MUMBAI: Faced with a shrinking market share and a slack in demand, ice-cream brand Pastonji, which has a strong presence in Western India, has turned to advertising to raise awareness and create demand for its products.

Pastonji has signed Amit Baid‘s A B See Peninsular to formulate its promotional strategy. In the initial stage, the company will focus on press, outdoor and experiential media in its key markets of Gujarat and Maharashtra.

The initiative will take-off around March, when the season begins.

A B See Peninsular founder and creative head Amit Baid added, "The brand carries a quality that‘s truly world-class. Few people realise that ice-creams can actually be nutritious. Our advertising model will emphasise Pastonji as the ice cream you can both trust and enjoy."

Though the awareness for the brand has been high especially across the middle-class income groups, demand has been slack in the past couple of years.

Pastonji Brands chairman and MD Suleman Hafizi said, "Local brands have hit the market (even the MNC players) with low price, poor quality products. We need to educate consumers about the hygiene, health and quality of Pastonji. A B See understood our vision and constraints well."