Brand Management Assignment

-Alisha Jain
Brand Communication Strategy of Maggi Noodles
Brand Maggi
Maggi has enjoyed its spot
being
the
loved
fondly

for
most
and

remembered noodles brand in the country by children and adults

alike since its introduction in 1983.
Maggi has not only been a packet of noodles, it has been a way of
life for most Indians. With an image that has been carefully crafted
over the last 32 years, it is a more frequent substance on the
kitchen shelves than perhaps any other packaged food. Having been
a savior for adolescents when they have ventured away from the
comfort of their homes and home-cooked food, it has enjoyed a
mothers trust, a bachelors faith, a childs crave and the nations
affection.

Maggi single-handedly created the

instant noodles category in India.
Its promise of easy preparation
became the basis for many food
formats. And then the trust was
shattered in 2015. MSG and leadrelated accusations hit at the very
core. The swift action of the
government and consequent total
withdrawal of the product caused
extreme reactions both for and
against Maggi.
Consequent
media bashing
and lack of a
strong
rejoinder from
the brand management stoked
the fire. The
brand stoically bore the loss,
destroyed
its
huge
stock,
waited
for
international
lab reports and court orders, and
then
came
back to the consumer. The
strategic intent
is not about cost; it is now about
gaining back
consumer confidence. So, it
becomes
a
kind of brand relaunch. Their task
is
now
to
regain confidence to the extent it
was
before
this
problem
occurred
and
thereby the
communication
has
to
be
calibrated
very finely. Thus, I decided to
study
the
brand communication strategy of
Maggi
after
the crisis through its campaigns.
Maggi noodles is a high-stakes brand for Nestle with sales of more
than Rs 2,000 crore and accounting for a third of Nestls India
business. The once category leader is currently witnessing tough
competition with a number of new entrants such as Sunfeast
Yippee! Hindustan Unilever's (HUL) Knorr Soupy Noodles, Top Ramen
and Ching's Secret.
Brand Strategy of Maggi from 1983-2015 (Before Crisis)
In the early 80s Maggi was positioned as a quick to cook noodles.
The tagline used was Fast to Cook. Good to Eat. The same theme
continued in the 90s as well, but the communication was a little
different. In the 90s the communication changed from the kids
coming home hungry and asking their mother for something, to the
kids saying that they were hungry and they wanted Maggi quickly.

This emphasized the brands popularity, and also reflected on the

role children played in influencing buying decisions (subtly).
In a fast growing India, where women were no more just
homemakers but professionals helping their spouses to run their
households, cooking food was an important issue. Therefore, initially
maggi 2-minute noodles targeted the women. But the sales was not
picking up despite heavy Media Advertising. Indian consumers were
rather conservative in their food habits, preferring to eat traditional
Indian dishes rather than canned or packaged food. They realized
that, the Indian consumer, was still orthodox and believed in
traditional home made Indian food, they conducted market surveys.
They found that it was the children who enjoyed the taste of maggi
more than women. They shifted their focus on children and their
mothers.
In the year 2006, Nestle began rebranding itself as a Health and
Wellness company. In line with this, Maggi products were promoted
with the tagline Taste bhi, Health bhi. Tocommermorate25yeaesof

Maggi in India a new marketing campaign with the slogan Me and Meri
Maggi. The purpose was to cherish the emotional binding created by the
productwithalltheagegroups.TheconsumershadtosendtheirMaggirelated
memorablestoriestoNestleIndiaandthebestwereshownonthetelevisionin
theformofadvertisements.
In an effort to maintain its growth in Indian market, Maggi launched
many products like Maggi Vegetable Atta Noodles, Maggi Vegetable
Multigrainz Noodles, Maggi Dal Atta Noodles and Rice Noodles in its
product portfolio targeting health conscious people.
Brand Extensions: Over the years, Nestle extended the Maggi brand
to a variety of culinary products like soups, sauces and ketchups,
and cooking aids among others. Later Nestle also forayed into other
food segments like pickles, using the Maggi brand, but it was
unsuccessful and the products were dumped. Maggi also introduced
a range of pastas in the year 2009 to complement the consumers
need for variety in snack food.
After Crisis

