MAGGI NOODLES IN INDIA: CREATING AND GROWING THE CATEGORY

The case describes the four-part approach that Nestlé used to accomplish this: adapting its product from a soupy noodle to a dry cake and formulating a taste that would appeal to the Indian palate across the entire country; strengthening its competitive position by attending to each element of the value chain - R&D, manufacturing, supply chain, sales and marketing; growing the category through product innovation and go-to-market innovation; and retaining a leadership position in the face of competition from other MNCs by continuous innovation and willingness to cannibalize its own products. The case illustrates how multinational corporations (MNCs) can capitalize on the huge opportunities available in the Indian market. While the market is potentially huge, the challenges in developing it are also daunting. Success requires persistence and entrepreneurship at multiple levels of the corporation. In the case of Nestlé, top management at its Swiss headquarters, the country head in India and the front line product champion in India all played their parts in an aligned manner. The case illustrates how an MNC can blend local responsiveness with its global strengths to create a winning position in the Indian market. Learning objectives: The main learning objective of this case is to support mid-level and senior executives (senior executives, country managers in emerging markets, supply chain professionals, product development teams) as well as MBA participants in exploring how MNCs can best leverage the India opportunity.

• Brand management
• Competitive forces