The Comeback

Maggi is safe, and has always been - this was the tagline with which Maggi
started its relaunch campaign through a front-page print campaign in The Times
of India, Delhi edition, dated October 19, 2015 (Appendix-1). The campaign was
started four days after the brand cleared the tests mandated by the Bombay
High Court.
Maggi made a comeback after 5 months of the ban on selling the instant noodles
in India. Nestl India claimed to have cleared over 3,500 tests representing over
200 million packs in both national as well as international accredited
laboratories. Also, countries including the USA, the UK, Singapore, and Australia
found Maggi manufactured in India safe for consumption 1.
Suresh Narayanan, Chairman and Managing Director, Nestle India, said, Our
promotional strategy will be across three platforms. We will use traditional media
to reassure our consumers regarding the safety of our product. We will connect
digitally with our target group. Besides, there will be a lot of events for brand
activation2.
Traditional Media
Four months after the ban, Nestle started increasing spending on television
commercials, setting the ground for the relaunch of Maggi in the India 3. They
advertised aggressively to mark the comeback of the brand in the Indian markets
(Appendix-2). Safety record of the brand was stressed in all its advertisements.
The comeback campaign was aimed to reassure its consumers that their beloved
Maggi is safe to consume.
One TV ad shows a mother narrating a tale about her son tip-toeing at night to
cook Maggi. The ad illustrates how the questions raised about the products
safety got the mother worried. But after Maggi cleared all the safety tests, her
fears were allayed. In fact, in the first few ads, focus is on the mothers as
protagonists. Mothers & Kids are the primary targets of the brand and it was
necessary for the brand to gain the trust & confidence of the mothers back.
In its relaunch campaign, Maggi did not leverage brand ambassadors to
reconnect with the masses. The brand decided to directly connect with its
customers alluding to their pre-ban loyalty for Maggi rather than trying to sell the
product using the reference power of celebrities.
It was also stressed that the contents of Maggi havent been changed. There was
a small change in the packaging of the product; a few words were included on
the packet which conveyed the companys commitment to quality and goodness
that consumers can trust.
Digital Marketing
Digital and social media engagement were central to the brand building process
of Maggi. A 24*7 toll-free consumer service was put in place to address

consumer concerns about the product. A dedicated FAQ page was set up on
Nestles website so that the doubts & fears of consumers regarding the product
could be allayed (Appendix - 3). The firms consumer engagement team
engaged, answered queries and delivered relevant content & information across
channels to consumers during the relaunch 4.
Nestle also partnered with online marketplace Snapdeal for selling Maggi. Maggi
was to be sold via unique flash sale model, wherein Snapdeal sought preregistration of buyers for the instant noodles brand. The idea behind flash sales
is to create an image of a valuable & and in-demand product. Flash sales are
usually held for new mobile phones which are launched in limited quantity. Flash
Sale for an FMCG product highlighted the value of the product of the consumers.
It succeeded in creating an impression that a lot of consumers are waiting for
Maggi to comeback and hence a flash sale with pre-registrations is required. The
Snapdeal launch also had a dedicated FAQ page to answer all consumer queries
regarding the product and whats added to it.
Snapdeal sold out the first batch of 60,000 Maggi Welcome Kits within 5 minutes
of Maggi Flash Sale going live. The brand witnessed a phenomenal response to
this sale from customers across the country. The Snapdeal offer was christened
Dil ki Deal and the hashtag DILKIDEALWITHMAGGI started trending on twitter
after the sale was resumed5.
Brand Activation
The brand focused on building a long term emotional connection between the
brand and the consumers through its marketing strategies. The brand used
activation to bring back its lost popularity and make consumers feel connected to
the brand again.
The brand decided to take on an emotional route to reconnect with its
customers. To that extent, it launched a series of videos on its official YouTube
channel Meri Maggi depicting that the product is still the same and nothing has
changed because of the controversy. The videos were shared on twitter with the
hashtag #WeMissYouToo, to keep the brand alive in consumers minds.
The company also made sure that they addressed varied consumer segments in
this video series - young boys and girls living in hostels, bachelor pads and the
Indian moms whove been making Maggi for their kids ever since its been there.
One of the videos aims to bring back the memories of having Maggi after coming
back from school. Such small instances depicted the videos played a significant
role in bringing the nostalgia. The brand basically took its customers back in time
when Maggi was a loved product, trying to obliterate the memories of the
controversy.
Their marketing strategy highlights the importance of good communication with
the complete message. By alluding to the emotional side of the customers, they
are trying to communicate that Maggi is irreplaceable and it is back to fill the
empty space in their lives.

