A 100 Years Old Campaign
Nestle India’s Maggi, 2-minute noodles died in 2015 and yet people loved it.
Maggi died a terrible death in 2015.
It broke hearts.
There was nothing to munch on for the students, bachelors, and for the late cold nights wrapped in blankets staring screen as you ate those noodles.
The ban broke hearts.
Men who served breakfast in bed couldn’t anymore.
Kids who loved cried more often.
Accidental, hidden, and self-proclaimed chefs had nothing to experiment with.
The trust was gone. People sued the brand and the ambassadors promoting it.
Yet, after they announced they were coming back, Snapdeal sold 60,000 welcome kits in 5 minutes.
In three years, after the ban was lifted, they were back with a 60% market share in the noodles.
What makes Maggi so good that competitors couldn’t replace them?
I’ve seen people eat Sunfeast’s Yippee Noodles and call it Maggi.
There are dishes named after Maggi (Heck, There are dogs named that too). Walk to any hill station and you’ll see Cheese Maggi, Maggi Bhel, and sandwiches made out of Maggi and whatnot.
I see two reasons.
They were first in their zone
There were no instant noodles popular before Maggi. Being first in your space is probably the best marketing strategy ever.
Did you know Xerox was the brand of the copier that introduced us to the ‘xerox’ copies?
In the Book “22 Immutable Laws of Marketing” by Al Ries and Jack Trout. The first law they talk about is this, Being first with your product.
(Even if there were instant noodles before Maggi, they never did what you’re about to hear below)
The advertising and positioning
They managed to create advertisements that connect with us emotionally. They positioned themselves as 2-minute noodles. They’ve ads with students, bachelors, couples, kids, and families.
I remember I was in 6th Grade when they offered free Maggi as part of an advertising campaign at our school.
Even during the ban, they were active on social media saying how they missed us. They made these kinds of beautiful ads.
Enough said about Maggi, let’s talk more about the advertising.
The 2-minute instant noodles campaign goes back 100 years.
Back in 1900, Quaker Oats Company asked legendary copywriter Claude Hopkins to increase the consumption of oatmeal. He experimented with different campaigns. One of which was Two-minute Oats. The product failed because of the taste. He later advertised another product called Quick Quaker Oats. That was a massive success.
Hopkins stressed a lot on giving away free samples as a part of advertising. Maggi did that too, on a large scale.
