The festive fervour in India brings about a significant spike in demand across various categories, especially dairy and food products that form the backbone of traditional sweets, savouries, and family meals. For brands in this space, the season is not just about catering to higher consumption but also about creating meaningful associations with consumers that last well beyond the festivities.
In an exclusive interview with BrandSutra, Manish Bandlish, Managing Director at Mother Dairy, shares insights into how the brand prepares for the festive season — from scaling up production and distribution to curating festive packs and running digital-first campaigns. Edited excerpts follow.
### 1. How are Indian consumers’ food and dairy preferences evolving?
Indian consumers are increasingly adopting a mindful approach to food and dairy that fits into their busy lives. Health and wellness are at the core of their choices, while the fast pace of modern life drives demand for convenient, ready-to-use solutions.
This convergence is fundamentally reshaping the food and dairy landscape. As the most accessible source of protein and a staple in Indian diets, milk and milk products provide an ideal foundation for meeting daily nutritional needs. This shift is influencing innovation in the sector.
### 2. Festive seasons often see a surge in demand across categories. How does your brand prepare to tap into this heightened consumer sentiment?
Festivals in India symbolize togetherness, celebration, and indulgence— with food at the very heart. This naturally leads to increased demand for milk and value-added dairy products.
At Mother Dairy, we plan well in advance to meet this anticipated surge. Our strategies include scaling up production capacities, ensuring robust distribution across markets, curating festive packs and special offerings, and running category-led campaigns.
Our focus is not only on meeting demand but also on enriching the joy of celebrations by being part of every household’s special moments.
### 3. Could you give us insight into how AI and new technologies have changed the way marketing campaigns are built — from ideation to execution?
We see technology not merely as a tool but as a catalyst for creating more relevant, engaging, and impactful brand experiences. AI is strategically embedded in our daily social content creation to produce hyper-realistic visuals and dynamic animations that align with the brand tone.
This approach significantly improves turnaround times and enables faster delivery of high-quality content to engage today’s consumers effectively.
For example, we created an AI-generated song for Mother Dairy Ice Creams that incorporates details about newly launched products within the lyrics. Additionally, we rolled out three AI-led video films on social media for Cheese Day — a first-of-its-kind initiative in the dairy category.
### 4. Which mediums — digital, traditional, or in-store experiences — are most effective for building connections today?
Every medium plays a unique role in shaping consumer relationships.
– **Digital platforms** have emerged as the most dynamic for engagement, offering reach, personalization, and immediacy.
– **Traditional media** continues to build mass awareness and trust.
– **In-store experiences** are crucial for last-mile impact, reinforcing brand presence at the point of purchase.
We adopt an integrated approach that weaves together digital, traditional, and consumer touchpoints to create a seamless consumer journey that is both memorable and meaningful.
### 5. How do you see e-commerce and q-commerce changing the dairy and food retail landscape?
E-commerce and q-commerce have transformed how people shop for food. For dairy—a high-frequency, trust-led category where freshness and speed are paramount—these platforms unlock new possibilities for accessibility and availability.
At Mother Dairy, we view these channels as complementary, extending our reach among new-age, digitally-savvy consumers. They also offer opportunities to introduce channel-exclusive offerings, such as our ‘Specials’ ice cream range curated specifically for these platforms.
The future lies in building seamless omnichannel experiences, allowing consumers to access our products anytime, anywhere—whether through traditional outlets or digital commerce platforms.
### 6. How big a role does e-commerce and digital advertising play in festive campaigns today, compared to traditional retail-driven promotions?
Being a home to trusted brands, we prioritize presence wherever our consumers are.
Traditional retail promotions remain the backbone for driving visibility and sales, but e-commerce, q-commerce, and digital platforms have become indispensable in amplifying reach and engagement. These tools allow better targeting, real-time engagement, and more personalized campaigns.
For Mother Dairy, Safal, and Dhara, it’s about combining both traditional and digital channels to ensure our brands resonate across audiences and touchpoints, becoming an integral part of every celebration.
https://www.freepressjournal.in/brandsutra/how-mother-dairy-intends-to-milk-the-festive-season
