Tributes pour in as 'Amul girl' creator Sylvester daCunha dies
Sylvester daCunha and the iconic Amul Girl he helped create
Sylvester daCunha, the brain behind the iconic 'utterly butterly delicious’ advertisement campaign for Indian dairy giant Amul, passed away on Tuesday in Mumbai.
Jayen Mehta, managing director of Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), announced daCunha's death.
"Very sorry to inform about the sad demise of Shri Sylvester daCunha, chairman of daCunha Communications last night (Tuesday) at Mumbai," said Mehta.
"A doyen of Indian advertising industry who was associated with Amul since 1960s. The Amul family joins in mourning this sad loss,” he added.
Sylvester daCunha was in his 80s and is survived by his wife Nisha and son Rahul. He leaves behind a legacy that very few have the good fortune of having.
Sylvester daCunha's legacy
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Apart from conceiving the iconic tagline, daCunha was also responsible for the omnipresent, pun-loving 'Amul Girl' who has been gracing the covers of nearly every Amul ad campaign since then.
In 1966, Dr Verghese Kurien, the man responsible for the milk revolution in India, went to daCunha and provided him inputs regarding the ad campaign.It was then that daCunha conceived Amul’s mascot —a little, bubbly girl with big eyes in a dress with red polka dots and a matching ribbon in her hair, paired with red shoes. The artwork was brought to life by art director and illustratorEustace Fernandes.
Tributes pour in
Tributes started pouring immediately after the news of his demise was announced.Senior Congress leader and parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor mourned the passing ofdaCunha saying he was a good friend of his father.
"Saddened by the passing of Amul’s 'UtterlyButterly' campaign creator Sylvester daCunha. He was a good friend of my father & they worked together on the Advertising Club’s magazine “Solus”, for which Dad wrote a pseudonymous column. An era has passed. RIP," tweeted Tharoor.
'Voice of Cricket' Harsha Bhogle took to Twitter and paid his respects to the advertising titan.
"In respect for one of the towering figures of Indian advertising.It was the generation of people like #SylvesterdaCunha who planted the seed of advertising in my mind. He made the industry richer and I am delighted to see his gifted son, Rahul da Cunha, keep the tradition going," tweeted Bhogle.
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Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Derek O'Brien shared one of his favourite Amul ads featuring the Amul Girl as a way to pay tribute to deCunha's legacy.
"Sylvester daCunha, advertising legend, genius behind the iconic 'Amul Girl', met his Great Creator In The Sky. Much respect and admiration. Here's one of my favourites from 2021. Pay tribute to Mr daCunha by sharing your most loved Amul ad."
Amul India GM Marketing, Pavan Singh paid his tributes by calling daCunha a legend.
“This campaign scaled new heights, moved seamlessly from OOH to print, TV & then digital & social media, enhancing its reach and popularity across multiple generations.”
(With inputs from agencies)
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