The Amul Mascot for the ages

Who isn’t familiar with the blue-haired girl with a polka dot frock that went on to become the most the adored mascot of the nation for over 5 decades now?

Yes, you got that right, nation-wide loved, THE AMUL GIRL, who has created an iconic brand identity  

Eustace Fernandes, the art director of DaCunha Communications in came up with this ‘Utterly Butterly Delicious’ idea way past in 1966 for the launch of Amul advertising campaign for outdoor hoardings, something which could compete with the wildly expensive advertisements of that time. We all know what that led to!

The cheeky little girl and the campaign went from outdoor hoardings to the hearts of the people in no time, becoming one of the most remembered ‘Tagline’ and ‘Brand Mascot’ of all time. Amul’s sales figures jumped from 1000 tons a year in 1966 to 25000 tons a year in 1997.

Although the brand gained exceptionally positive response from the public and became the talk to the town but they knew this would fade if the audience isn’t continuously engaged with the cheeky little girl in ways that went beyond the thought of food and dairy products offered by the brand. The brand had to find ways to resonate and relate to the younger audience to maintain it’s relevance in the market.

This led to the transformation of the campaigns which did not just restrict itself to the product, but went the Topical way.

From there on, the brand never failed to amuse the audience with its witty remarks coupled up with a tinge of humor and sometimes a tad bit of controversy.

By way of humor (Permission to add cuteness to the list!) and great timing, Amul mascot has been around for decades of topical issues and has never failed to put up a remark on the same, be it either a nationwide celebration or some hard-hitting political issue. Amul ads have been sticking to its roots of a long history of standing up against social issues, at least that’s how the co-op came into its being, as a protest against unfair practices imposed by local trade cartels and middlemen.

Amul ran its first topical advertising revolving around the derby match in Mumbai

Amul believes in 24*7 brainstorming of ideas revolving in and around the recent happenings, not just in India but around the globe with Amul Mascot’s subtle remark on some major issues became an awaited treat.

Let’s go on the satirical adventure of the Amul Girl, who somehow, in spite of some pretty controversial advertisement has never failed to win our hearts.

In its most recent ads, the brand celebrated the historic Ram Mandir Bhoomi puja with its new doodle

 

Even the world of politics has not been away from the eyes of this little girl; take a look at some instances of the same.

Remember the awkward hug?!

One can’t forget Amul’s taking a dig at the Satyam fiasco

The brand came out with a bang on a cartoon on Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un’s nuclear button

 

Social issue

The trending issue of Smriti Irani bringing to notice a camera spotting in the trial room of FabIndia and on the safety of women’s modesty was cheekily presented by the brand by making a parody of a famous Bollywood song

The brand even came out with its satirical take on the depreciating value of rupee by collaborating with the popular Humpty Dumpty rhyme cartoon

Amul cartoon even appeared to support the Atmanirbhar policy of the PM and called for a boycott of Chinese products through its EXIT THE DRAGON post. Did you Notice the MADE IN INDIA remark? – The ad was later censored on Twitter.

The brand has also given its due Tribute to the ones on their heavenly adobe

Happenings from all over the world

Amul put up their opinion on the heated verbal discussion on the ground of US Open finals between Serena Williams and Umpire Ramos, which led to a  difference in opinion between the fans of the game

The brand even gave a savage response at TikTok and WeChat ban in India in its hilarious little cartoon

Amul Mascot has been far beyond its time and has never failed to express human emotions in a witty way and thus, showing the power of a strong brand image.

Irrespective of how controversial the brand advertisements are, they never fail to leave an imprint on the audience and elicit a couple of laughs while they are at it.

Tell us about your favorite cartoon by Amul in the comments.