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What’s a kid doing in an ad for a fuel-efficient car? How can a tiny tot help sell vegetable oil? We often see kids in ads for products not typically meant for them.
Marketing to children may seem futile. They have no purchasing power, unlike adults. So why do brands vie so much for their attention?
Children also make an effective “vehicle” to create rationale and emotional appeals for the different target audiences, according to a 1987 study by J Kinsey.
In fact, some of the most memorable ad campaigns India has seen have been centred on kids.
India celebrates Children’s Day every year on November 14th to commemorate the birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru, whose affection towards children was legendary.
On this occasion, we look back at some of the most beloved brand campaigns of India headlined by kids.
Action Shoes
A boy with a mop of curly hair gets up in the morning, shines his Action shoes and then goes about the usual drill at school. The ad is relatable to an entire generation of Indians who were still in school when it was released. The cute boy in the ad is Tejas Diwan who is now a practising oncologist in the US.
Dhara
Who could forget this much-loved ad from the 90s and the runaway tyke with a love for jalebis? Vegetable oil brand Dhara was reportedly looking for a rebrand in 1996 and wanted the consumers to associate it with homecoming and love. With a little Parzaan Dastur at the helm, the ad left a lasting impression on Indian viewers, especially the way he squeals “jalebi!” The ad was crafted by Mudra Communications.
Flipkart
Remember the little moustachioed adults from the old Flipkart ads? In 2011, when online shopping was still in its nascent stage, consumers were still mistrustful of the internet. The e-commerce company wanted to instil some confidence in their customers by addressing some long-held concerns about online shopping.
Happy Creative Services, who conceptualised the ad, decided to feature kids in grown-up situations to allay fears of online shopping. The decision to choose children for the ads stemmed from the fact that no one trusts like kids do.
Le Sancy
The Le Sancy ad will be remembered in posterity as the one that made all the “Rahuls” the butt of everybody’s jokes for a while. The ad shows a rather nonchalant Rahul goofing around in the bathroom, dancing to songs on the stereo. In the background, the shower runs continuously, drenching the bar of Le Sancy soap. Despite his mom's multiple warnings about an impending water supply cut, Rahul takes his own sweet time grooving to songs in the bathroom. The inevitable happens and suddenly the water supply stops. His mother’s voice booms one last time: “Rahul maine kaha than na, pani chala jayega!” (Rahul I warned you the water will run out!)
Maruti Suzuki
To cement Maruti Suzuki’s place as the “most fuel-efficient car”, the brand and its agency Capital enlisted a tot with a polka-dotted turban. He “drives” his little Hot Wheel toy across blankets, over a man’s bald pate, under a doggy’s tail and over the blackboard all day long. His exasperated dad pleads with him to stop. He replies: “Papa ki karaan, petrol khatam hi nahi hunda.” (Dad, what to do? The petrol is not running out!).
The film’s simplicity, clear messaging, great recall value and cherubically cute central character make this an ad worth remembering.
Rashtriya Saksharta Mission
“Yakeen nahi hota, yeh wahi Kishan hain?” (Can’t believe this is the same Kishan) ponders an elderly gentleman who encounters a young boy painting a sign board.
A montage of the man’s memories follows in which he first taught the boy how to write. Astonished at how he now earning his livelihood writing sign boards, the old man beams with pride. Some of the sensibilities of the ad may not appeal to us today, considering the film hints at child labour. However, these were different times.
The ad ends with the boy’s endearing smile, which is seared in the memory of every person who watched Doordarshan in the 90s.
The ad was made for the National Literacy Mission or Rashtirya Saksharta Mission founded in 1988 by the then PM Rajiv Gandhi.
Rasna
Summer vacations in the 80s and the 90s were incomplete without Rasna. A huge part of the brand’s appeal can be owed to its ad campaign. Child actor Ankita Jhaveri starred in the soft drink concentrate brand’s unforgettable ad film from 1984 and immortalised the line “I Love You Rasna.” While the brand may have faded into oblivion, its tagline and the moppet’s hairstyle are still associated Rasna even after all these years.
Surf Excel
Surf Excel’s iconic “Daag Acche Hai” campaign subverts some of our long-held notions about stains and dirt and goes beyond surface-level connotations.
In 2006, Lowe Lintas came out with the “Daag Acche Hai” campaign which marked Surf’s departure from its old identity. In the ad, a little girl falls into a puddle. Her indignant elder brother pummels the puddle and demands that it apologise to his sister. In the process, his immaculate white school uniform gets stained. The voiceover says: “Daag lagne se agar kuch accha hota hai, toh daag acche hai na? (If stains can lead to something good, then stains are good, aren’t they?)
The first ad with the brother-sister duo saw many iterations for different occasions such as Diwali, Holi and Eid. Nevertheless, the brand ensured that all the subsequent ads were headlined by the kids to carry forth the brand message in an uncomplicated, earnest manner.
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