MAGAZINE Voices pushpesh pant ravi shankar S Vaidhyasubramaniam Anu Aggarwal Debashis Chatterjee Swami Sukhabodhananda Buffet People Wellness Books Food Art & Culture Entertainment NEW DELHI December 29 2024 SUNDAY PAGES 12 Ad You Like It With her big red bindi and starched white sari, Lalita bhabhi became a household name promoting Surf Indie ad agencies are making news with crossover videos like YouTube’s ‘Ganji Chudail’ and Zepto’s ‘Kaju Katli’. As influencers crowd the market, the charm of vintage ads evoke nostalgia for a simpler, familial middle class time that is past N By Konkana Ray othing is original. A rock painting hawking goods. Political messaging boards under Pompeii’s volcanic ash. An engraving for the Liu family needle shop from Song dynasty China, considered the world’s earliest identified printed advertising medium. A board with a drawing of a boot, indicating ‘cobbler’ in Medieval Europe. Today these visual enticements have been replaced by a plethora of signs, sounds and scenes—social media pitches, Insta reels, political videos, radio jingles, glossy ads for shoes, cheerful potato chips ads, tastefully shot photographs purveying clothes, totes and sport shoes. Yet, vintage will always have cachet because it invokes a yearning for a lost age, and meanings that have migrated to other contexts. Advertisements are more than just clever visuals or catchy taglines—they are frames of change that reflect the times. Car ads for the stately Ambassador and its nipper version, the Fiat/ Premier Padmini feel cutely sentimental and honest now, compared to the macho man driving an SUV splattering mud with an adoring semi-clad female by his side, or an actor in a body suit downing an aerated soft drink and leaping off a cliff. From stately to silly is where we are. The Raymond Suitings ad displayed owner Vijaypath Singhania posing in impeccable pinstripes while today filmstar brand ambassadors like Abhishek Bachchan hawk Ramraj Cotton and Lyra is Janhvi Kapoor’s sell. There were filmstar models in the ’60s and ’70s, too such as Nanda promoting Lux soap or Kishore Kumar pushing Brylcreem. Dilip Kumar’s face launched a thousand pickle bottles. Sportsmen are huge ad catchers now—Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni make crores as models, unlike the old days when models represented real people. A mother feeding her boy Dalda-made delicacies may not be cholesterol correct, but made the cooking medium a household name for middle class families who could buy the affordable tins—gosh, who sells anything in tins now? Politically correct advertising entered the picture in the 2000s with health concerns and puritanical attitudes—TV channels shun condom advertisements because these are “indecent especially for children” and can create “unhealthy practices” among them. Until then, Jackie Shroff smoked a cigarette in an ad with the tagline ‘Relax, have a Charminar’. Ads in India from the 1960s to the 2000s were totally aimed at the middle class. A young couple riding a moped in a Hero Majestic poster. Lalita bhabhi became an icon promoting Surf. Now TV ads are the big enchiladas, showing macho actors eating Pan Parag; voices sound better than lines. Shantesh S Row, Chief Creative Officer and Founder of Slant Agency, Dubai, observes, “A brand stands not just for what it offers a consumer, it also echoes the zeitgeist of the times it operates in. A brand and its content depend on context.” Highlighting how Ambassador and Murphy Radio became cultural icons in post-Independence India, he continues, “Ambassador, for example, was a car that always delved into national pride. It was a symbol for ‘Made in India’, a mirror for a new India looking to have a vehicle that stood for new aspirations.” The economic mood before the Turn to page 2 Atlas Cycles Apki Sewa Mein (At Your Service) Created in: 1970s In an era when bicycles symbolised independence and simplicity, Atlas Cycles emerged as a pioneer in connecting families and lifestyles. One iconic advertisement depicted a woman confidently riding an Atlas cycle, her husband and children waving cheerfully in the background. The scene, heartwarming and relatable, was a subtle yet powerful narrative that celebrated the evolving roles of women in society. The unassuming tagline, ‘Atlas Cycle Apki Sewa Mein’ (At Your Service), reinforced the brand’s commitment to serving every member of society. The ad was a masterstroke in bridging tradition with modernity and marked a campaign that was way ahead of its time. It promoted the notion of empowerment through mobility. Such was the influence of these campaigns that Atlas became a name synonymous with bicycles in India. Target audience: Working-class families and homemakers seeking independence and convenience. Now: The company shut down its last manufacturing unit in Sahibabad on World Bicycle Day, June 3, 2020, due to the shift of the middle class to modern means of transportation, growing Chinese dominance in the cycle market, and