AD Agencies
The smell that told Mumbaikars which station was next
Tata AIA turns Mumbai’s Parle-G memory into a sharp, city-wise outdoor play
MUMBAI: When a biscuit factory became Mumbai’s unofficial station announcement. Long before smartphone maps and automated announcements, commuters on Mumbai’s Western line relied on their noses. As trains rolled into Vile Parle, compartments filled with the warm, sweet smell of baking biscuits from the Parle-G factory. It was a cue to gather bags, wake dozing children and shuffle towards the door.
Now that memory has been pressed into service by Tata AIA Life Insurance as part of its 25-year anniversary outdoor campaign — a city-by-city salute to the lived moments that shape urban life.
One hoarding, mounted close to the old factory site, reads: “We have been protecting Mumbaikars since Vile Parle smelled of freshly made biscuits.” Spare. Local. Loaded.
The broader campaign, rolled out across major metros, leans hard into contextual storytelling. In Kolkata, it nods to trams. In Pune, to Magarpatta’s transformation. In Bengaluru, to a time before IT parks. In Chennai, to OMR before it led to tech corridors. Each line anchors the brand’s longevity to a shared civic memory.
The Mumbai execution is the most evocative. For decades, the Parle-G factory was more than a production unit. It was a sensory landmark. Residents nearby set their clocks by the factory horn. Office-goers marked their commute by the waft of glucose and flour. When the plant shut, the city lost more than jobs. It lost a rhythm.
By placing the hoarding beside the former factory, the insurer collapses distance between copy and context. The site does half the storytelling. The rest comes from commuters who remember opening steel tiffins packed with Parle-G, or jolting awake as the train slowed.
It is a neat piece of brand positioning. Rather than trumpet balance sheets or policy counts, Tata AIA borrows emotional equity from the city itself. Twenty-five years becomes less a milestone and more a presence — steady, local, embedded.
Outdoor advertising is often a blunt instrument. This one is anything but. It whispers. It remembers. And in doing so, it sells trust without sounding like it is selling at all.
The scent may have faded. The memory has not.
AD Agencies
The Advertising Club unveils new brand identity
71-year-old industry body repositions itself as marketing’s guiding beacon
MUMBAI: The Advertising Club has revealed a refreshed brand identity, signalling a new chapter in its 71-year journey at the heart of India’s marketing and media ecosystem.
Created in partnership with global brand consultancy Landor, the rebrand is less about reinvention and more about realignment. It builds on decades of credibility while sharpening the Club’s role in an industry being rapidly reshaped by technology, artificial intelligence and shifting consumer expectations.
For generations, The Advertising Club has been the meeting ground for ideas, ambition and industry-defining conversations. From flagship platforms to benchmark-setting awards, it has helped script the story of modern Indian marketing. Now, as algorithms influence artistry and data sits alongside design, the Club is leaning into change with clarity.
At the core of the new identity is a simple but powerful idea: TAC as “The Beacon”. In a time of constant disruption, the industry needs more than applause lines. It needs direction. The refreshed positioning casts the Club as a steady guide, illuminating what lies ahead while honouring the milestones behind it.
The new visual system is designed to be flexible and future-ready, adapting seamlessly across awards, partnerships, platforms and digital touchpoints. It carries the weight of legacy, yet speaks in a contemporary voice that feels confident, global and distinctly Indian.
The Advertising Club president and McCann India CEO Dheeraj Sinha, said the refresh reflects both responsibility and opportunity. “Our seven-decade legacy demands that we lead with purpose. This new identity reaffirms our intent to serve as a beacon at a time of high volatility. TAC will continue to set benchmarks, spark meaningful conversations and champion the ideas shaping the future of marketing and advertising.”
The evolution is not about discarding the past, but about using it as fuel for what comes next. As culture, commerce, creativity and code increasingly converge, The Advertising Club is positioning itself as the platform that connects the dots and keeps the industry moving forward.