Maggi conducted various online competitions asking its consumers to express

their favourite moments with Maggi and asking them what Maggi brought back
with its comeback. Consumers participated with full enthusiasm. Twitter page,
Facebook page and YouTube page of Maggi were crowded with its fan followers
expressing their trust for Maggi5.
A one-of-a-kind event was held to welcome back MAGGI to the Indian market
after a nationwide ban. Over 850 employees were present at the event to
celebrate MAGGIs comeback (Appendix - 4). The highlight of the event was a
live digital activation module. Unlike typical conferences where participants are
asked to put their mobiles on silent mode, the attendees were encouraged to use
their smartphones and post their messages online with the hashtag
#WelcomeBackMAGGI, which were then screened live. The level of interaction
was at a peak, with attendees actively posting on Instagram, Facebook and
Twitter6.
Outcome
It is important to note here that promotion with rational messages might not
have had as significant impact as these emotional messages. The controversy
led to peoples loss of trust in the brand, which can be rebuilt only by referring to
the ages old relationship of Maggi with its customers.
One more interesting feature of their marketing strategy is that they are not
apologising or ashamed of the whole fiasco. They do not want to imply in any
way that they were at fault in the situation.
The brand also realized that a series of campaigns will be required to persuade
people before they can start trusting the brand again; hence, multi-dimensional
marketing strategy.
The category, dominated by Maggi until May, 2015, has become fragmented with
other instant noodles brands having caught up.
According to a report by Nomura Financial Advisory and Securities (India) Pvt.
Ltd, published in May 2015, Maggi commanded 80.2% of the market for instant
noodles in the quarter to March 2015. During the period when sale of Maggi
noodles was banned, ITC Ltd.s Yippee noodles and Wai Wai noodles from Nepals
CG Foods gained market share filling the void created by the absence of Maggi
from the market. Patanjali Ayurveda also joined the race for a share of the
market by launching atta noodles8.
Nestle India sold 3.3 crore units of Maggi in the first 10 days of its relaunch 5. On
the day Nestle India announced that it would resume manufacturing the noodles,
Nestle Indias share price jumped 4% 10. Suresh Narayanan, Chairman and
Managing Director, Nestle India said that they have recaptured 75-80% of the
market and are continuously working to regain the market share, goodwill and
trust of our customers7.

Nestle India had stated that Maggi noodles had regained 50% share in Indias Rs.
2,000-crore noodles market, about six months after it relaunched the popular
snack (Appendix - 5). The company has based its claim on a report by market
researcher Nielsen8.
As an aftermath of the crisis, Narayanan said Nestle India will go for product
portfolio diversification with focus on dairy, coffee and beverages as well as
chocolates and confectionery in order to avoid over-dependence on a single
product9.

The Chicken variant of Maggi noodles was relaunched in February, 2016. Nestle
India launched the two new variants of Maggi on Snapdeal as a preview sale in
April, 2016. With the latest relaunch, the company aimed to provide more
choices to suit consumer preferences, thus driving greater volumes and building
back their market share.
Conclusion

Appendix - 1
Front Page Print Ad after the clean chit by the court

Appendix - 2
Aggressive Advertising Strategy

Source: es.indiatimes.com/industry/consproducts/food/nestle-sets-ground-for-maggis-relaunchincreasesspending-ontelevision-

commercials/articleshow/49459787.cms

Appendix - 3
FAQs page on Nestle Website

Appendix - 4
Maggi Relaunch Event

Source:
http://www.eventfaqs.com/news/ef-11476/showtime-welcomes-back-nestle-maggi-with-agrand-re-launch-in-delhi

Appendix - 5
Maggis sales post re-launch

Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2016/04/20/how-nestle-clawed-its-way-back-to-the-topof-indias-noodle-market/

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