NOVEMBER 11, 2023

MARKETING MANAGEMENT – SHAN

SHOOP NOODLES
COURSE: BRAND MANAGEMENT

GROUP MEMBERS: Andleeb Sajjad

Table of Contents
1. Category Overview.............................................................................................................3
2. Company Overview............................................................................................................3
3. The Brand Story - Shoop....................................................................................................4
4. Competition Analysis.........................................................................................................6
4.1. Knorr............................................................................................................................7
4.2. Maggi...........................................................................................................................9
4.3. Kolson........................................................................................................................11
5. Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning for Shoop........................................................12
5.1. Segmentation.............................................................................................................12
5.2. Targeting....................................................................................................................12
5.3. Positioning.................................................................................................................13
6. CBBE Model Applied on Shoop......................................................................................14
7. Shoop’s Equity Drivers.....................................................................................................15
8. Shoop’s Brand Key...........................................................................................................16
9. Shan Shoop – 4 P’s...........................................................................................................17
9.1. Product.......................................................................................................................17
9.2. Price...........................................................................................................................17
9.3. Place..........................................................................................................................18
9.4. Promotion..................................................................................................................18
10. Economic Outlook........................................................................................................18
11. Conclusion.....................................................................................................................19
Recommendations....................................................................................................................19
References................................................................................................................................21
Appendix..................................................................................................................................22

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 1. Category Overview
Instant noodles are not a component of traditional Pakistani diet hence, their presence in
our landscape is primarily because of the internationalization of consumer tastes stemming
from factors such as increased internet access, TV shows, international travel as well as
fading of traditional patterns of consumption underpinned by urbanization. The urban middle
class within Pakistan are demanding convenience because of their fast-paced lifestyles hence,
favoring the development of categories such as instant noodles (Euromonitor International,
2018).

Noodles primarily targets children, particularly those in their early teens, with flavors
such as chicken, chatpatta and lemon, as well as more recently introduced alternatives such as
chin chow, jalapeno and sizzler. The size and strong growth of the category’s target consumer
group offers considerable potential for further development, while the taste for novelty
amongst its core consumers also provides significant opportunities for the introduction of
new flavors (Euromonitor International, 2018).

In terms of volume, the category contributed 10,900 tonnes in 2018 and is expected to
contribute 14,400 tonnes by 2023 at a CAGR of 5.8%. In terms of value, the category was
worth PKR 6.4 billion in 2018 and is expected to be valued at PKR 8.9 billion by 2023 at a
CAGR of 7% (Euromonitor International, 2018).

Other category developments, as per Shoop’s brand manager, include the fast growth of
Knorr’s instant noodles and the decline of Maggi’s share. Following this, Maggi has decided
to leave the Pakistani environment. Kolson has also stopped investing in the category and is
shrinking as a brand. On the contrary, the category’s penetration and coverage has improved
and is forecasted to grow in double digits. Apart from this, from the consumer’s perspective,
the category may be impulse however, the brand isn’t an impulse decision.

2. Company Overview
Shan Food’s establishment and its journey is remarkable as it started its operation from
the Chairman’s residence in 1981. It was the Vision and commitment of Mr. Sikander Sultan
that Shan foods was able to grow to become the most prominent exporter in Pakistan. Th
main idea behind this was to provide a quality brand in the spice industry. Initially they
continued their operations from their residence and provided recipe mixes to their relatives
and friends but as the customer bases grew, they started commercial production. Shan
foods was officially
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launched and promoted in 1983 Shan foods gained popularity due to their quality and
consistency and the company prospered and started exporting their recipe mixes in 1984.

‘Shan’ became a well know brand locally as well as globally for its easy to cook recipe
mixes of Pakistani food. After some time, there was a need to reposition the brand from its
spice perception to a food brand and that was carried out well by the company and now its
perceived as a brand of easy to cook blends for Pakistani food with flavor, traditional taste
and aroma. It continues to carry the authentic Pakistani taste of spice mixes to over 65
countries in 5 continents.

