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Quaker Crunch sporting a younger Quaker boy look

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

Quaker Malaysia has embraced the clean design for its Quaker Crunch (Chocolate and Golden Honey) breakfast cereal. The new design features more white spaces with a heavier emphasis on the word “crunch.” The white colour also provides a strong contrast to image of the breakfast cereal.

To inject a more youthful character to the product, the logo of the iconic Quaker man has been replaced with a young boy wearing the Quaker hat. The use of the image of a boy stands in contrast with the other competitors who choose to use animals as their mascots. For example Nestle Koko Krunch has the koala and Kellogg’s Cocoa Frosties has the tiger.

Another interesting feature on the new packaging of Quaker Crunch is the “Fuel up with oat” message as a way of “providing kids with energy to start their day.”

The brand heritage is celebrated with “140 years of Quaker Oats” claim on the side of the pack.

What Mini Me thinks

It is apparent Quaker Oat is using the new packaging to improve Quaker Crunch’s appeal with children.The message of the importance of oat as the energy to start the day is directed at parents who do the actual purchase for their kids. The rich heritage of Quaker Oat is also emphasised to drive the message of trust.

Would Quaker Oat start using a toddler with the Quaker hat to promote future baby oat products ? That would be a good question to ponder.

Updated

In October 2017, Quaker is using celebrities Amber Chia and Nana Mahazan to promote Quaker Crunch as the choice for their children.

Nestle Koko Krunch Bar now in Indonesia, Philippines

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

Nestlé has introduced Koko Krunch Cereal Bar in Southeast Asia to make the cereal category more convenient and accessible for consumers who would otherwise not consume breakfast cereal.

Previous cereal innovations have focused on cereal in a bowl accompanied with powdered milk in sachet and cereal in affordably priced plastic packaging.

Now, cereal companies like Nestlé and Kellogg’s are using cereal snack bar to acquire more consumers. I have talked about Kellogg’s and Nestlé FITNESS in an earlier post in February 2017.

Lately, Nestlé Koko Krunch Cereal Bar is spreading its wings into more countries in Southeast Asia including launching in the Philippines and Indonesia.

https://youtu.be/0OpNYGH4g_4

In Indonesia, Koko Krunch Sereal Bar is marketed as “sereal dalam kemasan praktis” or “cereal in a convenient packaging.”

In the Philippines, the same product is known as “Goodness on the go.”

Even though Koko Krunch Cereal Bar is not officially available in Malaysia, the product is already being sold on the leading B2C e-commerce sites, which shows there is a demand for such product in Malaysia. The snack bars are imported from Thailand.

Below was a screenshot on Lazada Malaysia.

This is how Koko Cereal Bar is displayed in Thailand to catch the attention of consumers at 7-Eleven. Image photographed by the author in Bangkok in May 2017.

What Mini Me thinks

Koko Krunch with its chocolate taste, vitamins & minerals and crunchy petals is designed with children as the key target audience. Some children treat Koko Krunch as a finger food eaten straight from the pack without the addition of milk.

By turning Koko Krunch into the cereal bar format, it does take away the fun of eating with the finger and with milk. Inadvertently, the cereal bar format makes Koko Krunch suitable for adults who want a quick treat and a comfort food, thus expanding Koko Krunch into the older segment.

 

New Dutch Mill Probilac supplement, UP yoghurt drink

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

Thailand’s Dutch Mill unveiled the new Probilac dietary supplement product and UP yogurt drink at the recent Thaifex 2017, which ended on 4 June 2017.

Probilac dietary supplement

Probilac is a dietary supplement with probiotic and inulin with Bifidobacterium (BB-12) strain, the world’s best documented probiotic Bifidobacterium from Chr. Hansen and Lactobacillus GG (LGG), the king of lactic acid bacteria by Valio Ltd. Each pack contains 2 billion colony forming units (CFUs). The dietary supplement supports digestive health and is ideal for the family.

Probilac is available on Trustybuy for a price of THB 825. Click here to purchase.

UP yoghurt drink

Dutch Mill UP was already in the market even before Thaifex 2017. The yoghurt drink contains 2x protein and high in calcium. It is aimed at young adults who desire to achieve a healthy lifestyle and body shape.

https://www.facebook.com/DutchMillUP/videos/180836999108469/

https://www.facebook.com/DutchMillUP/videos/180838465774989/

What Mini Me thinks

Aside from the funny TV commercial, which Thailand is famous for, we are seeing an increased focus on marketing higher level of protein in yoghurt drinks (eg Dutchie Greek Style Yoghurt drink and UP yoghurt drink, all with 2x protein) and linking these drinks with body shape and fitness.

