It’s time for milk wars between two major milk cooperatives — Amul and Nandini – on another turf . The cooperatives are sponsors for T20 World Cup teams in the upcoming games to be co-hosted by West Indies and the United States between June 1 and 29.
Nandini, Karnataka’s famous brand, is all set to sponsor the Ireland and Scotland teams, while Amul will be the sponsor for the USA and South Africa teams.
Nandini, which had earlier sponsored Bengaluru Bulls in the Pro-Kabaddi League, will have its logo prominently featured on the lead arm (right arm for the left-handed batsmen and left for right-handed) of the batsmen’s jerseys.
MK Jagadish, Managing Director of Nandini, Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF), exclusively spoke to News18 about the idea behind the move and how he thinks it will benefit the brand.
Edited excerpts:
You are sponsoring the Irish and Scottish teams in this T20. How did this idea come about?
Nandini has the second largest cooperative inventory in the country. We have a farmer-friendly policy, and this year we have had 16.36 litres of curd and 51 lakh litres of milk, which is the highest ever in KMF. Our ice-cream sales have also seen a jump of 40% than last year. We could achieve this because we expanded our market from Karnataka to Kerala to Kashi to Chennai. This has given us a great boost to look beyond Karnataka. Now, Nandini is not just restricted to Karnataka; it has gone beyond the state and the country’s boundaries. To promote the brand to reach every Indian, not only in India, but also overseas…Cricket is a sport watched by Indians across the globe. We have an exclusive store in the Middle-East, one in Dubai, and are planning to open two more, one in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. We have also received requests to open a store in London. This means the brand Nandini is not local anymore, it is a global brand. A global brand needs a global approach and perspective. Our team and distributors used to say that the only shortcoming Nandini was facing, as the products we make are unparalleled in taste and quality, was the lack of advertising. This was a good opportunity as we had reaped the benefits when we sponsored the Bengaluru Bulls team in the Pro-Kabaddi League.
Is this part of your strategy to pitch Nandini as a global brand?
As the mega event of cricket was coming up, our board and president indicated that we should try and sponsor a cricket team in the international arena. To our surprise, we are already selling Nandini sweets in the USA, so it makes it easier for us to make our brand popular during the matches there.
Cricket is a religion not only for Indians, but for many across the world. You have targeted a sport that will get you maximum mileage. But why the Irish and Scottish teams?
We wanted to sponsor a few popular teams that have performed very well in the previous T20 World Cup. However, almost all teams were taken by other brands. We were offered Ireland and Scotland. They will play four matches each, so we will get eight matches clubbed together. We are hoping that Ireland’s position will take the team to the Super 8. This will give us an additional five matches. Once Ireland starts playing with other teams, Nandini will be visible as a brand.
Not just a turf war for milk — Amul (Gujarat), Aavin (Tamil Nadu), or Milma (Kerala) — are you taking the competition to the cricket pitch as well?
True. The T20 World Cup is such an event that everybody wants to market their brand. In this age, we need to do so, or we will miss the bus. We need to compete with other brands as well. Ours is a farmer-driven brand, so whatever profit we earn in Nandini, we transfer 85% to the farmers. Ultimately, the more business we do, the more profits we earn; the farmer will be the final beneficiary of these efforts. It was an imperative move to expand our market beyond Karnataka and India.
What is the plan for branding on the jerseys?
It will be on the leading arm of the batsman. If a right-hand player wants to bat on the pitch, his left arm will be facing the bowler. This is where the Nandini logo will be prominently seen. The other way for a left-hand batsman.
Amul started this trend when they first sponsored the Netherlands team and now are major sponsors of big teams. Is Nandini going the Amul way?
The point is that Nandini has its own path and we have set it based on our time and opportunity. We will see what the future holds and hope to explore and sponsor big teams.
Nandini did not want to sponsor the RCB team?
We had an opportunity, but the placement that we got was not appropriate. We had a placement on the right thigh. As a brand, we thought the visibility we expected will not be there. So we did not take it up.
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