Their philosophy is to provide the best food solution to their customers. They have a
research and development team and culinary experts who develop new product ideas and
product improvements to provide their consumers with a superior product experience. This is
also reflected by the diverse range of quality products in their portfolio.

There are six broad product categories which Shan deals with; Recipe Mixes, Spices,
Pastes, Salt, Desserts, Accompaniments and Instant noodles. Shan Foods was a branded
house but now it has launched the brand ‘Maa’ to move towards house of brands. It has Plain
spices, Recipe mixes and accompaniments for the lower sec with smaller SKU prices at PKR
10.

3. The Brand Story - Shoop

Shan Foods launched their product in the instant noodle category with the name “Shoop”
using two level branding as “Shan Shoop Noodles” with Shan as the corporate brand, Shoop
the product brand and Noodles as the descriptor. Shoop name was kept after the slurping
sound when eating noodles. Shoop wanted to leverage the strength of the brand Shan so they
used two level branding, but it back fired because children had no association with Shan as a
brand and it wasn’t relevant for them so for future communication the brand team will have
Shan in the background and only Shoop will be seen in the communications.

Shan
Corporate Brand

Shoop
Sub Brand

Chatpata Masala Saucy

Modifier Modifier Modifier

Sweet Thai
Hot & Spicy Cheese
Chilli
Variants Variants Variants
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 Initially they launched six flavor variants for their instant noodles which had flavors
ranging from the traditional taste pallet such as Biryani, BBQ as well as the conventional
category flavors Chicken and Masala. Apart from these it had two different flavors such as
Spicy lemon and ketchup. Given this highly differentiated variant range offered to a Pakistani
consumer market which had been used to flavors such as chatpatta, chicken and masala
created confusion for the consumers in terms of the product choice. Furthermore, the brand
realized that the sales margin generated from such a diverse range were not enough and the
variants that outperformed were only masala and chicken.

In the start the brand did not have a differentiated positioning as such compared to other
competitor brands. Shoop was initially launched as being the Hunger buster - “Mita Do
Bhook” and Masala was the most favorite Flavor compared to other variants. As can be seen
by the perceptual mapping of the instant noodle’s category that time, we can see all the
brands were playing in the same region and targeting children. Shoop was following how
Knorr was positioning itself as a Hunger Buster.

Exhibit 1 Perceptual Map for Instant Noodles

Brands

In 2013, the first ATL campaign was launched and they collaborated with WWF to
conduct spellathon, this was contributing to the brand story. In 2014, they discontinued three
flavors and focused on Chicken, Masala and Chatpata and changed their positioning to ‘Fun
with Shoop’. They even introduced cartoon characters just like Knorr to attract children but
in this
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way, they were following the competition. But over the years they have expanded their target
group to target both kids and adults – ‘Kids of All Ages’.

The brand team then started to analyze what they can do different to distinguish Shoop
from their competition. They got an insight from the market that instant noodles are being
consumed by adults, but brands are not talking or communicating to them. They also
evaluated how instant noodles are being consumed globally by adults. An important insight
was that adults consume instant noodles in different situations. They found that 13-18 years
old (teenagers) and 18-24 years old (young adults) are ashamed to admit that they consume
instant noodles because they are perceived to be childish or immature. Hence the brand
decided to expand their target group to target both kids and adults – ‘Kids of All Ages’.
Giving the message that noodles are not specific to one age bracket and it is not only for
children. This communication was made effectively by their TVC which communicated that
it is still fun having noodles as an adult and there is no shame in it.

The brand has not grown as powerfully compared to other product offerings of Shan,
there are various reasons behind it first they were not differentiated from Knorr and Knorr
being the market leader had the greater market share. They were not offering any substantial
reason to consumers to switch to their brand. Also, Maggi the first mover in this category
already had consumer’s taste pallets adjusted according to its flavor variants. On the retailing
side, Shoop not being the category leader, also faces significant challenges to acquire the eye
level shelf space the brand has tried to differentiate now by communicating that Shoop is for
‘Kids of All Ages’. Recently, they have introduced three flavors of instant noodles with liquid
taste makes to attract consumers who are looking for this format and had been consuming
noodles with a liquid taste maker mostly abroad. The flavors offered are also exotic; Sweet
Thai Chilli, Cheese and Hot & Spicy.

