In a crowded ready-to-eat landscape, Kellogg’s makes the case for muesli

As 2025 winds down, Kellogg’s is pushing to make its Muesli range stand out in a rapidly evolving breakfast-cereal market. The brand’s latest digital campaign for Kellanova’s Muesli 12 in 1 – Power of 12, featuring actors Kajol Devgan and Tanuja Mukherjee, aims to capitalise on growing demand for convenience, nutrition, and variety as urban Indian consumers increasingly turn towards ready-to-eat (RTE) options.

The breakfast-cereal market in India is overwhelmingly dominated by RTE cereals, which accounted for roughly 74.5% of the cereal market in 2024, as per Mordor Intelligence, a market intelligence and advisory firm. Amid rising urbanisation, changing lifestyles, and increasing demand for convenient breakfast solutions, RTE cereals, which include flakes, granola, muesli, and other ready-to-eat mixes, continue to grow.

Kellogg's, which is the largest player in India’s breakfast‑cereal market with a little over 50 percent value share according to industry estimates, is up against tough competitors such as Bagrry's, Quaker Oats, and Saffola, among others.

Within this crowded landscape, Kajol fronted muesli offering seeks to carve out a position not just for quick breakfasts, but also as a contender for a nutritional meal to kick start your day. Here's how.

The campaign: What it is and what it aims to do

Within cluster of cereals, muesli occupies a distinctive space because of its blend of whole grains, fruits, nuts and seeds, whereas cereals like cornflakes largely rely on a single grain base. But not everyone understands the nuance.

The Power of 12 campaign draws attention to the muesli 12-in-1 proposition, emphasising the blend of twelve ingredients, such as grains, nuts, seeds, and fruits, to position the product as a comprehensive, nutritious meal alternative. Kellogg’s first introduced the proposition two years ago with the objective of building awareness of what Muesli offers.

Vinay Subramanyam, senior director of marketing at Kellanova South Asia, says the effort began because “most people in India do not know what Muesli is” and that the category remains “very under penetrated”. 

Reflecting on the decision to refresh the communication now, he adds “we saw great recall of the earlier ad, but people wanted to know more. What is in Muesli, who all is it meant for. That is why it felt like the right time to take it to the next level.”

This comes at a time when brands and their nutritional propositions are constantly under heavy consumer and influencer overwatch. Many brands in the past few years have lost consumer trust to deinfluencing. But Subramanyam is unfazed. In fact, he suggests that such discourse works in the brand's favour, because more consumer awareness means more people are likely to recognise the brand for what it provides. 

Positioning: Breakfast or anytime?

Although Kellogg’s continues to frame muesli primarily as a breakfast offering, the brand acknowledges that consumption often occurs throughout the day, especially among those seeking a nutritious snack or light meal.

Subramanyam underscores the strategic intent: by positioning muesli as a breakfast solution, Kellogg’s leverages its heritage and breakfast-cereal credentials. “We are a great way to start the day,” he says.

At the same time, the nutritional positioning and variety of ingredients provide flexibility. The availability of both lightly sweetened and no-added-sugar variants reflects the brand’s attempt to cater to different dietary preferences.

Market performance and opportunity

Industry data suggests that in 2024 the Indian breakfast-cereals market was worth about $5.1 billion, with forecasts projecting it to grow to over $10.2 billion by 2033 as per IMARC Group, a global market research company.

The dominance of RTE cereals is expected to continue, even as demand grows for hot cereals like muesli and porridge mixes, especially among consumers seeking nutritious, easy-to-prepare meals. With this in mind, Kellogg’s aims to deepen its foothold.

Subramanyam says that the brand has its eyes set on the urban population of India via top 29 cities it prioritises at the moment. And expansion plans for the brand are more footfalls opposed to entering newer markets.   

The current focus is on increasing penetration within these markets by ensuring more households are exposed to the message and strengthening distribution across modern trade, e-commerce, and general trade.

"The way forward to grow this category really fast is going to be adding more and more people into trying this product for the first time.So, penetration is our single largest objective.Right now, we felt that instead of moving into more cities, it is just better to increase the number of people that we talk to in our existing markets," Subramanyam says.

Interestingly, Kellogg’s appears to be exercising strategic restraint. According to Subramanyam, in 2025 the business ran only two major advertising films, one for Chocos and one for muesli. 

The rationale is to avoid fragmenting media spend and to ensure that each campaign achieves sufficient reach and clarity. “Otherwise, you end up splintering media and are not able to get the reach objectives,” he says.

This disciplined approach allows the brand to maintain focus on key propositions and reinforce messaging, which may help build stronger consumer recall and brand positioning for the muesli line.

Evolving sub categories that shape the next phase of growth

The brand is closely watching several emerging trends in the muesli space that are influencing product innovation and adoption. One of the most noticeable shifts is the rise of millets in everyday packaged foods. “Millet as a space has really picked up,” Subramanyam says. “The millet muesli we launched about 17 or 18 months back has become a really large part of our business and is doing very well.” 

A second trajectory is driven by indulgence. “Chocolate as a segment is picking up,” he says. “We have two variants in the market, including a choco millet option.” 

Meanwhile, consumer interest in low sugar diets continues to shape the portfolio. “The no added sugar muesli we reformulated with the 12 in 1 proposition is one of our flagship foods,” he says. “It is doing extremely well right now.” 

These shifts are not just adding variety to the category. They also provide multiple entry points for first time buyers who arrive with different motivations, whether driven by health, novelty, taste or convenience.

Future outlook: category opportunities and expanding the core

Looking ahead to 2026, Kellogg’s expects stronger competition and deeper consumer involvement in the ready to eat breakfast market. “Each sub segment is gaining a lot of traction,” Subramanyam says. “We are seeing more spaces emerge at the same time, which is exciting for the category.” 

As availability expands, the definition of the core consumer may shift. Early growth has come from metro households where time is constrained, but new pockets are appearing in smaller towns.

“What used to be fringes are starting to become part of your core,” he says. “As more people try it and continue it, the core keeps expanding.” 

The company believes muesli has the potential to move from a niche, Western associated product toward something more commonplace in Indian kitchens. Subramanyam states that the task ahead is incremental. “Penetration is our single largest objective,” he says. “We have to keep adding more consumers and telling them what muesli is.”