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A middle-aged man arrives at a posh restaurant. He spots a gorgeous woman seated nearby, looking at him, and speaking to him. 

He responds to her welcoming ‘Hello,’ and approaches her. She pulls an Ericsson mobile phone from under her hair (on which, we realise, she was speaking to someone else), and mistaking him to be the waiter, orders, “One black coffee, please.”

It was the year 1996. Piyush Pandey, now Chief Advisor, Ogilvy, rang up his ad film director brother Prasoon Pandey at 2:30 am. “Congrats, dude! Your commercial won a Silver Lion,” he said.

The film was  India’s first win from the film category at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Prasoon told Storyboard18.


<strong>One black coffee: The genesis</strong>

Rajeev Agarwal was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nexus Equity, the advertising agency. The agency handled the creative mandate of Ericsson, a telecom multinational.


One day, he sent three scripts to Prasoon. The first script highlighted how sturdy Ericsson was as a phone. The second spoke about how the phone could be operated using a single hand, unlike other phones available at the time, where you had to pull out an antenna, requiring the use of both hands.


The third script touched upon how small the phone  was. Prasoon found the scripts to be all over the place and conveyed the same to Agarwal, and asked him to choose one. But Agarwal, in turn, asked him: which one would he choose?


Regarding the sturdiness of the phone, in 1995, Motorola had already released a ‘Motorola cell bowling’ commercial that showed how tough the phone was. Hence, that aspect had been explored.


Prasoon explained to  Agarwal that people would realise the value of single-hand use only once they've used a cell phone.  Hence, he would not go there.


As he chose the script for the small phone, he found it to not be in very good taste. That was when Agarwal suggested that he write one.


At that time, Prasoon was vacationing in Jaipur with Piyush. Over several glasses of beer, they cracked the idea and co-wrote the script.

 
Even though Piyush was working for Ogilvy, and Ericsson was Nexus Equity's client, as Prasoon explained, “We saw creative problems as great fun problems to crack, where we were working for a large company called 'Creativity,' and all agencies were only branch offices of it.


"As men, we have always imagined sitting across a gorgeous woman and striking up a conversation. So we came up with this fun story about a middle aged man who thinks that a beautiful woman is talking to him, when she’s actually talking to someone else on her compact mobile phone, which is hidden by her hair.”


Agarwal presented the script to the client, who loved it, and gave it the go-ahead.


<strong>The making of the ad</strong>


Prasoon screen-tested actor Kamal Chopra for the middle-aged man’s role, and for the woman’s role, who had to be between 30 and 35, he tested Kavita Kapoor. Kapoor was recommended by Mahesh Mathai, Founder, Highlight Films, who had produced a De Beers campaign starring Kapoor.


The shooting commenced at Mukesh Mills, in Mumbai. The film was shot by Barun Mukherjee, and the music was by Louis Banks. 


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The restaurant, where the story was set, was given a Mediterranean touch by the film’s producer, Srila Chatterjee. 


As one can see in the film, Chopra’s face falls when Kapoor mistakes him to be the waiter and places her order, but he manages to beat a dignified retreat. The shot lasted seven seconds, which, as per Prasoon Pandey, is very long. To highlight that Chopra’s heart broke, a glass was shattered in the background.


<strong>High recall</strong>


Doordarshan won the Indian telecast rights for the 1996 Cricket World Cup. The commercial aired just once every day during the World Cup. The film was well-received, critically acclaimed, and helped grow the sales of Ericsson mobile phones.

 
Like others, the Cannes jury too found the ending unexpected, and enjoyed the ad, recalled Prasoon.


One of the media portals had conducted a survey on the ads with the highest recall among those telecast during the 1996  World Cup. Ericsson topped the list.


 “It goes to show that if you invest in a good idea, one doesn’t have to telecast it 35 times. One can telecast just 10 times and come out stronger than going with a commercial with a half-baked idea, and then just plastering it,” said Prasoon Pandey


Praising the performances, Prasoon said, “Kapoor was brilliant and natural. One does not suspect that she's talking on the phone till she pulls it out. But when she does pull it out, it does not look like she was deliberately fooling us. It all sits very naturally. She was brilliant.”


<strong>How did it change fortune?</strong>


As the commercial was receiving love and recognition for its storyline and stupendous cast performance, post the release, Kapoor sat at home for eight and a half months.


In a conversation with Storyboard18, Kapoor said, “A lot were unaware that I was an Indian model. I think it was a time when there was a transition where people were not too sure if they wanted an Indian look or a Western look. I was getting work in the advertising field, but there was not that much work coming from the industry because that's where I really wanted to get a foothold.”


"Since the commercial tasted popularity from all the fronts, everybody thought that I started working the next day post its release, which is not true," added Kapoor.


Post the Ericsson commercial, Kapoor was seen in Daewoo Cielo car ad. She was also seen in Kinetic Honda, Asian Paints, Dhara, Kelvinator refrigerator ads, and did a lot of other international work too.


<strong>Why did the ad stand out?</strong>


Even though more than two decades have passed since it was released, the ad is still fresh in people’s minds. Why?


“I think it stood out for its cleverness. It was unexpected, it was surprising, and it was endearing. That is what we should always do with our advertising. We need to respect our audience, that we are interrupting their entertainment time with our product message. If we respect them, then we need to deliver it, not as a product message, but in a surprising and an endearing way,’’ said the ad filmmaker.


<strong>Read More:</strong> <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/quantum-brief/om-and-eastman-kodak-how-the-kodak-kb-10-campaign-deepened-their-association-7336.htm">O&M and Eastman Kodak: How the Kodak KB 10 campaign deepened their association</a>

One black coffee, please: The ad that won India her first Lion at Cannes

It was the 1940s. Late Sorab Kaikushroo Kooka who was known as Bobby Kooka, the commercial director of Air India, was in deep imagination. A personality with a royal image, who had a round face with a long and sharp nose, outsized moustache, and striped turban was taking shape.


He did not wait too long. He reached out to Umesh Rao, who worked at JWT as an artist. Together, they breathe ‘Air India’s Maharajah’ to life. It was the year 1946. The Maharajah—which was born on an in-flight memo pad—in the 1950s became the ‘bowing’ face of Air India, previously Tata Airlines. 


What remains a rarely known fact is that, the Maharajah’s famous moustache was designed after Kooka’s dear friend late Syed Wajid Ali, a Pakistan based industrialist, states Air-India collector, a website solely dedicated to understanding Air India, its history, the Maharajah and its journey in advertising and marketing themselves. 


After Amul's' ‘Girl’, Air India’s Maharajah stands as the most successful mascot of the Indian advertising for having entertained India with its cheeky one-liners. 


Last year, the airline brand, whose operations were taken care of by the government, came under the wings of the Tata Group. But, in a few months, the airline will bid a permanent goodbye to the mascot which once represented royalty and hospitality.


But, this is not the first time decisions surrounding the mascot’s retirement and rebranding are being undertaken. In the 1980s, San Francisco based Landor Associates was appointed for the rebranding exercise of the airline brand.



Right from the redesigning of all aspects of the airline followed by the introduction of the sun logo on the aeroplane’s tail which was a golden sun with 24 spokes embellished on a deep red sash, the rebranding exercise cost $35 million, an attempt to save the dwindling fortunes of the airline brand. 


