Marketing isn’t just about selling—it’s about storytelling, emotion, and timing. In a diverse, high-energy market like India, some campaigns have transcended time and trends to become timeless masterclasses in brand building. For Boom91’s audience of entrepreneurs, startups, and evolving brands, these campaigns offer crucial lessons in execution, audience understanding, and messaging.
Let’s break down five of the most iconic Indian marketing campaigns that still leave a lasting impact—and what we can learn from them today.
1. Amul’s Topical Ad Campaigns
The Campaign: Amul’s billboard and print ads, starring the lovable “Amul girl,” have been delivering humorous, witty commentary on current events for decades.
Why It Worked:
Consistency: For over 50 years, the style and tone of Amul ads haven’t changed.
Relevance: The campaign taps into news, pop culture, politics, and sports to remain fresh and current.
Emotional connect: Amul is not just selling butter—it’s becoming part of everyday Indian life.
Lesson for Boom91 Clients:
Topical content, if done right, builds brand recall and relatability. Use cultural moments as creative opportunities.
2. Happydent White – The Palace Lighting Ad
The Campaign: The famous television ad portrayed people with sparkling white teeth lighting up a palace—literally—with smiles that shine brighter than light bulbs.
Why It Worked:
Creative storytelling: Absurdity done with elegance.
High production value: Directed like a Bollywood movie with cinematic flair.
Strong product association: Linked teeth whitening directly with bright smiles.
Lesson for Boom91 Clients:
Great storytelling paired with production quality can make even a niche product unforgettable.
3. Tanishq’s ‘Wedding’ and ‘Second Marriage’ Ads
The Campaign: The ad featured a dusky bride with a daughter, remarrying—breaking conventional stereotypes about beauty and marriage in Indian society.
Why It Worked:
Inclusive casting: Represented real Indian women beyond stereotypical norms.
Emotional storytelling: Merged brand with deeper cultural narratives.
Brand positioning: Elevated Tanishq from a jewelry brand to a progressive lifestyle brand.
Lesson for Boom91 Clients:
When your brand takes a stand, it resonates deeply with a targeted, value-driven audience.
4. Fevicol’s Humor-Driven TVCs
The Campaign: Ads like the ‘Fevicol Bus’ or ‘Egg Sticking on Fevicol Tin’ used rural settings and slapstick humor to demonstrate Fevicol’s unbreakable bond.
Why It Worked:
Mass appeal: Spoke the language of the common man.
Humor with product relevance: Every gag reinforced the product’s core strength.
Catchy taglines: “Fevicol ka mazboot jod hai, tootega nahi” is etched into our minds.
Lesson for Boom91 Clients:
Don’t be afraid to use humor—if it aligns with your brand and reinforces your value proposition, it can travel far and wide.
5. Surf Excel – ‘Daag Acche Hain’
The Campaign: Children getting messy while doing good deeds—helping elders, siblings, or strangers—and justifying the stains with the line “Daag Acche Hain” (Stains are good).
Why It Worked:
Emotionally rich narrative: Shifted the focus from cleanliness to character.
Universal appeal: Connected with mothers and children across socio-economic lines.
Powerful slogan: It made dirt a symbol of values, not negligence.
Lesson for Boom91 Clients:
Reframing negatives into emotional positives can be a powerful brand play. Identify what your audience fears or avoids, and tell a better story around it.
Final Takeaway:
These campaigns weren’t just ads—they were brand stories woven into the social, emotional, and cultural fabric of India. As a modern marketing agency, Boom91 believes every brand has a unique story to tell.
Whether you’re a startup looking to go viral or an established player wanting to reimagine your narrative, the core principles from these legendary campaigns still apply:
Know your audience deeply
Communicate with consistency
Leverage emotion, culture, and timing
Be bold in creativity—but strategic in execution
Ready to build your own iconic campaign? Boom91 is here to script the next success story—with you.