Amul 'Tru Seltzer’ – A Mixed bag

Dairy, Fruity, Fizzy – Can we think of such a combination. That too in India? This question can haunt everyone at least for a moment. But in this era of design thinking, weird ideas are very much acceptable. Nevertheless, the dairy giant Amul was not suspicious of this fusion idea. The result is, a new product is born which is dairy, fruity, and fizzy. Amul ‘Tru Seltzer’ launched during the covid era is a bold innovation from the company. The extension, I feel is a gamble by Amul to cement their berth in the carbonated drinks segment.

Amul Tru Seltzer' is India’s first carbonated dairy drink made up of milk solids, fruit juice, and fizz. The brand is available in two flavors –  lemon and orange at Rs 15 for a 200 ml PET bottle. As per Amul the brand is a healthier carbonated drink with less sugar content and zero caffeine. Instead, it promises the taste of a good cola, but with real fruit juice, the goodness of milk solids, and reduced amounts of sugar. With Amul’s legacy, distribution network, and advertising campaigns, achieving brand salience will be a cakewalk. But can the brand climb further up? If so, to me new history is made. Moreover, as we all know, Seltzer as a concoction holds a legacy of a few centuries but will it fit with the Indian taste palate?

Amul is synonymous with dairy in India. Over the years they have developed a perception as the most trusted dairy brand in the country. The extension to fruit juices itself was a wager. I strongly believe Amul and Tru Seltzer is a brand and category misfit. Will this brand qualify to be in the category of carbonated beverage? How can a carbonated beverage be healthier? My strong contention is that Amul must have tried to create a category by itself.

My second contention is about scaling up the brand. Amul wants the brand to appeal to the masses(in fact the pricing is perfect) but with a confused positioning, it will only get limited to a niche.  Appealing to youth also may be difficult, already we have lessons from brand Paperboat in front of us.

Given the successful history of Amul, all my concerns may go wrong. Let’s wait and see.

For sure, one advantage is that one or two failure extensions can never harm the strong, sincere, and exciting mother brand AMUL.