4. Competition Analysis
According to Euromonitor International’s report on Rice, Pasta & Noodles in Pakistan,
the main players within the instant noodle’s category include: Unilever with its brand - Knorr
with a market share of 58.4% in 2018, followed by Nestle’s Maggi with a market share of
30.6% and Shan’s Shoop with a 7.2% share (Euromonitor International, 2018). Other players
constitute 3.7% of this category. Major multinationals, Unilever and Nestlé, dominate sales of
noodles through their internationally recognized Knorr and Maggi brands. Domestic
company, Shan Foods’ Shoop is the only other brand to register a significant share of

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category value in

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2018. Lotte Kolson also introduced its Noodle Doodle brand in the form of cup and packets
both in the recent past.

However, there has recently been an influx of various Korean Ramen Noodles brands in
the form of cups and packets both. Some of the notable brand that we came across from our
interviews included: Samyang, Indomie, Nongshim, Mama etc. These brands were well
known for their spiciness and were popular amongst young adults as majority of bloggers and
content creators were promoting these brands through ‘spicy challenges’ where they had to
compete others in eating these noodles in the least possible time given their alarming spice
levels.

Instant noodles brands within Pakistan believe that they compete within the snack’s
category since majority of consumer are likely to eat them as a snack item rather than as a
meal replacement. In Pakistan, noodles are more of a light meal in between lunch and dinner
because people in Pakistan normally don’t consider anything that is not meat, roti and rice to
be ‘proper food’. Consumption of these products remain occasional and mostly among
middle and upper- middle-income urban families. Hence, all other brands within the snack’s
category such as chips, biscuits, cakes, confectionary items etc. serves as an indirect
competition to major instant noodles brands.

4.1. Knorr
Knorr came to Pakistan with their chicken cubes in 1992 and later introduced their instant
noodles range in 1993. They have succeeded as a brand in capturing the major market share
and are the leaders in the instant noodle’s category. Unilever is a house of brands with brands
in three different categories. Knorr comes under the food and drinks category where they
have other brands such as Lipton, Walls, Rafhan. Unilever is the corporate brand and Knorr is
a brand under Unilever. Under Knorr there are five product lines: Soups, Cubes, Sauces
(Chilli Garlic and Ketchup), Noodles and Snacking Mix.

Knorr
Product Brand

Snacking
Cubes Sauces Soup Noodles
Mix
Descriptor Descriptor Descriptor Descriptor Descriptor

Chicken Chatpatta Sizzler Jalepeno Lemon Chilli Chin Chow Hot & Spicy
Modifier Modifier Modifier Modiifier Modifier Modifier Modfier

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 Knorr launched its instant noodles in Pakistan in 1993 and today it resonates well with
kids given their communication have always been focused on this segment. Knorr Noodles
have become the brand of choice for kids over the years. The equity of the brand resides in its
iconic tag line: ‘Knorr iska magic he aur’, jingle and flavor mascots: Chuck and Chatty
(Unilever Pakistan, 2019).

Knorr as a brand of instant noodles has fun and excitement at the heart of it and is a kid’s
friend. It can also be equated as a super hero who helps them escape into fantasy and
transform the most boring moments of their day such as completing their homework into
exciting and fun ones.

Knorr has been producing various series and shows over the past few years to stay
connected to its audience:

 Knorr Quest for the Noodle Pot was a locally produced cartoon series which took
kids into a land of adventure in excitement.
 Knorr Noodle Gang Kay Adventures was launched in 2012 which was an Urdu based
3D series focused upon promoting new and interesting ways of learning. Its iconic
theme song was sung by Shehzad Roy.
 Knorr Noodles Boriyaat Buster launched in 2017 is Pakistan’s first kids game show
featuring kids from across the country competing against one another in a series of
fun physical activities (DAWN, 2017).

