Few brands are as woven into Nigerian kitchens as Indomie. This autumn, its maker Dufil Prima Foods is running two very different campaigns at once, and together they show how the brand keeps its place.
Play one: own a cause for years
The Indomie Heroes Awards, which honour brave young Nigerians, is in its 18th edition. This year it has become an eight-part television series, hosted by Tomike Adeoye, which began airing on 18 October, Brandessence Nigeria reported. It follows 18 finalists across physical, intellectual and social bravery categories.
The schedule is spread wide: NTA on Fridays, AIT and Channels Television on Saturdays, BCOS, CTV Kano and Africa Magic Family on Sundays, and Indomie Nigeria's YouTube channel on Saturdays. "At Indomie, we believe that the potential to inspire change exists in every child," said Temitope Ashiwaju, group corporate communications and events manager at Dufil Prima Foods.
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Indomie Palooza, themed "Where Moments Meet Fun", ran from 12 September to a two-day Lagos finale on 10 and 11 October, with stops in Abuja, Port Harcourt and Ibadan, Brand Communicator reported. Each city had local headliners: Ice Prince, Spyro and Boyskido in Abuja; Reekado Banks and Victor AD in Port Harcourt; 9ice, Reminisce and Tiri Leather in Ibadan. The Lagos finale marked World Indomie Day.
The food was the point. The tour served noodle combos named after Nigerian favourites: Indomie Asun, Africana, Peppered Chicken, Nkwobi and Gizdodo. "Indomie has always been part of the everyday moments Nigerians share with family and friends," brand manager Ibrahim Isah said.
What other brands can take from it
- Stick with one cause long enough that people link it to you. Eighteen editions builds a kind of trust a one-off campaign cannot.
- Put the product in local food culture. Naming combos after asun and nkwobi makes noodles part of dishes people already love.
- Go beyond Lagos. Three of the four tour stops were elsewhere.
- Spread the same content across free-to-air TV, pay TV and YouTube to reach both older and younger viewers.
- Tie events to a date you own. The tour's finale doubled as World Indomie Day.
A caveat: Indomie has not published audience, reach or sales figures for either campaign, so the results cannot yet be judged on numbers.