However, the aura and charm of the mascot could never be forgotten. Hence, in the early 1990s, Madhavrao Scindia, former minister of civil aviation, paved the way for Maharajah who reprised its role once again. 


Let us dive into understanding some more of the lesser-known facts about the mascot.  


<strong>Nandita Chalam, former senior vice president and executive creative director, JWT, shared...</strong>


According to former national creative director of HTA, Ivan Arthur, who has worked extensively on Air India ads, there were some unwritten rules to drawing the Maharajah, “He cannot open his eyes; he cannot open his mouth, and he cannot be shown with a bare head—the turban or some headgear must always be there.”


Come to think of it, have we ever seen the Maharajah’s bare head? Mercifully not. But in the later years—when the Tatas were no longer a part of Air India and HTA no longer handled the business—some artists did draw the Maharajah with his eyes open. And a change of personality was evident! Instead of a suave and regal Maharajah, he looked more like a fat, sleazy, old uncle. Those unwritten rules sure needed to be followed. Ivan also said that though it was never put down formally anywhere, every person working on the business knew instinctively that everything done for Air India “had to carry its DNA—a double helix of exotica and charm”.


<strong>Prabhakar Mundkur, former senior vice president at Hindustan Thompson Associates, shared...</strong>


Arthur recalls, “He was no commercial mascot. He became a national figure, much loved and respected”. There was a time when every middle-class home in India proudly displayed a little toy Air India Maharajah in their living room showcases along with other curios.


“We call him a Maharaja for the want of a better description. But his blood isn’t blue. He may look like royalty, but he isn’t royal. He is capable of entertaining the Queen of England and splitting a beer with her butler. He is a man of many parts: lover boy, sumo wrestler, pavement artist, vendor of naughty postcards, Capuchin monk, Arab merchant….,” is what SK ‘Bobby’ Kooka the commercial director of Air India is once known to have said. (Kooka was later chairman of HTA).


And most of all, he was an entertainer. He made people smile with his inimitable wit and humour. The magic behind the Maharajah was that his commentary would always have something to do with the current topics, touching a nerve with his audience. He had a different take on every event that made the news. And that is what kept him and brand Air India current in everyone’s minds.



Lesser-known facts about the "soon-to-retire" Air India Maharaja

Rugged peaks of snow-capped mountains, beautiful valleys, undulating rivers, vibrant forests teaming with wildlife, sun-kissed coasts, spectacular monuments, delicious food, and vibrant culture: India, an ancient land, has much to offer travellers. Whether they look to expand their horizons beyond or wish to look within to find themselves, India has it all. 


<strong>The brief</strong>


The global tourism scenario took a hit as a result of 9/11 and its aftermath. The international tourism industry was largely stagnating, and India was no exception. India, as a tourist destination, had much to offer. But how could a country showcase itself given its size, diverse natural landscape, and unique cultural features? A specific strategy was necessary to boost tourism.


The tourism department put Amitabh Kant on the task of turning the fortunes of the Indian tourism industry around. The advertising agencies had a simple brief: promote India to international travellers, especially the high-end ones.



<strong>The concept and its execution</strong>


Ogilvy & Mather developed a novel presentation. A drawing by V. Sunil showed the word “India” with an exclamation mark for the first “I”. It was a visual trick that worked well. India was like the exclamation mark, and Sri Lanka was like the dot. Also, the word “Incredible” did deserve an exclamation!



So the concept of “Incredible India” was created. It was a series of advertisements, in print and on television. In the eye-catching print advertisement, the exclamation mark became the Taj Mahal minaret reflected in water along with the dot-like moon. In another, it became the black vertical stripe of a tiger, and in yet another, a woman stood in a desert with a pot.


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One television commercial showed the mosaic that is India, juxtaposing the desert of Rajasthan with the cold desert of Leh or Ladakh. People were shown doing dance, yoga, and playing traditional musical instruments from various regions of the country. Each scene was captivating and ended with the majestic Taj Mahal and a person in a yoga pose. There was a bright colour, splendour and uniqueness of experience on offer for the international traveller.


In yet another television commercial, a foreign traveller (a racetrack enthusiast) reconnected with himself through yoga and spectacular rides and walks in the foothills and snowy slopes of the Himalayas. Ending with the lines, “Find the incredible you”. It is the kind of journey a person takes within themselves.


The campaign to promote Indian tourism is a great example of experiential marketing.



<strong>The holistic approach</strong>


The Incredible India campaign was successful and has remained so since its launch. The Indian states and union territories were included in the programme, so that they promoted their region and culture, all under the aegis of this programme. For example, the state of Madhya Pradesh presented itself as the “Heart of Incredible India”.


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This comprehensive approach has helped the Indian tourism industry and has presented a cohesive face to tourism promotion. Efforts have been made for the inclusive development of tourism by all stakeholders starting from the local community.


The Incredible India website has given a fillip to tourism promotion, with its easy-to-navigate site, relevant information and captivating images. A mobile application has followed too. All these collective efforts have resulted in the growth of foreign as well as domestic tourism in India.


The Ministry of Tourism has unveiled “Visit India Year 2023”. “Incredible India 2.0” was also launched to make targeted promotions globally with television commercials, and increased digital presence. For all who wish to visit, “Incredible India” will truly enthral.



<strong>Subodh Tagare is an associate professor at IMT Nagpur, where he teaches courses on marketing. Prior to IMT, Subodh was the marketing director at American Power Conversion/ Schneider Electric for South Asia.</strong>


<strong>S Vejay Anand is the chief executive officer of Ironhill Brewery. He has also been an entrepreneur in the food and pet care spaces. Earlier he was president at Coffee Day and COO at USPL.</strong>


Throwback: How the Incredible India ad campaign made a global splash

Going beyond describing the attributes of products, some ad campaigns try to include a social connect; a social message that echoes contemporary social or even environmental concerns. Consider the Pan Parag story.


<strong>Conception of the advertisement</strong>


The Pan Parag commercial, which aired in the '80s and '90s, is unquestionably a classic - featuring Ashok Kumar and Shammi Kapoor. This advertisement brought together two of Hindi cinema’s most renowned stars for the first and last time.

In 1986, the late Mr M.M. Kothari was in Mumbai to meet the Everest Advertising team. Everest had been the advertising agency for the brand for many years. He wanted a change in the advertising strategy for his brand Pan Parag.

Mr Kothari communicated to the Everest team that he wanted to position Pan Parag as a product to be given to guests on social occasions, especially marriages. It was focused around “Khatirdari”, or hospitality, and offering a warm welcome to visitors.

He had the germ of an idea. He had also wanted the brand to be associated with the anti-dowry issue. The brief reached Sulekha Bajpai, who had recently joined Everest. She was briefed and asked to write a script for an advertising film.

Sulekha had seen the problem of dowry at close quarters among relatives and friends. She had made a promise to herself that she would do everything she could to discourage people from doing it. It seemed perhaps too coincidental that the brief came her way. She was able to put together a script quickly which was approved by Mr Kothari.

He insisted on using film stars for the commercial, and so, under the direction of Prem Kishan and Kishan Sethi of Cinevista, they decided to cast the thespians, Ashok Kumar and Shammi Kapoor. The now-famous jingle (“Pan Parag, pan masala, Pan Parag”) was composed by Ajit Singh.


