Revisiting Sylvester daCunha’s utterly-butterly years with Amul

As the advertising world mourns the loss of a true virtuoso, we take a look at his timeless spell with Amul.

For 76 years, Amul has had a strong foothold in the Indian pastuerised milk and butter market. So much so that the brand itself has become a household name for butter. But a lot of the brand’s successes came after it hired Sylvester daCunha in 1966.

The advertising veteran offered the brand a mascot that was going to change the course of its history. A blue-haired girl with a slice of buttered toast in her hand. You’ve already visualised it, haven’t you?

Sylvester daCunha's first act with the brand was a long-driven campaign of OOH ads dealing with day-to-day issues. The campaign holds a Guinness World Record for the longest-running ad campaign in the world. The Amul Girl quickly became the face of the brand, in whatever campaigns that were to follow. 

Here are some of the most popular ad moments featuring the Amul Girl.

In 2007, Richard Gere visited India. And in an event, he kissed the Indian actress Shilpa Shetty on stage. Thus was born Amul’s ‘Kiss kis par case!’ ad.

In 2017, Priyanka Chopra walked the red carpet in Met Gala, and her dress made all the headlines. Amul took the opportunity and celebrated her debut with a dedicated ad.

After the 2020 Academy Awards, Amul’s Girl was seen treating Joaquin Phoenix for his win, with butter. 

2020 was also a big year for Indian politics, with the decades-long Ayodhya case seeing an end. As the country celebrated the court’s judgment to build Ram Mandir, Amul didn’t miss out.

In 2021, Amul also placed its mascot with PV Sindhu, who had just won the bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics.