Pot Noodle's brilliant, Effie-winning response to a failed product launch
Oct 13, 2024
auto_awesome
Tom Claridge, Head of Strategy at U-Studio, Unilever's in-house digital agency, shares insights on turning a failed Pot Noodle launch into a marketing triumph. He discusses the power of humor and self-deprecation in regaining consumer trust. Inspired by brands like KFC, the campaign embraced honesty and creativity on social media, leading to remarkable sales recovery. Claridge also highlights the agility of U-Studio and the significance of authenticity in brand messaging, making a compelling case for innovative strategic responses in challenging market conditions.
Pot Noodle successfully leveraged humor and honesty to redeem a failed product launch, creating a relatable narrative that engaged consumers.
The campaign's focus on understanding consumer sentiment post-COVID allowed Pot Noodle to rebuild trust, resulting in significant sales and market penetration growth.
Deep dives
The Importance of Acknowledging Mistakes
Acknowledging mistakes is crucial for brands, as demonstrated by Pot Noodle's campaign following a product failure. After their new 'Lost the Pot' flavor line received detrimental feedback, rather than defending the product, they decided to own up to their errors in a humorous and self-critical manner. This approach was inspired by successful precedents set by prominent brands like Carlsberg and KFC, which had previously admitted their shortcomings to connect with consumers. The decision to embrace honesty rather than traditional branding tactics allowed Pot Noodle to rebuild trust and credibility with its audience.
Creative Engagement Through Humor
The use of humor turned out to be a pivotal aspect of Pot Noodle's recovery campaign. By creating fictional internal characters, such as a head of flavor, and crafting a social soap opera around their product failures, they effectively engaged their audience in a lighthearted narrative. This strategy not only entertained consumers but also helped to normalize the brand's previous missteps, inviting community engagement and sharing. The result was a unique marketing approach that resonated with their audience, making them feel personally involved in the brand's redemption story.
Targeting Consumer Sentiment
Understanding consumer sentiment played a significant role in shaping Pot Noodle's marketing strategy, especially in a post-COVID context. Research revealed that the target audience had developed a skepticism towards marketing claims and appreciated brands that exhibited honesty and humility. By tapping into this sentiment and portraying the brand as relatable and human, Pot Noodle successfully reclaimed its market position. The campaign created a sense of community among consumers who enjoyed seeing the brand candidly poke fun at itself.
Successful Campaign Outcomes
The campaign yielded impressive results, with household penetration increasing by 21% and sales by 50% following the rebranding initiative. This success was driven primarily through social media, allowing for a more cost-effective marketing strategy that focused on direct consumer feedback. The brand's self-deprecating humor and transparency resonated with audiences, leading to an impressive ROI of 2.6 to 1, demonstrating the effectiveness of their unconventional approach. Overall, the campaign not only salvaged a failing product line but also strengthened Pot Noodle's relationship with its customer base.
Inspired by Carlsberg and KFC, Pot Noodle designed a response to a product fail that lifted both the brand and the relaunched product to unexpected levels. By embracing its failure and using honesty as entertainment in a social only campaign, the brand extension was saved. Thanks to the Effie's for sponsoring this series. More at effie-org.
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode