Sylvester daCunha, creator of iconic Amul girl, dies

Sylvester daCunha created the Amul topical campaign featuring the iconic ‘Amul girl’, with the tagline ‘Utterly Butterly Delicious’.

File picture of Sylvester da Cunha, creator of Amul advertising campaign during the launch of the book, ‘Amul’s India’ | Photo Credit: PTI

Sylvester daCunha, the marketer who created the popular Amul girl, passed away in Mumbai Tuesday night.

Jayen Mehta, Managing Director of Amul marketer Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd, termed the passing of daCunha a big loss to the advertising industry.

“He is the man behind the Amul girl. He has been part of Amul’s advertising for six decades. Obviously, Amul owes a lot to him for the entire branding he gave to Amul and giving this Amul girl to the world and making it the world’s longest advertising campaign with a single character,” Mr. Mehta told BusinessLine.

The Amul girl

daCunha created the Amul topical campaign featuring the iconic ‘Amul girl’ initially for Amul butter, with the tagline ‘Utterly Butterly Delicious’. The topical concept helped Amul strike a connect with consumers and the producers and farmers alike.

Sorry to hear about the passing on of Sylvester daCunha, Advertising legend & founder of da Cunha Associates. He was the man behind the AMUL girl in 1967 & brother of the late Gerson DaCunha. Deepest condolences to Mrs. Nisha da Cunha & son Rahul. May he rest in eternal peace. pic.twitter.com/GrObE8BaIp

— Lloyd Mathias (@LloydMathias) June 21, 2023

The ad designed by daCunha went public in 1966, when he was managing director of advertising agency ASP. He is survived by his wife Nisha, their son Rahul daCunha.