Smith & Jones adds tadka to its ads

One of the best endorsements that a new brand can receive is from an entrenched rival; that is apparently what Smith & Jones, an entrant in the noodles category, has secured from Maggi, the category leader. A Smith & Jones ad copy seems to suggest that Maggi loves Smith & Jones' "masala flavour, tadka maar ke". A careful reading, however, reveals that Maggi is actually the name of a representative consumer from Goa, who shares her liking for the flavour with Lakshmi from Chennai and Sukwinder from Chandigarh!

Smith & Jones' potshot at Maggi joins the ranks of the recent drollery-powered jousting between brands â€ Rin's attack on Tide is a case in point.

Ajaay Gupta, CMD of Capital Foods Ltd, the owner of Smith & Jones and Ching's Secret brands, said, "Smith & Jones Masala Noodles Tadka Marke is a fun brand. Our advertisement is a continuation of a series on television and print. We are focused on redefining the Masala noodles category to Masala Tadka Marke."

One of the print ads reads, "Maggi aur Suzi bhi bolain, ah, this is asli masala" (Maggi and Suzi also agree this is the real masala taste). Two other print ads invoke celebrity names in the Maggi from Goa vein: "Mukesh aur Anil bhi khate hain masala tadka mar ke" (Mukesh and Anil also prefer tadka on their masala). The second ad says, "Karina ka masala ya masala tadka mar ke".

In the TVCs, when kids ask their mom for something to eat, in a scene reminiscent of the early Maggi ads, voiceover jumps in roughly at the moment when viewers would expect the familiar "bas, do minute" promise: Asli masale ke liye sirf Smith & Jones noddles

Gupta said that Smith & Jones Masala and Curry Noodles aim to corner a 20 per cent market share of the Indian instant noodles segment in the next six to twelve months. He said, "We believe we have a superior product that tastes better, and more important, it doesn't get soggy or pasty."

Smith & Jones Masala Noodles has been launched successfully in the US, Canada and Australia with a multimedia campaign targeting the Indian Diaspora. The brand has a range of Instant Noodles, Soups, Sauces, Cooking Pastes and Baked Beans.