Eduardo Angulo, Chief Marketing Officer of Foods Latin America
Knorr Mexico has recently undergone a brand transformation that has resulted in double-digit growth in bouillons and soups. Eduardo Angulo, Chief Marketing Officer of Foods Latin America, reflects on how Knorr utilised influencer-led strategies to position itself as one of Mexico’s top five brands.
Between 2023 and 2024, Knorr experienced a remarkable turnaround, achieving significant growth in its bouillon and soup categories. Angulo discusses the factors that fueled the brand’s recent success and what this means for Knorr’s future in Mexico.
Can you explain the scale of the turnaround Knorr has seen in Mexico?
Today, Knorr is enjoying strong double-digit growth and is present in nine out of ten households in Mexico.[a] It has become one of the country’s five most powerful brands.[b]
Thanks to the new strategy implemented in 2023, growth in bouillons has increased from 4 per cent to 13 per cent.[c]
Today, I believe that Knorr Mexico has become a global benchmark, recognised both internally and by the industry, for successfully revitalising its brand image and making it young, vibrant, and relevant across all generations.[d]
Can you tell us what powered this turnaround?
Evolving and adapting to changing consumer appetites have always been key to Knorr’s success over its 187-year history.
To fulfil our ambition of delivering the most authentic and culturally resonant brand experience for Mexican consumers, we crafted a strategy redefining bouillon not just as an ingredient but also as an essential part of Mexico’s culinary identity.
The first step was to understand our consumers in a new social context. Customer research uncovered key insights that ensured that our marketing approach reflected evolving Mexican lifestyle and culinary traditions.
This in turn allowed us to leverage a social-first approach that put Knorr at the centre of key conversations and cultural moments – on television and through celebrity engagements, influencer partnerships and headline-grabbing murals.
These bold, social-first campaigns and influencer-led strategies provided the perfect opportunity for us to engage with younger consumers and showcase our core products as the ultimate flavour hack for top dishes for a new generation of home cooks.
Finally, to capitalise on multiple consumer touchpoints, we stepped up our retailer point-of-sale execution, which ensured maximum visibility in top key channels.
Can you walk us through the campaigns and highlight the key learnings and wins?
Making Knorr the key ingredient in favourite dishes
Aim: Data showed that Knorr stock cubes could be found in 88% of households, but only in 7 per cent of Mexico’s top dishes.[e] We aimed to reposition Knorr bouillon and powders as the ultimate ingredient in these dishes.
Campaign: Our approach wasn’t just about social media – it was about dominating the cultural and physical landscape to make Knorr truly inescapable. To this end, we launched a cross-channel campaign fuelled by headline-grabbing promotions including massive billboards and striking murals across Mexico City’s main avenues, a 1.9 kg pozole – one of Mexico’s most beloved traditional stews – and an appearance on the popular reality tv cooking programme, La Casa de Los Famosos.
Online, the Knorr Minados competition challenged contestants to cook one of four traditional top dishes using Knorr stock cubes for a chance of winning a million pesos.
Results: Thanks to our influencers and the in-store support of Walmart, our social-first pozole activation received over 30 million combined impressions in just three days.
Celebrity collabs rekindle love with younger demographics
Aim: We wanted to leverage celebrity collaborations to connect with a younger demographic, including Gen Z.
Campaign: We needed to play where Gen Z was, so we collaborated with Dome Lipa, the second biggest TiKToker in Mexico with 74 million followers and her ally Robe Grill, the hottest TikTok chef in Mexico with almost 15 million followers.
The campaign used a slow-burn strategy that saw Dome Lipa teasing her followers about her new love interest before revealing that the object of her renewed desire were chilaquiles – a traditional Mexican dish made with crispy tortilla chips that was given a glow-up thanks to Knorr’s taste-boosting powder.
Results: Thanks to the campaign, the brand secured over 134 million views on TikTok and Instagram.
Going viral at key food occasions
Aim: We needed a refresh that would position Knorr as a modern brand in tune with consumer trends and needs. Tapping into key food moments, like Christmas, offered huge opportunities.
Campaign: As part of the Knorr Gozadera campaign, we recruited three top Mexican singers, LAA, Yuridia and Los Esquivel, to sing the praises of Knorr as the ultimate ingredient in any turkey stuffing.
The campaign went viral, with people from all generations creating their own Gozadera films.
Results: The Gozadera campaign gave Knorr’s brand reputation a boost, with Kantar research showing an increase of 10 per cent of consumers who now felt Knorr was a trendy brand, while 14 per cent more felt that Knorr connected to current Mexican pop culture, improving differentiation in a crowded Christmas marketing landscape and delivering a sales increase.
Finally, can you tell us how Knorr is going to build on this success?
We will continue to build on our success by staying three steps ahead in trends, technologies, top partnerships and content creators.
The aim is to continue to deliver a best-in-class experience for all Mexicans, addressing their needs and inspiring them to use Knorr as their top flavour companion.
[a]KANTAR WP MAT Q1 2025.
[b]KANTAR WP FY 2024.
[c]INTERNAL GROWTH UNILEVER SALES VALUE (USG).
[e]KANTAR WP MAT Q1 2025.
