Amul makes a splash in New York’s Times Square

Through a new campaign, the brand wants a larger slice of the global dairy market

Times Square is one of the most iconic places in New York City and is a huge tourist attraction. On a busy day, at least half a million cross the location. Housed in midtown Manhattan, it is a big attraction for advertisers just for the numbers of footfalls and eyeballs.

One of India’s most well-known brands unfurled its latest campaign “Be More Milk” here on October 8. Amidst the plethora of billboards, this is visible at the Nasdaq MarketSite. This does not come cheap but Jayen Mehta, Amul’s Managing Director (the brand is owned by Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation), says it was “a deal that was negotiated smartly.”

As a part of the arrangement, the 15-second campaign will be run 20 times an hour or 480 times a day—this is a 24-hour billboard. The plan is to be on Times Square for four weeks. “The objective of Be More Milk is to make it appealing to the young generation of users across the world,” explains Mehta. To the vast Indian diaspora in North America, Amul’s products are available and this is a way to strengthen the brand. “We celebrate the values appreciated by the young generation, which are embedded in Milk. It is pure, authentic, honest, natural, comfortable, refreshing and blends in with everyone.” In India, Amul has a turnover of over Rs 55,000 crore and is the largest in the milk business. With its value-added portfolio cutting across the rest of the dairy sector, it is an entity that has scale and size. The next step is an ambitious foray into organic foods, a market with few players and one that is small and fragmented.

India is the largest producer of milk in the world and according to Mehta, this brings the opportunity to strengthen the positioning of milk on a global platform. Apart from the high-visible outdoor campaign, it also can be viewed on social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube) coupled with a multi-media high frequency campaign using television, print and digital amongst others.

Source : Business Today Oct 16th 2023