Branded for life

It could be a chirpy icon, a two-piece bikini or a glamorous film star. In the world of brands, it’s the survival of the fittest. Mathures Paul redefines the pitch

The great Indian brandwagon started nearly four decades ago. Great brands sometimes outlast their ambassadors as proven by Lux which is celebrating its 75th anniversary in India.The first ambassador, Leela Chitnis featured in a Lux advertisement which flagged off the Lux wagon. She gave way to a galaxy of stars which includes Madhubala, Nargis, Meena Kumari, Mala Sinha, Sharmila Tagore, Waheeda Rehman, Saira Banu, Hema Malini, Zeenat Amaan, Juhi Chawla, Madhuri Dixit, Sridevi, Aishwarya Rai and Kareena Kapoor. The last frontier for most actors aspiring to stardom is becoming a Lux ambassador. The brand has outlasted many soaps. From the beginning, Lux became a household name across the country.

Actor Hema Malini says, “One of the turning points in my career was when I was signed up by Lux. It was then that I knew I had made my mark in Indian cinema as a leading lady. To be a Lux star is a much sought after honour amongst leading ladies and it truly means a lot to me.”After 50 Indian female actors lathering up with Lux, it is now the turn of a male actor, Shah Rukh Khan, to say, “Aaj mein aapko batanewala hoon meri khubsuratein ka raaz — Lux. Ab batayein aapka favourite Lux Star kaun hai? (I want to tell you about my beauty secret — Lux. Who is your favourite Lux Star?)” In 1926, Ginger Rogers became the first Hollywood great to appear in a Lux commercial. The first Lux bar made in India was sold for the princely sum of two annas in 1934. Here's another conversation starter. In the early 1970s, Jayalalitha featured in a Lux ad.Another great brand which continues to make you drool is Amul butter. The Thumbelina girl in a polka dotted frock continues to make your sides split with her comical takes on contemporary issues — political, economic or simply vagaries of the Indian psyche. Making her appearance in Mumbai in the summer of 1967, she became the talk of the town and the subject of children's scrapbooks. She was created by the then managing director of ad agency ASP, Sylvester daCunha in 1966. Amul butter was launched in 1945 and previously had a staid, boring image. But daCunha changed all that and made Amul butter the toast of your breakfast. One of the first Amul hoardings was about the new invention of test tube babies which went: “Taste tube baby.”

Those were the times when the brand did not have separate headline and slogan. It is one of the few brands in which the slogan changes with every billboard. Only the “utterly butterly delicious” is constant. Some famous hits are “Maintain Internal Security — Amul” (Maintenance of Internal Security Act introduced during Emergency), “Enr on? Or off?” (Enron controversy), "Real pleasure comes in an instant” (MR Coffee controversy) and “Where appan? Easily found” (needless to explain).The third brand which still makes waves in your bucket is Surf. Lalitaji was the icon which first represented the empowerment of the Indian housewife in Indian ads. She was the traditional, middle class housewife who was educated and smart — someone nobody could take for a ride. The Indian housewife could identify completely with Lalitaji and she became a runaway success. Lalitaji has disappeared from the small screen but the brand image of Surf still gains from her. Another evergreen brand was created in 1975. Karen Lunel created a sensation by bathing under a waterfall clad in a two-piece bikini in times when Indian women did not reveal their ankles. Liril was famously referred to as the ‘freshness soap’. The Karen Lunel ad single-handedly catapulted Liril to one of the top selling soaps — the ad ran for 12 years. The freshness of Liril is still portrayed as in the newest “la-i-ra-li-ra”.

There are brands which had the potential but ran out of creative fuel before they reached the finishing line. "Jo biwi se kare pyar, yo Prestige se kaise kare inkaar?" was the one-liner snack in many a cocktail party in the 1980s. Prestige pressure cooker made an impression on the minds of consumers with the simple but effective commercial. But where are the ads now? Boroline met with the same fate. The very hummable “khusbudar antiseptic cream, Boroline” was played frequently on radio and became as indispensable as soap in the shower. But Boroline also ran out of creative steam.Evergreen brands like Malboro and United Colors of Benetton prevail in the international advertising arena. In India too, strong brands continue their march.