Subramanyam says this is a very different launch for the company. “We usually have PoS, TV, digital and a print plan, which we will do, but the primary communication is going to be by the ‘makkal’ (people) of TN who grew up with Milk Bikis.” However, as he points out, going further “we feel it’s important not to link this brand only to nostalgia because nostalgia is a trip you can get on to and get off as well. We have made it relevant to today’s time and it’s a great idea to link it to the bond with children; that’s going to be the fulcrum of our communication.” If TN consumers take to nostalgia, soon many will be chomping on Milk Bikis. A huge vibrating sifter works on the flour, while the sugar is powdered. It is then blended with palm oil and made into a cream, which is combined with flour and other ingredients in a mixer. Everything is mechanised, so my first opportunity for a taste is when the dough finally emerges, just before it gets shaped into biscuits. It’s a tight, low-moisture dough, probably to extend shelf life and tastes pasty but familiar, thanks to the overriding flavour of milk. A relaunch in the Tamil Nadu market is the most obvious thing for Britannia, considering that the state is the largest market for Milk Bikis in its portfolio of biscuits and it enjoys a 95 per cent share in the milk biscuits category. Milk Bikis is the third brand in the Britannia Industries portfolio to reach the ₹1,000 crore milestone for the year FY 20-21 and the third largest contributing brand for the company. COIMBATORE, TAMIL NADU, 24/08/2018. (For MetroPlus) Segregated storage facilities at Britannia Industries Ltd., at Perundurai in Erode District on August 23, 2018. Photo: M. Periasamy

The focus of the launch is Tamil Nadu, a State where it boasts a 40-year-old legacy and a 95% market share. Which is why, foregoing decades of recipe updates and fortifications that the milk biscuit went through, the new launch features biscuits with the old taste — and familiar floral pattern — that children of the 1990s grew up with. Given the campaign plank was nostalgia, The Hindu was able to add immense value to the entire proposition given our 144-year-old legacy and connect with Tamil Nadu. Our readers and social media followers responded well to the campaign. We were confident of delivering a high number of responses, however one million 1M is definitely a nice number!” says Suresh Balakrishna, Chief Revenue Officer, The Hindu Group. Over the phone from Bangalore, Ali Harris Shere, VP-Marketing of Britannia Industries, explains that the company cuts costs in ways that don’t affect the consumer. “Transportation, for instance. Biscuits are a voluminous product, so we now have factories across the country... Our norm is the biscuits should not travel more than 250 km,” says Shere. This has an added benefit: consumers get to eat the products a couple of days just after they are baked. Working closely with The Hindu brand solutions team, Britannia plumped for this nostalgia plank and to also gauge if there was a groundswell of support for Britannia’s earlier avatar of Milk Bikis, consumers were engaged with across social media as well. The Hindu team also activated multiple touch points to give its readers the choice to express their love for MBK classic and register their vote. COIMBATORE, TAMIL NADU, 24/08/2018. (For MetroPlus) The production line of "Milk Bikis" biscuits at Britannia Industries Ltd., at Perundurai in Erode District on August 23, 2018. Photo: M. Periasamy

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