If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar or click here: https://www.mxmindia.com/category/columns/das-ka-dum/
Q. Amul was sponsor of the South African cricket team. Should such associations be avoided especially since Amul is decidedly India’s biggest homegrown brand?
A: Let us get a few facts straight before I answer this question: Amul exports to almost 50 countries in the world, if not more, and they intend to increase their base, going forward, in different parts of the world. So, Amul is not just an Indian brand, but a global brand now.
Secondly, when a brand has global market, it has to customise all its communication strategy (including brand endorsement strategy) to reflect its integration with local sentiments and cultural moorings.
Thirdly, sports-led spectator emotions are universal in nature, albeit at a different magnitude. From that sense, it’s myopic for a marketer to identity with only its place of originating country. As someone once commented that sports doesn’t build character, it reveals it. It’s as true for players, spectators as for brands. After all a brand is an aggregated human emotion also.
Given all the above realities, I would not find any omission on the part of Amul in partnering with South African cricket team. It is better not to mix up patriotism with nationalism. The difference is that: patriotism implies that when love of our own people comes first. Nationalism, on the other hand, implies (more often than not these days) when hate for people other than our own people comes first. It’s not my quote… this is what Charles de Gaulle said once, resonates with my beliefs when it comes to global marketing.