'Chaas' in a packet: Acceptable or objectionable?

In its latest ad for Masti Buttermilk, Amul tries to shatter one of its biggest consumption barriers.

Amul Masti, the spiced buttermilk brand from Amul that recently got a packaging makeover, has come up with a new ad to position itself as the ultimate 'Desi Refresher'. The ad attempts to drive home the point that the packaged dairy drink is as tasty, healthy and refreshing as one made at home would be, and its appeal cuts across age groups.

The 47-second ad begins with popular Indian film and television actor Shubha Khote expressing her doubts about packaged buttermilk. "You don't drink buttermilk out of a 'packet'," she says, and goes on to describe how it is traditionally prepared. Before Khote can finish describing her experience of drinking it, her sentence is punctuated with adjectives such as healthy, awesome, sublime, and 'mast' by people consuming Amul Masti. Khote, too, is eventually convinced as she takes a sip from the 'packet'.

The above thought is what seems to be reflected in the new packaging as well. In addition to the earthen pot, churning stick and some cumin seeds, the new pack shows a picture of ginger, green chillies, and coriander leaves as well, signifying freshness, characteristic of the home-made version.

It is also interesting to note that another Amul brand, the youth-centred beverage, Amul Kool Milkshake, also underwent a design makeover recently. WOW Design, the brand design consultancy that worked on the Amul Kool facelift, re-framed the product description as 'Kool Shakers' in order to reflect the 'cool' factor. The colour blue was used to accentuate the monogamous graphic to a new 'in thing' in order to appeal to the youth.

WOW Design has been associated with Amul for over five years now, and has worked on many projects to make the brand Amul more relevant to the target audience. It has also revamped Amul ice-cream parlours and changed their look and feel, both visually and structurally.