In the rollicking company of advertising legends

Let me shift gears today to two of several legends from the advertising and marketing fraternity who crossed my path during my 50 years with the profession. Remembering them today brings back some rewarding memories.

Siddharth 'Shunu' Sen of Hindustan Lever, along with another legend Alyque Padamsee the boss of Lintas advertising, created several successful brands -- best remembered of which is Liril Soap with the model Karen Lunel in a lime-green bikini frolicking under a waterfall. Also Lalitaji, a thrifty housewife in the Surf ad which successfully countered the new entrant Nirma detergent that was then making waves.

Shunu had  a tremendous sense of humour. He was referred to in the profession as a 'marketing guru'. Shunu with his trademark impish smile would retort “Please don’t call me guru. Gurus are not supposed to be interested in sex”. Unfortunately he did not live to see the days of Asaram Bapu and godman Rampal.

I was in my very first job at the small community paper Jam-e-Jamshed when I met Shunu. Hindustan Lever products were largely aimed at mass market publications but since JeJ  reached out to almost all Parsi homes nationally, I argued it was mass market. It was a challenge for me to convince Shunu. He threw a counter-challenge asking me to give him space at quarter of our ad rates as an experiment. I accepted and we continued to get HL advertising with increased rates for years after that.

Shunu was fond of jazz music and was a great rock-and-roll dancer. Unfortunately he suffered a chronic spinal problem at a pretty early age and was confined to a wheelchair  -- yet his joie de vivre never ceased. He continued to laugh his way until a cardiac arrest at the age of 63 took him away from his many friends and admirers.

Bal Mundkur burst into the profession much like the meaning of his own agency Ulka, the Sanskrit term for ‘meteor’. He started his career with the agency DJ  Keymer (later Benson and now O&M). He handled almost 60% of Benson accounts but when Benson ignored him and brought a relatively younger man, Wally Olins from UK, to head the agency he  moved on. Bal launched his own agency in 1960, servicing some leading accounts -- Crompton Greaves, Mukund, Ceat et al. It was the'Zodiac Man' campaign for a then-unknown tie manufacturer that brought the agency in the limelight. Such was the success of the campaign that any moderately handsome, bearded man passing by would be called the ‘Zodiac Man’. Much like my being referred to  as the ‘Vodafone Man’.

I got to know him during my Statesman days. At first he came off as arrogant, even short- tempered. But as I broke the ice I saw his other side,a charming, helpful being. I wish I had been a chess enthusiast. He was passionately fond of the game and would invite anyone interested to have a bout with him. He collected chess sets and rumour has it that Satyajit Ray borrowed one of his chess sets for the film Shatranj Ke Khiladi.

Bal was flamboyant, larger than life and  could talk his way out of any situation. At one talk show a young turk in order to impress his peers asked Bal whether Ulka’s philosophy was ‘horizontal’or ‘vertical’ growth. Without missing a beat Bal foxed him by responding ‘diagonal’, leaving the veterans in the audience smiling and the young yuppies wondering!

His charismatic personality and plush  lifestyle were the envy of the profession. He was one of the prime movers in setting up the ‘Ad Club’, then called ‘Advertising Luncheon Club’ which met at the Taj once a month. Many years later I was privileged to be elected it’s President.

He retired to Goa in 1990 and continued to indulge in his several passions -- art, music, social causes etc. He helped set up Asia’s first museum of Christian Art in Goa, brought the choir of Trinity College of Music on a tour across India.

He was honoured by AAAI with a lifetime achievement Award in 1992. His zest for life never waned till his passing at the age 86, at his residence in Goa.

The author is a well-known stage personality