After the MSG and lead crisis

in 2015, they blocked all
lines of communication with
consumers. For more than a
fortnight,
barring
a
computer-generated
statement, there was no
word from Nestle. Nearly all
beat journalists wrote and rewrote to Nestle for a more
human, in-depth response,
but Nestle was too arrogant
for a 2-minute reply. Their
social media response was a
disaster.
Robotic
replies,
sharing heavy PDF files in
the name of responses.
Nestle stayed in denial. For a
situation of this magnitude,
the Nestle global site did not
even
acknowledge
the
controversy in India. Nestle
ignored the fact that the
Indian
consumers
appreciated personal involvement at the time of crisis and not an
automated response or an extensive research by a regulatory body.
Four months after running into perhaps its worst credibility crisis,
Nestle started increasing spending on television commercials,
setting the ground for the relaunch of its Maggi instant noodle brand
in the country. Today, Nestle is expected to advertise aggressively to
regain Maggi's lost ground in retail shelves and consumers'
shopping carts. Campaigns, estimated at Rs 40-50 crore are being
made to reassure consumers that Maggi is and has always been
safe to consume. The re-launch campaigns are on more than just
the traditional media or television, press and radio. A lot is
happening on digital and on ground activation to rapidly connect
with not just consumers but also dhabas, canteens and street
vendors of Maggi noodles
Industry opinion: How Maggi could proceed with its
communication after the crisis?
Since Maggi is a very popular brand with a bunch of loyalists who
stood by it during its trials and tribulations, it is not very tough for
Maggi to bounce back. Nestle just has to clear all misunderstandings
around which it is shrouded, change the perception towards the
brand since its a matter of health and children, be transparent in its

communication, use positivity

to
hide
negativity,
get
something new to get things
back on track. They should
also talk to tradesmen, make
them the spokesperson and
the company should not hide
behind any celebrity.
Communication Strategy

of Maggi After
the Crisis

Maggi keeps the

#WeMissYouToo
August 24, 2016

love

alive,

says

Right after the crisis, Maggi rolled out three

films as part of a brand campaign themed
#WeMissYouToo
on
its
social
media
channels. McCann Erickson conceptualized
the campaign. The three films underlined
consumers love for the noodles brand, and
each of them featured a young male protagonist (the graph beside
explains the reason).

One of the films (above) features the

protagonist sitting on the floor at home
saying home delivery menus were of no
use to him earlier. He values them these
days, he reveals. He appeals to his yaar
(friend) to come back, even as the
brands logo signs off with the message
#WeMissYouToo.

Another film features the protagonist

standing outside his door, confessing
that he never had time for his caring
neighbours.
Thats
changed
now,
because he is dependent on them for a
meal, with Maggi not available. He
reveals, "But today I had to smile at them
for the first time Look at what all I need
to do to feed myself now. I miss you yaar! Come back man!"
A young man playing with a tennis ball at
home is the messenger in one of the
films. He says, "There's one thing I'm
very proud of: I've never troubled my
mom. Never woke her up late in the
night. And it's not like my friends don't
come over. We do have late nights. We
party, we listen to music and do a lot more. And since we're humans
it's only natural we feel hungry. But it's wrong to bother mom at that
time. When will you come back yaar? Miss you!"
All the films end with Maggi's logo alongside a #WeMissYouToo
message.
Analysis of the Campaign: Immediately after the ban, there were
a lot of negative social media reactions around the Maggi brand. The
strong connection many people felt for the brand now made them
feel a personal betrayal of trust. The objective was to take the
emotion from extremely negative to nostalgic and then positive. Rife
with affectionate endearments, the ads were crafted to resemble a
series of personal messages to an old buddy. These short films
reflected the spontaneity and affection between consumers and
Maggi. In each film, the context of consumption, and the
convenience Maggi brought to people's lives, was highlighted. The
films left no room for the possibility that Maggi could be replaced by
some other 'instant snack'. It was a subtle way of saying 'Maggi or
nothing'. It appeared to be guided by the fact that the brand still
didnt have formal approval and that the product was still not

