Maggi is a Nestlé brand known for soups, seasonings, and instant noodles. The original company was founded in 1872 in Switzerland and was a pioneer in industrial food production. Maggi seasoning sauce is popular in many Asian and European countries. Maggi noodles were launched in India in the 1980s and became popular due to promotions targeting mothers and children. Maggi has since expanded its product line in India to include various noodle, sauce, and soup products. Though successful, Maggi faces competition from other international brands and regional competitors in India.

1. 1Maggi Write-Up
September 25, 2013
THE COMPANY
Maggi is a Nestlé brand of soups, stocks, bouillon cubes, ketchups, sauces, seasonings and instant
noodles. The original company came into existence in 1872 in Switzerland, when Julius Maggi took
over his father's mill. He quickly became a pioneer of industrial food production, aiming to improve
the nutritional intake of worker families. Maggi was the first to bring protein-rich legume meal to the
market, and followed up with a ready-made soup based on legume meal in 1886. In 1897, Julius
Maggi founded the company Maggi GmbH in the German town of Singen, where it is still based
today.
In parts of China, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, Philippines, Singapore, India, Pakistan, Europe,
Mexico, Malaysia, Brunei, German-speaking countries, the Netherlands, the Czech
Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia, Poland and France, "Maggi" is still synonymous with the brand's
"Maggi-Würze" (Maggi seasoning sauce) (in Spain it is sold under name Jugo), a dark, hydrolyzed
vegetable protein-based sauce which is very similar to East Asian soy sauce, except it does not
actually contain soy. Prior to the early 2000s, Maggi seasoning was an actual soy sauce, using soy and
wheat as some of their ingredients, however a change in ingredients resulted in the omission of soy. It
was introduced in 1886 as a cheap substitute for meat extract. It has since become a well-known part
of everyday culinary culture in Switzerland, Austria and especially in Germany. It is also well known
in Poland and the Netherlands. Maggi Würze has huge popularity in Serbia and Macedonia despite
not being officially available in those countries. Maggi is also immensely popular in East
Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia, where Maggi seasoning is used in many soups, stir-fries,
marinades and as a dipping/topping sauce. Maggi seasoning is commonly used in Asia as a "soy
sauce".
The bouillon cube or "Maggi cube", which was another meat substitute product, was introduced in
1908. Because chicken and beef broths are so common in the cuisines of many different countries, the
company's products have a large worldwide market.
Today, Maggi is known throughout the world for its dry soups, seasoning sauce and instant noodle
dishes. In New Zealand, Maggi Onion Soup mix is often combined with reduced cream to create an
onion dip for potato chips that has come to be generally accepted as a Kiwi favorite.
In India, Maggi instant noodles are a favorite for an anytime meal. From dorm rooms of colleges to
late-night cooking in home kitchens, it‟s an all-time favorite. Maggi Comes to India – teething
troubles Maggi noodles was launched in India in theearly1980s. Carlo M. Donati, the present
Chairman and Managing Director of Nestle India Ltd, brought the instant noodle brand to India
during his short stint here in the early eighties. At that time, there was no direct competition. The first
competition came from the ready-to-eat snack segment which included snacks like Samosa, biscuits
or maybe peanuts, that were usually „the bought out‟ type. The second competition came from the
home made snacks like Pakore or sandwiches. So there were no specific buy and make snack!
Moreover both competitors had certain drawbacks in comparison. Snacks like Samosa are usually
bought out, and outside food is generally considered unhygienic and unhealthy. The
other competitor, „homemade „snacks overcame both these problems but had the disadvantage of
extended preparation time at home.

