Mera Wala

And it all started with the 'Mera Wala' campaign. "The tagline became so popular that people would go up to stores and ask for 'mera wala blue' or 'mera wala green'," says Amit Syngle, VP - sales & marketing, Asian Paints. "It became a generic term and showed the involvement of people with the campaign." The commercial and the subsequent Asian Paints campaigns marked a beginning of a bond for Piyush Pandey, executive chairman & creative director - South Asia,
Ogilvy with the brand that would make 'Fevicol ka mazboot zod' proud.
The 'Mera Wala' campaign started out in the early nineties and also marked Asian Paints' entry into corporate advertising. Prior to that "Apcolite, which was their flagship product wasn't even advertised that much", says Abhijit Avasthi, NCD, Ogilvy India. "The market wasn't that evolved, there were very few competitors. So, they could bravely go on-air and say they had every colour and shade possible."
The only exterior paint offering they had was a brand known as Utsav. The communication for this was based on the Indian tradition of painting houses before a major festival such as Diwali or Pongal. "The tone at the time was warm and emotional", says Awasthi. "When they launched their formal exterior paint offering — Ace and Apex — the communication became rational and demonstrative. The idea of giving that much importance to exteriors was something relatively new to Indians."
In the early 2000s, the company began to expand its offerings. From paints and colours, they moved to home decor. And 'Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai' was born. "We found that it made an emotional connect with consumers," says Syngle, adding: "A lot of energy and passion went into creating a home and they could identify with that."
Even as consumers and the Indian market has evolved, home-decor has remained the benchmark or the emotional plank for every paint company. Asian Paints decided to add a fresh coat and make painting 'fun and convenient' using the online