Amul's new take on life

Amul, one of the leading dairy product companies in India, gets a larger share of the media in the summers with its ice cream and milk shake ranges trying to force their way into the consumers choice set. A newspaper advertisement today for ice creams is particularly interesting. 'bonding is not a button on the social network' it says. And continues.... "What tweet can match those whistles calling us to the playground. There is not a smiley that represents all the good times we have had. We follow each other instead of walking together. We visit each others timelines instead of each other." And the lines end with "let's stay friends and not become subscribers. Lets share something real." This is an advert for ice creams. On the face of it, inviting us to come together, enjoy our physical presence, and share ice cream from amul while we are at it. It's an impulsive purchase, jostling for space in the cola wars....why not have an ice cream when you are together, rather than a cola? "Coffee day" started something similar with " a lot can happen over a cup of coffee" and FCB ULKA, the advertisement agency for amul seems to have been inspired from that it appears. It's actually difficult to find 5 friends that enjoy ice cream. It's easier to find five friends and sit at a joint that serves cola, coffee, ice cream or juices......mix and match. The intent of the advertisement and the text is definitely thought provoking. But the application of this thought to the mass ice cream business , in our view, suggests a lack of thought from the brand manager. And of course the creative guy at Ulka got paid, he doesn't care. ps: the visuals that come for the amul advt are among the most pathetic. Consistently throughout this summer .Space utilisation is poor, with vast blank spaces. The ice creams look cheap, the sprinklings on them, very artificial and unappetising. S do we think Ulka is really giving amul a bang for the buck? Nope.