July 2021 - Page 6 of 15

In the age of the digital world and social media influencers, there are some brand mascots that have always created a strong image for their respective brands. These are advertisement tools that help in the visibility of brands along with their popularity. Even if the quality and service of some of these brands are good, their mascots have immortalised them. They left a positive impact in the mind of the customer which led to more consumption of the products. These mascots were depicted with some simple but entertaining characters since the human brains remember visuals distinctly. Few of these became so popular that people appreciated them more than the brand name. So, here is a list of some iconic advertising mascots that rules your mind: 1.The “Amul girl”: It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the “Amul Girl” simply represents the whole brand now. It has often been described as one of the best Indian advertising concepts. The mascot was simply a hand-drawn cartoon of a young Indian girl dressed up in a frock with blue hair and a half pony tied up. The image was created as a response to Amul’s rival brand, Polson butter-girl. The creators of Amul girl were Sylvester Da Cunha, owner DaCunha Communications, and art director Eustace Fernandez. Since 1996, the ‘Amul girl has stood the test of time and still remains active and fresh. 2.Ronald McDonald: At this point, everyone knows McDonald’s and its red-haired clown. The brightly dressed, ever-smiling clown character would always be seen as the brand mascot of McDonald. The origin of Ronald McDonald involves Willard Scott, a local radio personality who played ‘Ronald McDonald, the Hamburger-Happy Clown’ in 1963 on three different television spots. In TV commercials, the clown inhabited a fantasy place called ‘McDonald land’ in which he used to have fun with his friends. However, by 2003, the McDonald land world was dropped from McDonald’s advertising, but Ronald lived. Even now, many people work full time dressing as Ronald McDonald, attending events, or visiting children in hospitals. 3.Vodafone ZooZoos : Everyone remembers those cute white creatures with egg-shaped heads and ballooned bodies. The advertisements including these creatures created a huge buzz during the second season of the Indian Premier League in 2009. The ZooZoos were used to promote various value-added services of Vodafone and were conceived by former National Creative Director Ogilvy & Mather and Rajiv Rao. The ads were directed by Prakash Varma and shot by Bangalore-based Nirvana Films in Cape Town, South Africa. The ZooZoo characters were played by human actors in bodysuits. The ads were a hit among the Indian audience and brought a huge fan following on social networking sites as well. 4.Nirma girl: Clad in a white frilly frock, the ‘Nirma Girl’ is still twirling on Nirma’s washing soap and washing powder packets. She still remains the most enduring image since the 1980s for the brand. It is said that the original Nirma girl was Nirupama, the daughter of Nirma Groups’ founder Karsanbhai Patel. The brand has always been a dominant player in the detergent market due to proper advertisement tactics, and the ‘Nirma Girl’ became quite a familiar face among the masses. 5.Parle-G Girl: To this day, most of us crave Parle-g biscuits with a cup of ginger tea. Not to forget the rosy chubby Parle-G girl, which made everyone wonder who she is. People created their theories about the girl but they were nothing more than a lethal combination of rumours. However, Mayank Shah, Group Product Manager at Parle products said the featured kid is just an imagination of the artist. The company began manufacturing biscuits in 1939. Parle launched the ad campaign in 1947, when India became independent, showcasing its Gluco brand of biscuits as an alternative to the British Biscuits. 6.Boomer Man: Represented as a superhero, Boomer Man became a favourite among kids while he performed stunts in the TV commercials. “Boomer” was brought to India in 1995 by Joyco, a confectionery major from Spain. Joyco was taken over by Wringley’s in 2005. The Boomer Man started appearing in TV advertisements as a saviour of all and the tagline was “Boom Boom Boomer". However, the brand dropped the Boomer Man mascot in 2020. 7.Air India’s Maharajah: The royal mascot of Air India was created by Umesh Rao and commercial director SK Bobby Kooka in 1946. The Maharajah with hands folded in namaskar and his signature turban became a promotional tool for Air India. In 2005 Air India gave its age-old ‘Maharajah’ mascot a makeover and replaced it with a younger avatar. “We call him a Maharajah for want of a better description. But his blood isn’t blue. He may look like royalty, but he isn’t royal”, said Kooka, the creator of the mascot.

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