Product Offering – Variants, SKUs & Pricing:

Product Variants SKUs Price
ChattPatta 66 gm PKR 34
Chicken
Cheese Patakha
Lahori Chicken
Lemon Twist
Knorr Noodles Achari Masti
(Packet) Sour Cream & Onion
Pepper Chicken
Chicken Jalapeno
Lemon Chilli
Chicken Sizzler
Knorr Extralicious Chilli Chicken 75 gm PKR 35 - 37
Noodles (Packet) Chicken Tikka
*with real vegetables
and chicken bites.
Chicken Delite 60 gm PKR 30
Knorr Soupy Noodles Mast Masala

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Brand Positioning:
 A brand for what benefit? – Knorr brings excitement and fun within the lives of kids
by transforming the most mundane moments of their daily routine into exciting ones.
 A brand for whom? Primarily targets 12+ year old child residing in urban Pakistan.
 Reason? Its wide array of flavors, brand mascots and various child edutainment
purpose.
 A brand against whom? Against all instant noodles and snacking brands available in
Pakistan.

4.2. Maggi
Maggi is a sub-brand of Nestle which is the corporate brand and is providing token
endorsement to Maggi. Nestle family brand has product in different categories such as
chocolates, bottled water, baby products, food (breakfast cereal), dairy & beverages.

Nestle
Corporate Brand

Other
Maggi
brands
Sub-Brand

Chicken Chatpata Chatkhara

Modifier Modifier Modifier

Nestle’s Maggi was launched in Pakistan in 1992, a year earlier than Unilever’s Knorr.
The brand is known for satisfying the instant cravings of kids and teenagers. Apart from this,
the brand in its communications has also been highlighting the role of mothers in its selection
by portraying it as a preferred brand given its nutritional abilities. It is also well renowned for
its two minutes proposition whereby the brand claims that instant noodles can be made within
two minutes.

Its advertisements in 2010 and 2011 focused upon its strength proposition as a result of
ingredients such wheat, protein and iron thereby making kids active and healthy. The tagline
for these communications had been ‘Naye Taur, Mazay Bhi Aur’. The adverts for this time
frame displayed variants: Masala, Chicken, Chatkhara & Lemon.

The 2017 TVC focused upon the Chatpata Flavour whereby it communicated itself as the
favorite brand of kids and their mothers based on its nutritional abilities. In 2017, the brand

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also launched Maggi Chotto priced at PKR 15 displaying it as a mere gift for oneself.
However, in 2017, the brand started addressing concerns of its audience regarding its
formulation related to ‘Whether Maggi Was Healthy?’. A detailed video on Nestle Pakistan’s
YouTube Channel encourages users to reach out to the brand through their helpline printed at
the back of the pack.

Another TVC in 2017 communicated that the kids would never like to replace their
favorite Maggi brand with any other brand available at the market with the tag line: “Agar
Maggi Nahe Tau Kuch Nahe”. There was a strong focus on building association with ‘Peela
Wala Maggi’ through this ad. This TVC also displayed the brand’s limited edition of variants
with super figures such as Superman, Batman etc.

In 2018, the brand completely shifted its focus towards teens where they were now
featuring famous music sensation such as Asim Azhar & Aima Baig. The theme song for the
ad was sung by them with the tag line “Uljha Maggi Sab Suljhaye” portraying the brand as a
solution to all your mood and bhook problems.

Product Offering – Variants, SKUs & Pricing:

Product Variants SKUs Price
Maggi Noodles ChattPatta 65 gm PKR 24
(Packet) Chicken
Chatkhara

Brand Positioning:
 A brand for what benefit? – Maggi delivers nutritional benefits, two minutes
preparation time, solution for instant cravings for children.
 A brand for whom? Primarily targets children and their mothers in terms of deciding
the brand for their child. Shifting focus towards adults.
 Reason? Nutritional benefits stem from the presence of iron and protein its content.
 A brand against whom? Against all instant noodles and snacking brands available in
Pakistan.

