Digital from Print: New mantra in reaching the TG, Dr K Rathnam, CEO

Milky Mist Dairy Food Private Limited., based at Chithode near Erode, Tamilnadu, manufactures and markets dairy products under the brand “Milky Mist”, a brand synonymous with premium quality. It has a state-of-the-art dairy plant where 150+ SKUs of ‘Milky Mist’ products are processed across 20 categories.

“Milky Mist’s USP is and will always be Quality; VFM and Service – in that sequence. Even during the pandemic, we are proud to state that we have been providing our daily dose of nutrition to the end consumers despite odds being faced during the lockdown and other logistics-related hurdles,” said Dr K Rathnam, CEO, Milky Mist.

Milky Mist is known for its innovative and attractive ads highlighting the product’s uniqueness. Its focusing points in this aspect are product differentiation from others; for instance, Green Apple and Blueberry Lassi are the classic examples given by Dr K Rathnam. He also added that continuous improvement in packaging design and product characteristics are their strategies to attract customers.

“There has been a fantastic response from women in the age group more than 35. Positive feedback also received from youth/people of 25 – 35 and > 50 who are the decision-makers in Indian families,” said Rathnam on the target group.

He further added that their preferred mode of advertisements to reach their target group is Digital or Mass media. In recent years, its marketing medium has shifted to digital in print for a much higher reach. Both the medium has proved effective in reaching the target audience as far as its experience goes through the seasonal or festive campaign. Milky Mist conducted promotions on various mediums, but not a campaign as a whole for the past two years.

Milky Mist has not restricted itself to a specific region. It has a PAN-Indian presence and is available in all market platforms to adhere to the needs of its consumers. It is not only in India Milky Mist is present; it is available in the foreign market as well. There are major export markets like Dubai, Australia, Singapore, and Sri Lanka.

“There is not much of a difference in the sense that the target audience is the same, and we are into manufacture and supply of VADPs, which has got a universal acceptance. However, the major difference is the consumption pattern. As of now, we have not done any foreign-specific marketing activities except a few localized marketing activities such as fleet branding and digital push to some extent. We are also currently evolving our strategies for a few countries with the export of our products,” said Rathnam on foreign market strategies.

On influencer marketing, the CEO said, “Influencer marketing forms only 30% of our overall marketing plan. We believe in a direct focus on our end consumers, which is essential for building up a solid rapport,”

“Our strategy on digital promotion by having our brand presence over the various digital platforms by Google ads, influencer marketing, UGC has aided them in the Pan-India presence with their number of followers and had a constant growth on our pages upon seeing the impact on the sales figures,’‘ he added.

On expansion plans and the company’s current strategy during COVID second wave. Rathnam said, “We are not taking up any major expansion activities due to the current COVID situation. We are watching the situation up close and shall call on our strategy depending on how the situation pans out. We are determined as ever to be part of Healthy India by providing uninterrupted service to our end consumers.”