MAGGI Diaries took the Middle East’s number one culinary brand out of the kitchen and into the outside world, from the store cupboard to the political arena to champion one of the region’s most pressing issues - women’s rights.

A trusted ingredient in every home, we used the power of the MAGGI brand to raise awareness of equality issues and forge a deeper, longer-term relationship with the audience.

Food, rather than the focus, became the catalyst for change.

The campaign, which ranged from healthy eating to self-defence, domestic abuse to the refugee crisis, aimed to put clear blue water between MAGGI and a new generation of cheaper competitors trying to duplicate its success.

It started by championing women’s culinary and cultural journeys before addressing the most pressing issues Arab women face.

MAGGI, the bouillon cube used in soups and broths, was no longer just an ingredient; it was an active participant campaigning to make people’s lives better. It showed how a trusted brand and a powerful idea can combine to do extraordinary things, taking a stand on issues that no competitor had dared to address.

MAGGI Diaries became part of the region’s biggest morning show on the Middle East’s leading TV channel, MBC1.

It evolved from a show about cookery into a force for cultural change, aided by its line-up of “ambassadors”, exceptional women who had overcome challenges to have a real impact in their community, who interacted with our audience online.

With content from the TV programme used on social media, MAGGI Diaries became a multi-platform presence incorporating YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook Live.

A graphic novel illustrating the work of the true heroines of the women’s rights movement, by three up and coming female artists, was distributed free to institutions, activists and leaders of change.

MAGGI not only raised awareness of women’s issues but supported projects important to women, building a new school in Morocco and creating a self-sustaining cookery programme for women in need.

MAGGI saw 10% organic growth in sales (across 12 markets - category norm is 2%).

MAGGI Diaries achieved 75m impressions; 20m video views across platforms; a 21% engagement rate on Facebook, four times category norm; an above-average 18% YouTube view through rate.

MAGGI also

-Raised/contributed $20,000 to build a school in rural Morocco.

-Printed 15,000 recipe books authored by the ladies of the Amal Centre for women divorced/widowed/abused without a steady income. Each book sells at $5.

-Donated $5,000 food coupons to families in Jordanian refugee camps.

-Partnered with Noor Shamma on a MAGGI postcard, all proceeds support women who need eye glasses and children in need of eye surgery.

Most importantly, MAGGI worked with real women to shine a light on one of the Middle East’s most important social movements, opening their eyes to their own potential and encouraging them to play an active role in their community.