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 4.3. Kolson
A house hold name since 1942, Kolson (K.S. Sulemanji Esmailiji & Sons (Pvt.) Ltd. Is a
part of the LOTTE Confectionary which is a South Korean conglomerate. Within Pakistan, it
is well known for producing food products such as snacks, biscuits, pasta and cakes.

Kolson
Corporate Brand-
Endorser

Noodle Other
Doodle Products
Descriptor

Chunky Fiery
Smoky Tikka Peppy Pizza
Chicken Chatpata
Modifier Modifier Modifier Modifier

In 2017, Kolson launched its instant noodles brand known as Kolson Noodle Doodle with
the idea that the brand allows consumers to unleash their imagination and creativity (Tagline:
Ticket to My Imagination – No Strings, No Control). With the idea that the brand allows
consumers to doodle and create their own world rather than being controlled by others,
Kolson Cup Noodles were available in three flavors: Smoky Tikka, Chunky Chicken, Fiery
Chatpata. Later, they also introduced similar flavors in pack form as well along with an
additional flavor Peppy Pizza.

Product Offering – Variants, SKUs & Pricing:

Product Variants SKUs Price
Smoky Tikka 68 gm PKR 30
Kolson Noodle Doodle Chunky Chicken
(Packet) Fiery Chatpata
Peppy Pizza
Smoky Tikka 53 gm PKR 50
Kolson Noodle Doodle Chunky Chicken
(Cup) Fiery Chatpata

Brand Positioning:
 A brand for what benefit? – Kolson’s Noodle Doodle allows people to unleash their
creativity with its usage thereby allowing individuals to break free from how they are
being controlled by the society.
 A brand for whom? Primarily targets children and adults.
 Reason? The cup format is creative in its own way and hence, can be linked with the
idea of unleashing creativity.

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  A brand against whom? Against all instant noodles and snacking brands available in
Pakistan.

5. Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning for Shoop

5.1. Segmentation
Market segmentation helps dividing the market into distinct groups of consumers. this
helps in placing consumers into subgroups who are then approached with similar marketing
mixes. Consumer segmentation is usually done on the following bases:

 Demographic:
The target market for Shoop noodles consist of both male and female individuals who
belong to urban and semi urban households. Their pricing is pretty affordable; Rs. 24 per
pack of noodles which includes a noodle cake and a tastemaker. This makes it a low-price
option for consumption compared to regular fast food items. Age segment chosen by Shoop
consists of three groups; Kids (8-12 years old), Teenagers (13-18 years old) and Young
Adults (18-24 years old).

 Behavioral and Psychographic:

Shoop customers are users who are looking for a quick fix for snacking purposes. Kids
usually consume it in the evening while teenagers and young adults are more likely to have it
as a midnight snack or even as a full meal in when they do not have food available at home.
These are busy, convenience seeking customers who prefer instant noodles when they do not
want to prepare a full meal. The soup in instant noodles also satisfies cravings in winters for
something warm.

5.2. Targeting
Following the defined target market of Shoop, we see that they are particularly tapping
into teenagers and young adults through their communication ‘For Kids of All Ages’. These
individuals are aware of the category as they have been consuming instant noodles since their
early years and their consumption patterns are different compared to kids of age 8-12. Since
they are young adults, they are more receptive towards new flavours and innovative products.
Shoop caters to that through their variety of flavours and innovative product formats for e.g.
Shoop Saucy. These young adults are often ashamed of disclosing their consumption of
instant noodles. There is a perception in our country that only kids consume instant noodles.
Therefore, teenagers and young adults feel that consuming instant noodles would be
perceived as being
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immature. To eliminate this and encourage the idea that there is a child inside each one of us
even if we grow up, Shoop is trying to tap into a new market by inculcating the idea that
instant noodles can be consumed by older individuals as well.

