By Journospy Correspondent
Mumbai: One of the world's longest running campaign, Amul India launched a book Amul's India in Mumbai recently to celebrate the journey of the little girl in polka dots through the eyes of prominent writers, public figures and the subjects of the hoardings themselves. Makers of the historic campaigns over five decades, people from the Dacunha Communications, RS Sodhi, Managing Director Amul, India, vetrean ad man Alyque Padamsee, cricket commentator and journalist Harsha Bhogle and actor Rajat Kapoor were present at the launch function.
RS Sodhi said that it is historic moment for all the 3.2 million farmers of the Gujarat, who own Amul and this book is for those farmers. Managing Director and Creative Head of Dacunha Communications, Rahul Dacunha told the book contains a series of vignettes, creating a patchwork quilt of essays, snippets and selections of classic hoardings. It offers us an inside peek into the back story of the creation of the ads.
Giving insights of the times when the agency started working on Amul hoardings, Chairperson of Danuha Communications said, “At that time Amul sales were stagnent and it was a challenge because bread was not a pan-India consumed food, so selling butter was a tough task. We then thought of creating public hoarding with some fun and wit in our work. We were told Indians can't laugh at themsleves, hence we created this entire Amul campaign. Eustace Fernandes created this little Amul girl.”
Picking up his favourite among the hundreds of Amul hoardings, cricket commentator and journalist Harsha Bhogle cites the one of Sachin Tendulkar – Ten do and Ten-don't and Pakistan player Shoiab Akhtar comment on Sachin Tendulkar – Tab bhi phekta tha, ab bhi phekta hai as his best Amul works. He further said, “Genuine achivers never talk about themsleves. And Amul is a genuine achiever. It never speaks about itself and has always spoken on India and people in a very light, tongue-in-cheek manner. Amul is very very Indian and I wish Amul continues to laught at itself on the hoardings.”
(L to R - R. S. Sodhi, Sylvester Dacunha, Alyque Padamsee, Santosh Desai, and Harsha Bhogle)
Praising the client Amul for standing behind Amul ads, Alyque Padamsee said that it takes courage for a client to stand by its agency and Amul has always done that. “I do not remember any Amul ad has been censored. Amul ads have become a part of Indian heritage and they have become more than RK Laxman,” added the veteran ad man. Creator of the ads for the 19 years, Manish Javeri said, “We are little more wary today because the famous doesn't want to be criticised at all. But at the end, it doesnt really affect us. And for me it was like a dream come true to work with Amul.”