AD Agencies
Usha Bhandarkar, pioneering ad veteran and creator of Lalitaji, dies at 82
HYDERABAD: Usha Bhandarkar, one of Indian advertising’s most influential creative leaders and the mind behind Lalitaji, the woman who changed how the country bought Surf, has died at 82. Her passing marks the end of a formidable era in Indian FMCG advertising, built on insight, restraint and quiet authority rather than flash.
A former group creative director at Lintas, Bhandarkar was a defining force behind Unilever brands such as Surf, Liril, Lifebuoy and Rexona. At a time when advertising leaned heavily on spectacle, she championed sharp consumer truth and disciplined storytelling, helping to shape not just campaigns but the culture of agencies and brand teams alike.
Her most enduring creation, Lalitaji, arrived in 1984 and swiftly entered Indian pop culture. Clad in a crisp white saree, bindi firmly in place, Lalitaji looked straight at the viewer, tapped her head and delivered a line that would echo for decades: “Surf ki kharidari mein samajhdari hai.” Produced in 16 languages, the campaign was a runaway success and remains a masterclass in FMCG communication.
Contrary to a long-held industry myth, Lalitaji was not inspired by Alyque Padamsee’s mother. A veteran ad professional told Storyboard18 in 2022 that the character was Bhandarkar’s own creation, a modern, middle-class woman who trusted logic over loud claims, and intelligence over gimmicks. In doing so, Bhandarkar introduced one of Indian advertising’s earliest and strongest female protagonists.
Colleagues remember her less for flamboyance and more for rigour. Joseph George, who worked at Lintas between 1991 and 2017, said the legacies of Lintas and HLL “will forever carry a debt of gratitude” for what she gave them. KV Sridhar, global chief creative officer at Nihilent Limited, recalled how she silently built the brands of Unilever, teaching generations how to marry insight with reasons to believe, and how to fight every creative battle with clarity rather than ego.
Beyond her professional achievements, Bhandarkar was deeply committed to mentoring young talent, often without seeking recognition. Many who passed through Lintas credit her with shaping not just their careers, but their values, proof that leadership, in her hands, was as humane as it was exacting.
She rewrote the rules of Indian FMCG advertising, put women at the centre of brand storytelling and shaped some of the country’s most iconic campaigns
In an industry that increasingly chases noise, Usha Bhandarkar stood for something rarer: intelligence that sold, creativity that endured, and a woman who let the work do the talking. Lalitaji may have tapped her head. Bhandarkar changed how India thought.
AD Agencies
Publicis Brazil’s creative chief Mauro Ramalho lands the jury chair at Abby Awards 2026
Mauro Ramalho brings 25 years of global advertising firepower to the new creative commerce, use of data and B2B category at Goafest
GOA: The Abby Awards 2026, powered by The One Club and The One Show, has appointed Mauro Ramalho, chief creative officer of Publicis Brazil, as jury chair for its newly launched creative commerce, use of data and B2B category. The announcement, made on 18 March, signals the awards’ intent to bring serious international muscle to a category that sits squarely at the intersection of creativity and commercial performance.
Ramalho is not a name that needs much introduction in global advertising circles. Over 25 years spanning three countries, he has worked at some of the industry’s most creatively restless addresses. At AKQA in San Francisco, he worked across McDonald’s, Nike, Fox, Target, Kraft Foods and GAP, and helped lead “The Lost Ring” for McDonald’s, one of the first alternate reality campaigns and among the most awarded projects of its era. He later moved to Organic in Toronto, bridging the Detroit and Toronto offices on Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler, before spending over a decade building CUBOCC into one of Brazil’s most iconic and innovative independent agencies, which subsequently joined the IPG network.
A stint at FCB followed, where Ramalho led integrated work bridging online and offline, before he joined R/GA São Paulo as vice-president and executive creative director, stitching together the São Paulo office with New York, London, Portland and California on global clients including Verizon, Google, Meta, Samsung, American Express and Heineken. He now heads Publicis Brazil as its chief creative officer.
His trophy cabinet includes Clios, Effies, TikTok awards and MMA Smarties, and he has served on juries at the Andys, TikTok and the Lisbon Awards.
The Abby Awards 2026 is scheduled to take place at Goafest 2026 on 20, 21 and 22 May in Goa.
For Indian advertising, landing a jury chair of Ramalho’s calibre for a category built around data-driven creativity and commerce is a statement of ambition. Goafest just raised its own bar.
