Summary
Sure, local B-brands are cheaper, and may even be of good quality but, Maggi is Maggi! And that's what makes it India's no 1 noodle brand.
Challenge
The Challenge - Maggi is India's most loved and trusted noodle brand. Whichever corner of India you may travel to, you are sure to find a Maggi point. But was that Maggi point selling Maggi? As a business, Maggi faced a penetration challenge in India's semi-urban and rural markets. Local, B-brands were ruling the roost here by copying Maggi's iconic packaging. Business objective - Re-gain Maggi's market share from price competitive B-brands KPI: Market Share - Maggi - Rural households
Objective
Maggi is India's favorite noodle brand but it faced a penetration challenge in rural markets. Here local B-brands, that had similar packaging and competitive pricing were gaining momentum with this price sensitive audience. To unlock growth for the brand in these markets, we instilled a sense of pride in being Maggi loyalists by calling out B-brand buyers. Our campaign was effective in re-gaining market share and growing Maggi's household penetration in these key rural and semi urban markets across India.
Strategy
The comms task in rural was interesting, because it was not a problem of awareness - Everyone knows Maggi in India. B-brand were offering similar looks packs at a lower price - why would any consumer think twice right? We realized for Maggi to contest the mushrooming B-brands in rural india we would need to create some emotional resonance with the rural audience. Such that more than asking for maggi, they choose Maggi every time they buy noodles. Aim therefore is to instill a sense of pride in being a Maggi loyalist by calling out B brand buyers. To drive awareness around whether the pack they were buying was in in fact Maggi, we activated mass media like TVC and outdoor advertising. We didn't just stop at that and extended our campaign to retailers and shop owners as well via Outdoor and print media, encouraging them to stock authentic Maggi over non-descript local brands.
Data
For perspective, local brands are marking growth rates to the tune of 113% with Penetration at 35%. The Challenge: To grow Maggi's penetration in Rural India, we needed to tackle the growing threat of B-brands. Local B-brands have long been a reality across semi-urban and rural India. Their modus operandi is to piggyback on the popularity of national brands - largely with look alike packs and better prices. But today, with the effects of the pandemic and inflationary pressures, B-brands have gotten a stronger hold of the price sensitive semi-urban, and rural markets of India. Becoming a serious threat to the growth of larger brands
Solution
Results
Rural and semi-urban markets in India are a key growth area for Maggi as a business. Especially considering that urban penetration for Maggi is already at an enviable level, replicating this success across the length and breadth of the country is the business ambition. To that effect it is business critical for Maggi to deepen its brand love in India, both from a brand and business perspective. Our campaign efforts and the impact they delivered in a relatively short period of 1 year, showed us that they are many, even in the deepest corners of India who are Maggi lovers. Through our campaign we were able to connect and strengthen their love for the brand. And bring out the sense of Pride that Maggi consumers inherently bear, to connect with any currently undiscerning audience. Sure, local B-brands are cheaper, and may even be of good quality but, Maggi is Maggi! And that's what makes it India's no 1 noodle brand.
