Ten Amul adverts that have captivated India
50 years of Amul Girl’s witty one-liners
The Indian dairy giant, Amul, has long captured the envy of print and more recently social media by transforming product campaigns to works of art with socially relevant angles adeptly attached to them. The blue-haired, Amul girl has since been the darling of Indian press.
India has grown with the blue-haired, big-eyed mascot of Amul popping out generously from billboards and print adverts coupled with sardonic headlines and subtexts. The Amul girl, conceptualised originally in 1966 to contest the Polson girl of local rivals Polson Dairy in Anand, has become a historical mascot in the field of adverts and journalism. Sketched by Eustace Fernandes and seasoned by Sylvester daCunha , the then MD of the advertising agency that still handles Amul’s campaigns, the Butter Girl stayed on, withstanding the test of time.
The cleverly crafted adverts are presently treated as relevant journalistic citations and are heralded as exemplary accounts of satirical cartoons with a socio-political message.
The adverts, however, have undergone a major change in terms of their appearance, inclusiveness and agenda. Here are 10 such adverts that beautifully showcase the Amul girl’s journey from childhood to adolescence.
1. The Amul girl’s first ever public appearance on billboards was back in 1966. The advert was direct and garnered immediate and positive response from the audience. The campaign witnessed a marked increase in butter sales the following week.
2. Amul congratulated the success of the first test-tube baby in 1978 through this advert that made a strong statement, both in terms of commercial success and social awareness.
3. In 1980, when the Americans boycotted the Moscow Olympics, Amul seized the opportunity to release yet another reflective advert.
4. In 1986, Amul decided to take a nationalistic stand through this advert that preached unity. The country then plagued by communal divide and Hindu-Muslim riots, was threatening its integrity.
5. The 1990s marked the era of globalisation in the subcontinent and the Indian audience was just beginning to adjust to the global advertisement standards when Mr Coffee-Instant Coffee released their controversial print advertisement. With the tagline, ‘Real pleasure can’t come in an instant’, beaming sexual undertones, the advert generated quite a stir among the masses. Amul quickly grabbed the opportunity as an inspiration for their upcoming ad.
6. This 1992 advert reflected on the debated Mandal report. On November 16, 1992, the Supreme Court upheld the Mandal Commission’s 27 pc quota for backward classes, as well as the principle that the combined scheduled-caste, scheduled-tribe and backward-class beneficiaries should not exceed 50 pc of India’s population.
7. In the early 2000s, the assumed nexus between Bollywood and the underworld was beautifully reflected in this clever advert by Amul. This was one of the firsts where Amul made a pun out of Bollywood.
8. International Pop icon, Michael Jackson was tried for child molestation on June 2005 and cleared after a tedious 14-day trial. This print advert marked one of Amul’s first global mockeries.
9. Hollywood’s futuristic science fiction film, Avatar, talked about for its hi-tech special effects,was crucially acclaimed and well-received by audience worldwide. Amul celebrated the same with this advert in 2009.
10. Amul celebrates France’s youngest President, Emmanuel Macron’s landslide victory in the 2017 French national elections with this artwork campaign trending in social media.
Below are the ‘Amul Hits’ that have enthralled people over the generations and created a social buzz. Truly, utterly butterly delicious showcasing the real taste of India!
