Dr. K Rathnam: How Milky Mist employs combination of traditional and digital media in marketing mix
In today’s age, marketing is highly dynamic and is constantly evolving to meet the latest trends. Milky Mist has taken the same steps and evolved with time. Their ability to succeed is second to none, with state-of-the-art technology and marketing methods being deployed constantly upgraded and driven by new strategies. Dr. K Rathnam, the CEO of Milky Mist, talks about the need for right marketing mix – both traditional and modern approaches, and how his company is able to successfully deploy the right coalition.
Digital marketing opens the door to a potential viewer base of millions of people across the globe, and thus, offers brands an exposure like never before. Dr. K Rathnam says, “Presently there are more than 4.5 billion internet users in the world. And it is only by partaking in digital media that we can expand our reach beyond the local boundaries. Our company is heavily focusing on digital media marketing platforms to expand the reach rapidly.”
Milky Mist is highly adaptive to changes taking place in the industry and has carved out multiple solutions to broaden its reach. One such innovation involves eliminating middlemen to reduce the overhead cost of milk products. This is possible because farmers are in direct contact with the company, and milk is, thus, directly procured from them. Also, what has helped the company reach beyond a local presence is the Internet. The digital promotion strategy of a company includes a vibrant and regular brand presence across digital platforms such as Google ads, social media and influencer marketing.
Over the years, the dairy company has established a strong social media presence. They have been marketing their products with photo and video ads that highlight their uniqueness. Dr K Rathnam says, “Influencer marketing forms 20 per cent of our marketing, but our major aim is to directly focus on reaching out to the end consumers’ ‘. He further says, “We have received excellent response from women over 35, youth in the 25 to 35 age brackets, as well as from people over 50, usually the decision-makers of families.”
Milky Mist is also concentrating on digital marketing across borders to expand their international sales and reach. Presently their foreign-specific marketing is largely restricted to localised fleet branding and some digital push in certain areas. However, that is changing with their team putting their heads together to create effective campaigns that are expected to reach out to the international market to increase the overall exports.
Besides digital, traditional media is an outlet and institution that predates the information age. It offers marketers plenty of opportunities to promote their services. DrK Rathnam instilled this source to his organisation, with a vision of reaching out to masses that have lesser access to digital media. He elucidates, “The right medium matters when it comes to reaching the right demographic, meeting our objective. Milky Mist keeps in mind the ideology of traditional media. We have relied on this technique for decades. It has translated to a groundbreaking increase in the company’s sales, both for multi-brand outlets as well as standalone retail shops.”
Traditional media uses a subtle form of persuasion by presenting the required message in locally artistic forms. To inject the message of development among rural masses, Milky Mist uses the folk form of media in a planned manner. Taking in consideration the fact that even today there are areas that have no access to electricity, the need for traditional sources cannot be overlooked.
Against such a backdrop, people living in both rural and urban areas totally rely upon traditional media. As per the analysis drawn by statista, numbers indicate that India’s 71 per cent of the population is still reliant upon traditional media sources. This also directly means that milk and its by products, being the basic commodities, have to be been advertised using this channel.
Breaking into the market with a new business model and making their mark against established competitors, the company has achieved huge feats. Their extensive marketing techniques have helped the brand reach to masses, while the quality and unique taste profile have made the customers come back for more. The brand has constantly reinvented itself to meet the demands of a new era in conjugation with keeping old methods alive. This makes the overall marketing strategy of Milky Mist a huge success.
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