'Milking on IIM Tag?': Netizens ponder on use of 'IIM Alumni' endorsement on milk packet

Fuelling the incessant desire of Indians to get their children into IITs and IIMs, brands selling milk products seem to be using this as a marketing strategy. After a Twitter user took to Twitter on Sunday to point out that a milk brand has been publicising their products by using the ‘IIM Alumni’ as a tag for their product branding, a fiery debate was witnessed among netizens.

With many mocking the idea of ‘flexing college name,’ and ‘building brand trust by using the name of a college’, some defended the brand’s strategy by saying: "What’s wrong in using the name of the world’s top colleges?"

Twitteratis debate on 'IIM tag as a branding method'

As the debate stretched ahead, Twitteratis had a diverse set of opinions about the same. Some went on to call it a ‘Lazy business branding,’ referring that the milk company was using the founder’s IIM tag to built trust among people rather than emphasising the quality of their product. While another user pointed out that the milk brand is encashing people’s blind trust in IIM-IIT pass outs, as there is a belief in the society that the alumni of these colleges are extraordinary. A third also compared it with ‘Bollywood celebrities endorsing products.’

The debatable marketing strategy was questioned by a Twitter user, Namanbir Singh, who on Sunday catechized in a tweet, “What's the point of writing your college name on a MILK PACKET!???! (sic)” 

Further clarifying his stance, he wrote, “To clarify, no hate for the company or their products. But trust should be built on the basis of quality, not college tags. I have noticed that a lot of people are insulting the college, while it's not their fault. The individual is at fault as he used his college as a marketing tag.”

“Degree for sure has value, but colleges are educational institutions, not tags for marketing,” he added in another tweet, further stressing his argument. 

In a few hours, his tweet went viral as people did relate to Singh’s thoughts. With as many as 6,300 likes, many joined the conversation to express their opinion on the same.

These are some other reactions to the same: