Amit Syngle breaks down the emotional formula behind Asian Paints’ brand recall

Every time paint comes to mind in India, 'Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai'follows close behind. Asian Paints has built this association over decades, turning what could have been a purely functional category and giving it an emotional touch. The tagline, which translates to "every home tells a story," has become more than a marketing message and represents the brand's philosophy that homes are deeply personal reflections of the people who live in them.

This approach has led Asian Paints to hold 52% market share in India's paint sector, with market capitalisation standing at an estimated Rs. 2.61 lakh crore. 

According to Amit Syngle, MD and CEO of Asian Paints, "Paint is a largely rational category, but we consciously chose to build an emotional brand. Emotional connections create stronger and more enduring brand recall, and that has guided our thinking throughout," he said. The decision to focus on emotion rather than function is aimed at setting itself apart in a market where competitors emphasise product features and technical specifications.

Asian Paints understood early that paint choices were emotional decisions influenced by family dynamics and personal preferences. The Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai platform, launched in the early 2000s, solidified this insight into a unified brand narrative. Syngle noted that the brand has always been committed to bringing joy and happiness into people's lives, and when you look at colour, décor, lifestyle and celebration, these become powerful routes to evoke emotion.

How IPs create brand recall for Asian Paints

Recognising that traditional advertising alone could not sustain this emotional connection in a fragmenting media landscape, Asian Paints created ‘Where The Heart Is’ a decade ago. The digital property was designed to connect with younger audiences experiencing life differently. 

The show invites viewers into the actual homes of celebrities and public figures, revealing how spaces reflect personalities, relationships, and lived experiences. Over nine seasons, the series has featured more than 50 personalities from diverse fields, including art, culture, cinema, sport, and business, showcasing over 60 homes and accumulating more than 1.5 billion views.

At the recent press conference announcing Season 9, Syngle emphasised that the show's relevance has only strengthened. The upcoming season features five distinct homes belonging to Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal, Gautam Gambhir, Keerthy Suresh and Antony Thattil, Archana Puran Singh and Parmeet Sethi, and Aman and Priya Gupta. Each home represents different geographies, professions, and life stages, focusing on warmth, authenticity, and emotional depth. The season explores how design has moved beyond aesthetics into storytelling, with colour serving as a key form of personal expression.

The brand has also launched a lookbook that decodes the colours, finishes, textures, and mood stories featured in the show. Syngle explained that this allows viewers to move from inspiration to action, helping them apply what they see meaningfully within their own homes. 

The strategic value of such intellectual properties (IPs) extends beyond brand building. Speaking about the role of long-form storytelling platforms in the brand's strategy compared to traditional advertising, Syngle pointed out that audiences are structured and segmented in constantly evolving ways. "It has become increasingly difficult to rely only on conventional media to reach every segment effectively. Media consumption is far more fragmented now. People engage with content in very specific and personal ways. There is no longer the kind of universality we once had, where television alone could deliver scale," he said. 

Because of this shift, Asian Paints has consciously focused on building strong IPs and digital properties that can cut across genres.

The effort, according to Syngle, is to make the content stronger, more engaging and binge-worthy, something that works across social media and digital platforms. Instead of following a fixed media playbook, the brand prefers to explore and experiment. A series like this requires significant effort, but it allows it to try different storytelling formats and genres. That experimentation is what gives the brand access to today's hyper-segmented audiences and helps it stay relevant in a rapidly changing media landscape.

The digital shift

The shift in distribution strategy reflects broader changes in how consumers discover and engage with content. Syngle explained that the foundation of this intellectual property came from the evolution of the digital ecosystem itself.

"As digital platforms grew, this property naturally found its footing there. Today, platforms like YouTube and Instagram continue to do the heavy lifting in terms of reach and engagement," he said.

At the same time, OTT platforms have emerged as a significant growth area. The ability to consume content in a relaxed, on-demand manner has made OTT an increasingly important medium, and it is one the brand is investing in more actively. Season 9 is available on Jiohotstar alongside Asian Paints' own digital channels.

Beyond platform selection, Asian Paints is leveraging artificial intelligence to drive what Syngle describes as hyper-segmentation and hyper-personalisation. "We are also leveraging AI to drive hyper-segmentation and hyper-personalisation. By using data and audience parameters, we can better understand individual preferences and showcase content that aligns closely with what different viewers are most likely to engage with. This is a newer area we are actively working on as part of our evolving media strategy," he explained. This represents a shift from broad demographic targeting to individualised content experiences.

Personalisation helps reflect how people actually experience their homes. Syngle described a home as something deeply emotional, a place where memories are created, moments are lived, reflections take shape, and generations pass through. It carries the personal touch and personalities of the people who live in it. Looking ahead, the challenge for Asian Paints lies in maintaining relevance as consumer behaviours continue to evolve. 

Syngle acknowledged this, stating that the brand continuously asks how the IP can evolve, what new stories it can tell, and what new nuances it can add while ensuring the core universality and personalisation remain intact. The introduction of the Lookbook is aimed at giving way to active engagement by giving consumers tools to implement what they see.