Advertising

Iconic Ads: Strepsils – The MGM Lion Meow!

1970’s. Back to the Boots Company but a different brand – Strepsils. And with Clarion

The difficult Anil Kapoor was the client, and he used to grind agencies to death.

Agencies thought that he was a bully who had his way. He would provoke the agencies till they gave up and changed the creative. In reality, he was testing the conviction which the agencies had when they presented their creatives.

The presentation was for a film. The idea was to show the MGM lion with a sore throat, unable to roar. It was to mew like a cat and once it had Strepsils it would roar as the original MGM lion would.

A great film idea but Anil Kapoor was being his usual self. However, Prahlad Kakkar was adamant and decided to enact the entire adv in front of him. He started with a meow meow (like a cat); had a Strepsil tablet, and then roared out loud imitating a lion.

Anil could not control himself,  he started to laugh and walked out of the room so as to not show anyone he was laughing. He came back with a straight face and said ‘make the film”

Famous animator Ram Mohan did the animation & the TVC was a huge success. 

Today, after more than 30 years later, people still remember the MGM lion meowing instead of roaring with a sore throat. All it took was one Strepsil to bring the roar back. This classic ensured high brand recall even now.

Vejay Anand

For consultation and advice - https://topmate.io/vejay_anand_s

Recent Posts

How Superfood Trends Are Redefining Pet Nutrition in India

From turmeric and probiotics to clean labels, India’s pet food is evolving. Learn how health-conscious…

20 hours ago

Insights into the Changing Pet Food Landscape in India

How India’s pet food industry is evolving with science, transparency, and care—transforming pet nutrition into…

1 day ago

Iconic Brands: Kellogg’s – Frosted Flakes with Tony the Tiger

Tony the Tiger turned Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes from a simple cereal into a timeless brand…

2 days ago

Iconic Ads: Dial – Aren’t You Glad You Use Dial? Don’t You Wish Everybody Did?

Decades later, "Aren't you glad you use Dial?" remains one of the most recognisable taglines…

1 week ago

Iconic Ads: Charmin – Please Don’t Squeeze the Charmin

An Iconic Advertising Campaign That Redefined Toilet Paper Marketing Brand Origins: Charmin Introduction (1928): The…

1 week ago

Iconic Ads: Timex – It Takes a Licking and Keeps on Ticking

This campaign didn't just sell watches — it sold confidence. ur gear, your decisions, and…

2 weeks ago