The Utterly Butterly Amul Moppet – Hot & Intriguing @ 50

Wow! Day before Amul Moppet turned 50, perhaps the only brand to rule for consecutive 50 years.  Five decades of success and love, of reaching out the various age groups, demography and even crossing national boundaries – Remember! Last year Britain came up with a butter brand named – Utterly Butterly.

A brand – creates a very normal brand mascot which turns into an abnormally excellent creative brand which is looked after by a nation even after a decade. Certainly, phenomenal it is.

Have a look at the Amul girl, a tiny round faced little chubby girl who is dressed up in a polka dot frock - no wonder even the polka dressing marks an evergreen approach in the creation of this brand. This little girl is honored with a Guinness Book Record for being the longest advertising campaign ever. Considering the skewed shelf lives and mad consumerism – it looks almost impossible that any brand or campaign will even reach any closer. [Did you read about Facebook dying by 2020?]

Not only the Amul Moppet is a successful brand mascot but it also stands out in a way – that it is one brand which doesn't needs any celebrity to ride the brand bandwagon. Infact, she pokes and observes as to what is going on in a celebrity’s life and eventually they feel lucky, embarrassed and even provoked at times – but there is no stopping as Amul Moppet is very much accepted as a voice of common man. She reaches out and connects through the campaigns.

If one checks the chronology and background of Amul, we would realize that it is the positioning of the Amul Butter and the mascot really getting to the zest of it.  Since the inception -

The Brand Image is that of a Cheerful, Fun Loving, Naughty, Healthy, Youthful and Family Oriented at the same time.

Later, it went on to become a Social Observer. Campaigning with strong messages, there by reaching the common man became a brand style. Amazing Strategy -  the Amul girl is better recognized now as a Social Observer. You talk of anything which is on air, breaking news, controversy, talking change or even a talked about movie – Amul girl will share her review – largely a common man’s take on the issue.  She is a remarkable social observer with a great 'sense of humor' which is hardly seen backing down.

Leader -It always remains a mass marketer and lead through cost and quality both.

Emotional Connect – The taste of India and the very campaigns with almost all alarming national issues, kept the emotional connect intact and the brand a success. The brand is still leading with right spirits and living upto its very basics – value orientation, sociable and Indian.

Market Adaptations – Like the campaigns even the product and competition was not backed out. Amul Butter launched Amul Lite, to adapt to the market players.

A beautiful example of an exemplary brand - Amul Moppet still have decades to go!

Anna Hazare: Brand Personified.

Anna Hazare, the man needs no introduction. But why am I writing about him? I am here to write about the Brand Anna.  The factors which created a BRAND out of a common man in the nation which is known to be most depressed, swayed by the westernization, in the corporate race and has practically started adopting corrupt practices as a default virtue.

How 'Brand Anna' Emerged?

1.       The PROMISE.

A Brand is a Promise. Think of all the brands you align with – isn’t it the promise which they keep that keeps you loyal towards the Brand. Anna has only one promise to keep and he with his team is ardent about it. He emerged as a brand because he offered a promise which everybody is seeking. He emerged as it is a brand who is promising a benefit to all with absolute no offence.

2.       Representation of PROMISE – the Connect.

Brand Anna – is not a personal brand. It is a brand which depicts power to powerless, direction to directionless, motive to motto less and a hope to hopeless. With the media intervention the representation has gone up by leaps. People are relating and participating. Engagement has increased – thanks to Social Media. Be it facebook communities, Pic Badges, twitter or you tube videos.

People are connecting by all ways possible. The youth is participating – the college goers, the working class. Even the old and the homemakers are showing enthusiastic participation. Look at the  numbers, this Brand estimates almost 77-80%  coverage on top 10 News Channel for half of August, facebook registered more than 150 pages for the brand, Times Now reports more than 8000 videos to be received for the motion and their No Bribes initiative. For two days, the Twitter hash tag #isupportannahazare was the top-trending topic.  And there is no denying the fact – which thousands have stepped out from their comfort zones to add up to the Brand Power.

3.       Brand Symbolism

Tri-color & Mahatma Gandhi indeed are the prime Brand Ensembles. Both are national symbols and give some kind of rush of emotions to each & every countrymen. I must say, that the symbolism which is created earlier by the brand team and then by the freelancers and now even people are making profits from the Brand Merchandise is amazing. The tri-color is the base element and the creative depictions from t-shirts to Gandhi caps everything is fashionable. I am sure you are aware of the ‘Mein Anna hun ’ caps have reached the ramp at Lakme Fashion Week.

4.       Brand Anna – the way forward.

Brand intentions are good and I support them but somewhere I had doubts on certain ways adopted. Yes, I am proud that we are the nation which started ‘Satyagraha’ but isn’t fasting unto death an undemocratic idea. I mean no democracy allows suicide.

My say on the Brand- Anna would be:

1. Brand Anna is a social brand with honesty as its main ingredient. It should not be harmed or mis-quoted by over-promotion.
2. Brand should be careful about turning more authoritative then participative.
3. The Brand ambassadors need to be very careful in conduct & practice.
4. It is good to be ardent but not rigid
5. Like every brand – ‘Constant Evolvement’ would be the challenge.

The people associated are great but we need to be careful with our Brand Growth formation. After all it is indeed the 'most favored brand of Indians.'