Amul’s Aura Dance: A Case Study on Iconic Branding
This year, for Onam 2025, Amul rolled out a creative animation where the Amul Girl performs the now famous “aura farming” dance.
What is Aura Farming?
“Aura farming” means building a strong vibe—cool, confident, magnetic. It’s internet slang for showing charisma so people pay attention to you. The term went mainstream after an 11-year-old Indonesian boy, Rayyan Arkan Dhika, danced on the front of a speeding boat during the Pacu Jalur race and went viral. People started calling his confident moves “aura farming,” and the phrase stuck.
In Amul’s version:
- The Amul Girl dons a traditional Kerala pattupavada (two-piece festive outfit) and shades.
- She dances atop a chundan vallam (snake boat), a signature symbol of Kerala’s Onam boat races.
- Festive dairy products like milk powder, ghee, condensed milk, and milk are personified as rowing the boat.
- The backdrop features King Mahabali (Maveli) standing at the boat’s end, adding cultural resonance.
Rather than using the original viral tune, Amul chose a traditional Kerala folk soundtrack to lean into the cultural spirit of Onam, paired with the caption: “Ee Onam On Aavatte, Aaghoshangalude Aura Koodatte” (“May this Onam arrive, and may the aura of celebrations grow”)
Goal of this Campaign:
The goal of Amul’s “Aura Farming Dance” Onam campaign can be broken down into three key objectives:
1. Ride the Viral Trend (Moment Marketing)
- Capitalize on the global buzz of the Aura Farming dance trend and bring it into the Indian context.
- Show that Amul is youthful, trendy, and socially in tune — not just a traditional dairy brand.
2. Strengthen Cultural Connect
- Blend a global internet trend with local cultural relevance (Onam festival, Kerala’s boat races, King Maveli, traditional attire).
- Reinforce Amul’s positioning as a brand that celebrates every Indian festival and emotion in a relatable way.
3. Amplify Engagement & Brand Recall
- Drive organic conversations, shares, and virality without heavy ad spend.
- Keep the Amul Girl mascot at the center of pop culture, ensuring the brand stays top-of-mind in social feeds.
- Encourage audiences to interact with the post through likes, comments, and reposts, thereby boosting social growth.
Challenges & Solutions
Challenge 1:
Risk of trend fatigue — Aura Farming was already peaking two weeks earlier.
Solution: Amul timed it with Onam, making it feel fresh and relevant again.
Challenge 2:
Music mismatch — some users missed the viral original soundtrack.
Solution: Amul deliberately chose Kerala folk music to anchor the ad in cultural authenticity.
Challenge 3:
Standing out in meme culture, many brands were jumping on the Aura Farming bandwagon.
Solution: The Amul Girl’s timeless identity + festival elements (boat, Maveli, dairy products) gave it a unique, ownable edge.
Social Media Reaction:
The ad struck a chord garnering over 1 million views within hours of release
Fans showered praise:
- “Winner of the trend”
- “Only Amul could make butter and aura farming belong in the same frame”
- “Forget rice and sambar, Onam isn’t complete without an Amul ad”
Others lauded Amul’s branding wizardry:
- “Everybody is a gangster at making ads until the real gangster arrives!”
- “Thank you for keeping the ad industry wholesome”
A few fans missed the original audio, feeling that “without the OG track, the vibe is missing,” though they still appreciated the animation
Before & After ( Aura Farming Campaign)
| Metric | Before Campaign (avg. post performance) | After Aura Farming Campaign | Growth % |
| Instagram Followers | 510K | 516K | 1.18% |
| Avg. Video Views | 530K | 650K | 22.64% |
| Avg. Comments | 8 | 20 | 150.00% |
| Average Likes | 437 | 660 | 51.03% |
| Engagement Rate | 0.15% | 0.59% | 293.33% |
Why It Works (Buttery Brilliantly!)
Trend meets tradition:
Amul pulled off a smart move by blending a viral global trend with the cultural spirit of Onam. It’s that rare mix where something new feels completely at home with something timeless.
Cultural touchstones:
From folk music and traditional attire to King Mahabali and snake boats, the ad beautifully anchors itself in the heart of the festival. Anyone watching can instantly relate to the Onam vibe.
Playful continuity:
The Amul Girl once again proves why she’s timeless. With her cheeky expressions and witty take, she connects with both older fans and younger audiences showing that good humor never goes out of style.