Pakistani consumer profile is driven by young consumers. as per the statistics around 19.3
million people belong to the age bracket of 13-17 and 43.4 million people belong to the age
group of 43.4 million. This constitutes as a great potential as an untapped market in surplus to
the primary target market of the category; kids age 8-12 who are around 20.8 million
(Euromonitor International, 2017). We see that the total potential customers constitute of a
significant number which can further be bifurcated according to their socio-economic class
and income levels. Shoop not only targets teenagers and young adults but also kids due to
multiple reasons. Firstly, they cannot completely let go of the primary target market of the
category who consumes instant noodles as an evening snack. Secondly, these kids will
eventually grow up and move to other segments and the habits inculcated in early years of
their lives will continue in later stages as well.

5.3. Positioning
The positioning of a brand can be analyzed by answering following four questions:

 A brand for what benefit?

Shoop brings fun and excitement to its consumers by providing unique flavors and
formats. The brand stands as a convenient quick fix for when hunger strikes late night and
you are craving for something spicy.

 A brand for whom?

Primarily targets teenagers (13-18 years old) and young adults (18-24 years old) residing
in urban areas of Pakistan. Individuals seeking a quick snack which is easy to cook.

 Reason
Its wide array of flavours and formats. The brand communication states, “For Kids of All
Ages” along with their Jingle ‘Hum Andar Se Bachey Hain’. This is an untapped market by
competition as all other competing brands focus on kids only.

 A brand against whom?

Direct competition for Shoop includes all instant noodle brands available in Pakistan
(Knorr, Kolson and international brands such as Indomie) whereas indirect competition also
includes other snacking items such nimco, chips and biscuits.

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 6. CBBE Model Applied on Shoop
 Salience

Brand salience relates to the awareness about the brand. How much the brand stands out
and do the customers recognize it. At this stage, it is also important to create the right brand
perceptions. In Pakistan, people are aware of Shoop noodles as brand from Shan. This is
particularly due to the voiceover in their initial advertisement, the jingle had “Shan Shoop
Noodles” in it. Since, their initial advertising was based on the idea that it is soup and noodles
both, they incorporated the slurping sound made when having noodles. This is one of the first
things that comes to the minds of a lot of consumers at the mention of the name.

 Performance

Performance is about meeting consumer’s needs on a tangible level. Providing them the
expected benefits. Shoop noodles do contain primary characteristics of the category (Points
of Parity). The product comes from Shan so there is a certain level of reliability attached to
the name. All category benefits are offered in terms of contents of the product (noodle cake
and tastemaker) and it also serves the core purpose i.e. a quick fix for snacking. They offer
three essential flavors; Chatpata, Chicken and Masala along with other flavors such as Sweet
Thai Chilli, Cheese and Hot and Spicy.

 Imagery

Imagery also caters to the needs of the consumer but on a social and psychological level.
Today, consumers of instant noodles as a category are not just kids but also young adults.
Young adults who desire a quick fix for a midnight snack while studying or working. This is
what the brand is trying to bank on through their concept “Hum andar se bachey hain”. They
do not want to completely depart from the core target group (Kids) but are trying to
incorporate young adults as well.

 Judgement

Customer feedback takes form of judgements as it is the evaluation and personal opinion
regarding the brand. Shoop noodles started off well as some individuals liked the idea of soup
and noodles. However, overtime customers feel there has been some change in the quality of
the product. Overall, people do not like the taste.

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  Feelings

Feelings are also exhibited from customer feedback along with judgements. These are
essentially customers emotional responses when asked about the brand. Shoop as a brand
tries to build the image of social approval for young adults consuming instant noodles.
However, they are unable to communicate it their Target Group. Phrases such as “too desi”,
“noodle tastes plasticky” and “noodles were bland” were used to describe the product.
Therefore, a feeling of discontent and dislike prevails about the brand.

