Companies should integrate better with customers and local audiences through benevolent
CSR programmes
To those of you who follow cricket you must have
observed one common trait. Most teams whether it is India, Australia or even
Bangladesh tend to be “tigers at home”. Sadly as Australia kept reminding us in
England they need hardly be that in alien conditions. And it is in this context
that we must remember that Nestle a global company headquartered in Switzerland
completes 100 years of being a part of India and its life, its fabric even. Let’s
watch their recent commercial which is done for completion of 100 years in this
country which has seen several other global brands bite the dust.
It is a nostalgic commercial giving an old world
feel about India and the events that have made the nation what it is. The stuff
that memories and dreams are made of. The whole commercial is about India and
its glorious moments of which Nestle has been a part of. Forget macro India,
closer home, I do remember some of my sweetest moments have been in slyly
slurping the Nestle condensed milk in our kitchen. I am sure I am not alone as
millions of Indians have been weaned on Nestum and Cerelac initially. And who can
forget Maggi, whatever its current troubles, the ketchup with those mad
commercials and more recently KitKat. But as usual I am digressing. The
commercial goes back to 1947 and Jawaharlal Nehru’s famous tryst with destiny.
It shows the nation’s pride at Rakesh Sharma’s exploits in space and India’s
first World Cup win in 1983 which has been an indelible moment in the lives of
many Indians like me. It has a collage of shots of old and young enjoying
glorious moments in everyday life sweetened by Nestle.
Troubled times at the
multinational
And yet, the last year has been a period of trauma
for Nestle. We all know the chaos that Maggi noodles faced in the country
resulting in their being taken off the shelves. Newsprint, Facebook and Twitter
have been bursting at the seams about Maggi and Nestle and what they could have
done and yours truly has added to the chaos on the subject. So I will strive
not to repeat myself and merely stop with saying that it is easy to be wise
after the event as some of us have been. But it must be said that Nestle which
had to use the tremendous love and equity that Nestle had with his customers
was hardly used as consumer testimonial in the height of the crisis. But I
daresay some things are better late than never. So once Maggi was pushed off
the shelves and here it must be mentioned that Nestle would exercise abundant
caution and not release the product to the market till every legal condition
was met. So then it released a number of these commercials on YouTube (see links)
featuring lots of youngsters, speaking to the camera and talking about how
Maggi had been an integral part of their lives and how they missed it in their
lives. Whether it was being self-sufficient, or being able to rustle up late
night meals or not being found out as poor cooks. Clearly the brand has the
stature and the long standing relationship with customers to take the stance it
does. Watch the commercials which is in line with most modern advertising,
primarily created for the social media and not so much on mainline television
given the costs associated with that powerful medium.
Some things worth pondering
Let me just give you a few random thoughts on the
subject. People and brands should not reach out to others only in times of need
and this is what the current communication reminds me about. Sadly Nestle seems
to have the same problem. I remember reading somewhere that Nestle first came
into the country in 1912 and yet it remembers that it has been here for a
century in 2015 after the shit has hit the fan. Yes, Nestle has been an
integral part of India and Indians but must it remember this only now? I always
remember the Tylenol crisis and why Johnson and Johnson was able to come out of
it a lot easier than a brand like Eveready which had absolutely no connect
other than selling batteries for a profit. I wish companies would integrate
better with their customers and local audiences with benevolent CSR programs as
the bond cannot be created by advertising only. Having said this I would still
like to believe that Nestle has a continuing future in the minds and hearts of
India and its consumers. Trust is neither built nor lost in a day and people
like me will always remember the role Nestle played in our lives.
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