When we talk about midnight hunger pangs, Maggi is the first thing that comes to our mind. Maggi is very easy to make and it gets ready in 2 minutes. It is one of the most loved and largest food brands in India. At every nook and corner, we can see famous Maggi points selling different varieties of Maggi.
The starting point of the journey of Maggi
Maggi noodles was started in 1984 by Nestle. Initially their target audience were the children. It was therefore positioned as a snack for children which was easy to cook and gets ready in 2 minutes. Maggi used punchlines in their advertisements such as “Mummy Bhook Lagi – Bas 2 Minute.” This line described the loving and caring relationship between a mother and a child.
Overtime, Maggi became popular and came to be known as 2 minute noodles. Not only children but almost all people of all age groups started eating Maggi and it became popular among the youth. It became the ultimate 1 a.m. partner for late night cravings as it’s delicious to have, easy to cook, and gets ready in 2 minutes.
How did they make their brand value?
Maggi was launched in 1984. After constant efforts and hard work, by the year 2000, Maggi became the leader in instant noodles. In 2005, Maggi launched a new variant known as Atta Maggi, for the diet conscious and gym freaks out there. This gave Maggi a healthy touch so that everyone could have it. Maggi used the tagline “health bhi, taste bhi” to attract its customers.
In 2009, Maggi celebrated 25 years of Maggi with ‘me and meri maggi’ campaign and the launch of Maggi Pazzta. Nestle generally refrained from celebrity endorsements but in the year 2012, Amitabh Bachchan was made the brand ambassador of Maggi. At that time, they came up with the tagline ‘Do Minute Mein Khushiyan.’ Everything was going well but suddenly in the year 2015 something unexpected happened.
The Downfall
In the year 2015, it was a year of crisis for Maggi in India. The three decade-long hard work to make it a top-notch brand went in vain. Maggi was banned in the nation by FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) as high amounts of lead were found and the No MSG label was not in accordance with the safety standards. Prior to the ban, Maggi owned nearly 80% of the market share in the instant noodles segment and suddenly no one could buy a single packet of Maggi; its market share went down drastically. This was a major setback; it lost its credibility as it was labelled hazardous by FSSAI.
The Comeback
In the year 2016, Nestle relaunched Maggi. Nestle India said all samples of Maggi Noodles have been cleared by three National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (accredited labs as mandated by the Bombay High Court). People gave it a warm welcome and the youngsters were more than happy.
Advertising Strategy after the comeback
Maggi came up with strong marketing strategies. They launched a campaign called #MISSYOUMAGGI. The advertisements of #MISSYOUMAGGI were run two months prior to its release to create hype. Maggi made an exclusive deal with Snapdeal where it was exclusively available. This created a fear of missing out factor (FOMO) in the youth and then Maggi was back into the market with #WELCOMEBACKMAGGI.
Today, Maggi has earned the same brand value it was before the ban. It is crowned as India’s most favorite noodles. Without the support of its customers it wouldn’t have been possible so the major credit goes to them. It is so popular that everybody is addicted to it.
The journey of Maggi consists of success as well as a downfall but what matters is even after getting banned they came back with more power and continue to have the same brand value as before.
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