The Best Ad Campaigns in India

A chronology study of advertisement campaigns is a very interesting thing. Be it Coke Or United Colours of Benetonn. However, this blog post is to commemorate, what i would call the beacons of socially relevant advertising in India.

My earliest memories of ad campaigns are that of Lalitaji in Surf campaign, Phillips, Bajaj, Maaza Mango Taaza Mango and Jalal Agha in Pan Parag's "Aur mere Liye". However, the ad industry in India took a major step ahead with the Pepsi commercials starting with Remo and Juhi in "yehi hai right choice Baby". There on the ad camapigns have never been the same again. Today cricketers and film stars make as much money from ad camapigns as they make from their main stream jobs. Ad world today is a glitzy, glamorous multi billion dollar industry in India.

In a recent weekend trip to Nainital and beyond, i met a very senior banker with whom i struck a conversation on businesses, monies and investments. Off hand, he asked me, which was my favourite campaign. It has taken 2/3 months rumination to figure out my favourite campaigns. I find socially relevant advertisements to have the highest connect. in this context, the Abhishek Bachchan starrer Idea ads are one of my new favourites. They are rooted in real issues of the country and its masses and Telephony/Connectivity as a means to answer these issues. Thats the brilliant idea. Thats Idea (the brand)! What makes it endearing is its feel of the social issues and obviously, Abhishek brings these images up very well!

However, Idea is still not my favourite ad campaign. You Guessed it right.. my bests are Amul and the Common Man, by R K Laxman.

Amul's ads focus on the most happening topic every week and is able to blend their "utterly butterly delicious" tagline into the scene. My generation has grown up on those ads. Even today, i get mailers from my friends with Amul ads, the latest being "Satyam Sharam Sacandalam". The ease at which these ads communicate is a brilliant. Lucid in delivery, choice of topics, candid presentation and the brand message woven through them. It is a stroke of genius. A sign of times, and a timeless brand. Yummy!

R K Laxman has been there for 50 years now. That man deserves a bharat ratna for his contribution to the neo socio-economic and political sign posts. The Common man and his travails. A difficult topic, an endearing image. (Though i believe that L K Advani is very close to our Common man in terms of looks!). Laxman's cartooning is timeless, his style is simple, his message powerful and yet not malicious. Captain Gopinath, the founder of the Air Deccan, with his vision to let the common man fly did well to choose, the Common man as his mascot. Sadly however, Gopi lost his way some where, and there is little that is "common man-ish" left after his merger with Vijay Mallya's bikini and two piece culture laden Kingfisher. However, the common man lives on. The sign of our times, the beacon of our generation. I hope Laxman plans to immortalize his timeless creation by passing on his art to a torch bearer!