MTR (Orkla ASA, Norwegian conglomerate) is one of India's most trusted food brands, with roots going back to a Bangalore restaurant founded in 1924. When I worked on MTR at Ogilvy, it was the market leader in instant mixes and spices, but with a clear ceiling: it catered to southern India. South Indian breakfast, its core category, was seen by North Indian consumers as unfamiliar and time-consuming. And the new enrant Badam drink mix, despite being a strong product, wasn't winning kids.
Both briefs required not a product campaign, but a behaviour change.
Both briefs required not a product campaign, but a behaviour change.
MTR Badam (Almond) Drink Mix
Children resist milk. They're also surprisingly effective purchase influencers. The script I wrote spoke directly to kids, reframing the drink as theirs rather than something parents were giving them — and armed them with the language to ask for it. By winning over the child first, the campaign shifted the purchase decision. MTR Badam Mix exceeded sales projections in its launch year.
Children resist milk. They're also surprisingly effective purchase influencers. The script I wrote spoke directly to kids, reframing the drink as theirs rather than something parents were giving them — and armed them with the language to ask for it. By winning over the child first, the campaign shifted the purchase decision. MTR Badam Mix exceeded sales projections in its launch year.
MTR Breakfast Mixes
The barrier to trial in North India wasn't awareness of the product; it was the perception of South Indian breakfast as complicated and time-consuming. The insight I worked from was about the Sunday morning, the one morning when the whole family is home, unhurried, and actually wants to cook together. Making breakfast a shared family ritual reframed the category from "South Indian convenience food" to "our Sunday thing." The commercial helped MTR establish new usage occasions in the weekend breakfast category and contributed 10–12% of annual revenue in Year 1.
