Results and Effectiveness

Due to extensive sampling there was increased awareness for the brand which in turn created demand leading to a 64% increase in the number of distribution points. Volumes kept pace and grew by a massive 62% making it one of the most successful brand launches from MAGGI and Nestle in India. Marketers are wont to pay lip service to bottom of the pyramid marketing. Nestle took a concrete step to make a successful marketing programme out of it. The success of this model has prompted Nestle to replicate it in Mexico as well.

Creative Execution

Jatra is a popular and ancient musical folk-theatre form popular in rural Bengal. The presence of nearly five thousand people at each performance makes it the perfect medium to access bottom-of-pyramid audiences. It is an occasion where one can find men, women and children in equal numbers. This traveling activation platform had opportunities like in-story placements (which was extremely effective). The audience was exposed to the micro-nutrient and product story with the brand integrated within the performance. Samples along with a leaflet were given to women as they entered the venue. Billboards about Jatra shows were placed at strategic locations in different villages. Posters , banners and standees were used to reinforce the message. Costing only US $30,800, 3 Jatra troupes were engaged across 8 months for 203 performances leading to 1.1 million experiencing the product message first hand. The reach of outdoor and mobile vans added another 0.65 million.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

Three points helped triangulate a winning strategy for Nestle India’s Maggi in the Indian state of West Bengal. The first was the fact that micro-nutrient deficiency is a reality amongst rural populations in India. It is partly due to lack of awareness and partly due to low income. The second reality was the absence of any conventional media pipeline to serve messages to potential audiences. Nutritional information is typically passed through word of mouth and any behavioral change messaging had to be conscious of it. The third was a low-priced product (5c/sachet) in the Maggi Portfolio – a nutritionally fortified mix of spices and nutrients that enhanced the taste of regular food and also delivered the missing Iodine, Iron and VitaminA. The idea was to choose a medium that was embedded in the social fabric of Indian rural society, had a lasting impact, would facilitate product trials and ultimately adoption.