Ad veteran Ambi Parameswaran looked at how advertising has evolved, reflecting the country’s culture, politics and economy in the last fifty years. From sartorial taste and food habits to marriage and old age, music and language to celebrities and censorship, Ambi's book examines over a hundred ads to study how the Indian consumer has changed in the past five decades and how advertising and society have shaped each other.

Combining anecdote and analyses to give us a slice of modern history, Ambi evaluated the relationship between affluence, aspiration and desire in India. Exploring trends and impacts, he covered the ads that captured the imagination of the entire country. From ‘Only Vimal’ and ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’ to ‘Jo biwi se kare pyaar’ and the controversial Tuffs shoes campaign, the book is a memorable journey through brands, consumers and the world of advertising. 

About Ambi Parameswaran

Ambi Parameswaran is Brand Strategist and Founder of Brand-Building.com. He spent a large part of his thirty-five-year marketing, sales and advertising career in helping build FCB Ulka into one of India’s biggest ad agencies. An engineer from IIT Madras and MBA from IIM Calcutta, he completed his PhD from Mumbai University in 2012 and the Advanced Management Program from Harvard Business School in 2014. Ambi writes for various business publications and has authored and co-authored several books on topics ranging from brand building and advertising to consumer behavior and religion.