<strong>Understanding the social context</strong>


Pan Parag attempted to appeal to an “Indian” audience with an “Indian” product. In the 1980s, dowry was freely discussed and denounced in equal proportion in the cultural context of that time. Pan Parag explored how it could gently oppose the giving and receiving of dowry, while using Pan Parag as an ice-breaker and social lubricant between two families.


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The commercial took a hard look at the hugely patriarchal society prevalent in many parts of India, where Ladkewale (the groom’s family) often made demands of gifts and money during weddings.

Pan Parag was positioned as a social product (much like coffee). Strangers were able to form bonds as a result of sharing pan masala, leading to more meaningful interactions and even friendship, through “khatirdari” or hospitality. Thus this brand of pan masala (itself having some negative health implications) was portrayed as a form of social bonding.

Fortuitously, Shammi Kapoor became synonymous with the brand. Once on his arrival from Hong Kong, along with his brother Raj Kapoor, there was a huge crowd waiting to catch a glimpse. The moment they saw Shammi, they screamed Pan Parag, much to the dismay of Raj, who was incensed. Not only that, the crowd started humming the jingle.

Raj rebuked Shammi saying, "Aren't you ashamed of yourself? With all the years of contribution to the film industry including Junglee, Teesri Manzil, Professor and Dil Deke Dekho, is that finished? People will remember you by Pan Parag?"


<strong>Conclusion</strong>


The Pan Parag ad campaign is just one of the many societal issues that are reflected in advertisements of various products and services. Take a recent example of the Nescafe ad campaign, “Badal Life ki Raftaar”, highlighting the coffee brand acting as a social bonding between a father and his daughter. While the father would rather his daughter study at a nearby educational institute, the daughter wants to study at a place further away. The dynamic at work is of a parent wanting his daughter close by, while she wants to spread her wings and explore new opportunities. Cups of coffee cement the father’s acceptance of his daughter’s determination, and her choice of pursuing her own goals.

Such ads are able to go beyond mere advertising to being almost an instrument of social change, while also building the business.


<em><strong>(Note: This story first appeared in Moneycontrol dated March 6, 2022)</strong></em>

How Pan Parag was positioned as a social product (much like coffee)

<strong>By Subodh Tagare & S Vejay Anand</strong>


“The apparel oft proclaims the man,” Polonius tells his son in Hamlet. That simply means that ‘clothes make a man’ and largely at first sight determine the way the world creates an impression of him. 


Does he appear rich, successful or maybe unkempt? There is a need therefore to dress one’s best, to be thought of well and received better. 


Fashion brands endeavour to give their customers a wardrobe so that they can make a mark in society, giving their personality a voice. Raymond’s in India is one such men’s fashion brand that stands for luxury dressing. This is the tale of Raymond's transformation into ‘The Complete Man’. 


In the process, the brand crafted an image that went from being outer-directed to inner-directed.


<strong>The beginning and the need for change</strong>


The journey of Raymond's started in 1925 when it was incorporated as the Raymond Woolen Mill in Thane, manufacturing woollen blankets. Later, in 1944, it was taken over by Lala Kailashpat Singhania. Over the years, Raymond’s has set the standards of men’s fashion manufacturing high-quality fabrics.


Raymond’s grew its business, with advertising contributing to its growth too. By the early 1990s, Raymond’s (as it was then called, but changed to Raymond later) was already a well-known brand. The slogan for Raymond's was “The Guide to the Well-Dressed Male”. The advertising showed handsome men with chic women, with all the trappings of accomplishment, like fast cars, glitz and glamour.


Post-economic liberalisation in India, the competition was heating up, both from national and some international brands. There was a need felt by Raymond’s to strengthen the perception of the brand as ‘the’ premium men’s fashion brand in the minds of the customers.


<strong>The brief and the brainstorming</strong>


Nexus Equity got the news that Raymond's was calling for a pitch from a few advertising agencies, including Lintas. Nexus Equity was smaller but formidable in talent and ambition. The team at Nexus consisted of Rajiv Agarwal as managing director, M. Raghunath as director, heading client servicing, and Arun Kale and Rajan Nair leading the creative. They were excited and decided to pitch.


The brand reiterated in the one-page brief that it stood for luxury and high fashion. The concept was to reaffirm this prestigious brand in the minds of the customers and set it at the top of its class. With the brief came a wealth of information in the form of old notes, advertisements and press releases, which the Nexus Equity team poured over.


During a meeting with Vijaypat Singhania, the chairman of Raymond’s and the final decision maker, he told Agarwal, Kale and Nair that Raymond’s was open to new ideas, even dramatic ones, as long as they were able to place it as a premium brand right on top. That was an open brief, and a chance to think out of the box.


As an extension to earlier advertising campaigns (and to show Singhania their capability), Nexus Equity thought of a campaign with the theme ‘People who Count’; of casting famous people from various fields like art and music who would do a piece exclusively for Raymond’s. 


They presented this idea to the client who loved the idea but opined that it may risk budget overruns apart from having to handle the idiosyncrasies of famous personalities. Singhania decided to give Nexus Equity a chance to get back to him with an implementable concept.


Brainstorming ensued among the Nexus Equity team as they worked towards a breakthrough in concept.


<strong>The breakthrough and birth of ‘The Complete Man’</strong>


As the team went over various ideas. Nair recollected the time when he had gone to purchase suit material for his wedding. Since Raymond’s was premium and beyond his budget, he purchased another brand. The tailor while stitching the suit cut off the edging that had the name of the brand printed on it. Now only Nair would know the brand name of the suit material, no matter how premium it was.


This insight got the team thinking. They would focus on people who already wore Raymond’s. The customers had to feel happy that they wore a premium luxury brand; that they too were special.


Moving away from showing an ‘alpha’ image of a man, with the usual glamorous women and shiny cars, the new advertising campaign would highlight the good inner qualities and traits that made a worthy man. This man was not a famous personality nor a sportsman whom common people put on a pedestal, but whose life remained unattainable. But every man could be a good son, husband, father, colleague or friend. These were attainable, yet worthy goals giving a sense of self. Such qualities would indeed make him ‘The Complete Man’.


Nair wrote the copy, Kale did the art direction and both prepared a campaign of six advertisements to show to the client. Agarwal was a little unsure whether Raymond's team would like the concept. The advertisements showed children growing up. Another showed friends catching up. But there was no mention of garments. Raghunath, who had not been part of the development of the campaign, was unsure too. But Kale and Nair were confident. They made two other ‘safe’ advertisements at Agarwal’s request.


These two advertisements were shown first to the Raymond’s team, including Singhania, who seemed underwhelmed. The Nexus Equity team now revealed that they had an ace up their sleeve but that it was an unconventional campaign.


After seeing ‘The Complete Man’ campaign, there was silence. Then Singhania stated that this was the campaign he wanted for the Raymond’s brand. The Nexus Equity team was elated.


<strong>Unveiling ‘The Complete Man’ and the reception</strong>


The advertising campaign was for print and television. Late Prabuddha Dasgupta did the photography, shot in locations like Ooty and Goa. The television commercials were by Subir and Namita of White Light Moving Picture Company, featuring music that was an adaptation of the piano piece called Traumerei (Dreaming) by Robert Schumann. 