2. 2Maggi Write-Up
September 25, 2013
THE BRAND
Launched in 5 flavors initially – Masala, chicken, Capsicum, sweet & sour, and Lasagna –Maggi had
to fight hard to be accepted by Indian consumers with their hard-to-change eating habits. The
packaged food market was very small at this time; Nestle had to promote noodles as a concept, before
it could promote Maggi as a brand. It therefore devised a two-pronged strategy to attract mothers on
the „convenience‟ plank and lure kids on the „fun‟ plank. Gradually, the market for instant noodles
began to grow. The company also decided to focus on promotions to increase the brand awareness. In
the initial years, Nestle promotional activities for Maggi included schemes offering gifts (such as toys
and utensils) in return for empty noodles pack. According to analysts‟ the focus on promotion turned
out to be the single largest factor responsible for Maggi‟s rapid acceptance. Nestlé‟s Managers
utilized promotions as measured to meet their sales target. Gradually, sales promotion became a
crutch for Maggi noodles sales. Later many of the Maggi‟s
extensions also made considerable use of promotional schemes. The focus of all Maggi‟s extensions
was more on below the line activities rather than direct communication. In addition to promotional
activities, Maggi associated itself with main stream television programmed and advertised heavily on
kids program and channels. After its advertisements with taglines like “mummy bhookh lagi hai, bas
do minute” and fast to cook good to eat Maggi‟s popularity became highly attributed to its”
extremely high appeal to children”. As a result, Maggi‟s annual growth reportedly touched 15%
during its initial years.
PRODUCT LINE
The product mix of Maggi is divided into various categories defined below. The company has
launched various products under each category as mentioned below.
1. Noodles
 Maggi 2-Minute Noodle ( Masala , Chicken, Curry and Tomato)
 Maggi Dal Atta Noodles ( Sambhar taste)
 Vegetable Atta Maggi Noodles
 Maggi Rice Noodles (Lemon Masala, Chilly Chow and Shahi Pulao)
 Maggi Cuppa mania (Masala yo, Chilly chow yo)
2. Sauces
 Teekha masala
 Tomato chatpat

3. 3Maggi Write-Up
September 25, 2013
 Imli khata mitha
 Tomato ketchup
 Hot and sweet
 Tomato pudina
 Ginger, Garlic & Coriander
 Maggi Oriental Chili Garlic
 Ginger, Garlic & Coriander
3. Maggi Pichko
4. Soups Healthy
 Chef Style
 Cream Mushroom
 Sweet Sour Tomato Noodles
 Tangy Tomato Vegetables
 Home Style
 Creamy Chicken
 Mixed Vegetable
 Rich Tomato
 Chinese Style
 Chinese Hot Sour Chicken
 Chinese Sweet Corn Chicken
 Chinese Sweet Corn Vegetables
 Chinese Hot & Sour Vegetables
5. Maggi soup sanjivni
 Amla
 Badam

4. 4Maggi Write-Up
September 25, 2013
 Spinach
 Dal
 Tomato
6. Maggi bhuna masala
 Bhuna masala for gravy dishes
 Bhuna masala for vegetable dal
7. Maggi magic cubes
 Chicken
 Vegetarian masala
SWOT ANALYSIS
Strength  Established Family Brand
 Strong Global Corporate Brand ( NIL )
 Specialization in food processing category marketing and distribution in Urban
Market leader
 Presence of other product segments of food category : Dairy Products,
 Chocolate, Infant foods
 Pioneer and Leader so 1st mover advantage in Noodles, Sauce, Ketchups and
Soup market.
 Nestle symbolization of warm, family & shelter
 Research and Development Division in India
 New Noodles Plant in Uttaranchal
 Innovative flavors for Indian taste buds
 Distribution Channels

5. 5Maggi Write-Up
September 25, 2013
Weakness  Generic Brand to Noodles in India
 Low rural market presence constraints
 Uniform Brand for all food category
 Brand Proliferation
 Heavily dependent on one flavour
 Health related issues
Opportunity  Growing package and canned food market in India by 15% annually.
 High brand awareness of Indian consumer
 Other product category like Biscuits, Chips and Ready to Eat Market still
unexplored.
 Opportunity to be substitute to other snacks category of food products.
 Unexploited rural market
 Increasing number of working youth
 Affinity of Indians to Chinese food
Threats  Competitors with long history in product category Internationally like, Heinz
Sauce and ketchups of Heinz Indian, Top Ramen in Noodle and Knorr Soups.
 Single product focused competitors like Heinz sauce and Wai Wai Noodles.
 Less Entry Barriers in the Market segment for product category
 ITC‟s strong base in Indian Market.
 Substitute Product to Product Segment
 Competitive pricing
 Strong presence of regional competitor