 Resonance

Brand resonance occurs when the brand builds a relationship with the customer which
usually results in loyalty or a sense of community among the consumers. It is the most
desirable yet the most difficult level to reach. Shoop has not been able to establish brand
resonance due to multiple reasons. Firstly, the brand is relatively new, and the product has
created a feeling of dissatisfaction among consumers. Secondly, there are consumers who are
stuck with the “soup and noodles” impression about Shoop whereas the brand has moved
forward.

7. Shoop’s Equity Drivers

*Summarized as per interviews from Shoop’s consumers

Local affiliation - Pakistani brand

Variety of
flavours

Associated with Shan Food by adults

Taste - 'Desi'-ness factor

Strong brand elements such as jingle, tagline and

brand mascots

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8. Shoop’s Brand Key

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 9. Shan Shoop – 4 P’s
9.1. Product
Noodles are an easy, fast, and convenient food item. Widely viewed as a comfort
food, it usually plays a role for being a snack which is easy to make, wholesome, and
fulfilling.

All brands offer a rice cake and a powdered tastemaker with a few exceptions that offer liquid
tastemakers. When it comes to noodles, the strength lies in the taste they can deliver, which
makes the tastemakers the crown.

Most of the Pakistani consumers are used to three flavours: Chicken, Chatpata, and
Masala. These three are a standard trio found across all noodles brands while a few of them
may name them differently, the underlying flavor stays the same. These are the highest
selling flavours for all brands.

Shoop was introduced in 2013 with the initial six variants: masala, chicken, spicy
lemon, ketchup, BBQ, and Bombay biryani. This provided the Pakistani market with a range
of variants which eventually caused confusion related to brand choice. Therefore, Shoop
decided to focus on a standard set of flavours that was well received and understood by the
market, chicken, masala, and chatpatta. The standard SKU is a 60 grams packet, Shoop
eventually introduced more brands such as Sweet Thai Chilli, Hot & Spicy, and Cheese. The
idea was to disrupt the noodles market in Pakistan and that was achieved through the liquid
tastemakers. The new flavours and the liquid tastemakers were well received.

9.2. Price
Majority players in the entire industry follow a pattern of providing a rice cake and a
powdered tastemaker with the combined net weight ranging from 60 grams to 75 grams. It is
imperative to understand the net weight of the final product as that dictates final price.

Shoop is one of the lowest priced brands in the entire market, with a standard 60 grams
SKU priced at PKR 22 which is significantly lower compared to the market leader, Knorr’s
66 grams SKU is priced at PKR 34.

According to our interview, Shoop’s ability to source the noodle cakes at a lower cost is
one of the reasons that the brand can offer the product at a lower cost.

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 9.3. Place
Shelf spaces are dominated by Knorr, and previously Maggi, therefore retailers have
been hesitant while offering shelf spacing to Shoop. The brand made use of multiple calls to
action in terms of offering discounts, free tasting activities so they could generate trial for the
product. One of Shoop’s shortcomings till now is that it continues to provide only to its key
accounts where it has its own gandolas.

9.4. Promotion
Shoop’s initial communication targeted children aged from 6 to 9 with its theme
focused on getting rid of hunger. They introduced a catchy jingle so it may increase brand
recall. The positioning was focused on ‘instant maza jo mithaye bhook’. It came up with
packaging that resonated with the creative and fun-loving mascots. They also introduced a
hashtag ‘#ShoopIt’ so they may increase the reach.

In 2018, the new TVC shifted focus onto a new TVC focusing a completely new
target audience with focus on ‘Shoop is for kids of all ages.’ The target was not just 6 to 9-
year old now but up from 8-14 also, with the later band being influential in purchase
behaviours.

Shoop further disrupted the market by focusing on tweens, introducing the idea ‘hum
ander say bachay hain.’ This modelled around the fact that every adult has a child in them it
frees that child. The ad is very refreshing and features multiple teenagers who are enjoying
themselves.

