Branded content as a discipline is still new to the region, but gaining in popularity. It may have initially been used as a “cost-effective” solution for brands with small budgets, but now bigger brands have understood the advantage of using the right content to connect to people through real and honest storytelling.

The approach of many brands to branded content tends to be rather contrived. They cannot easily test their content and tread cautiously, going with safe material.

For many, branded content is considered supporting material to traditional media that cannot stand on its own.

In the region certain topics (sensuality, religion, and politics) are considered inappropriate and are quickly censored according to the regulations of each country, leading to restrictions on what can be aired on TV.

Middle Eastern women yearn to explore the world, so it was only natural for them to be drawn to the Diaries content.

We created a profile video for each ambassador, and seeded them in different regions. Using geo-targeted online banners & social posts we promoted the videos according to the match between ambassador and audience. A trailer was promoted across all social platforms.

Our ambassadors also used their personal social media platforms to create excitement & intrigue among their followers, helping grow the buzz around the show.

Our YouTube channel acted as the hub, where all our content was hosted.

MAGGI Diaries was an immediate success. Women engaged avidly with the content. Many of them even asked to be part of the journey. The YouTube channel was propelled to the 2nd fastest growing FMCG channel in MENA with 11 million views and 11,500 new subscribers (an increase of over 10x). We had a view-through rate of 39%. Facebook had a category-leading 21% engagement rate while the brand saw a 400% growth on Instagram since launch. Twitter had an engagement of 9% and 14,959 new followers.

Maggi had an outstanding 7% and 6% market share growth in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates respectively.