By: Neha Shetty & Neelam Matani

Meaning of

“Amul”

Amul is an Indian dairy cooperative, based at Anand in the state of Gujarat, India.

The word amul (अमूल) is derived from the Sanskrit word amulya (अमूल्य), meaning invaluable.

AMUL also stands for Anand Milk Federation Union Limited.

Amul gave birth to India's White Revolution as a result of which India became the world's largest producer of milk and milk products. It also ventured into markets overseas.

The Birth of

AmulThe government had given monopoly

rights to Polson dairy to collect milk from

Anand and supply it to Bombay city.

Angered by the unfair trade practices, the

farmers of Kheda under the leadership of

Tribhuvandas K. Patel met Sardar

Vallabhbhai Patel. He advised them to start

a co-operative which would undertake the

task of collecting and supplying milk to

Bombay instead of Polson. In 1946, the milk farmers of the area

went on a strike which led to the setting up

of the cooperative to collect and process

milk. The cooperative got registered on 1st

December, 1946.

The cooperative was further developed

and managed by Dr.Verghese Kurien with

H.M. Dalaya.

Over

300 products

Reasons for Success of Amul

Robust Supply Chain

Low Cost Strategy

Diverse Product Mix

Strong Distribution Network

Technology and initiatives

The Brand Value of Amul Quality

Value for money

Availablity

Service

The Back-

story

Advertising through

Mascot- The Amul Girl

The Amul girl is a hand-drawn cartoon of a young, chubby Indian girl dressed in a polka dotted frock with blue hair and a half pony tied up.

The Amul girl was created as a response to Amul'srival brand Polson's butter-girl.

The idea was conceived in 1967 when ASP (Advertising, Sales and Promotion) took over the brand portfolio from the previous agency FCB Ulka. It was executed by Sylvester Da Cunha, the owner of the agency.

Dr Verghese Kurien, the then chairman of the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (GCMMF) suggested a mischievous little girl as a mascot with two requirements. It had to be easy to draw and memorable as most of the advertising would be outdoor media which required hand painting in those days and the hoardings had to be changed frequently.

Controversie

s In 2001, Amul ran an ad campaign criticizing the Indian Airlines

strike, whereupon Indian Airlines threatened to stop offering AmulButter on their flights unless the ads were pulled.

Another ad during the Ganapati festival which said, Ganpati BappaMore Ghya (Ganpati Bappa take more). The Shiv Sena party said that if the ad wasn't removed, they would come and destroy Amul'soffice.

In July 2011, an ad criticizing Suresh Kalmadi led to trouble in Pune, while an ad poking fun at Mamata Banerjee in December 2011 led to problems in Kolkata. Subsequently, another ad with Banerjeewas released all over India except in Kolkata in March 2012.

In 2011, they came up with ‘Maine kyaa khaya' (What did I eat?) for Suresh Kalmadi during the Commonwealth Games scam, they ran into trouble. “He was found guilty, he was in jail, his party had abandoned him. But party workers in Pune actually pulled down the hoarding,” recalls a bewildered da Cunha.

There have been some laughable protests as well. When they wrote ‘Satyam Sharam Scandalum!' for Satyam Computer Services'sdisgraced Chairman Ramalinga Raju, he says, “We got a formal letter from the Satyam Board threatening us with dire consequences: all their employees would stop eating Amul butter!”

On the Supreme Court verdict on Section 377, Amul releases a print ad

called "Freedom of Choice"

Amul is known for taking up current affairs and

issues as part of its campaign-advertisements.

Powerful Impact of Amul Girl

For 50 odd years the Utterly Butterly girl has

managed to keep her fan following intact.

The mascot has been mobilized to comment

on many day-to-day events as well as events

of national and political importance.

It earned a Guinness world record for the

longest running ad campaign in the world.

Outdoor Media

Using Billboards and Hoardings

Use of Traditional Mediums like wall painting

Print Media

Full and constant coverage in all leading newspapers

Broadcast Media

Using Television Commercials

A glimpse of Rural Development

done by Amul

Old classic ad (Featuring stills

from Smita Patil starrer movie

“Manthan”)

New Ad – Revamp of the

classic with modern touch

https://youtu.be/RW9DSUbZX34 https://youtu.be/4SiRZNx4jlE

Bringing the nation together with

Amul – The taste of India

Old classic New Ad

https://youtu.be/ivLmx6ixRRchttps://youtu.be/ZV1zkB1auSc

Funny ad film showcasing how Amul plays a big part in every Indian Family.

https://youtu.be/3h0DsC6UvWc

Har Ghar, Amul Ghar (Every Home, Amul

Home)

Use of Social Media

Internet

Using micro-blogging site Twiiter for sharing

various pictures and ad links

https://twitter.com/amul_coop

Using Facebook to interact with customers

https://www.facebook.com/amul.coop

http://www.amul.com/

Website – Where information about its brands,

GCMMF, news coverage, B2B and various

social campaigns can be known.

POS (Point of Sale)

Amul Parlours/ Cafe

Partnerships with various entertainment shows & sports events and CSR activities

Sponsorships by Amul

Amul has always lend its

support to sports

Amul seems to have got the taste

of global events.

Amul became

the official

partner of

Switzerland-

headquartered

Sauber F1

team at the

inaugural

Indian Grand

Prix in the year

2011.

Sponsored social causes like

Women Empowerment through

education, training and health

programmes.

Amul has not left out

entertainment

It has been

the key

sponsor for

MasterChef

India for all

its seasons.

Analysis of Advertisments

Without endorsing a public figure for millions, Amul ads are captivating in itself. The appeal of the ad lies in its simplicity. There is clarity in the message.

One of the best ways of branding to a local market is to create a vision that people of that place carry in their mind and this is exactly communicated in the ad.

They are creating a picture which shows their perception about modern rural India with its empowered women who have impact on people across the country.

It also shows different segments of customers they reach and how they touch their lives.

Also the Indianness of the campaign allows it to connect so well with the people.

The jingle or the song is actually in lines with folk songs from states of India.

The inherent feature of an ad is to make people notice the brand in such a way that when they think about a particular product, one of the companies that comes immediately to their mind is yours.

Success of Amul Ads

Amul by now is already an established brand

so it is correctly focusing on brand awareness

along with their inherent marketing.

In 2011, Amul was named the Most Trusted

brand in the Food and Beverages sector

in The Brand Trust Report published by Trust

Research Advisory on 18th January, 2011.

Amongst India's top 20 brands: Amul is No. 1.