The baby who became the face of KSRTC’s Airavat Club Class buses

A sleeping baby, a stroller and a simple idea that turned a luxury bus into a moving advertisement. Nearly two decades after it was created, the image of a baby sleeping peacefully in a stroller on the side of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation’s (KSRTC) Airavat Club Class buses continues to capture the attention of commuters.

For Bengaluru-based commercial photographer Senthil Kumar Muruganandhan, who shot the photograph, the enduring popularity of the image is a pleasant surprise. A recent video he casually recorded of a bus carrying the familiar branding has received nearly four lakh views on Instagram, bringing renewed attention to a campaign that has remained relevant long after its creation.

“I always feel proud when I see it. Some images continue to work for years,” Mr. Senthil told The Hindu. The campaign, created by advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather, featured the slogan ‘Sleep like a baby with multi-axle comfort’. The idea was to communicate the comfort of KSRTC’s luxury buses through a visual.

Mr. Senthil recalls that the agency approached him because of his experience photographing babies for various brands. “The basic thought was how to advertise on a bus itself instead of using a static billboard,” he said.

Waiting for the baby to sleep

Unlike elaborate advertising productions that involve extensive planning and multiple shooting days, the photograph came together relatively quickly, he recalls.

After KSRTC approved the concept, the agency arrived at the studio with the baby and props for the shoot. Mr. Senthil and his team then brought the idea to life. There was, however, one familiar challenge associated with photographing babies. “The baby did not sleep when she arrived. We had to wait until she fell asleep. Her mother fed her, and by the time we had everything set up, we got the shot,” he recalls.

The composition required particular attention. The baby’s profile had to align with the stroller in a way that would make the image appear natural while complementing the bus’s design. The stroller’s wheel was especially important to the concept. Its circular shape and position helped create the visual connection between the baby’s cradle-like setting and the movement of the vehicle.

The supporting elements also helped establish the setting. A brown teddy bear and a yellow rubber duck placed alongside the sleeping baby suggested the familiar objects that accompany a child. The result was an image that could be understood at a glance, even by someone seeing the bus for only a few seconds on a busy road, according to Mr. Senthil.

Test of time

Mr. Senthil believes the campaign’s success lies in its simplicity and its emotional connection with people. “Anything involving babies connects with people. The simplest ideas that strike people immediately are often the winners,” he says.

He points out that the strength of a successful advertising image lies in its ability to communicate without requiring people to stop and read a long message.

The familiar branding, associated with KSRTC’s Airavat Club Class service, has consequently become more than an advertisement for a luxury bus. For many passengers and regular road users, it is a recognisable part of Karnataka’s transport landscape.

Also read: KSRTC warns of FIRs as public remove advertisements from buses and shelters

A KSRTC official said that the first Airavat Club Class bus featuring the branding, bearing registration number KA-01-F-9133, operated on the Bengaluru-Tirupati route on November 25, 2010.

The baby

But one question continues to intrigue those who have encountered the advertisement over the years: who is the baby in the photograph? Mr. Senthil said he has not been able to establish her identity or trace her since the shoot.

The photographer also requested KSRTC to use a high-resolution copy of the original image. Repeated reproduction over the years may have reduced its sharpness, and he believes a better-quality version would help preserve the campaign for the future.

Asked whether he would change the concept if given the opportunity to recreate it today, Mr Senthil says there is little reason to do so. “Every famous brand has an image that people associate with it. If you try to recreate it, you may have another baby or a different-coloured stroller, but the feeling has to remain the same. There is no need to change the original idea,” he said