Amul promotes Olympics, milk-style!


Amul, the flagship brand of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), India's largest food products marketing organisation was started in 1946. Its inception is a testimony of rebellion against Read more

VIP Skybags’ ad is the exact opposite of ‘arrive in style’


Whenever I think of VIP luggage bags, the 2008 ad here featuring Shahid Kapoor comes immediately to mind. The ad was simple, well-executed and rolled the product & the Read more

Here’s to the BlackBerry Boys...


Vodafone’s new campaign is all about BlackBerry. What appeals most in the commercial is the focus on BlackBerry’s transition from being the corporate must-have to becoming ubiquitous among the Read more

Star Plus shows what life without the wife is!


The new reality show on Star Plus – Wife bina life (Life without the wife) inspired from the CBS show - The week the women went is all about Read more

Pepsi changes the game (from madness to coolness)


Indian cricket has seen better days, much better ones. With a dismal performance in the tri-series, the attention the Indian cricket team is garnering from all corners has been Read more

•••••

Amul promotes Olympics, milk-style!

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Ajit Vishwanath Posted in brand analysis, brand association, brand sponsorship, campaign creativity, fmcg marketing, good positioning, market potential, market trends, marketing idea, mass-market, product innovation, retail marketing | Leave a comment

Amul, the flagship brand of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), India’s largest food products marketing organisation was started in 1946. Its inception is a testimony of rebellion against exploitation of farmers and how milk farmers in Gujarat united to show resilience and started the white revolution. According to a Wiki article here, The impact was so forceful that it motivated notable Indian film-maker Shyam Benegal to base his film Manthan (1976) on it. Amul in its latest ad promotes Olympics and its support to the Indian team. The ad brings out the association between the brand and the product beautifully.

Amul has carved a special mind space among consumers through its hoarding ads that poke fun at day to day issues. Even after the launch of competition brands such as Britannia, Mother Dairy and Paras, Amul enjoys brand equity in the market that is almost enviable. The value of the Indian dairy industry is expected to touch Rs. 5 trillion by 2015, with milk output pegged at 190 million tonnes at the end of the period according to a ASSOCHAM study, titled, ‘Indian Dairy Industry: The Way Ahead’.

Its mascot the ‘Amul girl’ – a chubby bubbly girl in a dotted dress, has been the centre-piece in all hoarding creatives.

Amul is poised to be at the forefront of this growth and can lead the next milk revolution in the global market. As on date it is the largest exporter of vegetarian cheese and can very well aim to achieve the same rank in other dairy products. Amul stands testament to what a movement can transform into and what can a brand can become. In my personal opinion, Amul has achieved the same brand status of Coca-Cola in India and it has done so in a relatively lesser time. This iconic brand now has the potential to become the Coca-Cola of the dairy market globally. The brand can aim to grow its foot-print in the Middle East & South East Asia which with its growing population and social changes makes it an attractive dairy export market according to a Dairy Business report here. While logistics and prices put many U.S. & EU companies at a disadvantage, the potential in the market is not only too good but can also be harnessed by neighbouring India’s Amul. The start to this to get the name out there in the market and there couldn’t have been a better way than doing it by sponsoring the Indian Olympic team. The brand, the story and its future is indeed Utterly, Butterly Delicious!

Rating: Amul has achieved iconic brand status through clever strategy and creative marketing. The Olympics sponsorship is the right vehicle to elevate the brand in the global market.

Related articles

VIP Skybags’ ad is the exact opposite of ‘arrive in style’

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Ajit Vishwanath Posted in brand activation, brand analysis, brand dilution, brand over-shadowed, brand sponsorship, brand-celebrity mismatch, celebrity endorsement, mundane strategy | 1 Comment

Whenever I think of VIP luggage bags, the 2008 ad here featuring Shahid Kapoor comes immediately to mind. The ad was simple, well-executed and rolled the product & the celebrity equity of Shahid in one nice package. The ad brilliantly combined playfulness in the ad theme without once losing the focus on the product. Next came the lineage of ads featuring John Abraham. While John is a more glamorous brand ambassador, did VIP need someone glamorous to endorse their brand? To me, someone like Shahid is a better brand fit. The first misstep was here. The product was overshadowed by John (no offence to him. He is one my favourites). The ad here tells us that a bear-like unattractive person can immediately transform into John-like attractive simply with a switch in choice of luggage. I was thinking the very same ad would have worked with a switch of product from luggage to perfume, apparel or even a hair gel. I doubt whether it resulted in any significant jump in sales numbers or least of all, store walk-ins. I though was kicked with the idea of terming it ‘Skybags’. To me, it was an evolution of the mundane boring luggage. It was trendy, cool and keeping with the times. Now that was lost with the last ad theme. This time around, I was hopeful to see a better product positioning.

On the good note, what also catches attention are the trendy & fashionable designs on the luggage which is definitely a distinguishing factor. But overall, the ad was big let-down. What struck me first about the ad was did it really need a tacky theme? The same logic comes in again – use the same ad theme, same brand ambassador, replace the product. Would it have worked? I am guessing yes.

John Abraham is not the best fit that VIP could have got for themselves. Shahid was a better choice.

In comparison, the American Tourister campaign here was a much better campaign in terms of positioning, creativity and product focus. It didn’t even need a brand endorsement. Brand endorsement is vital and surely adds mileage to the brand but only when the fit is good and the association is planned long-term. The ad theme should use the celebrity as a carrier with the product always in focus. For example, I couldn’t imagine a better fit than Aamir for Tata Sky or Titan, Abhishek for Idea and Saif for Asian Paints. All through these ads, the celebrity factor were used brilliantly. Remember the 2008 launch ad here where Aamir dual-plays as a man & woman for Tata Sky? Now that’s what brands should aim at.

Last word: VIP as a brand enjoys an enviable equity in the market. It should leverage that in its ads with the right ambassador, a creative ad theme and a signature sign off.

Related articles
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ... 32 33   Next »

Powered by Greenlemon