From ‘Daag Acche Hain’ to ‘Har Ek Friend Zaroori Hota Hai’: 5 Iconic Brand Taglines That Every Indian Remembers

INDIA’S ADVERTISING WORLD offers more than just a brand. While some ads decide to be basic, others make people question what they are doing. Some brand ads and taglines inspire others and touch the hearts of millions with unforgettable words. From the director’s camera to TV screens, some taglines become more than just slogans and stay in the people’s minds.

Each of these taglines reveals the brand’s motto, personality, and the promise it offers. Many belong to Indian brands, like Amul, with its tagline “Utterly Butterly Delicious,” while others come from international companies that try to resonate with Indian audiences through their culturally relevant taglines, like Coca-Cola’s “Thanda Matlab Coca-Cola (Cold Means Coca-Cola).” 

Let’s look at five of these taglines that have stuck in the minds of millions of Indians and that people can recall without looking at the logo or brand name.

Surf Excel is an internationally recognised brand owned by the Anglo-Dutch multinational corporation Unilever. The advertisement was created by the American advertising agency Ogilvy in 2005 with the tagline “Daag Acche Hain (Stains Are Good).” 

The company tried to promote the idea of celebrating childhood stains and flipped the typical narrative of detergent brands. It presented stains as memories we make and promised to remove them while encouraging everyone to enjoy themselves. The theme, idea, and advertisement helped boost the brand’s market share to 30%.

See Also: Looking For Affordable Coaching? Top 5 Chartered Accountant Institute in Laxminagar, Delhi

Asian Paints, the Indian multinational company, created the ad in 2002 with the tagline “Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai (Every Home Has a Story to Tell).” With this idea, the company tried to convey that every house holds memories and that personal touches make each home different. The advertisement helped the brand get a market share of more than 50% in India’s paint category.

Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), a public-sector life insurance company and investment group, introduced a tagline in the 1970s that strengthened the brand’s identity. With the tagline “zindagi ke sath bhi, zindagi ke baad bhi (With You in Life, Even After Life),” Lintas India which is one of the country’s oldest advertising and marketing communications groups, created one of the longest-running brand taglines in India. The tagline, with fewer than ten words, communicated the core promise of life insurance.

See Also: From Bistro to Swish: Here Are the Top 5 Food Delivery Apps Changing the Indian Market

Cadbury, an English brand, changed India’s gifting culture with a single advertisement, and its impact can still be seen today. The advertisement with the tagline “Kuch Meeta Ho Jaye (Let’s Have Something Sweet” appeared in 2005 and made chocolates as an alternative to traditional sweets during festive celebrations, when sweets were commonly used as gifts. This idea and its execution helped Cadbury strengthen its position in the market, with the brand holding a 66% share of India’s chocolate market.

Airtel, the Indian multinational telecommunications company, released an advertisement in 2011 that highlighted the bond of friendship and targeted young people. The advertisement was made by Taproot India, the advertising agency which decided to target young audiences with the slogan, recognising them as major mobile phone users. The tagline “Har ek friend friend zaroori hota hai (Every Friend Is Important)” became a hit ringtone and spread organically across early social media platforms India.

(Proofread by Vaishnavi Sivadasan)

[OG/VP/VS]

Suggested Reading: