The Raymonds campaign is still the most influential and better than any other competitor.

It was created by Rajan Nair and Arun Kale and backed up and followed up by Aradhna Athawale -Chitins, Sanjay Sure, Samir Johrey and Sunil Shibad in Nexus Equity. We wanted a real man, a 3-D flesh and blood figure, the kind of man who is our target audience, says Rajiv Agarwal, CEO, Enterprise Nexus. The Raymonds man was more believable, real and caring, a revolution in Indian advertising Some of the later Raymond ads featured a man who takes time out from his busy schedule to hunt out an old disabled friend. Another had a guy spreading his arms at the edge of a cliff in an apparent desire to take flight. The gentle Raymond man who tucks his daughter into bed and plays the violin might be just ideal, thought some. Its alright in the metros, but I do not think it will work in middle India, says Shivjeet Khullar, national creative director, The Joint. Or perhaps it works for Raymond, but no other brand. Pranav Dewan, Creative Consultant, Mudra, says that The Complete Man may not have completely arrived, but he has aspirational power, and in a way has given an impetus to the change in the metro man, even though not all of it has been voluntary. Its now accepted to be that way, and aspire to be that way. For some it has been a reluctant changebut in a way its a feeling of relief, to be dragged kicking and screaming to the altar of sensitivity. I feel its much better than the clichd the man gets the girl due to the suit theme. Theres no point roping in brand ambassadors who cannot add much.Its more or less Bollywood and cricket. Though things have moved into product based advertising, focusing more on features and price of the product itself, one cannot deny the power of branding and the success of Raymonds. You got to accept, thats the brand image they have createdyou feel attached, and you think quality. And thats good advertising.

Personality based advertising has worked. But then not to be complacent or smug, maybe Raymonds must add a little product approach to its great strength of intangibles. Thats how you better yourself in competition. Raymonds also needs to adapt to the new age of India and especially to the extremely potential market of youth. The Come and See from Raymond shop with VJ Manish catches up with the youth of today. Its a lovely ad with elements, right from RajKapoors old umbrellas, to modern styles, and the tap is so touching. I had wondered how it would keep up its aspirational power with this, but then, as they say shehzadon ka nazrana. Its feel good ad..you just feel nice about the brand even though you are not exactly a buyer. But yes, I do influence people, when I have to..;) And if you ever wondered if this campaign really worked and changed mindsets, heres a comment I deeply admiredin nitas blog. Phantom March 30, 2007 10:10 am

This article was very fascinating to me. Im 25 now, and still, I have a distinct memory and perception of seeing those Raymond -complete man adverts in the cinemas in India..back when i was a kid in India. It represents quite a special memory for me.I clearly remember how each time I saw that advert I was struck with awe, at how fancy the ad was, how handsome the man, how confident his style, how the very environment around him seemed to approve wholeheartedly at his mere existence. I remember wishing that I cud grow up and be a complete man like him. Even now..whenever me and my friends talk about ideals and societal behavioursi often quote that raymond advert.saying that to me that man represents completeness and a balance between the physical, emotional and spiritual part of a mans life. To date, much of my perception around a modern indian mans position in life has to do with my memories of that advertisement. Ive always tried to believe that completeness in character, beliefs and attitudes is what will allow a man to live life to the fullest. After reading this post, I got somewhat introspective and realised that the ideals and beliefs I have cultivated and developed through my teens, into my early 20s and now into what I call the beginning of the mid 20s.they are very heavily congruent with the attitudes and vison that was conveyed by the Raymond Advert. Even now, I randomly get a vision in my head about that scene from the advert..when the man is standing on the cliff top, hands spread wide, and the advert presents a wide angle arial rotating shot of him from the sky.that pose struck a chord with me as it represented the intermingling of that very complete man with nature, with the cosmic consciousnessit instilled within me a belief that completeness of emotions, character, attitudes, behaviors and physicality is what allows one to experience the full range that life has to offer. Certainly, I believe strongly in that concept of completenessand i suppose ive subconsciously developed my own personality to try and match that ideal. Ive gone through that phase in my late teens when expression of my machismo and tough guy image was all important.to a mindset now where Im more about acknowledging that men too have a very strong emotive side, and a real man owes it to himself to understand that emotive side and develop a level of sensitivity (not to be confused with being sensitiveto me possessing sensitivity is a far higher and more subtle concept), so that he can derive the most satisfaction and feel most rewarded from his relationships.with his partner, family, friends, with the world.