Amul: Utterly Butterly Delicious Amul

In India, at least as far as I know, if its butter it has got to be utterly butterly delicious AMUL! Today Amul is a symbol of many things apart from butter– Chocolates, Ice- creams, an unending list of milk products, pizzas and even sweets, but the name Amul immediately brings in images of the “amul baby”, her red and white polka-dotted dress, her orange face, the hoardings that changed every week and the brilliant one liners they had on them.

When I was a kid, I clearly remember my school bus passed by the Amul hoarding and every Friday I used to be extremely eager to see what the new ad was all about! Amongst the hundred reasons I had not to go to school this was one reason that got me waking up at 6:30 to catch that bus! There were so many critical aspects to those print ads and hoardings that got people wanting more year after year after year. Firstly, from children like me then to grandparents everyone could connect and I believe that’s so important to build a healthy brand – customer relationship. Amul did this particularly well. Secondly, it covered the most talked about and “happening” issues – from politics to bollywood sports, of the country and the world in the most humorous way with the products so well placed between it all.

She was born in 1966 and turned 44 this year. The baby and her ads have broken all records and are all set to become the longest running ad campaign in the world. Her father, arguably one of India’s best cartoonist, Eustace Fernandes, may no longer be alive to give us some more of his breathtaking creativity, but the memories of this beautiful story he carved out, will be associated with the history of Indian Advertising.

I believe that life is lived to its fullness when an individual manages to strike a synergistic balance between the four aspects of life as described by Stephen Covey in his book "First Things First"– To Love, To Live, To Learn and To Leave a Legacy. I may not be able to comment on the love, live and learn aspects but he definitely left behind a legacy that will require sheer talent to carry it forward!

In fond memory of the father of this immortal story, following are some of the best ads he created….

Catch All Amul ads at http://www.amul.com/hits.html