Maggi, a brand of instant soups, stock, sauces, taste enhancers and noodles manufactured by Nestle S.A., was the most chosen food brand in the world during 2013, according to Kantar Worldpanel’s Brand Footprint ranking. It is the second year for the rankings, which look to reveal the most sought after brands in 35 countries around the world.
According to the survey of 956 million households, Maggi had a consumer reach point of 2,025 million, up 4% from 2012.
“Maggi’s newest products have been designed to deliver the taste of home-cooking in a way that meets the needs of cash-rich, time-poor consumers who will pay for convenience,” the survey said.
Maggi was followed in the food brand survey by Knorr (a Unilever brand) with 1,688 million consumer reach points, and Lay’s (a PepsiCo, Inc. brand) with 1,514 million consumer reach points. Rounding out the top five were Kraft, with 1,234 million consumer reach points, and Nestle, with 924 million consumer reach points.
Bimbo ranked No. 7 among food brands (and No. 20 among all fast-moving consumer goods brands) with 897 million consumer reach points, up 1% from 2012. Oreo, a Mondelēz International brand, finished just behind Bimbo with 883 million consumer reach points, but attracted more new shoppers than any other brand in the top 50 F.M.C.G. ranking having grown 10% between 2012 and 2013.
“Oreo’s greatest success story is in China, where the brand has become the No. 1 biscuit,” the survey said. “It now sits at position No. 17 in the Chinese F.M.C.G. ranking, having climbed 4 places, thanks to localization of flavors and changes to its pack-sizes.”
Doritos, a PepsiCo, Inc. brand, joined the top 50 F.M.C.G. rankings for the first time at No. 49. The brand had 542 million consumer reach points and had year-over-year growth of 6%. Doritos and Lay’s weren’t the only PepsiCo food brands to make the top 50, as Cheetos rode year-over-year growth of 9% to climb to 654 million consumer reach points and a survey ranking of No. 38, and Quaker Oats had 767 million consumer reach points, good enough for a No. 29 ranking.
“These brands have excelled at gaining new shoppers and increasing purchase frequency with new product development, localizing flavors and innovative communications,” the survey said of PepsiCo’s food brand performance. “Lay’s for example, engages consumers via crowdsourcing to suggest new flavors.”