Creative execution:
Even without the original viral soundtrack, fans loved the animation and visuals. The creativity more than made up for it, making the ad fun, colorful, and memorable.
Marketing Impact
The campaign quickly became a talking point during Onam 2025. Within just a few hours, the video crossed 1 million views, with thousands of shares and comments spreading across social media. Fans celebrated how Amul could once again take a global internet trend and make it feel deeply local.
Now, some might ask: “Why did Amul wait two weeks after the peak of the aura farming trend?”
Here’s the smart answer—if they had rushed and recreated it at peak, people might have seen it as just another copycat version. Instead, Amul waited for Onam, which gave the trend a deeper cultural fit:
- Onam is Kerala’s biggest festival, celebrated by millions.
- Boat races are iconic during Onam, and aura farming itself was born from a boat sport.
- By timing it with Onam, Amul used the trend as an opportunity instead of just a reaction.
- The Amul Girl in traditional attire, the boat full of dairy products, and King Mahabali at the end all tied the story together beautifully.
This patience and cultural sync made the campaign more than a viral meme—it became a meaningful festive ad. And that’s why it went viral on its own, not just as a trend remix.
For Amul, this wasn’t just another topical ad. It was proof that their 60-year legacy of timely advertising still works in the age of memes and Reels. By mixing a viral dance with cultural touchstones, the brand didn’t just earn attention—it reinforced its place as part of India’s festive celebrations.
This ad showed that Amul isn’t only selling butter; it’s selling joy, nostalgia, and a sense of belonging. And that emotional connection is why people wait for Amul’s ads every festival.
Campaign Background & Context
- Brand Legacy: For 60+ years, Amul has used the Amul Girl as India’s most iconic mascot for topical, witty, and timely advertising.
- Occasion: Onam 2025 presented an opportunity to merge festival relevance with an ongoing global trend.
- Creative Team: The campaign was conceptualized by Maitri Advertising Works P Ltd (Amul’s long-time ad agency).
- Strategic Insight: With short-lived viral trends, most brands rush. Amul instead waited for a culturally meaningful moment (Onam), ensuring the campaign wasn’t just reactive but contextual.
Target Audience & Reach
- Primary Audience:
- Gen Z & Millennials active on Instagram and YouTube Shorts.
- Urban digital natives who consume memes, trends, and festival-driven content.
- Secondary Audience:
- Families celebrating Onam — tapping into cultural nostalgia.
- Amul loyalists who follow their topical ads every festival/occasion.
- Platforms:
- Instagram (main driver of virality).
- X where witty Amul creatives are widely shared.
- YouTube Shorts & Facebook for regional/older audiences.
Key Takeaways for Brands & Marketers
- Don’t Just Chase Trends, Contextualize Them
- Viral trends faded quickly; instead of rushing, Amul tied Aura Farming to Onam, giving the content cultural depth and longevity.
- Blend Global Virality with Local Culture
- A global meme became more relatable by using Kerala’s boat races, folk music, and King Mahabali. This “glocal” approach resonates deeply with audiences.
- Mascot Power Builds Consistency
- The Amul Girl provided continuity across decades. A recognizable mascot helps brands adapt to new platforms without losing identity.
- Patience Can Be a Strategy
- Entering the conversation late but with the right timing (festival season) allowed Amul to stand out, instead of being “just another brand hopping on the trend.”
- Engagement Beats Reach Alone
- The campaign shows that even a modest follower growth (+1.18%) can deliver outsized impact if engagement (comments +293%) skyrockets. Viral success should be measured in conversations, not just impressions.
Conclusion
Amul’s Aura Farming Onam campaign proves why the brand remains India’s most iconic marketer. Amul didn’t just jump on the trend — they waited for the right moment, tied it beautifully with Kerala’s Onam traditions, and kept the Amul Girl at the heart of it. That mix made the campaign feel timely, relatable, and emotionally engaging.
This wasn’t just another meme remix — it became a piece of cultural storytelling that felt authentic to the festival and true to Amul’s legacy. The result? Higher engagement, stronger brand recall, and another reminder that Amul is not just selling dairy, but selling joy, nostalgia, and belonging.
For marketers, the lesson is clear: “trends may win attention, but context wins hearts.”
Campaigns Like These Don’t Just Happen.
They’re a mix of insight, speed, and brand courage.
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