In the wonderland of toothpastes

Long before the advent of TV ads, there used to be simple ads of various products that ranged from toothpaste to footwear and even a few popular medicines for headaches. Those used to be print based and, a few graduated to audio visual ads on the huge silver screens.
I wonder of any can recall ads of a brand of toothpaste that went ‘half an inch on a dry brush is enough’ – today ads of toothpaste have groups of young boys and girls gyrating to hip-hop music and blowing kisses to prove to the world at large that the breath is indeed fresh.

There was a brand of toothpaste that was a favorite of children of the 1960 and even the 1970s – it used to come with tiny trinkets which used to be exchanged among friends. And, to top it all, there used to be a very popular music session of an hour’s duration on Wednesdays. The geetmala bore the name of the brand. Interestingly, that concept is now returning to the Indian Railways who will rename important trains like the Rajdhani and Shatabdi with brands – to earn revenues.
Talking of toothpaste, there is another very popular ad that has an actress who drops from the sky to ask – ‘does your toothpaste have salt in it?’ Then she is whisked back into the sky!
And, the latest entrant into the ad world of toothpaste is the one created by the yoga guru - it promises to be created from a mixture of charcoal, salt and innumerable ingredients and is a totally Indian product. It has thrown a challenge to the MNCs who are reported to be exploring alternate markets and products.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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