Homegrown Ad Jingles Forever Etched In Our Memories

Everyone loves a good jingle, they become earworms that you just can’t get out of your head. No matter how long it’s been, you always remember them with a fondness and a sense of nostalgia. There are jingles and tunes from ads from your childhood that you probably still remember even if you never used those products yourself. That’s the thing about jingles, you love them, you hum them, you remember them.

In fact, the two iconic scenes from the 2011 film Zindagi Na Milegi Doobara also talk about jingles and tunes we can’t get out of our heads. In a bar scene, when the three men are drunk they remember the Doordarshan tune that accompanied the logo that showed before the Sunday movie streaming. In another instance, Hritik Roshan and Abhay Deol’s characters can be seen making fun of Farhan Akhtar’s character for the ad jingle he composed for Diamond biscuits. Even the fictional jingle ‘Diamond biscuit, diamond biscuit jab bhi mann ho kha lo’ (eat them, whenever you feel like) from that movie is something that many remember.

In the true spirit of iconic ad jingles and the catchy tunes that they left in our lives, here are seven ad jingles that are a sure-shot nostalgic trip.

I. Airtel: Har Friend Zaroori Hai, Yaar

Reinforcing the idea of human relationships and connections, 10 years ago Airtel came up with their Har Friend Zaroori Hai, Yaar ad that became the ultimate friendship song. It appealed to the youth sentiments and positioned the brand as vibrant and happening. Everyone was humming it, after all, there really is a friend for every mood and every place. It could be a 4 am friend, a Facebook friend, or a work friend, the point is that each one has a unique and special place in our hearts because ‘harr ek friend zaroori hota hai’.

II. Cadbury: Asli Swad Zindagi Ka

Before Cadbury India’s ‘Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye’ campaign swept the country, it was the company’s 1994 ad campaign that bound us together with relatability and collective love for sweets. ‘Asli Swad Zindagi Ka’ was Cadbury’s landmark advertisement that established them as chocolate not meant solely for children. In the process, they created an unforgettable image in the minds of Indians; one that outlines our love for Cadbury’s to this day.

III. Hero MotorCorp: Hum Main Hai Hero

There is hardly a composition by A.R. Rahman that doesn’t get stuck in our minds and his composition of Hum Main Hai Hero for the Hero Motorcorp was no different. Playing on the idea of everyday moments of bravery, the commercial really brought home the point. To add to that the jingle was stuck in our minds for the longest time every time we heard it.

IV. Idea: Hello Honey Bunny

This iconic Idea TV commercial showed people from all regions of the country singing to this jingle. Now we don’t know if everyone from Kashmir to Kanyakumari was actually using an Idea sim but we can definitely bet on it that everyone was humming to this jingle.

V. Maggi: Maggi Maggi Maggi

There is absolutely no doubt about the fact that Maggi is an Indian household favourite, so much so that many Indians think of Maggi when they think of a midnight snack, a boredom snack, a rainy day snack even for some reason, a hill station visit snack. But did you know that the Maggi jingle that for the longest time was etched in our minds is actually a cover of a 1949 Hollywood track composed by Stephen Weiss and Bernie Baum and sung by Teresa Brewer called ‘Music Music Music’. It was thought to be a throwaway track but became so popular that many artists like Ray Charles and Bing Crosby too covered it. Somehow in 1980s it reached Nestle’s ad floorboards and became the ‘Maggi Maggi Maggi’ jingle we know and love.

VI. Nirma: Washing Powder Nirma

Whether you like it or not, this jingle did play in your mind (on loop) every time you went out to buy the detergent. Till the 1970s, the Indian washing powder market was largely dominated by Hindustan Lever Limited’s Surf. The emergence of Nirma and its unforgettable lyrics, “Washing powder Nirma, washing powder Nirma” changed that. Towards the end, the ad focuses on four women carrying packets of Nirma with them. The TVC begins and closes with the famous ‘Nirma Girl’ the brand’s mascot who is seen twirling on the packets of washing powder.

VII. Vicco: Vicco Turmeric Ayurvedic Cream

Full disclosure, it is actually insane the number of times my mind will randomly burst into a “vicco turmeric ayurvedic cream”. Every cinema hall experience can be boxed down to the Vicco ad jingle playing in full volume before a film. Add to that the catchy melody of this jingle that is a sure-shot unforgettable earworm. Try recalling the lyrics, chances are you still can.

VIII. Vodafone: You and I In This Beautiful World

Back when Vodafone was still Hutch, they came up with the ‘You and I In This Beautiful World’ jingle that saw a pet pug following a little boy everywhere he went. The ad was so iconic that for the longest time pugs were referred to as the hutch puppy. In fact, the impact of this ad was so strong that the adoption of pugs increased manifold times in the years following the campaign.

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