a lack of global demand. Ambassador HMV HMV Festival Range Created in: 1961 HMV synonymous with music in , the early and mid-20th century was , more than a brand—it was a revolution in how Indians consumed and cherished music. It is remembered for laying the foundations of the Indian music industry Its iconic advertise. ments, often rendered in black and white, featured the emblematic image of the dog, Nipper, listening to a gramophone with the caption ‘His Master’s Voice’. This logo alone became a cultural identifier, symbolising trust, quality and timeless music. , One of its Indian ads shows the brand’s festival range of home audio equipment such as gramophones and radios, featuring the promising tagline, ‘The Finest in Home Entertainment’. It beautifully captured the transition phase from traditional musical gatherings to the modern, compact world of gramophones, bridging generations. The writing in these ads, poetic yet persuasive, celebrated music as an integral part of every household, making HMV a household name. Target audience: Music lovers across all age groups. Now: In 2000, the company was officially rebranded as Saregama India Limited, and that was the end of the road for the HMV brand in India. Saregama underwent rapid reinvention and went on to produce the popular CARVAAN range of portable music players. The Family Car Created in: 1963 The Ambassador car, lovingly referred to as the ‘King of Indian Roads’, symbolised India’s post-Independence aspirations. Hindustan Motors’ Ambassador advertisements were a delightful blend of simplicity and gravitas. Often in monochrome, they depicted the car as a sturdy, family-friendly vehicle that could brave the rough Indian terrain. This black-and-white print ad from the 1960s shows a happy family, smiling wide, with the Ambassador in the forefront, evoking a sense of pride and reliability. The copy emphasised durability, luxury, comfort, mileage and safety. With the bold tagline, ‘The Big Size Family Car’, it was the quintessential family car—elegant inside and out, spacious enough to comfortably fit a family of six. A happy family was the signal, emphasising how the car seamlessly integrated into personal desire and familial harmony. The Ambassador remained for three decades India’s bestselling car and the preferred mode of transport for the influential and politicos in the country. Target audience: Indian middle and upper class families, government officials, and educated professionals. Now: Hindustan Motors stopped production of the Ambassador car in May 2014 primarily due to extremely low demand in the market since it was outdated and couldn’t compete with newer modern cars in the market. Premier Padmini A Beautiful Princess of Your Own Created in: 1974 The Fiat 1100 Delight was rebranded as the Premier Padmini in India. The name was a tribute to Indian culture, uniquely blending Italian sophistication with local pride. It portrayed the Pad as ‘a beautiful princess of your own’, accompanied by the imagery of a regal Indian woman adorned in ethnic jewellery and a red bindi. Target audience: Young urban professionals, middle-class families. Now: Production of the Premier Padmini was discontinued in 2001. Liril The Liril Girl Created in: 1974 It was the hottest ad yet, sensual and playful at the same time—a nod to the modern woman of the day. A product of Alyque Padamsee’s imagination, the girl splashing away with abandon in the waterfall, wearing a bikini captured the mood of the nation. Target audience: A young, emerging India. Now: The brand is still popular. Usha sewing machines Ideal Housewife Created in: 1972 The Usha Sewing Machine, a household staple in the 1970s, was more than a utility—it was a symbol of empowerment for homemakers. This iconic ad read, ‘Yes, only you (mothers) can transform her into a capable, economical housewife... a precious asset to her home and family’. The powerful tagline, ‘Train her to be an ideal housewife, Buy her an Usha sewing machine’, reinforced the era’s expectations of women’s roles within the home. The ad’s messaging also highlighted the practicality and versatility of the machine, showcasing its ability to fashion everything from elegant teenager outfits to delicately embroidered curtains and upholstery. The copy struck a delicate balance between aspiration and functionality. With its sleek design and promises of effortless ‘trouble-free’ performance, the sewing machine became synonymous with reliability. It catered to the needs of a growing middle class eager to save time, effort, and money. While today’s lens might find the ad regressive, it aptly mirrored the societal norms of the era. Target audience: Homemakers, mothers and young women preparing for married life, as well as families seeking a cost-effective way to manage household needs. Now: Usha remains a trusted name in sewing machines in India, known for its durability, affordability, and user-friendly machines evolving to meet the needs of a modern audience.