10. Economic Outlook

Pakistan’s annual disposable income has been rising since 2013 and has almost doubled till
2018. A country whose population is dependent on consumption, snacks tend to be a
significant part of an urban household. However, the country faces an economic downturn
which has inversely impacted multiple industries, and in turn altered consumer spending
ways as well.

However, the target market for Shoop maybe categorized as ‘live for today consumers’, those
whose spending ways are not impacted by any economic downturn. This theory is supported
by the price points for Shoop. With inflation at a high of 12.1% according to the Bureau of
Statistics Pakistan, and a major rise in food inflation. This has resulted in price rise in other
snacks such as chips and biscuits, this has also trickled down in the noodles market where
base prices have gone up, yet the rise is not enough to make consumers reconsider their
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choice.

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  Threats:

Shoop faces major competition from Knorr in terms availability and distributions as Knorr
can be found at almost all shops while according to a Trade Marketing Manager at Shan,
Shoop is only being placed at their key accounts for now. They have temporarily reduced
production which further adds to their problems with Knorr taking up a major share of shelf
spaces as well.

There are rumours that Shan is in the process of being acquired by Unilever Pakistan, this
presents a daunting scenario as Unilever may consider winding up Shoop should the
acquisition go through with Knorr having a major noodle line and is already the market
leader.

 Opportunities:

With Nestle Maggi exiting the Pakistani noodles market, the second largest player in the
market leaves behind a 15-20% market share which is open to all other competition. This
presents Shoop with an opportunity to expand and not only gain a higher market share, but
also try increasing its shelf space.

11. Conclusion
Shoop present in the market since last seven years has not been able to capture a
significant share of the instant noodle’s category despite the powerhouse Shan behind it.
There were several reasons behind it; when the brand was launched Shoop was not positioned
distinctly from its competitors (Hunger Buster). After insights from the market and research,
they decided to expand their target group to include young adults positioning the noodles as
For Kids of All Ages. This message was communicated very effectively across their target
market by delivering the message through their jingle in their TVC – Hum Ander Say
Bachay Hain - You are always a kid from inside.

As Maggi is not in the instant noodle category anymore consumers will shift to the
market leader – Knorr. Shoop till now has not done any effective effort to capture the
consumers of Maggi which had the strength of distribution and consumers accustomed to its
taste palette.

Recommendations
 Brand communication should be 360 degree:

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o Social media competition.
o BTL activities within renowned malls.

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 o Promoting the product through food bloggers – focus on creating the hype.
o Sponsor school/college level events or competition. Explore other platforms
apart from cricket.
 Analyse the distribution network and ensure product availability to increase brand
proximity for Maggi consumers.
o Place kiosks/branded displays at key accounts nationwide.
o Revise planograms for greater visibility.
o Connect social media campaigns with Call-to-Action leading to ecommerce
platforms facilitating purchase.
 On ground activation taste tests to understand consumer taste palette.
o Use feedback for further product development and improvisation.

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References
DAWN. (2017, September 8). Knorr Noodles Boriyat Busters Will Make Sure Your Friday
Evenings Are Sorted. Retrieved from DAWN: https://www.dawn.com/news/1354077
Euromonitor International. (2017). Consumer Lifestyles in Pakistan. Euromonitor
International.
Euromonitor International. (2018). Rice, Pasta & Noodles in Pakistan. Euromonitor
International.
Unilever Pakistan. (2019). Knorr. Retrieved from Unilever Pakistan:
https://www.unilever.pk/brands/our-brands/knorr.html

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Appendix

Exhibit 2 Shan Shoop Noodles - Old Positioning

Exhibit 3 Three New Mascots

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 Exhibit 4 Shan Shoop Noodles - New Positioning

Exhibit 5 Shan Shoop Saucy – New Flavours with Liquid

Tastemaker

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 Exhibit 6 Shoop Defining Usage Situations

Exhibit 7 Shoop's Social Media Communication

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Exhibit 8 Shoop Connecting to the Target Market

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