunday to watch Rangoli. I also loved the concept of Dynora television sets. A Dynora set was the first big consumer durable purchase for most middle-class families.” APURVA PUROHIT, CEO Radio City, 91.1 FM
My family loved Indian classical music, a few are trained musicians too. Our favourite radio programme was AIR’s Binaca Geetmala. I remember gathering around our Murphy at 8 pm, every Monday, to listen to Ameen Sayani and our favourite songs on the show. In fact, I also remember that Binaca used to package small plastic animals with the toothpaste tube! Many years later, I did an ad film for the brand when it changed its name from Binaca to Cibaca.” RAM MADHWANI, Ad film-maker
Some memorable jingles
• Horlicks, “Horlicks jyaada shakti deta hai”
• Modern Bread, “Mummy, mummy, Modern Bread!”
• Bajaj, “Buland Bharat ki buland tasveer”
• The radio jingle of Hawkins Pressure Cookers with the unmatchable Ameen Sayani’s voice, “Aaiye aaiye janab, kaunsa pressure cooker layenge aap…”
• The unforgettable Vicco ad in theatres before the movie started, “Vicco Vajradanti, Vicco Vajradanti, Vicco Vajradanti… tooth powder tooth paste.”
• The radio jingle of Vijaya Butter, “Give me, give me, give me, Vijaya Butter, on my toast,gimme the most…”
(Inputs from Josy Paul, Chairman and CCO, BBDO India & Monica Tata, MD, HBO India)
THE ICONIC JINGLES WE’VE LOVED
Cadbury: ‘Kya swaad hai zindagi mein’
The ad’s jingle had two versions, English and Hindi. But for some weird reason, the meaning of the words of the Hindi jingle — enjoy life with every bite — hit all the right gooey places.
Bajaj Electricals: ‘‘Jab main chhota bachcha tha’
You never let your age define how old, or young, you are. This ad exemplified just that, and became a mantra for mischievous kids of all ages.
Nirma:‘Sabki pasand Nirma’
This ad, with its happy sing-a-long song, made washing clothes seem like an easy chore straight out of a colourful fairytale.
Lijjat Papad: ‘Majedaar, lijjat daar’
A delicious tea-time snack AND a singing bunny? Lewis Carrol’s Mad Hatter would’ve been downright jealous.
Bajaj: ‘Buland Bharat ki buland tasveer’
A vehicle that represented the common man. This was one of the first ads, which, through its unique video montage, defined a happy, cohesive, multicultural image that is, and still can be, India.
Lehar Pepsi: ‘Yehi hai right choice baby’
‘Penny’ and Remo represented the 90s teenagers, the youth who were independent enough to make their own choices, the only right choices.
DO YOU ALSO REMEMBER?
‘Piyo glassful doodh’: by Amul Operation Flood
How do you promote the benefits of milk without sermonizing or sounding like a boring Science teacher? In a fun, catchy song. At least this writer remembers gulping her haldi-doodh happily, while humming its tune.
‘Mile sur mera tumhara’: by Lok Seva Sanchar Parishad
Piyush Pandey’s first magnum opus saw an amalgamation of cultures, stars, singers, musicians, sportspeople, languages, and became the country’s new-age anthem.
GUESS WHO?
You know them today as superstars in their respective professions. But before they found success and fame, they starred in some old and memorable (and some not so much) Indian TVCs. While some were just dipping their toe into the big wide world of advertising, others saw this as a stepping stone to the silver screen and Bollywood. Can you guess who they are?
1. This man starring in an ad for Vicks Inhaler in the 80s, initially started out in theatre working with Pearl and Alyque Padamsee, and went on to introduce cable TV, produce ad films and TV shows. Today, he’s better known as the founder of one of India’s biggest TV networks, UTV.
2. These two Complan kids became stars of the silver screen in their twenties. While the girl’s happily married and hasn’t taken up any film roles in ages, the boy’s most recent film was directed by Prabhu Deva.
3. These actors are all established stars now. The male actor eventually went on to endorse its competitor. One of these female actors got her big break in a Subhash Ghai film, while the other is one of India’s most successful supermodel turned-actress.
4. This actor, comedian and choreographer, displaying his expert jiving skills here in an ad for Gold Spot, got the whole country to go ‘dance crazy’ because of his memorable appearances in Meri Jung and the TV show Boogie Woogie.
5. Recognize this lanky footballer in one of Limca’s first TVCs? This superstar got his first big movie role in the Rekha- Farooq Sheikh starrer Biwi Ho ToAisi, and has a huge cult following today, mainly because fans can’t get enough of his dabanng attitude.
6. This cricketer sported spiffy suits and boxers in his first ad for Vimal. He was the captain of the West Indies cricket team during the World Cup in 1983, and the TVC was shot around the same time.
7. Guess who got peed on by the poor kid in the memorable Cadbury ad? He did TV and advertising simultaneously at one point, working with Piyush Pandey on this very Cadbury account. Today, he’s the Chairman and CCO, DDB Mudra.
8. This wise guy, mouthing the adhesive brand’s famous tagline ‘Yeh Fevicol ka mujbood jod hai, tutega nahi’ is now a big-shot director who’s made hits like Munnabhai MBBS and 3 Idiots.
FEEDBACK: sneha.ullal@exchange4media.com
