In Conversation with Rahul daCunha: The Man Behind the Amul Ads
A leading playwright, director, photographer and columnist, Rahul daCunha is the Managing Director and Creative Head of daCunha Communications, the advertising agency that creates the legendary Amul ads which have dominated Indian popular culture for over half a century.
Excerpts from a recent interview with him.
ZM: How did the Amul journey begin for you?
RDC: I come from a family with strong roots in the creative arts. From a young age, I knew that I’d be following parallel careers theatre and advertising. I grew up with the belief that you are not defined by just one profession. I started getting involved with both theatre and advertising in the mid-‘80s, but officially joined the family concern, daCunha Communications, in 1993 (after working for a decade with Lintas and Contract). I was aware of the heritage of the Amul campaign that I would inherit, and that this legacy would be my responsibility to expand. It has now been an almost 30-year journey for me with Amul personally, alongside journeying with an evolving India as well. A journey of trying to understand what is topical and humorous, and discerning what can be translated from the daily news to an Amul topical.
ZM: Can you give us insight into the creative process behind these ubiquitous ads?
RDC: The real test is to pick topics reflecting what India is going through at a moment in time, topics that resonate with us, as ordinary Indians. Every Sunday evening, the team, Manish Jhaveri, Jayant Rane and I, shortlist the potential topics for the coming week. The issue is timing and topicality. For example, a lot has been talked about the ESL among football fans over the last few weeks. With teams joining, fans protesting, teams withdrawing, it became a bit nebulous as to when to launch the ad. You don’t want people to see an outdated ad, but you also don’t want to be so early that folks aren’t familiar enough with the issue.
Personally, I focus on the three Ts — topicality, trolls and trends. In today’s age, Twitter gives us real-time feedback on our output, which allows us to gauge reaction. It’s also vital to reflect current trends, which can change in the blink of an eye. Luckily for us, as a team we have been working remotely a long time before recent events made it the norm. I remember a time when our cartoonist was in Borivali, our writer was in Bucharest and I was in Rome. After figuring out hotel WiFi connections, we were able to brainstorm across time-zones and push out a creative in four to five hours.
ZM: So how are responsibilities divided between your team? What does an average week look like?
RDC: We’re a lean team. I’m the “captain” of sorts. Manish Jhaveri is our writer and Jayant Rane is our cartoonist. The three of us have worked as a unit for close to 25 years and know how each other think and operate. Though in a creative business, we have a documented flow in place to guide our process. We outline topics to be covered, set deadlines for their scheduled release and work backwards, planning the timing of the sketch and creative accordingly. Manish and I typically bounce ideas off each other. He is adept writing in English, Hindi and “Hinglish”, even throwing in an occasional Sanskrit proverb. The sketch is what takes the most time, of course, but Jayant gives it great attention to detail. The selection of image, colour and memorability, all play an important role.
In a busy week, we average almost five hoardings. We try covering a range of topics including sport, film, international news, events and politics. There is much we must let go of — the power of the campaign is reflected in what not to cover sometimes. We live in a world of attention deficit and don’t want to address anything that loses its durability the very next day.
ZM: Now that we understand the creative aspects, can you walk us through the business model and your arrangement with Amul?
RDC: Amul is a large account that is shared between two agencies, daCunha Communications and FCB Ulka. The topical campaign that you see on billboards and other mass media is handled by us. My father (Sylvester daCunha) got the account in the mid-’60s. Our portfolio covers key products like butter, cheese and Amul Kool, the beverage brand, while FCB Ulka handles some of Amul’s other key brands. A large amount of my time and effort is dedicated to planning different strategies for them. Location, demograph and seasonality are all factors to consider when planning varied product ads.
ZM: Speaking of location, are these ads hyperlocal or are they rolled out on a national scale?
RDC: The most exciting part of the job is the canvas I have to work with. India is on a perennial journey and truth be told, there are several many smaller Indias within the country itself. You have the north and the southern states, which have their own languages, politics and film industries. Then you have pockets which comprise our metros. There is the mammoth Hindi Belt and finally, the east, with its unique identity. We create ads that are national as well as local/regional. Social media has become a very powerful tool for us. We have two parallel strains at play — topicals created specifically for social media, and those for mass consumption. Having said that, hoardings are still very cost effective — and people still want to see what we have to say on a billboard.
