Monday, April 12, 2010

Brand Update : Knorr

Knorr recently launched another product line extension - Soupy Noodles. The brand is currently running the campaign featuring its brand ambassador Kajol. Soupy Noodles combines both the properties of soup and noodles. The brand is promoting this variant as a new category to be carved out of Noodles .

Knorr brand was doing well in the market after the company shed all the unwarranted product extensions and concentrated on soup category alone. Knorr retained its lost brand equity and is currently the market leader in the soup market in India.Knorr later extended itself into ready to cook range to expand the portfolio.

The launch of soupy noodles can be looked upon as just another interesting variant of soup product line or as a planned foray into Noodles segment. If the soupy noodles remain as a variant in the soup product line, the brand has done the right move in creating excitement in the market. Soupy Noodles will be attractive to the kids who has now the option of best of both worlds. Having said that Soupy noodles is not entirely an innovation since a similar version called Curry Noodles exists in the market.

The second scenario is where Soupy Noodles is a first step of Knorr into extending itself into noodles. If that is the case, then Knorr has not learned from its previous mistakes. Extension of Knorr brand to noodles will make the brand lose its generic status on the soup category. Of course the brand can point out the case of Maggi extending itself to various other categories. But Knorr had a bad history of extension failures and brand name confusion unlike Maggi.

I think soon Maggi will also launch its version of soupy noodles. If the taste is good, Indian market will see the emergence of a new category of soup + noodles.

Related Brand
Knorr
Maggi

4 comments:

  1. RITHIK HALDAR5:17 PM

    AWESOME Brand Update. I have been following your blog since last one year, from the time I started my MBA.
    The Content of Mr. Harish's blog on any brand or ads he writes is Mind Boggling. Any branding or advertising maniac can treat oneself. (speaking sincerely I had no clue we could comment on the blogs, this is the first time I came to know and I am commenting)

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  2. What the brand has done with this is got the first mover advantage in the minds of the consumer taking the position of 'soupy noodles'. In case the consumer falls in love with the whole idea of soupy noodles as against the conventional noon soupy noodles, the product in itself can pose a threat to Maggi, will they come out with a similar product?

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  3. very ineresting....

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  4. Anonymous9:57 AM

    what is the USP of knorr soupy noodles?

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