Amul: Brand Extension

Amul, short for Anand Milk Union Limited, is India's leading manufacturer of milk and dairy products, specializing in butter, yogurt, ice cream, and cheese. Amul originated in 1946, in response to the exploitative practices of Polson Dairy (which procured milk from local farmers at low rates). The farmers formed their own co-operative. It was a symbol of protest. Amul is a cooperative brand managed by a cooperative body. Today, it is jointly owned by 36 lakh milk producers in Gujarat.

Analysing the brand through the sign, signifier, signified framework.

It symbolizes nourishment and purity.

Milk has been used to soften, nourish, and revitalize skin for thousands of years. The tradition of bathing in milk was started by queens and noblewomen in ancient India. Milk bathing is an Ayurvedic practice that cleanses the body, pampers the skin and calms the senses.

The Indian skincare market is growing, and represents a tremendous opportunity to enter the space. The market is expected to cross 10 billion dollars by the end of the decade. Despite this fast-paced growth, the market lacks an accessible, down-to-earth skin care brand that is for India, by India.

Although some Indian brands promote products that feature the ingredient or incorporate the word “milk” into their product offering, they have been slow to adopt milk as a main ingredient. This leaves white space to capture this market and introduce a product that connects Indian skincare with this deeply rooted tradition.

A skincare and body care range of products made with India’s purest and most trusted milk.

Today, consumers gravitate towards the brand because Amul is pure. It is known as a seal of freshness. Amul is accessible, as a market leader that is affordable and made for the everyman. Amul aims at the mainstream market in India and does not provide any luxury items; instead, they focus on giving the highest possible quality goods at reasonable costs.

The brand extension must follow suit. Hence, a simple and easily accessible name that is for everybody - Amul Body. The brand will launch three products with the goodness of Milk:

1. The Moisturizing face cream
2. Hydrating body butter
3. Soothing cleansing milk

These names are simple with a touch of quirk, like Amul's brand personality. They further establish the goodness of milk and paint a picture of the different textures of milk products that are desirable for the skin.

Building upon the iconic mascot, The Amul Girl will be highlighted on the packaging, further building the brand equity.

The products will be written in English on the front and Hindi on the back to ensure that the information is accessible to all. (This is borrowing from Amul's current dairy packaging)

Traditionally, along with its positive skincare benefits, milk has been used as a form of a skin whitening in India. India has a long and complicated history of colorism, discriminating against citizens with darker skin tones, which stems from the history of the caste system, colonialism, and conflicting religious ideologies. Light skin is associated with power, elevated status, and beauty.

Despite the lack of evidence, many people in India are impacted by the dark skin stigma, and seek remedies to change their bodies to conform to these outdated beauty norms. Amul Body will fight this stigma.

To counteract the colorism associated with milk-based products and confront the stigma around dark skin head-on, Amul will emulate the Dove “Real Beauty” campaign for our Amul Body launch to show that all skin tones are beautiful.