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Sunday, March 15, 2026

Brandma

Amul Girl – Marketing icon-turned-social media darling who has an opinion on everything

From commenting on the release of the latest films, including the Hollywood blockbuster Avatar, to Argentina winning the FIFA World Cup final, there is nowhere the Amul Girl doesn’t fit.

Inhalers to cough drops or soothing balm — Winter is here and it smells like Vicks VapoRub

From stuffy nose, chest congestion to scratchy throat, good ol' Vicks has been the go-to product for generations.

Camlin – a stationery stalwart that popularised art education in Indian schools

Camlin traces its origin to an Indian company that made ink in the 1930s. Today, the firm has a Japanese owner and continues to remain a dominant force in the stationery industry.

‘Pitaji ki patloon’ to ‘uncle ji ki kursi’ — Cadbury 5 Star hit the spot with Ramesh-Suresh duo

The iconic twosome became cult figures in the early 2010s for their quirky antics and became synonymous with the chocolate bar.

How marketing ‘comfort for the common man’ made Rupa standout in India’s innerwear market

The family-owned enterprise did not have a roaring start. But with solid marketing practices in place, Rupa climbed the ladder of success and went on to dominate the market.

Synonymous with ‘paani’, Italian-origin Bisleri made water a commodity in India

Acquired by Chauhan brothers for Rs 4 lakh in 1969, Bisleri has come a long way and is now an integral part of the Indian consumer culture.

Ash Ketchum has finally won a Pokémon League. But he has always been a winner

For young kids watching Pokémon, Ash was nothing less than a role model. He cried, threw tantrums, felt dejected and lost a lot. But he stood by his principles, no matter what.

Cartoon Network turns 30 and millennials are nostalgic, feeling older than ever

Launched in India on 1 May, 1995, Cartoon Network offered a bedrock for animated content to the cable TV watching generation, aka the millennials.

‘Femina’, ‘Meri Saheli’ or ‘Grihshobha’ — women’s magazines are the original ‘influencers’

These magazines often drew readers into the nitty-gritty of running a household, while also allowing women some much-needed downtime.

Nirodh – cheap condoms that led India’s family planning project but undone by lousy branding

Nirodh might not be a popular choice, but India’s first govt-owned condom brand has a zany history consisting of terrible branding and marketing blunders.

On Camera

Menstrual leave doesn’t work in ‘real world’. And that real world is designed by, for men

When a woman menstruates, when/if she decides to marry, when/if she decides to have kids, should not be factors when looking at a woman’s potential from a hiring standpoint.

US strike on Iran’s key oil export island Kharg raises fears of wider supply disruption

President Trump said the US had bombed military targets on Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, but spared oil infrastructure.

Supreme Leader Mojtaba, the man Iran must keep alive & the secret force ‘tasked with it’—all about NOPO

The Nirouyeh Vijeh Pasdaran Velayat, or NOPO, was the only force Ali Khamenei trusted.It was founded in 1991 and is more feared than the Revolutionary Guards.

Peaceful power transfers followed uprisings in India’s neighbourhood. It’s a sign of mature democracies

Rating democracies is a tricky business. I am only using the simple metric of who in the Indian subcontinent has had the most peaceful, stable, normal political transitions and continuity.