Indian Ads and Symbols Review | 5 Classic Indian Ads

Here's a review of five classic Indian Ads and their enduring symbols that we have grown up with.

Of course others may qualify too, but these 5 are still going strong and continue with their original theme since colour television made an appearance in India in the early eighties. I have chosen these symbols also for the impact they have made on their product as also the attention they have generated.

Surf and Lalita Ji

One of the earliest classic advertisements, it showcased the middle income Indian housewife’s frugality and as well as her no nonsense attitude, principles and her continuous striving to get the best VFM. All these in a remarkably well made 60 sec spot! It even spawned a TV serial Rajni as well as made Kavita Chowdhury playing Lalita ji famous. She later starred in a successful TV serial Udaan.

Tagline - Surf Ki Kharidari Main Hi Samajhdari Hai!



Onida Devil

Who doesn’t remember “Neighbour’s envy, Owners pride”? The Onida devil became a symbol of ownership and onus and' everything from the latest car, house or boyfriend qualified for the phrase, "neighours envy, owners pride


Colgate Surakhsha Chakra

The Colgate "surakhsha chakra" (ring of confidence) with the ting tong click has been a most enduring symbol. From Sangeeta Bijlani in early 80s to Divakar Pundir today, they have all helped in keeping colgate synonymous with toothpaste. And the ad has evolved with the times without sacrificing any of its essence.

Hutch/Vodafone Pug

Oh the cute pug! Though not as old as the other Ads, the Vodafone pug has spawned more than its share of accolades and controversy! And last heard of, the owners of these pugs are appointing dog-guards to thwart pug-nappers. Seriously. This pug is the latest target of the kidnapping industry.

Nirma Dancing Girl

Nirma nirma nirma, washing powder nirma…so simple, easy and so melodious that it was easily caught by every child! And when a jingle is repeated everywhere, you know it's successful. Nirma still continues with the same strain of the jingle albeit the ad has undergone major overhauls. The commercial contributed in no small way to Nirma’s success in the eighties and kind of pulled the carpet from under Surf’s smug feet!



Some other ads and their jingles from the 80s and early 90s that have stayed in memory are

"Jab mein chotta bachha tha" - Bajaj Bulb
Vicco Turmeric Ayurvedic Cream (again with Sangeeta Bijlani)
"I am a Complan Boy" - Complan
"Hamara Bajaj" - Bajaj

One ad that has changed beauties / personalities over the years but where the essence has remained the same is Liril. The 80s ad had Karen Lunel bathing in green bikinis under a water fall and was definitely ahead of its time for India.

 

How To Get Rid Of The Insurance Agent!

The Insurance Industry promises many things. All those delightful, costly, lengthy insurance commercials promise you the best of education, terrific pensions that takes care of the world tour, lovely sea-front mansions, huge cars, etc etc. And they all make you believe just taking an insurance would get you those! You know where the money for all these ads come from? Of course your auto insurance quote, your life insurance quote and all the terrific insurance quotes you get and the many policies you have taken! Know what, you may not really need more insurance (i mean risk coverage by that, not investments, though insurance companies tend to mix both and absolutely misconfuddle you!). But would your agent take that. No. You will be convinced and then convinced some more that you absolutely need that policy. So how do you get rid of these pesky perseverent species?

Here are some surefire ways to keep them away.

- Tell them you are at the hospital, and could they please come over with the best life insurance quote. And then ring them back again the next day. That surely will give them a taste of their own medicine.

- You car just had an accident and you want someone/anyone to come over and clear up the mess. Most of them dont want to take ANY responsibility.

- Ditto the procedure for house insurance

- Tell them you are out of a job and could they help enhance the credit limits

- Convey conspiratorially you have a diamond mine in your backyard and could they come and survey it and then get it insured. If nothing, your garden may get dug up!

Warning and P.S. - i have nothing against insurance people. And you do need insurance. Just make sure you only cover as much as you need and as much as you can afford! Also insurance is "sold" not "bought", the poor guys are just doing their job, for a living!

Marriage Anniversary Gifts

Wedding anniversary gifts started with the idea of putting a value on each year of marriage completed. So if it is a challenge for you to come up with a wedding anniversary gift every year, the work is already cut out for you by tradition! What's really interesting is that there is a specific gift associated with each marriage anniversary.

While each of us know the traditional anniversaries, silver, golden, diamond, etc, each of these commodity is actually the gift that the man bestows on his wife. A silver garland for 25 years, a gold ornament for 50 years is the idea. At the lower end of the wedding spectrum, one year of marriage deserves a gift of paper and five years qualifies for wood. Its older the better, like wine!

Traditional wedding anniversaries gifting started in Central Europe anound mid 19th century. There was a specific gift associated upto fifth anniversary and then every five years. The American National Retail Jeweller Association in all its smartness issued a list in 1937 in what can be termed as contemporary wedding anniversary gift list. This list includes a spefic gift upto 15th year and then every fifth year. Trust them to have added ten more years of compulsory gifting!



Learn more about wedding gifts, anniversaries, history of wedding anniversary gifts both modern and contemporary here.


http://marriage.about.com/od/anniversariescelebrations/a/annivhistory.htm

http://www.anniversaryideas.co.uk/traditional_history.asp