One of the print advertisements showed a trio of friends with the text akin to poetry, “If…. He can speak his mind, … kick your ****, … and let you be you...” , highlighting the virtues of a good friend. Another advertisement had a photo of a pair of young boys with the inspiring text, “... If you persevere and push, and hang on long enough...you will bask in the sunlight, …what’s more, you’ll sleep well at night.”


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Each television commercial was an event or scene from ordinary life, largely without any dialogue or voiceover, except for the gentle melodious notes of the theme music. Some of the commercials were poignant, some warm and some just fun. Each advertisement showed various facets of a complete man. He did not flaunt, nor show off, he just was. He was the thoughtful caring husband who stayed behind to look after the baby when the wife needed to go away for work. 


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He was the saddened teacher who was given a gift by the young students on his retirement. He was the mature father who recollected how his daughter held his hand growing up, and that now he had to let go as she matured. He was the sentimental young man who wheeled his ailing father down the hospital corridor like the father did for him as a child playing with a wheelbarrow.


‘The Complete Man’ campaign was a hit. The music became a signature tune for Raymond’s. Decades later there is brand recall just by listening to the music. New advertisements too continued with a similar concept, with the additional lines: ‘Feels like Heaven’ and ‘Feels like Raymond’.


Raymond's advertising is a great example of using self-concept in building a brand. The advertisements showed the quiet confidence of a man who wore Raymond’s. He embodied the very aspects of being a good human. The treatment of the concept also set it apart from the competition.


<strong>Unfurling into the future</strong>


Raymond today produces the finest fabrics of international standards and is a market leader in the domestic worsted suiting industry. It has four brands for the complete men’s wardrobe: Raymond Ready to Wear, Park Avenue, ColorPlus and Parx. It has also expanded into adjacent markets like custom tailoring, and an exclusive Raymond ‘Made to Measure’ for the connoisseurs of style.


Raymond still evokes the gentle signature tune and the image of ‘The Complete Man’ for the common man.


<em><strong>Subodh Tagare is an Associate Professor at IMT Nagpur, where he teaches courses on marketing. Prior to IMT, Subodh was the marketing director at American Power Conversion/ Schneider Electric for South Asia.</strong></em>


<em><strong>S Vejay Anand consults with organisations on business strategy and marketing. He has also been an entrepreneur in the food and pet care spaces. Earlier he was President at Coffee Day and COO at USPL.</strong></em>



Throwback: Raymond’s journey to ‘The Complete Man’

When Eastman Kodak Co. transferred its $40 million consumer imaging mandate to Ogilvy & Mather (O&M) in the 1990s, it brought the curtain down on the brand’s 66-year-old association with J. Walter Thompson (JWT). 

  

JWT produced the first television ad for Kodak in 1955 and in 1992 created the memorable Kodak Moments campaign plugging the American photographic giant’s cameras and film. 

  

As former O&M creative director Shankar Nair recalls, after such a long association with JWT, Kodak was less than enthusiastic about the advertising work created by O&M. 

  

Then came the launch of Kodak KB 10, a 35 mm, point-and-shoot SLR camera, and the ad campaign for the product, considered the biggest post Kodak’s move to O&M. The period leading up to it was a test of endurance for the advertising firm. 

  

<strong>Kodak KB 10 and the advent of photography</strong> 

  

Kodak had a good standing in India, where it was a market leader, and its film rolls sold well. But the company was not much into advertising in India, where it did not strike a chord with consumers, who remembered it from the yellow balloons that were visible outside Kodak studios.  



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That changed with the arrival of the Kodak KB 10, which put photography just an arm’s length away from consumers. 

 

Rajesh Singh, former senior vice president of Kodak India, explained to Storyboard18 that photography was considered too technical a subject then. Few possessed the confidence to handle a camera and click photographs, a task they left  to professional photographers.  

  

“India is a country with a large population where a majority of the talent stands untapped. Hence, seeding of the market was very crucial. We wanted to bring photography to the masses where anybody could buy, load the film, click and get good photos,” Singh said. 

 

Seeding is the process of targeting a specific consumer group to encourage the faster acceptance of a new product. 

 

KB 10 cost Rs 995 because, as Singh says, the company wanted to price it below Rs 1000. When the camera was introduced, the general verdict was: <em>“Yeh camera nahi chalega” </em> (this camera won’t run). 

 

That’s because every time the lens cap would slide, the flash would turn on, and it would spoil the prospects of a decent photograph. 

 

Singh hit upon an idea. He instructed his team: “Go to every photography studio, take two photographs of the owner. Click theirs in broad daylight, and wherever they desire. Then ask that person to take a photo with this camera.” 

  

Next day, the photographs were delivered and only after the campaign did the cameras go on sale; the product sold at least in the hundreds. 

  

The photography trade was finally convinced about the ability and potential of the KB 10. But skeptics still felt it wouldn’t survive long in the market. 

 

Kodak KB 10 was introduced with a three-year, no-questions-asked replacement policy that was unheard at that time in India.  

  

O&M was briefed with the task of creating an advertisement that spotlighted how anyone could click great photos with the KB 10. 

  

<strong>Band, Baaja and Baraat </strong>

  

O&M’s Nair penned the script for the commercial, which focused on the product’s ease of use. 

  

Because the change of agency was a big step for Eastman Kodak, there would be constant calls with  the company’s vice president, who was based in Rochester, New York, and who was very involved in the making of the ad. 

  

The conceptualization and discussions, which took place under the guidance of Piyush Pandey, (currently) chairman of global creative, Ogilvy Worldwide, and executive chairman of Ogilvy India. Ad filmmaker Prasoon Pandey was drafted to shoot the commercial. 

  

The ad showed a couple who are on their honeymoon, have a camera and want to click a photo of theirs. They see a baraat (wedding procession) passing by and stop a man in the procession to ask him to click a picture. The camera is so easy to use that he joins them in the frame. Slowly, the whole crowd joins the couple for a photo. 

  

Prasoon was pleased with the script, and Banganga Tank in Mumbai’s Malabar Hill was chosen as the location.  

 

The team thought the ad “should be shot at a historical place where one could feel that a couple had gone and the baraat happened to be passing from there,” he said. 

  

During a pre-production meeting that also had the Kodak team present, they wanted the ending to highlight Buy a Kodak KB 10 today and show people buying one from a shop. For Prasoon, that sounded terrible. The script had a beautiful story set outside that had a visual texture. But the Kodak stuck to its guns. 

  

Prasoon asked: “What is the intention? Is it because you want to show a Kodak shop?” 

 

The Kodak team responded: “No, no! You don’t have to show Kodak shops.” The question then: “If Kodak shops are not needed to be shown, why show any shop?” The team replied: “We don’t want to show Kodak shops because we don't want people to feel that it is available only at Kodak showrooms.” Prasoon once again reasoned: “Then, it is very simple. Don’t show any shop. Just go and buy it.” 

  

The team once again argued: “Our boss in Rochester looks after the Asia Pacific region. He has asked to us to do this.” For 30 minutes, the argument went on.  

  

Finally, Prasoon picked up his Nokia phone and rang up his mother, who lived in Jaipur, and asked her whether he should go ahead with an ad film that he didn’t agree with. Her answer, he said, was “No”.  

