Letting Go of Legends: When Emotions Clash with Business Sense - Bajaj "Scooter", HUL "Pureit" and "Pawan Kalyan Hari Hara Veera Mallu"

In 2005, I witnessed a press conference that still lingers in my memory. A composed Rajiv Bajaj stood before the press and announced the discontinuation of one of India’s most iconic products, the Bajaj Chetak petrol scooter. Next to him sat Rahul Bajaj, crestfallen and close to tears. It was a moment that marked the end of an era.

Hamara Bajaj was not just a brand campaign. It symbolized middle-class India’s aspirations. In the 1980s, owning a Bajaj scooter was a dream so strong that families waited for years to get one. Sometimes, the only way to get a Bajaj allotment was through a foreign relative wiring USD 500 back to India. 

Along with an HMT Kanchan gold-plated automatic watch, the Bajaj scooter was the ultimate wedding gift and status symbol. However, with the arrival of cheaper and more fuel-efficient four-stroke motorcycles, the decline began. Despite its legacy, Bajaj couldn’t keep up with the changing market dynamics. As Ravi Bajaj himself later admitted, letting go of such a legendary product was like losing a family member. That’s the emotional price of being in business. Marrying memories to markets doesn’t always make sense.

A similar example comes from Hindustan Unilever (HUL). The company had a vast portfolio of FMCG products in India. However, Pureit, their water purifier brand, was an exception to the rule. It wasn’t sold through regular kirana stores or supermarkets. Instead, Pureit followed a medical distribution model, marketed directly to hospitals and doctors, with its own separate sales force and supply chain.

In 2024, HUL decided to offload Pureit to A.O. Smith, signalling a smart move to refocus on their core categories. Again, a difficult but strategic decision. Proof that sometimes, cutting emotional ties is essential for future growth.

Even the entertainment industry isn’t immune. The recent film Hari Hara Veera Mallu, with a reported budget of ₹300 crore and over five years in the making, faced a major setback. Starring Pawan Kalyan, the movie received heavy backlash after its regular release, particularly for poor visual effects. As a reaction, nearly 22 minutes were cut from the film post-release. But the damage was done.

The question arises. Why weren’t rational decisions made earlier? Why not test the film with a sample audience beforehand? Why wait for public backlash before making drastic edits? It’s a classic case of creators becoming too emotionally attached to their vision, blinding them to objective feedback.

As the saying goes, common sense is not so common, especially when emotions, legacy, and ambition take over reason.

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Keywords: Bajaj Chetak history, Hamara Bajaj, Rahul Bajaj emotional moment while discontinuing Bajaj Scooter, Discontinued Indian products. Hindustan Unilever Pureit sale, Emotional marketing decisions, Hari Hara Veera Mallu movie failure, Rationality in product decisions, Letting go of legacy brands, Indian business nostalgia

#HamaraBajaj #BrandLegacy #IndianIcons #BusinessDecisions #HUL #Pureit #MovieFlops #NostalgiaMarketing #LettingGo #RationalVsEmotional

Best Indian advertisements - Liril and Hamara Bajaj

It is said that only three things are definite in this world. Two of them are death and taxes. And the third one is advertising. We are continuously bombarded with advertisements. Then came in thick and fast. Some of them are almost like the sleight of hand of the magician. we don't even know that we have been stung by a subliminal advertisement. Many find advertisements to be a big drag a waste of time,  simply put a pain. Many others disagree and call them "the maximum fun one can have with their clothes on!" 

It is very difficult to pick up the five best advertisements when you have a list that runs into more than a hundred.  But I would bite the bullet. To make things simple I would pick up 5 best advertisements from India.

1. The best advertisement that I can think of is the "Liril" advertisement that was created by Alyque Padamsee for HLL. I remember sneaking into the cinema hall in the seventies and breathlessly waiting for the wildly exhilarating Liril Ad. The girl in the bikini, the locale, and the music meant that for more than two generations liril girl was the ideal wet girl. (pun unintended). Padamsee explains that the five minutes that a Lady of the house gets when she is bathing is the only private time she gets in the entire day. The ad made her feel special. 10 out of 10 Padamsee!. 

Incidentally when one watches the later liril ads the girls have become more and more prudent and they started wearing more and more clothes. A mirror of the present society - we have become a nation of hypocrites. If the Liril ad is to be made today I am sure the liril girl will be wearing a six-yard saree.  

2. The second best advertisement that symbolized the coming of age of Indian advertising is the ad that was made for "Bajaj Scooters". Hamara Bajaj stood the test of time and regularly tops the list of the best advertisements that were made in India. The most impressive thing about Hamara Bajaj was the not-so-subtle message saying that India is Bajaj and having a Bajaj scooter is the most patriotic thing. And Bajaj was the most secular of the products that was available.

Sadly for a product that was so prided that it was offered as dowry, Bajaj scooter fell in bad ways. The scooter was very old-fashioned, it had to be bent and cajoled, and then KICK started to live. So boring!. Bajaj did and could not anticipate the changing tastes of the customers. Recently Bajaj scooter was given so decent burial by a tearful Rahul Bajaj. Sorry to see you go Bajaj Chetak- you were our darling. The burial of Bajaj Chetak is a reminder that nothing is constant and that companies should keep up with time and not be bogged down by Marketing Myopia. This is a classic case of falling in love with your product and not keeping track of the changing needs of the customer. 

Keywords: Advertising, Liril, Alyque Padamsee, Bajaj Scooters, Hamara Bajaj, Patriotic, Secular,\ Changing tastes, Marketing Myopia, Brand nostalgia, Evolution, Cultural shifts, Legacy, Product lifecycle, Innovation.