Maggi

 

do minute ruk sakte hain, sir ke bal reh sakte hain... 
kyuki, badi gazab ki bhook lagi, maggi chahiye mujhe abhi… Umm, Maggi Noodles ! Maggi Maggi Maggi

People talk about businesses, brands, products, margins, market share what not… I am yet to meet a person between half and twice my age who isn't mad about maggi…

Whether from adventure trips or from school, hostel, college, bachelor days… while some lucky souls get to eat maggi even after marriage…
Talk of maggi and everyone has some fond memories to share…
now that's "mindshare!" … Priceless!

And just like Warren Buffet says, I'd like to say a few things about "Maggi"

1. If I gave you Rs. 1000 crores or $200 million, would you be able to kill Nestle's "maggi" business… I bet you won't (and I don't have that kind of money to give you anyway)
2. I know that 5 or 10 years from now, a lot more maggi packets would be selling resulting in more profits :)

Maggi noodles take just about 2 minutes to cook, hence the name
"2 minute noodles !"
How to Prepare: The Maggi noodle cake and seasoning is added into boiling water for two minutes and it is ready for consumption.
 

Most people have their own way of having maggi, while some like it with vegetables, some like it dry, some like it with gravy, some like it with chicken/sausages/eggs, some like it with tomato sauce and some with chocolate sauce, some like it with mushrooms and what not… however, there is one thing common… they all like it one way or the other!

 
Well, making maggi is so simple that when I try to compliment my friend's wife for being a good cook and all (the fact that she cooks maggi really well)… it only upsets her :)
 
A lot of products have come and gone with huge marketing/adv campaigns, but could not beat or put a dent on maggi's share or business…

However, you do get to see some Top Ramen packets from Nissan still around in retail stores (On that note, did you ever ponder why top ramen sells cheaper than maggi)

Forget others, even the numerous variants of maggi supporting the new punch line "Taste bhi Health bhi" (maggi atta, maggi rice mania, dal sambar, tomato, chicken, blah blah blah) combined do not come close to the original Maggi masala 2 minute noodles...

After all, It's in the taste!

Though it is noteworthy that Nestle has actually managed to build several products around the maggi brand, for instance Soups, Sauces, Ketchups, Seasonings, Cuppa mania… etc

Frankly, I haven't seen a maggi advertisement on television for a while now… but I remember going to a retail store exclusively to buy maggi at least several times in last few months… and trust me, if I don't find maggi in a retail store, I am unlikely to visit it again…
now that's the power of a good product or brand!

On a slightly related note, FMCG should benefit a lot from organized retail which is still picking up in countries like India. I don't think a good retail store can survive missing maggi, lays, ketchup, surf excel, coke, pepsi, sundrop oil, britannia biscuits, amul butter etc on their shelves… hence giving these FMCG products easy and expanded visibility/reach… there is certainly a lot more to talk on this subject, however I will leave it for a future blog.

10 bucks is all it takes…and it has been the same for almost 8 years now… Unbelievable... Isn't it ? Even coke has increased its prices from Rs. 5/- to Rs. 8/- (Remember the advertisement campaign: "Thanda matlab…Coca Cola" ... "Paanch matlab Chhota coke"… although chhota abhi bhi chhota hee hai… par ab bade ki price par miltaa hai")

(Well, being a stingy shopper, I know that Nestle reduced the weight of the maggi packets from 100 grams to 95 grams and recently to 90 grams, that's as good as a price increase of 11.11%, without perceivably telling the customer. Nevertheless, it's still worth it!)

There is something about Maggi… Umm ... I can't describe in words, but there is something about her, that makes everyone go mad about her :)

Well, I would consider this blog a waste if you are not craving to have maggi by now… :)