ZM: Let’s touch upon about social media and the role it plays in the industry, especially with a legacy, Above-The-Line advertising business such as yours?
RDC: In the ’60s, my father was carrying out a largely outdoor hoarding campaign for Amul Butter. Gradually, as television and daily press became more accessible and affordable, we began to explore those mediums too. Social media has been a game-changer. With social media, we can expand our range of topics, some of which the hoardings would never see. As an example, K-Pop sensation BTS released a hit single called “Butter”, which played into our hands. Covering that appealed to netizens but was something that would not be of much interest to a typical motorist. The key is to captivate attention with an identifiable ad. We only have a five-second window to grab a consumer’s attention, whether they are driving past a hoarding or scrolling through a phone.
The first thing I do every morning is scan social media for potential topic ideas — headlines that would not be covered by mainstream press. Social media creates so many trends, challenges, and other viral fads that generate incredible traction. My greatest challenge is to keep our campaigns fresh, young and contemporary. I’m in my late 50s — my generation has lived through the Amul Girl and the nostalgia of erstwhile campaigns. Rahul Dravid once messaged me about his fond memories of spotting the Amul hoardings as he drove down Brigade Road in Bangalore. But nostalgia also has an expiry date. Today’s millennials want to know what the Amul take is on any event that interests them, and that is where I direct my efforts to.
ZM: As time goes by, distribution isn’t the only thing that has evolved. The Amul Girl mascot has become such a recognizable symbol with an identity of her own. What was the idea behind introducing her?
RDC: The team in the ’60s, my dad and art director Eustance Fernandes, took a call to make her the face of the Amul butter campaign. That’s how the polka dot-skirted little girl with a bow on her head was born, primarily to appeal to children. The decision paid off and has stood the test of time. Cartoons are a wonderful medium to sell a brand. They are not bound by the whims and fancies of celebrities. Our ads may occasionally come across as controversial, so we choose to express them through the lens of this innocent girl who, like our intention, possesses no malice. She can be sassy, cheeky and wise — but is always cool. The Amul Girl represents the conscience of a country and that’s what keeps her fresh, without necessarily altering her appearance to mirror the times.
ZM: Great points. Is it often that your ads find themselves to be the subject of controversy?
RDC: Our ads are very rarely viewed in a poor light even though we have never skirted around covering anything that is in the public domain. Of course, in these times we have to navigate intolerance and a reduced sense of humour, but we have never had to retract an ad. Even with sensitive topics like politics, we have never favoured one party over another. Our aim is not to push anyone’s buttons, but to capture the pulse of the situation at hand.
ZM: I can’t conclude this interview without addressing the un-avoidable. How has the pandemic affected your work?
RDC: We usually avoid topics that reflect tragedy (excluding obituaries). When the pandemic began, none of us knew its extent. Around two months in, we sensed that this wasn’t a temporary setback in peoples lives but a longer lasting one and that we would have to address it — and perhaps create a tone in our messaging — so we decided to use the Amul Girl to spread awareness, in her customary, loveable style and wordplay…. for instance with the “Better saaf than sorry” ad which kicked off the series.
ZM: Is there any particular ad that stands out as your favourite, over the years?
RDC: I’ve have many ads I’m fond of, but the 2014 FIFA World Cup was definitely an interesting series from me. It was so action-packed, that we churned out a topical a day! Every single match seemed to have a talking point, be it Germany’s 7–1 drubbing of Brazil or the flying Dutchman Robin van Persie’s headed goal. We were driven by momentum. To put it in cricketing terms, like a batsman in form, we got into a creative rhythm, which led to some interesting work focusing on one tournament.
ZM: Finally, what is your outlook on the future of the Amul campaign?
RDC: In my view, great ads highlight a feature of the brand, that is not produced in the factory. In our campaign, the feature is topical current events and our take on that event. This approach has everlasting longevity. As long as India remains an incredibly colourful country, we will always have fodder for ideas.
