Utterly Butterly

Well suddenly I got reminded about Amul Ad's that are put up on hoardings at strategic traffic lights all through out India. I used to love those ad's a lot. I am not sure how many of the Chennai dwellers have seen the Amul ad opposite to Good Shepherd Convent at the intersection of college road and Nelson Manickam road (if I am right).I used to be a big fan of these ads and I used to watch out for any change in amul ad everyday while going to school. I just loved the way the ad dealt with the current affairs in the country from Sourav to Sonia. The ads used to be funny and provocative.
I think the advertisement hoarding opposite Good Shepherd does not exist anymore, thanks to the new Orchard building. I think I remember seeing another Amul hoarding near the traffic lights at Spencer's Plaza (Mount Rd and Ethiraj salai).
Interestingly I found that Amul's website has the list of amul hoardings year wise. So undoubtedly i will be a regular viewer of this segment of Amul's site hereafter.
The site also has the story of how the ad's concept developed.

It all began in 1966 when Sylvester daCunha, then the managing director of the advertising agency, ASP, clinched the account for Amul butter.
"Eustace Fernandez (the art director) and I decided that we needed a girl who would worm her way into a housewife's heart. And who better than a little girl?" says Sylvester daCunha
In 1969, when the city first saw the beginning of the Hare Rama Hare Krishna movement, Sylvester daCunha, Mohammad Khan and Usha Bandarkar, then the creative team working on the Amul account came up with a clincher -- 'Hurry Amul, Hurry Hurry'. Bombay reacted to the ad with a fervour that was almost as devout as the Iskon fever.
That was the first of the many topical ads that were in the offing. From then on Amul began playing the role of a social observer. Over the years the campaign acquired that all important Amul touch.
"We ran a couple of ads that created quite a furore," says Sylvester daCunha. "The Indian Airlines one really angered the authorities. They said if they didn't take down the ads they would stop supplying Amul butter on the plane. So ultimately we discontinued the ad," he says laughing. Then there was the time when the Amul girl was shown wearing the Gandhi cap. The high command came down heavy on that one. The Gandhi cap was a symbol of independence, they couldn't have anyone not taking that seriously. So despite their reluctance the hoardings were wiped clean. "Then there was an ad during the Ganpati festival which said, Ganpati Bappa More Ghya (Ganpati Bappa take more). The Shiv Sena people said that if we didn't do something about removing the ad they would come and destroy our office. It is surprising how vigilant the political forces are in this country. Even when the Enron ads (Enr On Or Off) were running, Rebecca Mark wrote to us saying how much she liked them."
There were other instances too. Heroine Addiction, Amul's little joke on Hussain had the artist ringing the daCunhas up to request them for a blow up of the ad. "He said that he had seen the hoarding while passing through a small district in UP. He said he had asked his assistant to take a photograph of himself with the ad because he had found it so funny," says Rahul daCunha in amused tones.
For 30 odd years the Utterly Butterly girl has managed to keep her fan following intact. So much so that the ads are now ready to enter the Guinness Book of World Records for being the longest running campaign ever.

Kudos to Sylvester daCunha and his creative team in coming up with such a brilliant way of marketting. I think Amul would have been one of the early trend setters in the Indian marketting industry.

(Pic Courtesy: Amul)

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