afaqs! news bureau
Advertising

Dunzo puts a 'punny' spin on popular nostalgic ads from the 90s

Surf Excel, Dairy Milk, Fevicol were some of the nostalgic ads referenced in a series of posts by Dunzo on Thursday, using the #90sReDun.

When Surf Excel's Lalita-ji looked straight into the camera and spoke about 'smart housewives opting for the brand, little did she know that she would change the advertising landscape forever. The ad was created by late adman Alyque Padamsee and played a crucial role in differentiating the brand from the other players in the market at the time. The ad was conceptualised and created by Lintas in the 1970s. In present day 2020, Dunzo took the opportunity to pay homage to this ad, among a variety of others with social media posts on Instagram.

This is the first in a series of posts that Dunzo uploaded on their social channels. As the popular saying goes, 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery' - here's the original ad that inspired Dunzo's post.

Another brand that was famous for their tongue-in-cheek ads are the various ads by Pidilite for their Fevicol and Fevi-kwik products.

Earlier in 2019, when the brand had announced an ad film to mark 60 years of its product Fevicol, we spoke to Vivek Sharma, the chief marketing officer at Pidilite. We asked him how many of his ads are meant to entertain versus to sell a product benefit. His reply was - “First of all, an ad is supposed to do both - to make a place for the brand in the mind of the consumers in a differentiated fashion. What works for this Fevicol campaign is that it establishes the brand origin and it does so in an entertaining fashion.” He mentions that when it comes to Fevicol, the ads are generally a combination of conveying a product benefit and a product proposition.

Who can forget the tagline 'Hamara Bajaj'? This is the second ad by Alyque Padamsee on this list. The ad was famously credited for fostering a sense of belonging with the brand among its audience (hamara Bajaj translates to 'our Bajaj') and the ad focussed on how the bike fit in to the Indian way of life. The ad first aired on DD in 1989 and thats how Bajaj become a name in Indian households with their product offering. Dunzo's social media post was a pun on the line 'Buland Bharat ki Buland Tasveer' - the line on which the ad concludes.

Dairy Milk was the next ad on Dunzo's list. The delivery brand punned on the iconic tagline 'kuch khaas hai' - first featured in an ad where a girl in her mid-20s was dancing to celebrate India's victory in a cricket match.

Dunzo took on the 'Complan' boys and girls of the world next with this social media post.

The original complan boy and girl ads starred Bollywood actors Shahid Kapoor and Ayesha Takia.

Dunzo even paid homage to a 1999 ad by Govinda for Rupa Frontline briefs and vests.

Have news to share? Write to us atnewsteam@afaqs.com