available in the marketplace. This was also a way of subtly putting

pressure on the authorities. The films also showed that the
consumer was dying to hear from Maggi. It was a campaign that
showed respect to the consumer. There was a longing; this was
something people genuinely missed.
#LetYourMomKnow: Maggi warms up to mothers, reiterates
safe stance ahead of market return
November 6, 2016
Maggi then rolled out a campaign
following the announcement of it
being safe to return to the markets.
One of the films shows a lady
talking by a balcony. She says when
Maggi was questioned (for safety)
in
the
media
and
in
her
neighborhood, she wondered how was this possible as her mom fed
her Maggi since she was a child, and she's done the same for her
children. So would this mean two mothers were wrong? She reveals
that when she got to know that Maggi has passed the safety tests, it
felt good because she and her mother, were both proven right. The
film ends with a super, 'Your Maggi is safe and has always been.'
Another film features a lady
sitting at a dining table. She
talks about her son (Sonu) and
how he would come in late at
night to the house quietly to
cook Maggi. She says that even
though he would do all this
quietly, she was aware about it,
as nothing can escape a mother's attention. But, she would let him
do the cooking and eat it, without stopping him as children require
some space. Also, she wouldn't stop him because eating Maggi
would mean that Sonu isn't going to sleep hungry. She goes on to
add that when Maggi's safety standards were questioned, she felt
that she was doing something incorrect by letting him eat it at night,
that too for so many years. But now, with Maggi being proven safe,
it's not only Maggi that has passed, it also feels like she has passed
a test. This film too ends with the 'safe as ever' message.
Analysis of the Campaign: It was a fabulous strategy to restore
the confidence of people. Bringing mothers to the forefront
strengthened the belief and developed deeper affinity with the
brand. These ads were not about selling Maggi but the thoughts,
which people had in mind about the brand. The advertising brought

it out very nicely. Using mothers to stamp their seal of approval

would have been the obvious, and perhaps the only route to take, as
opposed to taking a celebrity endorser since moms are their other
big constituency (along with the kids). The strategy helped them
greatly in assuaging doubts about the safety of the product.
#WelcomeBackMaggi: Maggi returns, captures the
celebrations it claims to evoke
December 1, 2015
Maggi noodles from the Nestle India stable then launched a
campaign to announce that it is back on customers plates. This
followed campaigns to underline that it has always been safe to
assure buyers, following clearances from the relevant laboratories.
One of the films featured a dhaba
owner, with several packs of Maggi
noodles on display. He calls out to his
assistant to switch on the lights and
arrange the plates, and breaks into a
dance move stating that the glitter is
back in the dhaba now, referring to
the return of Maggi noodles. As he settles into his seat, a
#WelcomeBackMaggi tune takes over the soundtrack. The film signs
off with a #WelcomeBack message.
One of them features two young men returning home late. As one of
them is concerned about food, the other assures him that theyll
manage, stating that Midnight Cooking is back, referring to Maggi
noodles.
At a girls hostel, some young women
have taken over the kitchen and are
cooking noodles, to the surprise of
the cook. They explain to him that
Hostel main phir jaan aa gayi (The
life is back in the hostel), referring
to the brands return.

A man says Miss you too baby to his life partner on the phone
before joining his friends for a bachelor celebration at home, with
Maggi, in another of the films.

The brand has also launched a

#WelcomeBackMAGGI tune.
Analysis of the Campaign: These
were simple short films that
welcomed
Maggi
back
from
different
peoples
perspective.
Emotions often defy logic, and Maggi has that emotional connection
with its consumers, which advertisers exploited in the campaign.
Maggis market share in the noodle segment was around 80%. The
expense on creating a new customer is 6 times greater than the
expense incurred on sustaining an existing customer. Having 80% of
the market share before the ban, Maggi targeted their existing
customers itself.
The opposers of Maggi
were homemakers who
once bought maggi for
their children. They were
health conscious people,
which is why they were
against maggi. Maggi
very tactfully used them
as protagonists in its
films. The supporters of
Maggi are kids, juveniles
and PG and hostel walas.
They love maggi for its taste and easy making tendency which
make them still long for maggi. The brand featured them in the
campaigns too.
Conclusion
It is rightly said one can do anything but only if God and Time
permits. Those who fail to analyse the happenings in the
surroundings become losers and those who accommodate and
adjust according to time rule the world. The controversy started
igniting last year but no officials of Nestle India paid heed to do the
necessary rectification resulting now a bad name and shame for the
company. Health is of prime concern for everyone though taste also
matters. It is very difficult to restore the faith lost because even the
school going kids now say Maggi is bad. For Nestle Company only
thing, which could be said, is Miles to go before they return, Miles to
go before they return.... Repositioning their brand in India again is
the major challenge before Nestle Global for which we have to wait
and watch, but right and effective communication strategy can help
them in a big way.