  

His mother had not even understood the question, but he told the Kotak team: “My mother does not know the script but she said No.” 

  

This led to the team bursting into laughter and said they understood his point.  

  

<strong>Roping in the cast</strong> 

  

The person in the red shirt who requests a photo is Mohammed Asif. Cyrus Pagdiwala, who is a producer now, was cast as the bandwala. 

  

In the commercial, the first person from the baraat who clicks and calls the next person is Sitaram. Prior to acting, he looked after supplying junior artists to film production teams.  

  

The filmmaker got the band, and to recreate the music of the band, he visited the studio to ensure that everything was in place. 

  

<strong>Advertising, reception and distribution</strong>

  

The commercial was released pan-India, and Doordarshan was the main TV broadcaster then. Kodak India’s Singh revealed, “I bought 1000s of seconds of advertising time from Star News and some other satellite channels. We were fortunate at that time because they were just entering the scene.” 


The ad was shown during ad breaks on movie channels, sports channels, and during cricket was being broadcast. Singh reminisces that although posters were made, not much was spent on print advertising.  

  

After the commercial’s release, it received critical and commercial acclaim, and KB 10 was sold in millions in the first year of its launch. It changed the whole landscape of the photography market, distanced it from being an expert’s domain and made it available to the average user.  

  

O&M’s Nair said: “The success of the commercial improved the client-agency relationship and dispelled the company’s apprehension on the account movement. The first person to react after its release was (novelist and columnist) Shobhaa De. Next day, she wrote about the ad in a positive tone.”  

  

Nair credits Kodak India’s Singh for constantly convincing and reassuring the executive overseeing the ad throughout the making of the film, and dispelling the doubts the Kotak team harboured. 

  

Film rolls then started selling in outlets ranging from photo studios to chemists and gift shops, even paan stalls. 

  

Live events were staged, where a frame would freeze and the inscription ‘Kodak Moment’ would surface along with the sound of the camera. The concept was eventually appreciated and awarded at the prestigious Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. 



<strong>Read More:</strong> <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/simply-speaking-the-rise-and-fall-of-kodak-3970.htm">Simply Speaking: The rise and fall of Kodak</a>

O&M and Eastman Kodak: How the Kodak KB 10 campaign deepened their association

In 1977, fortune favoured the world of brands, especially domestic ones, in various ways.

That was the year when Coca-Cola exited India, thanks to regulations that required foreign companies to dilute their stake in local subsidiaries to 40 percent. The beverage giant also claimed that local authorities expected them to disclose the formula of their concentrate.

<strong>Read More:</strong> <a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/did-george-fernandes-drive-coca-cola-out-from-india-in-the-70s-3447791.html">Did George Fernandes drive Coca-Cola out from India in the 70s?</a>

Following Coca-Cola’s departure, local companies stepped in to tap the opportunity in the market for fizzy drinks. The Pure Drinks Group introduced Campa Cola and Parle brought in Limca, a lemon-flavoured drink, and Thums Up, a cola.

Parle also owned Gold Spot, an orange soft drink, and the company stepped up its advertising and marketing efforts to try and cement its position in the audience’s minds and hearts.

With Campa recently making a comeback in a fresh avatar and in three flavours – Campa Cola, Campa Lemon and Campa Orange – Gold Spot nostalgia too found space on social media platforms, especially Twitter.


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Someone please bring this drink back ! <br><br>Gold Spot &gt;&gt;&gt; Fanta &gt;&gt;&gt; Mirinda <a href="https://t.co/5y5B45ILeA">pic.twitter.com/5y5B45ILeA</a></p>&mdash; Sameer (@BesuraTaansane) <a href="https://twitter.com/BesuraTaansane/status/1639940593617887232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Three carbonated drinks (Thumbs Up, Limca &amp; Gold Spot) were launched by Parle after Coca-Cola exited (1977) from India. That’s the story I knew. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoldSpot?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoldSpot</a>, introduced in 1950s, was then not available nationwide. Other parts of India, therefore, weren’t familiar with the brand. <a href="https://t.co/mu7DKy0c0Q">pic.twitter.com/mu7DKy0c0Q</a></p>&mdash; प्रियराज PrriyaRaj (@PrriyaRaj) <a href="https://twitter.com/PrriyaRaj/status/1640192091904167937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">And, I am sorry, but <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Fanta?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Fanta</a> doesn’t have the ‘zinngg thiingg’ that <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Goldspot?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Goldspot</a> had.<br><br>Yes ?</p>&mdash; anand pandey (@anandnama) <a href="https://twitter.com/anandnama/status/1640309786628726786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Harpreet Kaur, the head of marketing at KGOC Global who runs a series on lost brands on LinkedIn, recalled to Storyboard18 how Gold Spot was widely popular in the 1980s and 1990s, her growing years.


“There are a lot of memories associated with Gold Spot where in the school canteen, we would bond over a drink. Though Fanta and Gold Spot have similar taste, nostalgia continues to be high among the latter,” she recollected.


In the early 1970s, the Gold Spot print and outdoor advertisements starred Bollywood actress Rekha. The ads were helmed by the creative ad agency MCM (Mass Communication and Marketing) – no longer in existence. Its founder, the late Kersy Katrak, coined the slogan ‘Livva little hot, Sippa Gold Spot.’


The ads were shot by Govind Nihalani and directed by Shyam Benegal, both cinematographers. Ad film director Prahlad Kakkar was a young assistant on the sets then.


The ads featured Rekha casually strolling along the beach with Usha Uthup singing in the background. They were splashed across newspapers, magazines, walls and boards. The target audience then was adults.


After a flavouring agent was flagged as possibly carcinogenic, Kakkar reminisced how Gold Spot had to make modifications. A campaign was run to highlight the change and efforts were made to position the drink as the ‘new’ Gold Spot to keep criticism at bay. Advertising agency ASP took up the mandate of creating commercials for Gold Spot.


Gold Spot was perceived to be a brand for children – it was extremely sweet to taste and would be served at practically every birthday party. However, its popularity came under threat when Rasna, which was launched in 1976, started becoming popular in the 1980s, targeting the same audience.


<strong>BTS: Introducing ‘The Zing Thing’</strong>


That was when Parle pressed the damage control button: What about shifting the focus with respect to the target audience? Gold Spot made its way to advertising agency Rediffusion.


“Gold Spot was suffering because of Rasna’s dominance over the market,” Kamlesh Pandey, former head of creative, recollected. “Every soft drink has to focus on a specific age group. Our job was to find a recognisable face that could work among the young audience, especially the teenagers. Our target was not on adults even though they drink Gold Spot.”


Under Pandey, two to three teams executed the creative duties. They decided to run a series of commercials and six were conceptualised. Surendra Rao, the creative group head in one of the teams, not only wrote the scripts of the ads, which were purely lyrical in nature, but also coined the tagline: ‘The Zing Thing.’


“At Rediffusion, for any major campaign, there were different creative groups, and they would ask more than one group to pitch in. One of the groups came up with ‘Go for Gold’ for the brand’s campaign. Since the focus was on teenagers, I hit upon the idea of crafting the ads in the jingle format,” Rao told Storyboard18.


