Carl Heinrich Knorr founded Knorr in 1838, where he started to experiment in his Heilbronn factory in Germany with different kinds of dried vegetables and seasonings and tried to find out ways to preserve their flavors and food values. Thus, this German food brand was started with a mission to bring better and more flavorsome food to our tables. He mastered drying techniques, enabling soup mixes, vegetables, and bouillon to be prepared, which were delicious, nutritious, and easy to use.
The Erbswurst Pea Sausage soup was launched in 1889. By 1912, three kitchen staples followed this – Knorr SOS soups, soup cubes, and the Knorr Bouillon Cube.
Knorr opened branches in the 1920s in New York and the Polish city of Poznań and appointed the first-ever Knorr chef.
It was rolled globally by 1950 and it gathered momentum by then. By the 1960s, the company’s products were found in kitchen cupboards across Europe and had established itself on shop shelves in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico.
The Heilbronn factory in Germany where it all started became the company’s R&D center in 1962 and developed the patented binding technology used in the packaging for products such as dry salad mixes and meal-makers. Heilbronn opened its first Chefmanship Centre by 1967, which grew into one of the biggest chefs’ employers worldwide, and now it has become home to 300 chefs representing 48 different nationalities.
Knorr launched its first soup product in the 1870s, Suppenmehl before branching out into different mixes containing flour from peas, beans, and lentils, dried vegetables, and spices. As consumers got a taste for Knorr, the brand began its international expansion with factories in Switzerland and Austria.
By 2000, Knorr products were marketed in almost 87+ countries. Unilever acquired Best Foods in 2000 and Knorr became the bestselling brand of Unilever under the soups and beverages category.
Product Division
Even though Knorr started with ready to cook dry soups but eyeing the customer demand and growth opportunity, it increased its portfolio of offerings and added several other products like soupy noodles, snack soups, spice mixes, wraps, and rolls.
Keeping in mind the global market, Knorr launched each of its product categories in a range of flavors. To gain upper hand in the Indian market, it has launched the spice mixes in several flavors such as Biriyani Masala, Sambhar Masala, Pav Bhaji Masala, etc. respecting the diverse food habits and preferences across India.
The product mix contains four major categories –
Easy to cook– Comes in a wide range of classic as well as international flavors like Mixed vegetable soup, Mexican Tomato corn soup, etc.
Noodles – Unique mix of masala noodles, vegetables and soup with Indian spices in a wide range of flavors like Chinese Schezwan, Italian Margherita, Desi Masala Chaska, etc.
Soups – Comes in a cup-a-soup form to cater to the hunger cravings between meals, available in a wide range of flavors like Mixed veg, Tomato chatpata, Manchow veg, etc.
Chef’s Masala– Offered to cater to the need to make tasty food at home like the restaurant, the product range includes eight masalas like Biriyani, Chana, Sambhar, etc.
Marketing Campaigns and strategies
Knorr advertisements target health-conscious urban mothers (30-40 years old). They are concerned with the well-being of their family and try to prepare tasty yet nutritious meals in the limited time they have and gain the recognition they desire.
Knorr adheres to aggressive marketing to promote its every single product or flavor in all possible advertisement platforms like TV, newspapers, Social Media, and billboards. Also, the ad campaigns are consistent in displaying the bond between mother and children and how mothers can earn appreciation from the children by cooking tasty yet nutritious foods with the help of offerings from Knorr.
In each of its advertisement, it has brilliantly targeted both the consumer (children and husband) and the influencer (the mother who generally takes the buying decisions). Pankaj Bhadouria, the winner of Master Chef Season 1, is the face of the brand currently who also teaches how to cook several Indian dishes with the help of Knorr and other ingredients on YouTube.
Some of its famous campaigns are
Kha ke Piyo ya Pi ke Khao – Promoting the 2 in 1 benefits (noodles and soup) of soupy noodles.
Cup-A-Soup – The digital marketing campaign was targeted to the office goers. Knorr came up with ten webisodes where office goers land in a soup (stuck between two important people) and saved themselves through Knorr Cup-A-Soup. Knorr asked the audience to share their own stories.
Choti Bhuk Mitao – Launched a campaign in retail stores which highlighted the proposition of preparing a soup in a minute and win the mid-meal hunger cravings.
Dishes Out – Soups targeted in chilly winter areas where people want to have something warm and nutritious—advertised on billboards near all rail stations, metro stations, bus stands, etc.
Knorr is an example of a globally successful brand that has always been known for its innovative products and aggressive marketing with a consistent message.
Read about: Nestlé – The Global FMCG Brand Providing Good Food And Good Life
Why is the branding strategy successful?
The reasons for success for Knorr in the Indian market can be categorized into four strategical elements or 4Ps of marketing i.e product, pricing, positioning, and promotion.
Product – The company has always been able to come up with innovative products from time to time, be it the soupy noodles or the cup-a-soup, which has increased customer attention and loyalty. The regional and desi flavors in each of its product range have made it an automatic choice for customers in its categories of soup or masala.
Pricing – It prices its products comparatively lower than competitors Maggie and Yippee to gain penetrative benefits. Knorr follows penetration pricing by keeping prices low and at par with competitors. The other major competitors are Maggi and Yippee.
Place – The brand falls under the huge FMCG range of Unilever, which has a well-established supply chain across India and has the potential to reach more than 7 million retail outlets. However, as Knorr is primarily targeted towards urban households, the brand’s products are also available in supermarkets and online grocery stores.
Promotion – As discussed before, Knorr aggressively promotes its products through all possible channels and keeps its message consistent with cooking tasty yet nutritious foods just like the restaurant.
The Knorr brand has always been able to retain its customer-oriented image from the inception and always focused on 100% real ingredients without preservatives in its offerings, which has helped it to sustain amid competitors like Maggie or Yippee. Now it’s about the time when Knorr came up with more innovative strategies to acquire the middle-class market in the Tier-II and Tier-III cities of India. Additionally, Knorr also aims to source 100% of raw agricultural materials sustainably and to help more than 1 billion people improve their health and well-being by teaching them how to cook nutritiously by 2020.
