Uncovering The Nestle Marketing Strategy – A Case Study

Nestle, the brand that emerged in the 1860s, is currently one of leading conglomerates consumer goods companies that have been at the forefront of this food industry since its establishment. All due to Nestle marketing strategy.

Nestle Company Overview 

The name has many brands under it, be it the snacks brand, coffee, kids brands, chocolates, dairy products, etc. Nestle has expanded its operations and servings globally, and operates in more than 188 countries. 

The brand has its roots dated back to 1866, the year in which it was founded by Henri Nestle, a pharmacist in Vevey, Switzerland. 

The brand comes with the tagline of, “Good Food, Good Life”. Nestle has grown exponentially in India, since its arrival in 1956, and its first product offering in the 1960s in India. 

Nestle has been deeply rooted in the FMCG sector, and in India it has made a strong presence with time, with its market cap, revenue generated and new innovation and marketing strategies that change with customer preferences and choices. 

Idea behind starting Nestle

Nestle started with a motto to reduce the child mortality rates in the 1860s and provide them with infant food products. But, with time it expanded its product offering range and space. 

Nestle then originated in 1860 when two separate Swiss enterprises later created Nestle. After that Nestle started operating in the United States and Europe. 

Nestle marked its first step on the stairs of growth in the first world war, followed by offering its services and products apart from serving infant food products and condensed milk in the second world war.

How Did Nestle Start Operating? 

The company formed its full operations and services in 1905, by the union of Anglo-Swiss Milk Company that was established in 1866 by brothers Charles and George Page and Farine Lactee Henri Nestle, that was founded by Henri Nestle in 1866.

Since then Nestle has its hands in giving services related to dairy products, coffee products, protein products, kids products, etc.

In India, 

• Nestle first manufacturing facility was set up at Moga (Punjab) in 1961, followed by setting up in Choladi (Tamil Nadu) in 1967, 
• Then in Nanjangud (Karnataka) in 1989, 
• Samalkha (Haryana) in 1992, 
• In Ponda and Bicholim (Goa) in 1995 and 1997, and 
• In Pantnagar (Uttarakhand) in 2006, respectively. 
• In 2012, Nestlé India set up its 8th manufacturing facility at Tahliwal (Himachal Pradesh).

The four branches that are setup in India are located at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata. While the head office of Nestle India is located in Gurgaon, Haryana. 

Target Audience

The target audience for Nestle has been divided into 3 major categories, i.e. the kids audience, the adults or working professional audience, and the general audience, along with products for them. 

• The Kids Audience – Products referred are Caregrow, Koko Krunch, Lactogrow, etc. 
• The Working Professionals & Grown up Individuals – Products referred are Sunrise, Nescafe, Protein products.
• The General Audience – Products referred are Maggie, Kit Kat, Milkmaid. 

Selling stats & Figures about Nestle over the years at a global level

Nestle Marketing Strategy 

Nestle focuses on the updated marketing strategy and the customer preferences that keeps changing with time for both the platforms, be it online or offline. Apart from that Nestle has a strong presence on their digital handles like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc. 

1. Partnering with Famous & Trending Celebrities 

Nestle often collaborates with famous and influential celebrities to market their products and to make them reach a wider base of audience.  

In India, Nestle has appointed Disha Patani as the brand ambassador of Nescafe coffee, Kartik Aryan as the face of Nestle’ Munch, and Ayushman Khurrana as the face of Nestle’s Kit Kat, they all are pretty famous and trendy celebrities among youth. Like this Nestle partners with the famous names that help them drive more customers to its base. 

2. Diverse Range, More Products, Localization of Products 

Nestle has served well through its diverse product range for different customers’ preferences. It has a diverse range of products for its beverage section, breakfast options, infant foods, chocolates, etc. 

Nestle caters to a huge demand of making their products available in the local markets which helps them to make their business grow and address the localization of the market. 