With the stress on the zeal and zest of teenagers and the growing popularity of Western music, the creative team agreed to stay with the trend, and Rao based the jingles on rock and roll music.


<strong>Was Parle receptive to this idea?</strong>


“It is never easy for any client to accept anything new or different that they have not been used to,” Pandey said. “The agency’s responsibility is to help them change their mindset to help them look at a concept, which is fresh.”


Rao took the lyrics to film composer, singer, keyboardist and record producer Louis Banks, who immediately expressed his delight. Banks did the scratch recording to present to the client.


Ashok Kurien, former founder-partner of Ambience Advertising (now Publicis Ambience), was the servicing person on the account. When the recording was presented to the client, Kurien mentioned to Rao that the client was dancing to the tune and was thrilled.


But, the client did raise the question, “What about in Hindi?”


Pandey then penned the lyrics in Hindi. What he found challenging here was translating the theme line ‘The Zing Thing’ in the widely spoken language. ‘The Zing Thing’ went on to be called ‘Deewano ka mazaa.’


Kakkar, who had worked very closely with Pandey and Rediffusion in the past, was called in once again to shoot the campaign in Mumbai.



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The commercials were rolled out on national TV broadcaster Doordarshan in both Hindi and English. Though all of them were shot at the same time, they were released in a sequential manner every week. This was because Rediffusion first wanted to assess the response of the audience to the ads. When the response matched their expectations, they released the other commercials.


The 1985 campaign was immensely popular and became one of the most successful for soft drinks by Rediffusion, according to Pandey.


Rasna’s focus was on children, and Campa’s audience was adults. Gold Spot’s target was the teenage group. The campaign helped Gold Spot make a grand comeback and restore its lost position in the market.


<strong>Banking on a strong script</strong>


A notable aspect of the series of commercials was that none of them featured celebrities. Pandey marked this out as the highlight of the campaign. His view was that if the theme of the ad was not captivating, no film star or sportsperson could save it. Also, more than the brand, the audience would remember the personality and associate the commercial with him or her.


“The same celebrity also endorses smokeless tobacco called ‘gutka’ – how much validity is then left in his or her words? Why should they be paid a hefty amount just to promote a brand?” he asked.


<strong>Nostalgia: Is it a strong marketing factor?</strong>


With liberalisation, foreign entities including Coca-Cola re-entered the Indian market in 1993. Coca-Cola had deep pockets and the means to invest in advertising and marketing. Eventually, Coca-Cola bought Gold Spot along with Limca, Thums Up and Maaza.


However, Gold Spot was withdrawn because Coca-Cola wanted to create space and focus on Fanta.


Now that Campa has returned, the question is whether nostalgia can be a determining factor if Gold Spot was to be re-introduced in the Indian markets? The opinions are mixed.


Kakkar and Pandey said it would be very difficult to create space in the minds of the audience if the brand was re-introduced. Further, Pandey is of the opinion that nostalgia does not always work in favour of brands.


“Nostalgia works among the age group who have vivid recollections about the brand,” Pandey said. “Today, the audience for soft drinks is the youth. If a brand tries to highlight to them about their popularity during a particular period, there are very less chances that it would strike a chord.”


Pandey said if Gold Spot came up with varied flavours or experimented with flavours, it could stand a chance of survival.


KGOC Global’s Kaur recalled how the cap of Gold Spot’s glass bottles would have collectibles that were very popular among children and added that the brand should tap the nostalgia factor and connect with the target audience that grew up when it became popular. From here, the brand can slowly move towards targeting children.


She said the ‘The Zing Thing’ jingle can be redone with different faces and by roping in Bollywood celebrities Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal or Ranveer Singh.


Pandey, who was the scriptwriter for the critically acclaimed Hindi film Tezaab, shared a story on how Gold Spot missed a brand placement opportunity.


The hit song Ek do teen, which featured Madhuri Dixit, was being shot at Mehboob Studio. Pandey told the film producer about the brand he was handling and asked if the Gold Spot logo could be placed as a backdrop in the song.


“The reply came, ‘No problem. But, I will charge money,’” he said.


The producer demanded Rs 5 lakh. However, Parle did not agree, Pandey said. There was no way to know how popular the film and the song would turn out to be. Tezaab went on to garner appreciation for its story, screenplay, dialogues, performances and soundtrack. Ek do teen became a chartbuster and can still get one to groove to its tune.


If Parle had agreed to the brand placement, one can only imagine the connection that Gold Spot would have enjoyed with the audience, regardless of which generation they belonged to.

Gold Spot: When ‘The Zing Thing’ restored the brand’s lost market share

Papads or pappadums. Those crispy mouth-watering accompaniments add an extra something to a meal. Crunchy and tasty, they make for great snacks too. Traditionally, papad-making was an annual, laborious task done by households. Papads would be rolled out, sun-dried in courtyards and terraces and then stored for use during the year.


Purchasing packets of papad from shops and local outlets became acceptable in cities like Mumbai, with a faster pace of life, urbanisation and often limited urban space.


<strong>The Beginning</strong>


Lijjat Papad was the brainchild of a small group of Gujarati women from Mumbai. They wanted to start some business with the cooking skills they had. They borrowed Rs. 80, and went about buying all the ingredients and equipment for their budding venture. The terrace of their building became the first place of production. They launched their business selling the papads to a merchant in Bhuleshwar in Mumbai (an area close to their neighbourhood). The values that the business nurtured from the start were: maintaining the quality of their products, keeping proper accounts and being self-reliant.

Over the years, more women joined this cooperative system, and business continued to flourish. The business growth was mostly through word of mouth and some articles in local newspapers. By early 1960s, the venture got named Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad. To expand business further, they decided to advertise their product, but within a tight budget.


<strong>The Brief</strong>


Appi Umrani, a mentor of the ladies, was on the lookout for a good idea for a television commercial. He had seen Ramdas Padhye, a ventriloquist at a show in Mumbai. Padhye also had his own show that aired on Doordarshan which was watched by a large audience. Appi asked Padhye if he would be interested in directing the commercial. He agreed.


Ramdas Padhye was struck by an idea to feature one of his fluffy puppets, a rabbit. Appi was not convinced about a rabbit eating papad, but was reassured when Padhye physically performed with the puppet. The details of the TV commercial were still being worked out, and the rabbit was to be centre-stage. The script was soon written, but when Padhye read it, it lacked pizzazz. After much thought, he decided to include humour and laughter in it. And a new script was born.


<strong>Rabbit Puppet in the Limelight</strong>


The TV commercial was shot in a house in Mumbai, showing family and friends gathered together. Lijjat Papad was shown being served to them as a snack. The soundtrack at the back played, <em>“Jab jee chahe shauk se khae, karram kurram, kurram karram”</em>. The rabbit puppet joyfully eating papad had the voiceover of Ramdas Padhye. He even came up with <em>“karram kurrum”</em> as a unique sound that could come from a rabbit eating a crisp papad. The TV commercial ended with the rabbit holding the papad and laughing, “Hehehe”.


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The unique concept of puppetry, emotional connect of family, and a distinctive soundtrack made Lijjat Papad television commercial unique. The fluffy rabbit puppet found a pride of place on the Lijjat Papad packaging as well.

Lijjat is an example of the role of an irrelevant brand element (the rabbit puppet, in this case) in building a recognizable and meaningful brand. 


