The brand 'AMUL' is a household name. It is nearly impossible to find someone in India who has never heard of Amul. Well, we often wonder what does Amul, the abbreviation, stands for. It spells as 'Anand Milk Union Limited.' It isn’t a fancy name but has still managed to capture all our hearts. The brand has completed almost 65 years and is now an industry leader.
The Humble Beginnings
Amul was not established with an aim to become famous or mint profits. Instead, it was formed as a co-operative movement against Polson Dairy located in Anand, Gujarat. It was formed in response to the exploitation of milk producers by traders and agents who gave very low rates. The pioneers behind the co-operative were Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Moraji Desai. The newly formed co-operative would then directly supply milk to the Bombay Milk Scheme. Under the able leadership of Tribhuvandas Patel and then Dr. Verghese Kurien, who also aided the marketing efforts, Amul led the white revolution in India. Amul is now managed by Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation, and, is proudly owned by 3.6million milk producers in Gujarat.
The Visionary
One important name that crops up when we talk about Amul is that of Dr. Veghese Kurien. He left the comforts of his government job to lead the movement to amplify dairy products to make the lives of farmers better and prevent their exploitation. The co-operative also helped to make women financially empowered. Mr. Kurien is credited for roping in DaCunha Communications, a renowned marketing agency, to assist in brand-building efforts of Amul. The Amul girl came into existence with the evergreen tagline 'Utterly Butterly Delicious’ as part of the campaigns by DaCunha Communications.
Amul has the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest-running ad campaigns in the world. Dr. Kurien had fostered an environment for creativity and freedom for the development of advertisement campaigns. Dr. Kurien had treated Amul as his child with his thoughts for the upliftment of the farmers. The Amul team itself sums it up beautifully, where it applauds Dr. Kurien in one of its campaigns, stating, "Thank you for giving us hausla, pragati, and anand" (motivation, growth, and joy).
Great Marketing Campaigns
The consistency and crispness of Amul’s advertising and marketing campaigns are mind-boggling. The brand has used humor, satire, wit around topics and displayed them in a way that has always captured the imagination and attention of every Indian irrespective of age, gender, or religion.
The Amul girl is representative of a young, chubby Indian middle-class girl from the year 1967. The Amul girl has played numerous roles over the years while displaying her empathy and emotional side. Back then, brands used to develop mascots to represent the brand and even something simple that could be easily painted on outdoor walls. The campaign never ended and continues in all its glory.
The brand has amassed strong emotions with its often heart touching and bold advertisements. But like every other brand, Amul has faced legal problems due to some of its ad campaigns.
The Way Ahead
Amul has continued to deliver quality products to consumers. The brand has continued to grow amidst all the competition and marketing strategies by competitors. The brand now has a product portfolio that includes milk, buttermilk, beverages, cheese, butter, chocolates, paneer, curd, among many others. Amul has continuously kept up with competition and constantly introduced new offerings into the market.
The 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan' has ignited the spirit of using 'swadeshi' products and is further expected to contribute positively to Indians' favoritism towards Amul. The brand needs no introduction.
Amul continues to surprise us with its witty campaigns and delicious products.
Written by - Harshit Somani
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