Brands
Everybody loves the Amul girl!
MUMBAI: April was an eventful month or so for Amul, the iconic brand marketed by Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF).
On the one hand, GCMMF crossed Rs 18,000 crore in 2013-14; a jump of 32 per cent from the previous year, apart from posting the fastest growth ever for a four decade-old dairy cooperative. On the other hand however, Amul has been served legal notice by the Sahara Group for its hoarding ‘Besahara Parivar’ where Sahara employees are shown begging to collect Rs 5,000 crore for group chief Subrata Roy’s bail.
Indeed, Amul has built a reputation for its witty but unflinching stance on a wide range of issues of national importance. At the same time, it has also come under fire for force-fitting itself. Indiantelevision spoke to some industry experts for their views on the Amul brand of marketing.
“Amul advertising is today iconic in its genre. A powerful set of topical creatives gives this brand high scale visibility across a relatively small set of hoardings and selective print vehicles across the country. It can be noted that sometimes, due to the pressure of wanting new creatives, the brand has been force-fitting itself. I do believe it needs to set a standard that it will not fall below,” said Harish Bijoor Consults CEO and brand expert Harish Bijoor. According to him, the creative around the Sahara Group is a terrific one, as usual. “The brand is used to receiving legal notices I am sure. This is all part of the game”, he said.
Tata Housing head of marketing services Rajeeb Dash, pointed out that Amul has always rolled out ads that are a break-through of sorts. “Sometimes, taking a strong stance helps brands create break-through via communication strategies. Amul seems to have taken that route since a while.”
Curry-Nation founder Priti Nair, expressed the view, “Amul usually puns on something and connects it to the butter. Sometimes good, sometimes not so good. I don’t think this deserves a legal notice.” For Nair, the hoardings are iconic. “Amul as a brand has used a spin on current happenings as its communication strategy. Be it other brands or cricket or politics or Bollywood. Whatever is in the news and has eyeballs, Amul always does a spin on that and nobody minds cause it is always in good spirit.”
One thing that came across was that the fraternity loves the li’l Amul girl and everything about her. No matter the challenges, she looks set to win hearts…
Brands
Yes Madam taps Rajpal Yadav’s Chota Don nostalgia to power new digital campaign
Home salon platform ropes in Tanya Mittal as it bets on humour and pop culture to showcase trust and convenience
NOIDA: India’s fast-growing home salon platform Yes Madam is leaning on nostalgia and a dose of comic chaos to pitch its services. The brand has launched a new digital campaign starring Rajpal Yadav and influencer Tanya Mittal, reviving Yadav’s much-loved Chota Don character to underline the reliability of at-home beauty services.
The campaign marks Yes Madam’s first collaboration with Rajpal Yadav and revisits the quirky Chota Don persona made famous in the 2007 film Partner. Produced with Footloose Films, the film blends slapstick humour with a nostalgic callback to spotlight the platform’s promise of dependable, quality services delivered at home.
The storyline plays out like a miniature action comedy. Tanya Mittal finds herself surrounded by goons and calls for help, only for Rajpal Yadav to appear in full Chota Don mode, dispatching the attackers in his trademark comic style as Mittal cheers him on. The drama then flips abruptly to a calmer scene, with Mittal relaxing at home while enjoying a Yes Madam service and insisting the heroic episode really happened, even as posters of Chota Don decorate her house. The film ends with Yadav’s voiceover declaring that the incident may or may not have happened, but the trust and quality of Yes Madam’s services certainly have.
The collaboration also follows a broader show of support for Rajpal Yadav within the industry. In the growing wave of backing for the veteran actor, Mayank Arya, co-founder and chief executive of Yes Madam, publicly supported actor-producer Sonu Sood’s call for concrete help from the film industry and corporate brands. Arya took to the social media platform X urging companies to move beyond expressions of sympathy and instead offer tangible opportunities to the actor amid his ongoing legal and financial challenges.
He wrote, “Seconded @SonuSood. Even brands should come forward to help the great talent. @Rajpalofficial will also be a part of an ad film @_yesmadam! Have already aligned the team on it. #ComeBackStronger.”
Seconded @SonuSood. Even brands should come forward to help the the great talent.@Rajpalofficial will also be a part of an ad film @_yesmadam !
Have already aligned the team on it.#ComeBackStronger https://t.co/Q7qpJttLTs— Mayank Arya (@iammayankarya) February 11, 2026
Rajpal Yadav recently surrendered at Tihar Jail after the Delhi High Court rejected his plea seeking additional time to repay dues in a long-running cheque-bounce case. The actor had been accused in the case in 2018 after he was unable to repay a loan taken for a film project that failed at the box office. The court later ordered him to surrender after the dues remained unpaid.
The situation triggered a wave of support from several high-profile figures. Sonu Sood emerged as one of the most prominent voices, expressing solidarity and promising Yadav a role in his next film. Sood emphasised that industry support should be about dignity and real job opportunities rather than charity. Celebrities including Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, Gurmeet Choudhary and Guru Randhawa have also publicly extended financial and professional support.
Before surrendering, Rajpal Yadav shared an emotional statement in which he spoke about feeling alone and unsupported, a remark that struck a chord with many in the industry. However, his brother later clarified that the actor would never have intended to suggest that he lacked support from colleagues or well-wishers.
Reflecting on the campaign, Mayank Arya said the film was designed to entertain while strengthening the brand’s message. “At Yes Madam, we have always believed in creating campaigns that connect with audiences in an engaging and memorable way. I had earlier spoken about the importance of extending meaningful opportunities to Rajpal Yadav, and we are glad to be the first brand to take that step forward with this collaboration. Through this film, we wanted to create a compelling narrative while also reinforcing the trust and reliability that customers associate with Yes Madam’s services,” Arya said.
Akanksha Vishnoi, co-founder, said the campaign leans on nostalgia to strike a chord with digital audiences. “Consumers today engage deeply with content that blends entertainment with relatability. With this campaign, we wanted to revisit a nostalgic moment while subtly reinforcing the convenience and reliability of at-home services. Rajpal Yadav’s Chota Don is an iconic character that instantly evokes nostalgia and humour, making it the perfect fit for this campaign. Tanya Mittal’s presence added a vibrant energy and helped us bring the vision of the campaign to life,” Vishnoi said.
Founded in 2016, Yes Madam offers salon and spa services at home through trained professionals using hygienic, single-use product formats. The platform now operates in more than 55 cities across India, pitching convenience, transparency and quality to a growing base of urban consumers.
The new campaign, rolling out across social media and video platforms, makes its pitch with a wink. The Chota Don rescue might be fiction, but the promise of a salon at your doorstep, the brand suggests, is the real deal.