<strong>Lijjat Papad: Success into the future</strong>


From a startup venture by seven homemakers turned entrepreneurs, Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad today is a stunning example of women’s empowerment through the cooperative system. Today it is India’s oldest, all women’s cooperative, employing some 45000 women, providing them with livelihood and work flexibility while managing their own households. The women have expanded the business to offer a variety of papads, as well as other food items such as masalas and khakhras. Their products are also now available beyond India in places such as USA, UK and the Middle East. Smt. Jaswantiben Jamnadas Popat, a founding member of the Lijjat Papad Cooperative, was honoured with Padma Shri in 2021.

For those who grew up watching the Lijjat Papad TV commercial, the image of the rabbit, his cackle, and the soundtrack still are recognisable decades later. Lijjat Papad is now a household name.


<em><strong>Subodh Tagare is an associate professor at IMT Nagpur, where he teaches courses on marketing. Prior to IMT, Subodh was the marketing director at American Power Conversion/ Schneider Electric for South Asia.</strong></em>


<em><strong>S Vejay Anand is presently the chief executive officer at Ironhill Brewery. He has also been an entrepreneur in the food and pet care spaces. Earlier he was the president at Coffee Day and COO at USPL.</strong></em>

Karram Kurram: The distinct Lijjat Papad advertising

An elegantly decorated house is brimming with guests, indicating it is a <em>‘Shaadi wala ghar’</em>. The bride’s father is tied up in greeting guests, and the bride in chatting with her friends. The younger sister is admiring her bridal glow when she sees her father gesturing at her with an eye. The sister rushes down and starts playing the tune of Mozart’s 25th Symphony on the piano. What follows next is not just heartwarming to the viewers, but proves pivotal to brand Titan too.  

  

Titan played a distinct role in changing the face of the watch market in India. When the brand started out with advertising and marketing its watches in the 1980s, catalogue advertising was the go-to strategy.  

  

By the late 1980s, Titan had cemented its position as one of India’s pioneering brands, writes Vinay Kamath in his book Titan - Inside India’s Most Successful Consumer Brand. As the brand realised the approach of catalogue advertising had become redundant, it was trying to humanise its communication strategies.  

  

Titan was a longstanding client of OBM, renamed Ogilvy & Mather (O&M) in 1989. C. K. Venkataraman, who worked as Titan’s ad manager in the early 1990s, was their client. Ashok Sarath was the creative director of the agency then. The brand's mandate was handled by the Bangalore branch of O&M. 

  

Niranjan Natarajan, former creative supervisor of the agency, reminisced in an interview with Storyboard18 how there existed an emotional reason for people to connect with the brand. Titan exhibited the ‘joy of gifting’, and tapped the softer emotions of life. The agency was looking at positioning Titan as an integral part of one’s life. 

  

<strong>Making of 'The Wedding Film' </strong>

  

According to Kamath’s book, Titan had conducted detailed research to understand the consumer’s purchasing behaviour in order to plan its products and advertising campaigns. Based on the results that were obtained, what the brand discovered was that people were gifting Titan watches during significant occasions in their lives. 

  

Through its commercials, the brand was seeking to capture varied emotions when it came to gifting. 

  

Filmmaker Rajiv Menon, who is also a leading advertising director, recalls how he, along with Sarath and Natarajan, would get into detailed discussions with the client. The storyline was building around a father, his two daughters, the wedding season and the idea of gifting.  

  

Because the plot had the presence of a father, the narrative emphasised the emotional value of a bride taking something with her as she steps into a new chapter in her life.  

 

But doubts persisted if the idea of gifting would strike a chord with the audience. The discussion became heated when it came to one point: Where is the mother? In a traditional setup, when a daughter gets married, it is the mothers who feel the sentiment deeply. 

 

“The argument would be: Mother is dead,” laughs Menon.  

  

This was not the only challenge the team faced. The presence of a piano and playing of a Western melody on it too posed a question mark. It is here that a thought popped in their minds. What if a cute girl played the piano? How do we design the household in a manner where on playing the piano, a warm moment between the bride calling her father ‘Papa’ is created?, added the filmmaker.  

  

“Would it come across as a very Goan or a very Christian setup if a piano was seen in the household during such an occasion?" this question too was raised during the discussions. However, the team was very clear it wanted to highlight the affection between the father and the bride without making it look overly sentimental. 

  

Now, O&M’s attention shifted to how differently they could introduce Mozart's 25th Symphony into the plot. Slowly, it began to weave around the little sister, who would play the tune on the piano. This is how ‘The Wedding Film’ was put together, a story of a father and his two daughters in a large crowd. 

  

After the script was penned by Natarajan, then began the hunt for suitable casting. For the role of the bride, the requirement was for a face that was composed and reflected maturity. For the father, the team was sure that they wanted someone with an aristocratic persona. 

  

Nisha Nithyanandan, who Menon said had modelled for a few commercials he shot, was roped in for the role of the bride. Amar Talwar, who tasted fame with DD National’s 1994 television series <em>Shanti - Ek Aurat Ki Kahani</em>, played the part of the father. 

 

For the part of the younger sister, the team wanted someone who could exude a child-like sense of humour, said Natarajan. 

  

The shooting of the commercial commenced at Velachery in Chennai. The house of Kamal Gupta, who was a partner at Southern Investments, was chosen as the locale. 

 

Menon recalls an incident. After the ad was shot, it was shown to the late Xerxes Desai, Titan's managing director. He is supposed to have remarked, “What is this commercial you have shot?” But, to his credit, he added: “If you all think it will work, please go ahead.” 



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In the mid-1990s, the commercial was released on Doordarshan, and on a pan-India level. As Menon puts it, on its release, the ad film was well received and turned out to be a 'superhit' among the audience. 

  

In the entire ad film, there is only one word spoken: Papa. Its script writer felt it was important to narrate a story visually, and remove the spoken track. The audience would understand what the advertisement intended to say. 

 

“That is the beauty of retaining only ‘Papa’ as the single (spoken) expression in the commercial,” Natarajan adds. 

  

He says the commercial was just one aspect of the purchase. The brand sold on the strength of its product, experience, design and other parameters. Retail channels of the brand had penetrated deep into the market and a customer could buy a Titan watch across India at an affordable price.  

  

Although the presence of the piano and the absence of the mother and how the audience would react to it loomed as concerns, the main challenge for the filmmaker was to capture the emotions right.  

 

“We were very clear that we did not want to shoot a Hindi film’s ‘Bidaai’ like scene. Our focus was on highlighting the joy of gifting. We had to tone down the intensity of the emotions in a lot of close-ups. It was a beautiful mix between Indian sentiment and Western melody in an Indian family set up,” Menon said.  

  

Apart from television advertising, print and in-store advertising were explored.    

  

<strong>Mozart’s 25th Symphony</strong>

  

In ‘The Wedding Film’, when the younger sister leaves the watch for the bride on the dressing table, there is an element of surprise. 

 

When the former begins to tap the piano keys to the tune of Mozart’s 25th Symphony, it is a cue for the elder sister to recognise what it is all about. It is one of only two symphonies Mozart composed on G minor, considered the key in which he best expressed sadness. 

