Raymond published a print advertisement in The Times of India that features RK Laxman’s iconic 'Common Man' to mark its 100 years since its founding in 1925. The ad showcases the illustrious symbol looking into a mirror and seeing himself reflected as Raymond’s ‘Complete Man’ in a sharp suit. 

The copy reinforces the symbolism: “Dressing up the common man since 1925” connecting directly to the 'Common Man' while subtly suggesting that the suiting brand has been part of India’s social fabric since before Independence. 'Proudly weaving the nation together for 100 years’ taps into heritage and patriotism, while leaning into the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ narrative.

On first look, using a symbol of India’s middle-class aspirations and struggles is a masterstroke - a clever visual metaphor that taps into instant recognition and emotional nostalgia: 100 years of Raymond transforming everyday Indians, elevating them from modest simplicity to dignified sophistication. However, there’s a dissonance between metaphor and market reality: While the Common Man symbolises the masses, Raymond suits are premium and inaccessible for many of those very ‘common men.’ By using RK Laxman’s Common Man, this campaign attempts to reconcile two Indias: the grounded, struggling, middle-class everyman and the aspirational, polished Raymond man.

There’s also a danger of the TOI ad’s use of RK Laxman’s Common Man feeling like a forced appropriation of a cultural icon for capitalist branding, diluting the symbolism of India’s everyman. 

Notably, Raymond rolled out a different print campaign in another publication, The Hindu, where the brand plays it safe - sticking to it’s familiar tropes of legacy heritage and generational pride, while again leaning more on nostalgia than on reimagining relevance for today’s modern consumer.