3. Co-Branding  

Nestle, some years back, co-branded with Google and launched Android KitKat and Nespresso Capsules. This move of Nestle created a stir in the market and surpassed and overshadowed their pet product scandal. This co-branding helped them to make their reach wider and also a great way for taking a step into a new market. 

4. OOH Advertising

The Out of Home advertising Nestle does for its brands like Maggie, Chocolates, Nescafe Coffee, etc. are one of the primary ways to divert customers attention towards their name. 

They use the unique creativity and context for their ads for billboards, hoardings, banners, etc. that makes them grab the attention as well as the limelight. With this they are able to reach more and more people.

5. Product Driven Advertising

There is no doubt that Nestle has an extensive product line, and along with that it also has advertisements that are product specific. 

For example, for brands like KitKat and Maggie, Nestle advertises it for all age groups with catchy, engaging, funny, and sometimes uses emotional appeal too, for their advertisements. 

Let’s see some of the famous marketing campaigns of Nestle India!

Nestle Marketing Campaigns 

1. Ask Nestle Campaign 

Nestle India, with this campaign launched a digital tool called NINA (Nestle India Nutrition Assistant) on Ask Nestle platform. In this they used artificial intelligence which offers real-time nutritional information as well as advice on the food we consume. 

This campaign also helped Indian parents to plan and design a full course customized meal for their children who are below the age of 12. This helped Nestle to get ahead of its competitors to drive organic reach to their platform. 

2. Karne Se Hee Hona Hai 

The campaign was launched in July 2020. The campaign was launched just before when India was planning and preparing itself to come out of the lockdown phase and begin their new life with new normal.  The advertisement highlighted and targeted the youth, i.e. the millennials that it all starts with a coffee. 

With this campaign Nestle with its coffee Nescafe, encouraged and appealed to the youth of the country to dream, act, and achieve their life goals.

3. Kids Campaign: Poora Poshan Poori Tasalli 

The campaign highlighted Nestle’s kid product Ceregrow, which provides complete nutrition for kids. The campaign was launched in 2019. The target audience of this campaign was urban couples having kids between the age of 2-5 years old. 

In this campaign, Nestle very effectively and efficiently portrayed how Indian mothers are concerned about their child’s proper nourishment and health.

The campaign showcased its product and communicated that its product Ceregrow, not only fulfills the child’s hunger but also provides the right kind and amount of nutrients for the child’s immunity, nourishment, and for their overall development.

4. Meri Maggi Campaign 

One of the successful campaigns of Nestle. The campaign was started to promote Maggi as a go-to snack. With this campaign, Nestle encouraged consumers to make Maggi as per their plans and wants, and with that share their amazing stories on their Facebook page, and in return get a chance to get featured on Maggi’s official Facebook page. 

To make it more relatable and connected to the customers, Nestle started posting and advertising different pictures and scenarios for different sets of audience. For example, Long break after lectures in the college ad, Pyjama Party with friends of family, etc. 

Note: Also, visit our article Maggi Case Study, to get more insights about it.

Why is Nestle so Successful?

Nestle with time has made a strong brand identity by focusing on its product quality and by identifying & addressing the consumer trends and acting quickly upon them. 

The key to the long‑term success of Nestle, continues to be understanding and serving the consumer. Innovating new technology with the up to date trends. 

Nestle has also made its product packaging a bit more interesting and consistent to make it more appealing and memorable to the consumers. For example, Nestle from the start has been using the red packaging for its KitKat chocolate, while for Milky bar yellow and white packaging has been the same & best for it. 

Key factors for its success can be Innovation and new product launches in the market with affordable rates. Nestle constantly researches and develops new strategies and techniques to meet changing consumer needs and preferences.

Summing Up

Nestle marketing strategy is a blend of its innovation, technology, strategic decisions, campaigns for targeted audiences, partnerships, collaborations, diverse product range, etc. 

Their commitment to provide their customers with the best services and products has garnered them the attention and reach for their brand in brands they operate. This made Nestle one of the prominent and leading players in the food and consumer goods with new innovative marketing strategies.