Milso : The ( Goat) Milk Soap

Brand : Milso
Company : Good Buy Soaps and Cosmetics

Brand analysis count : # 556

This post is about a soap brand from my state of Kerala. It feels good when some one from a predominantly consumer state like Kerala dives into the world of marketing with a brand. Milso is a " Made in India" brand of soap from a little known firm - Good Buy Soaps and Cosmetics. According to reports, the company which began operations in 2007 has been marketing soaps in the rural markets. This is the first foray into the branded urban consumer space.

Milso soap's USP is that it is made from goat's milk. According to the brand, goat's milk has many skin nourishing properties. The brand claims to be the first Indian soap brand to have goat's milk. 

The brand is currently running its launch campaign in its home state. 

Watch the ad here : Milso

While there is nothing great about the ad, the thinking behind the ad is to make the " goat's milk" proposition popular. It is true that there is a novelty in the brand which will definitely catch the interest of the consumer. 

The brand has the tagline " The Milk Soap " and I assume that the brand name is also derived from milk-soap. The company has done right in terms of packaging which looks attractive. I am not sure about the pricing part which will be updated soon.

In the highly cluttered toilet soap category, getting a space for a new brand is not that easy. It takes lot of investment to get the eyeballs and also to induce trial. In a cluttered market, the trouble is that one has to continuously burn cash in order to be in the top of the mind. 

Milso has an advantage in the fact that its USP is really new to the Indian market. That gives a certain amount of eyeballs and trial. The brand according to the company is trying to build awareness about the efficacy of goat's milk in the personal-care space. The fact remains that any other competitor can imitate the brand without much of a problem. 

As a new product, Milso has many good things going for it , the fate now depends mainly on how the brand performs and fulfill its promise. 

Marketing for Small Business : Marketing Department vs Marketing Function

In a recent study conducted over several SME s in my state, I found that over 70% of SMEs reported that they have a marketing department. But when enquired about certain critical functions like product development or branding, many reported that these activites are not performed.

It is important for small business to understand that mere existance of marketing deparment is not suffice, what is important is that critical marketing activties are performed. Several small business are still not aware about the importance of  having a systematic process of product development/ improvement,market intelligence , branding ,integrated marketing communication activites in their organisation.  Many business argue that they don't see a place for such activites in the current business set up, which is a myopic view. 

The first step would be to ensure that these activites are discussed at appropriate levels even if the business is small. That would help the firm develop a marketing DNA which would help it when it moves to a bigger league.