The Noodles Ad War

The silent competition amongst the different noodles brands is giving the ad scene in Nigeria a facelift. For a terrain that was over-saturated with telecommunications company ads, the noodles ads upsurge gives plenty to applaud. Honeywell Superlime Foods’ O! noodles and May and Bakers’ Mimee are giving De United Food’s Indomie flavours a run for their money.

In a short space of time one could see visible efforts by Indomie to hold tight to their market dominance. First was the ‘Indomitables’ promo. The promo did keep the kids busy and more importantly increased sales. Now it is ‘Feed Your Hero’. This promo involves a child dressed in Superman like apparel, and soaring in the skies. In like manner, the promo is gaining ground amongst the kids.

O! noodles market entry was met with some repulsion in some quarters. A guy is shown on line chatting. The seemingly lewd lines kept some people glued to their screens to see the aftermath. Interestingly, same lines put off some others even before the ad could run its full course. To the disappointment of the former category of people, it turns out that the on-line gist has nothing to do with a girl, as the build up suggested. It was about the Alausa, Ikeja firms O! noodles. Surprisingly, it made it managed to leave its imprint in the minds of the youth. The follow up was a promo that featured a young girl ‘jigging’ (dancing away). The hip hop flavour of the accompanying ad song was a big hit. The promo promised i-pods, cameras and some other stuff.

‘Boom sha sha Mimee’ is a line from the Thai pasta manufactured under license at Ota, Ogun State. This was ad was a mix of all ages. An aged woman, two youths and two children set of this electrifying ad. The mischief of the old-woman is a thrill. The alertness of the children is a spark. The absent mindedness of the youths at the table, gave room for a need to be aware of the antics of people around. What’s more? The playful and upbeat nature of the Mimee song is what makes the different age ranges to fall in love with it. There is the intellectual angle brought in with the matriculation party alongside an air of freedom that comes to bear after the taste of the noodles meal. The English sub-titled lyric of the ad theme song has made the ad to stick in the minds of the public.

How has the ads affected the choices? They have opened up a range of choices for consumers. The bottom line: consumers needed something new and the ads have shown them the way. Prices have also swayed some consumers to stick to certain brands. Chikki noodles boosts of a net weight of 100grams and have reflected this on their price. Their little ad presence has been made up for with an increase in weight and a N40 price. Mimee and Indomie, though with varying net weights of 80g to 70g sell for N30 each. taste of O! noodles have settled for a retail price of just N25.

Many factors make Indomie stand out of the pack though. With all the rest offering only Chicken flavours, Indomie provides more flavours with onions chicken flavour range and rice flavour making the rounds. The seasoning oil that comes with the Onions Chicken Flavour has made some consumers to stick with it. Their range of unique ads and engaging ads has also made them stand out of the crowd. Remember the ‘Children-what-were-you-taught-at school’ ad? It was simply captivating. It was a case of counter outwitting that was resolved by a sharp mother. In hindsight, the Indomie deaths scare of 2002 that led to the closure of their factory has been the spark behind the quality and touch of creativity to their ads. And they are been rewarded for the serious hands-on approach that was put in to tackle the credibility crisis.

In all the noodles ad and promo war has just began. Debates are on which of them is most tasty, most credible, most persuasive, most memorable... Conservative consumers regard the new comers as pretenders despite the ads. The upwardly mobile are enjoying the range of options that are available to them. The cash strapped love the price ranges and options. Whatever the case, the ad and promo campaigns of the noodles manufacturers are turning in a lot of admirers for them to the detriment of spaghetti brands. The noodles war goes on.