As a sea of humanity celebrated on the streets Argentina’s thrilling win over France in the FIFA World Cup final, over 15,000 kilometres away in Anand, Gujarat, the celebrations echoed in Amul, albeit in a small way.
Amul, the largest milk producer in India, placed its bets right, with the team it backed, ending up on the top of the podium.
Having been associated with the Indian contingent at the Olympics, Asian Games and IPL, Amul turned its attention to football. COO of Amul Jayen Mehta told THE WEEK that when India hosted the U-17 World Cup in 2017, Amul could not promote milk, as Coke was the official sponsor and there are category blocks. “We did feel that we could not promote milk in our own country,” he said.
When it came to football, World Cup was the next big thing happening and Amul had set its eye on it. “Getting sponsorships on channels telecasting the event – Sports 18 and Doordarshan – happened, but we had to play the game well, for which another route was needed,” Mehta said.
Amul MD R.S. Sodhi said that they zeroed in on Argentina and Portugal as Messi and Ronaldo were consistent performers.
Milk as the world’s original drink is what Amul has been promoting in the sporting segments and their association with two teams was an extension of it.
Preferring not to divulge details of the investment in the sponsorship, Mehta said it is all about how to leverage and make milk a strong equity. He, however, said that in terms of money, this association is not the biggest investment. The contracts with the management of Argentina and Portugal teams are till 2023 end.
“Everyone in the childhood, be it a footballer, scientist or an astronaut, has consumed milk and that is how the campaign “Shuru hua sab doodh se” (It all began with milk) happened,” said Nitin Karkare, vice chairman of FCB Ulka that handled Amul’s campaign for the World Cup.
Players’ pictures from Argentina and Portugal, are on several products of Amul that are in the markets.
“We were all inspired by the fact that it could be Messi and Ronaldo’s last World Cup and hence, the interest in the World Cup and these two teams will be much higher,” he said.
The interest in football is also growing in India and the proximity to Qatar and the timing ensured that the interest ramped up. “We were conscious that we were dealing with two iconic teams,” Karkare said, adding that it was seamless communication with both the team managements.
“After initial hiccups due to rules and language barrier, it was all great communication once we got into the groove,” he added.
Once the operational logistics were sorted out, a 35-40 member strong team from FCB Ulka worked out on nearly 300 creatives in the form of videos and posts. Amul advertisements were also seen on the ground when the teams they sponsored took the field.
Amul had kept four TV commercials ready in four different languages, in anticipation of Argentina’s win, and they were released immediately.
Players of both the teams were well aware about Amul and each creative was approved by the respective team management. Sodhi said that two minutes after the win, Amul’s advertisement was on social media.
“We are planning a lot. There is more to come. It is difficult to share the details. We are savouring the joy of Argentina’s win,” Karkare said.
So, can we expect the members of the winning Argentina team in India? “Nothing on the anvil so far. But never say never,” Karkare remarked.
