Maggi – why ORM is important and impact of the excessive lead crisis.

BEFORE THE CRISIS

Maggi was one of India’s most popular fast food, consumed and cherished by young and old alike.

One of the very few food products which is easily available and is a staple of the Army men stationed at Siachen.

Available in almost all General stores and Supermarkets

CRISIS

FDA in UPA declares Maggi unsafe for consumption due to excess lead detected

Source: http://zeenews.india.com/news/videos/top-stories/maggi-under-regulatory-scanner-for-excess-amount-of-lead-msg_1598872.html

Cause for CrisisDelayed acknowledgement of the

crisisUnwillingness to address the crisisLetting the situation go out of hand

on socialDelayed responses on SocialUnwillingness to display any

assurance Lack of a public apology in the face

of a crisis

CURRENT SENTIMENT AND SOV ON ONLINE

Sentiment on SocialAccording to

Simplify360, 61% of the sentiment was negative

Only 27 % of the conversations were Positive

Source:http://lighthouseinsights.in/maggi-controversy-social-media.html/

SOV

4.43 lakh conversations

4.37 lakh conversations on Twitter

Source:http://lighthouseinsights.in/maggi-controversy-social-media.html/

INFLUENCERS AND THEIR VIEWS ON MAGGI AND THE CRISIS

CONCERNS EXPRESSED

Source:http://lighthouseinsights.in/maggi-controversy-social-media.html/

Concerns on Social

Concerns on Social

APPROACHES FOR CHANGE IN PERCEPTION

Prompt assurance on concernsAn assurance immediately after

the incident that the brand is investigating the issue and will share the results publicly on social media as well as in print media.

Apologize Publicly

Doing the ‘Flipkart’, with a full front page advertisement, apologizing unconditionally for breach of trust and promising to make sure the customers trust and loyalty is valued.

Refute the claimsDisagree that the

product has excessive lead in it and claim that as per their tests, it is all hunky-dory, addressing concerns that the product is unsafe for consumers.

Source: Facebook page- Meri-Maggi /

Be proactive

Agree that the lead content was higher than it should be as per Indian FDA standards, but only in a particular batch.

TARGET PLATFORMS & AUDIENCES

Suggested approachFor Social Media

Respond proactively on

◦ Facebook◦ Twitter

Assurance◦ Blogs◦ Search Engines

For Offline media

Apologize publicly◦ PR & Print Media

SOCIAL MEDIA- TWITTERWhy?-Most conversations since the crisis have been on Twitter.

How?Respond to conversations around the #MaggiBan in a sensitive manner while ensuring the responses do not seem copied from a single set of predetermined standard responses.

Addressing the users need for assurance that the product is safe and fit for consumption promptly would go a long way in ensuring customer loyalty and trust remaining intact.. This will also create a perception that the brand cares about its consumers whereas the common perception is the exact opposite., after the statement by Paul Bucke

Impact-Creating customer advocates which can help reduce the negativity around the brand on Twitter

Source: Twitter page- Meri-Maggi /

SOCIAL MEDIA- FACEBOOKWhy? It is the best medium to address the huge audience which is interested in Maggi as a consumer/marketer/wholesaler/retailer/foodie as showcased in the statistics below.

How?Use the Page to post content and aggressively promote it for a week.

Respond actively to conversations on the Facebook page in a sensitive manner to rebuff any concerns about the brand and acknowledge that the brand is sincerely concerned about the customers health being one of India’s leading food based manufacturer.

Try to use as many different ways to communicate the message by modifying the verbiage and using different combinations so the responses do not seem morose or robotic

Source: Facebook

SEARCH ENGINESWhy- anyone who wants information on the internet will naturally search using a Search engine and go through the search results

How- Optimize the search results through SEO to ensure public statements by nestle and positive articles appear on the search results listing instead of news articles.

PRINT & MEDIAWhy?

Refer Cadbury, Pepsi and Coca Cola cases wherein an A-list brand Ambassador like Amitabh Bachhan and Aamir Khan to reinforce safety of the product.

How?Rope in PR specialists to help with the campaign, while simultaneously focusing on highlighting rigorous internal Quality Control checks to ensure the broken trust in general public is won back and retained.

Source: http://www.firstpost.com/business/damning-silence-of-nestle-maggi-must-do-a-cadbury-before-it-is-too-late-2278594.html

SOCIAL- BLOGSWhy?Popular blogs go a long way in changing sentiment on social and help retain popularity, also, they help in spreading the word out to a niche audience, aka the foodie.

How?Connect with bloggers to showcase safety measures implemented in Nestle plants and discuss Quality checks done to ensure a safe product fit for consumption.

Impact?Blog posts are among the most shared content after videos on Facebook, hence they will double up in turning around the existent negative sentiment on Facebook to Neutral and Positives through Customer advocates

Source: http://itwofs.com/beastoftraal/2015/05/19/post-msg-controversy-maggi-initiates-mass-auto-response-protocol/

CONCLUSION

Impact of this crisis is far reaching, considering how popular the product was

Rebranding and massive PR is the only way out for Nestle to dig themselves out of this hole

Ignoring social media can extensively damage the brand reputation and loyalty

Training the Social team to respond promptly and innovatively will help avoid a future crisis