MRF was founded by K.M. Mammen Mappillai (KM), who was born in a Syrian Christian family based in Kerala, with 9 other siblings. With his tread rubber manufacturing business performing splendidly, KM decided to expand downstream the value chain and began manufacturing tyres.

Unilever and its ad agency Lintas launched a one woman army to take on the competitively priced Nirma. The idea of samajhdar Lalitaji was inspired by her creator Alyque Padamsee’s mother who always stressed on not just bachat but ‘value for money’

Bajaj’s response to challenges from mainly motorbike-pushing brands like Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki in late 1980s was an ad campaign, called “Hamara Bajaj”, that set a new benchmark for Indian advertising – not just motor vehicle advertising, but advertising in general.

When you talk about the shoe polish brand, Cherry Blossom, the first thought that strikes you is the iconic comedian, Charlie Chaplin, or Alyque Padamsee’s version called Cherry Charlie. And vice-versa. Alyque Padamsee went further with his ventures to ensure that the products he was associated with advertising

Alyque Padamsee was involved with Emami as their marketing and advertising consultant. He had helped them launch many brands, one of which was Fair & Handsome, one of the fastest growing FMCG products. In 2007 leading Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan was roped in by Emami Ltd

The Liril film launched in mid-70s was possibly the first to show a bikini-clad girl in Indian advertising, according to Kailash Surendranath, the ad filmmaker, who directed the film. It also marked a watershed in the portrayal of the Indian woman in soap ads: “prior to that she was always shown as very demure and mostly fully clad.”