6. 6Maggi Write-Up
September 25, 2013
STPD ANALYSIS OF MAGGI BRAND
Segmentation
Market Segmentation divides the heterogeneous market into homogenous groups of customers who
share a similar set of needs/wants and could be satisfied by specific products. Maggi Brand have
segmented the market on the basis of lifestyle and habits of URBAN FAMILIES.
Target
Market Targeting refers to evaluating and deciding from amongst the various alternatives, which
segment can be satisfied best by the company. The Maggi Brand have mainly targeted the Kids,
Youth, Office Goers & Working Women who fall into the category of “convenience-savvy time
misers” who would like to get something instant and be over with it quickly.
Positioning
Market Positioning is the act of designing the company‟s offerings and image to occupy a distinctive
place in the minds of the target market. The goal of positioning is to locate the brand in the minds of
consumers to maximize the potential benefit to the firm. Maggi has positioned itself in the SNACKS
category and not in the meal category since Indians do not consider noodles as a proper food item.
Therefore Maggi have developed its brand image of instant food products with positioning statements
such as “2 minutes noodles” and “Easy to cook, good to eat”.
Differentiations
Points-of-difference (PODs) are attributes or benefits consumers strongly associate with a brand,
positively evaluate and believe they could not find to the same extent with a competitive brand. The
Maggi Brand has also differentiated its brand image from its competitors in terms of taste, flavors and
packaging. Maggi have launched wide varieties of products in different flavors which can attract
larger set of customers. Maggi products are also available in different sizes catering to different
customer needs
MARKETING MIX
Product
Maggi has come up with various products according to the needs of consumers. Some of
them became very popular and some of them were total failure. The products that passed the
test of time are as follows:
Maggi 2-Minute Noodles is one of the largest & most loved snack food brand
that defines the Instant Noodles category in India. It is now available in 5
flavours: Masala, Chicken, Tricky Tomato, and Thrilling Curry & Romantic
Capsicum.

7. 7Maggi Write-Up
September 25, 2013
Maggi Vegetable Multigrainz Noodles is a product which is a source of
Protein, Calcium and Fibre, and has added vegetables. The inspiration for the
product comes from the growing consumer preference for a healthier lifestyle.
Maggi Vegetable Atta Noodles is healthy because it is made of wheat flour
and has more real vegetables and is packed with the power of fibres.
Maggi Cuppa Mania is a combination of all the above. It‟s an easy to carry
on-the-go Cup format, Maggi Cuppa Mania comes in two variants – Masala
Yo! And Chilly Chow Yo.
Price
In terms of pricing company has placed its product in such a way that products enjoy huge
benefit against the competitor. The price also enables huge opportunity for impulse buying.
Products are priced in round off figures e.g. Rs 10, Rs 50. As a result of such pricing
strategies products are the only option in the range of conventional snacks category.
Promotion
Over the years Maggi became an integral part of the Indian household like other FMCGs like
Coke or Pepsi. TV commercials played an important part in it. Elements that have stayed
constant in any Maggi film include the jingle -- „Maggi, Maggi, Maggi‟ in a sing-song voice,
the family setting, and the „two minutes‟ promise, which started off as a USP, but took a
backseat eventually. Maggi has generally stayed away from taking the celebrity endorsement
route. All the ads for the brand usually focus on the mother-child relationship. “The mother
and child are the celebrities for Maggi”.
Other innovative ads like the Maggi voiceover campaign which is a collection of short
vignettes, showcasing consumers‟ memories of Maggi just brought Maggi closer to the heart
of India. As a part of its promotional drive, Maggi has launched a website, meandmeri.in,
where consumers can upload their Maggi moments and submit their favourite Maggi recipe.
Consumers, whose stories or recipes are a hit with the company, will get a chance to be
featured on Maggi packs or ads. Apart from the TV commercials they promoted the product
by
1. Distributing free samples.
2. Giving gifts on return of empty packets.
3. Dry sampling-distributing Maggi packets
4. Wet sampling - distributing cooked Maggi.
5. Availability in different packages 50gm, 100gm, 200gm, etc.
6. Effective Tagline Communication.

8. 8Maggi Write-Up
September 25, 2013
Placement
Nestle Maggi Noodles is famous not only in urban areas but also in rural areas. It is rightly
available at number of retail shops and malls so that consumers can easily purchase the
product without much efforts.
FUTURE DIRECTION
 Nestlé India‟s objective is to manufacture and market the company‟s products in such a way
so as to create value that can be sustained over the long term for consumers, shareholders,
employees and business partners.
 Maggi‟s aims to create value for consumers that can be sustained over the long-term by
offering a wide variety of high quality, safe food products at affordable prices.
 The company continuously focuses its efforts to better understand the changing lifestyles of
modern India and anticipate consumer needs in order to provide convenience, taste, nutrition
and wellness through its product offerings.