Zakir Hussain: How the Ustaad steeped Brooke Bond Taj Mahal Tea in timeless equity

After much speculation about tabla maestro Zakir Hussain’s health, his family has confirmed that he has indeed passed away from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis at age 73. His contributions to India’s music and culture are vast, winning international accolades for his musical talent. Hussain has been a cherished figure in India and is also widely known for his association with Brooke Bond Taj Mahal Tea.

In 1988, the tea brand tied up with Hussain with a memorable tea ad with the maestro passionately playing the table against the majestic backdrop of the Taj Mahal. The visuals alternated with scenes of a tea master examining the tea leaves for their colour, aroma and quality. The idea was to equate Hussain's mastery of the tabla with Brooke Bond Taj Mahal's expertise in tea.

The rising crescendo of the maestro's tabla is the only accompanying music in the film. The ad ends with someone complimenting Hussain's performance by saying "Wah Ustaad," to which he replies, "Arey huzoor, wah Taj boliye."

The ad struck a chord with the Indian audience who endeared themselves to the brand and Hussain. In the coming years, the maestro became synonymous with the brand, making it one of the most enduring brand associations in Indian advertising history. But Hussain wasn’t the original endorser the brand had in mind. Before 1988, Brooke Bond Taj Mahal Tea was meant for the elite Indian tea connoisseurs with a Western bent of mind. Launched in 1966, the brand roped in celebrities like Zeenat Aman and Malavika Tiwari, who were quite modern in their outlook, to endorse the product. The objective is to project the brand as an aspirational, elite product.

Something changed in the 80s when the brand makers realised that the tea was also quite popular among the aspirational middle class. They then decided to expand the market and reach out to this hitherto ignored section of consumers.

According to consumer feedback gathered by Quantum, a research agency, it was seen that the brand’s tea leaves were different from their competitors and had a unique colour and aroma.

The tea brand then turned to Hindustan Thompson Associates (HTA) for a repositioning exercise and had them look at the brand through a fresh pair of eyes. The agency felt it necessary to realign the brand's identity with its Indian consumers. To do that, the campaign
will need a brand ambassador with a strong Indian connection and western sensibilities.

HTA's KS Chakravarthy (Chax), who was a fan of the tabla, thought this was a job cut out for Ustad Hussain, who was flown down from San Francisco to Agra for the ad. The rest was history. According to internet lore, Hussain was so delighted by the idea that he paid for his own airfares to come to India. The iconic ad equated Hussain's discipline and rigour to become an accomplished table player to Brooke Bond Taj Mahal's own commitment towards perfecting tea leaves.

Two years later, the Ustad would go on to star in another Taj Mahal Tea ad but this time with his own disciple, a young Aditya Kalyanpur. The two would perform an unforgettable jugalbandi against the backdrop of the Taj Mahal.

In the coming years, Brooke Bond Taj Mahal stayed true to its association with musical artists and featuredfamous musicians such as santoor player Rahul Sharma, sitar maestro Niladri Kumar and more recently, singer Nirali Karthik.

But it is the iconic ads with Zakir Hussain that created the most equity for Brooke Bond Taj Mahal Tea. Hussain’s passing is a loss for the world of music, but his iconic presence in the ads helped build a lasting connection with the audience, making his demise a loss also for India’s advertising world.