  

On an occasion like an Indian wedding where normally, the musical instrument Shehnai is played, what is Mozart’s 25th Symphony doing as the background score in the commercial? 

  

When Titan’s initial launch advertisement ‘Titan Quartz from Tata’ was released, it showed a series of watches one after the other. Mozart’s 25th Symphony, which was played in the background, was adapted by the late Suresh Mullick, O&M's then-well-known creative director. The track was picked from the 1984 American biographical drama film Amadeus which was based on the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s symphony. 

  

Natarajan reminisces how the Ogilvy & Mather's founder David Ogilvy had once said to Mullick: “How very civilised of you to pick a Mozart tune to sell a watch in India.” The ad film tasted terrific success. 

  

Natarajan adds, “The part of the brief given to us always included, ‘How do we use the tune, and how differently can we use it?’” Since then, the tune has become synonymous with Titan which still generates great brand recall. 

  

<strong>Then v/s Now: What has changed in Titan’s advertising?</strong> 

  

It was in the early 2000 when the brand first started tapping celebrities for endorsements by roping in Bollywood actor Aamir Khan. Khan was seen in the brand’s ‘What’s Your Style’ ad and ‘Be More’ series. The commercials worked in Titan’s favour and generated tremendous brand recognition. 

  

Over a period of time, actors like Katrina Kaif, Kriti Sanon, Nimrat Kaur and Rajkummar Rao too had a role in Titan’s ad films. 

  

‘The Wedding Film’ attained the status of ‘iconic’ without the presence of any celebrity or well-known face. The ad film's script writer makes his point here. If the agency had cast someone prominent, the advertisement would be remembered by his or her name. This would have distracted the audience from the theme of the commercial. Communicating the emotion of ‘The Wedding Film’ was far more important than featuring an established personality. 

  

Although it was the client’s decision to not cast known faces, for the brand, it was the watches that were the biggest celebrity in its communication strategies, Menon says. 

  

Natarajan highlights one more point. Today, a lot of buzz is being generated on the amount of content being produced. This is excess when compared to the past. Hence, the pressure to break the clutter and be visible among the crowd for a brand is tremendous. Although the challenge for any brand is to be in step with the times, the decision-making process on the part of the consumers is a lot more complicated today.  

  

Here, he is also quick to add: “If a story is able to invoke drama or if there are sudden bursts of emotions, people notice it within a few seconds. But, what has remained common between then and now is: moments, little expressions and the constant search for joy.” 

Titan’s ‘The Wedding Film,’ the commercial that tugged at the heartstrings through the ‘joy of gifting’

Home is where this story begins. A well maintained cared-for brick and mortar house transforms into a home that can inspire, nurture dreams and store memories. Wall aesthetics can truly open up the interiors, adding a splash of colour to life.

<strong>The Challenging Competition</strong>

In the 1990s Indian paint industry, Nerolac had a predominant proportion of sales in the industrial paint segment and a minor proportion from the decorative paint segment. Higher margins were in the lucrative decorative paint segment and its competitor, Asian Paints, dominated this segment.

Asian Paints was the market leader and had the exact opposite market composition; it controlled a significant share of the decorative paint market and had a smaller contribution from the industrial paint business. The Asian Paints television commercial featuring Jagjit Singh was popular with its customers. 

This was at a time when Ogilvy was using emotional connect with the product’s story as a messaging strategy for Asian Paints. Not only was Asian Paints running great advertising campaigns, it was also providing incentives for painters to recommend them to the customers. This two pronged strategy was working well for Asian Paints.

<strong>The Brief and the Artist’s Inspiration</strong>

Nerolac had been one of FCB Ulka’s oldest clients. Subhash Tendle, an art director at Ulka, had reworked Nerolac’s Goody Tiger logo (now discontinued) to promote the brand, way back in 1972.

With competition heating up in the 1990s, a new brief was given to Ulka, asking them to create a television commercial specially for Nerolac decorative paints for homes, emphasising the wide range of beautiful colours. Their budget was far smaller compared to Asian Paints.

Late Anil Kapoor (ex-Chairman Ulka) and Nitin Bhagwat (now ex-Vice Chairman FCB) decided to focus on the painter – the artist and the real hero when it came to decorating the blank walls with colour. Freshly painted walls in beautiful colours was his art. And people feeling great in the house was due to his effort. 


Neena Varma, the creative director, chose Subodh Poddar for the job of developing a new campaign. He was an art director who wrote…a painter of the classical school. He knew that just as paintings adorn walls, well painted walls were akin to paintings themselves. Further, he knew the value of bringing an emotional appeal to a functional product, having completed a successful campaign for Godrej Storwell, using emotional connect as a strategy.


Subodh wrote and presented the script, highlighting the joy of painting which came from the sheer beauty and colour palette of Nerolac Paints. 

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<strong>The Wall as Canvas: The TV Commercial</strong>


Min Aiyar directed the first television commercial for this campaign.


Vishwajeet was the music composer and the singer of the jingle. Vishwajeet, an up-coming singer, used to sing for Kalyanji Anandji in their shows as a substitute for Kishore Kumar. The Nerolac commercial bestowed Vishwajeet with fame, being introduced as the Nerolac singer.


Subodh Poddar directed the refresh of the popular commercial. It was shot by Rajeev Jain and choreographed by Farah Khan. Jayesh Gandhi and Uday Benegal of Indus Creed adapted the music to giving it a unique touch and was sung by KK. One of the most iconic Indian TV ad was created.


The TV commercial showed the painters singing the jingle “Jab ghar ki raunak badhani ho…”, as they paint a house in beautiful colours. The scene of smiling kids running through the house added a sense of playfulness and family, as the jingle played on “Rango ki duniya me aao, rangeen sapne sajao”. The result was a beautifully decorated home in bright colours. The jingle was melodious and lively.


<strong>The evolving Colour Palette</strong>

The commercial was successful and very popular. In fact, the jingle is one of the core brand assets that consumers still recollect. The recall was so high that Nerolac revived the jingle many times in new contemporary ways. Even after years of it not being aired, a research agency ranked it in the top 7 television commercials in consumers’ memories.

Today a customer needs to just think colour; of the many hues of flowers perhaps, “Light Tulip”, “Sweet Lavender” and “Deep Rosette”, or the many landscapes that grace our world, “Rajasthan Pink”, “Drifting Green”, or “White Cliffs”. All of these shades and more are among the evolving colour catalogue that make up the Nerolac wall paint universe. They are available in interior and exterior paints, in luxury, premium and popular range, in multiple textures and options. So painting a house stylishly is now within the grasp of a wide range of customers.

Nerolac today showcases contemporary styles in wall painting, opening a whole new world of ideas for the customers. The services of expert painters are also offered making home painting a hassle free experience. So “Jab Ghar ki raunak badhani ho, deewaroon ko jab sajana ho” it is “Nerolac, Nerolac”, as the memorable jingle plays on.

<strong>Subodh Tagare is an Associate Professor at IMT Nagpur, where he teaches courses on marketing. Prior to IMT, Subodh was the marketing director at American Power Conversion/ Schneider Electric for South Asia.</strong> 

<strong>S Vejay Anand consults with organizations on business strategy and marketing. He has also been an entrepreneur in the food and pet care spaces. Earlier he was President at Coffee Day and COO at USPL.</strong>

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