Sunday Ho Ya Monday, Roz Khao Ande!

You would be lying if you just “read” the above line and did not rhyme it.

Today, our post aims to explain the "How" and "Why" behind the jingle and the award-winning ad that revolutionised India’s perception about eggs and the egg industry.

The National Egg Coordination Committee NECC is a non-profit organisation, formed in 1980 by Dr. BV Rao, the founder of Venkateshwara Hatcheries Limited (Venky’s). Dr. Rao was inspired by the success of Operation Flood in the milk industry and decided to mobilise a similar project in the egg industry.

It was 1981 and storm clouds were gathering over the Indian egg industry. Input costs had increased dramatically. Margins had fallen. About 40 percent of the poultries had gone out of business. The entire industry faced a threat to its survival. In the midst of this crisis, Dr. BV Rao, the founder of Venkateshwara Hatcheries Limited, saw an opportunity to mobilise the egg industry in India and ensure its survival. He founded the National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC) in 1981 with the goal of promoting the egg industry in India by coordinating the efforts of egg producers, processors, and marketers.

Dr. BV Rao's vision for the NECC was not just to promote the growth of the egg industry but also to improve the health and nutrition of people across India. To achieve this goal, he turned to Enterprise Advertising, led by Mohammed Khan, to develop a campaign that would promote the consumption of eggs year-round.

Enterprise Advertising faced several challenges in developing the campaign. Many people in India believed that they were already eating a well-balanced diet and saw no reason to eat more eggs. Additionally, demand for eggs was seasonal, with consumption increasing during the winter months and dropping during the summer. Eggs were also seen as boring, with few dishes that could be made beyond the traditional fried, boiled, or omelette.?

To address these challenges they developed a creative and innovative advertising campaign that showcased the versatility and nutritional benefits of eggs. For example, one ad featured an oval egg with the headline "The best square meal in the world?" The aim was to get people to consider adding eggs to their diet and recognize eggs as a nutritional superfood.

Their commercial "Have you had an egg today?" became the foundation for their TV ads. This slogan resonated with audiences of all ages and helped to increase awareness and consumption of eggs in India. The iconic "Sunday ho ya Monday, roz khao Ande" TV commercial sung by Devang Patel also became a massive hit, further increasing the popularity of eggs in India. The ad features Dara Singh and the jingle has over 300k views on YouTube.

The NECC's advertising campaign was a resounding success, changing the fortunes of the egg industry in India and establishing eggs as a nutritional powerhouse. Today, the egg industry continues to thrive, and the message of "roz khao ande" remains as relevant as ever.