The Mojo of Maggi!

Karanvir Gupta
It has been a crazy time last week, nay? All our 2 minutes instant cooking relief was snatched away from us in just 2 minutes. One news piece and Boom! You could no more eat your favourite Maggi without any guilt. While all you had your ears to was heavy news (as heavy as the name of that product) -what they call – Mono Sodium Glutamate (MSG to be precise), let’s see the other end of the line. Who had thought that this 2minutes magic was bearing the pain of having a chemical inside it whose name only scientists/chemists would have known or remembered? For now, let’s give rest to all the speculations and see what this drama did at various peripheries.
How the Mommys would have gone mad convincing their kids to eat something else, the chillar parties would have ended with the cold drinks (very healthy products to be consumed!) alone, the hostel mid-night hunger pangs would have surely found a remedy in soups and pastas (till they are declared ban too), the indigenous maggi recipes – cheese Maggi, Egg Maggi would have felt betrayed – to an extent which only a guy can understand who discovers that he is just a kandha(if you have watched Tanu Weds Manu Returns).
The Frenzied Media: I have never felt so ‘awwwwed’, before our so empathetic media took so much care of us and kept us informed about each and every minute particle that exists in the Maggi and all allied harmful insects/larvae that could be found in the products by the same parent brand. They made sure that even before all tests by certified agencies and reports are out, they generate enough masala to let Maggi lose its taste. Sometimes after watching their so-quick customer surveys, I feel why don’t they become marketers itself, it would help the brands and without hurting the public. Oh! Only if it was possible. Arnab Da must have felt so relieved that he doesn’t have to sing RaGa tales and NaMoNamahs for few days at least. Not sure if public would have thanked media but media would have thanked Maggi for soaring their TRPs if not respect.
The Gloomy Marketer: Bechara Marketer! Being a marketer myself, I can only empathise with this cool – large bespectacled – colourful clothes – and a lot accessorized (I guess enough stereotyping done) breed which burns night outs to come up with one liners that can touch the hearts of not even one but million customers. Ouch, they were just touched! And see how powerful the last few days have been that not only the current team but all advertising/media teams which would have worked on the Maggi as a product designing their campaigns, logo, tag lines and launch would have felt the thud. A long tail effect! And the person behind this 2mnutes Maggi campaign would have actually realised the significance of 2minutes. Because it never really took 2minutes but years of persistence to build the brand. The sad part is all this would still not have given them any off but they would be toiling hard conceptualising, ideating and producing add that would relaunch the Maggi once it is washed of its sins. The Marketers – always at work – bechara marketer!
The Indifferent Customer: Well, this turns out to be the most beneficial segment of all the stakeholders involved in the ruckus. Firstly, somebody save them from consuming a product which is supposedly too harmful. Then media made sure that even if some of them couldn’t detach from their first love -Maggi – do so. This didn’t snatch anything from us -the customer. It in fact broke all the inhibitions that had shackled us from trying any new product. The rivalries would have had ball of time right now. And the consumer got a new taste. I feel pity for this customer because if it really bothered him/her, they would have made sure that they do not consume other unhealthy products too. But lo, we forgot that we are a bandwagon mass! If health and nutrition is so valued, then we should ensure that our government makes stringent norms for all that we consume rather than a product/brand alone.
While we wrap up this masala (which seems to have lost its flavour), there is one good thing The Mojo of Maggi did is to bring J&K close to the country. Wonder, how! Because after Delhi, 4 states to follow the suit and ban Maggi were Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and J&K. See, I always believed we are all one and at such tough times, we would show that United we Stand and Divided We Fall. And what diplomats and round tables couldn’t do in years, Maggi did in 2 minutes. Meri dilonkojodnewaali Maggi, jaatejaatebhihumaarabhalaakargayi!

Follow our WhatsApp channel