There are several reasons why I believe this is one of the classic campaigns in Indian advertising. Among the most important reasons is the fact that it was perhaps the first, and ever since, perhaps the only instance of a generic campaign that was handled with the same degree of attention and scientific rigour as a campaign for a manufactured and marketed product.
A lot of the credit for this is due to the Late Dr BV Rao, chairman of NECC, who initiated this campaign. Dr Rao was a visionary, and did as much for the co-operative movement in the poultry sector as Dr Kurien did for the dairy sector.
The idea of the exercise was to provide a steady demand for eggs, to support the poultry farmers. The campaign objective thus became: ?Promote all-year consumption of eggs?.
This, however, was easier said than done. There were several barriers to achieving the objective:
Inadequate knowledge: There was a surprising lack of knowledge about the nutritional value of eggs. While there was a belief that eggs were rich in protein, the other nutrients provided by eggs: vitamins, mineral, micronutrients etc, were not known.
Lack of variety: Food is not just about nutrition and health; it is actually about taste and enjoyment! Unfortunately, people only thought of boiled eggs, omelettes or fried eggs when they thought of eggs. And these dishes were considered too boring to be consumed very often.
Absence of perceived need: Most women believed that they were already giving their families meals that were nutritionally balanced. In such a situation they saw little need to supplement their diet with eggs.
The ways to overcome these barriers became the basis of the three-pronged communication exercise. First, there was an educational print campaign, which informed readers about the nutritional qualities of eggs. This exercise encouraged people to add eggs to their diet as a valuable nutritional supplement.
The second phase of the campaign focused on overcoming the perception that egg dishes were ?boring?. This leg of the campaign focused on the wide variety of ways in which tasty egg dishes could be made: egg chaat, egg biryani, egg kofta, egg curry… and so on.
And third, there was a part of the campaign, which focused on those segments that had higher nutritional needs and would benefit from extra nutrition. The two segments were children in their growing years, and expectant women and nursing mothers who were in effect, ?eating for two people?!
It is important to emphasise that the communication exercise was backed with a TV commercial that was built around a jingle ?Meri jaan, meri jaan Sunday ke Sunday? (based on a Hindi film song), that made eggs a fun thing, and especially, appealed to children?the likely consumers of eggs.
In addition, there were programmes?such as making egg preparations available at bus stations, the publishing of daily egg prices, the inclusion of a Free Egg Recipe Book offer in the ads?which facilitated and encouraged conversion of intent into consumption.
When it came to execution, the campaign elements were sewn together with the use of an ?egg yolk yellow? background, and a catchy line, ?Sunday ho ya Monday, roz khao andey? (Translation: Sunday or a Monday, have an egg every day.)
The campaign has demonstrated its enormous value in remaining extendable over time.
It has met both business criteria in achieving increase in egg consumption, and creative acclaim by winning the Advertising Club of Bombay Campaign of the Year Award.
I, of course, have one more reason to think of this campaign as an all-time favourite. I wrote the line: Sunday ho ya Monday, roz khao ande.
The author is co-founder, chlorophyll brand and communication consultancy