Drinkable Dutchie Greek Style Yoghurt launched

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

Dutchie Greek Style Yoghurt, Thailand’s first drinkable Greek yoghurt has been launched by Dutch Mill Co., Ltd. The 160g drinkable yoghurt is available in vanilla, kiwi apple and cherry berry. It comes with 10g of protein, whey protein and 2g of milk fat for kiwi apple and vanilla and 2.5g of milk fat for cherry berry. The Dutchie Greek Yoghurt has to be stored at a temperature of 2-5°C.

Dutch Mill introduced the Greek style yoghurt in cup in 2015 focusing on adults who need the extra protein for their workout routine.

For the female audience, Dutch Mill has the existing Dutchie Bio spoonable yoghurt with duo probiotics LGG and B. lactis protecting them against infection and promoting gut health.

Still no ambient drinkable Greek yoghurt

In Thailand, drinkable Greek yoghurt innovation is still very much concentrated on chilled yogurt and not yet in the ambient category.

In China, the dairy power house Yili has introduced two products under its Ambrosial UHT Greek yoghurt, which was first launched at the end of 2014. The new Ambrosial UHT Greek yoghurt (安慕希高端颗粒型黄桃燕麦) comes with peach and oat bits and is available in a Tetra Top with a twist closure.

The latest Ambrosial UHT Greek yoghurt product is stored in a PET bottle akin to the shape of the Greek column.

In China, ambient drinkable Greek yoghurt is positioned as a lifestyle drink but in Thailand, the spoonable and ambient drinkable Greek yoghurt is aimed at the fitness and active lifestlye market.

 

100Plus won over the heart of McDonald’s

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

The race to supply McDonald’s Malaysia with isotonic drink has ended with F&N clinching the deal. We first reported in June 2016 of a trial by McDonald’s to put 100Plus (F&N) and Aquarius (The Coca-Cola Co) to a test for its new drink menu.

In November 2016, The Edge Financial Daily confirmed F&N was in talks with the US fast food giant to supply 100Plus to the fast food chain operator. But nothing was finalised. Back then, F&N chief executive officer Lim Yew Hoe said the key reason was McDonald’s wanted to expand its beverage option to provide consumers with a healthier choice.

100Plus clinched the deal

It is now official. F&N has won the deal to supply 100Plus to all McDonald’s outlets in Malaysia on a permanent basis. The announcement was first made on McDonald’s website on 26 May 2017. This was followed by similar announcements on the official Facebook site of 100Plus on 7 June 2017 and on the McDonald’s Facebook account on 9 June 2017.

What Mini Me thinks

F&N’s partnership with McDonald’s is largely positive for the beverage company. It offers a good choice to consumers looking for beverage option with less sugar, now with 100Plus reducing its sugar content to 6g per 100ml to comply with the Healthier Choice Logo (HCL).

Mug cake, Asian spaghetti, fish instant soup at Malaysian Thaifex pavilion

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

Here is a list of products showcased by Malaysian companies at the recently concluded Thaifex – World of Food Asia exhibition. The premier food expo, the largest in Thailand, was held from 31 May to 4 June 2017.

Mug Cake

Dr. Oetker Nona Malaysia Sdn Bhd displayed its latest microweavable mug cakes. The mug cake offers consumers a fast, easy and convenient way to enjoy a cake in 50 seconds. Just add water to the mug cake premix and microwave it for 50 seconds. The three flavours are chocolate, chocolate banana and mocha. The mug cake was among the top 50 THAIFEX Innovative Products for this year.

9days Oat Mate

Torto Food Industries (M) Sdn Bhd unveiled the new 9days Oat Mate Oat Cookies (160g) comprising Currant & Chocolate Chips, Currant and Chocolate Chips. This product was first launched around March 2017. 9days rhymes with “nice day.”

Rezza

Bio Haruantech (M) Sdn Bhd, the owner of the Rezza brand, unveiled its range of instant dry soup mix comprising mushroom, chicken and fish.

The Rezza instant soup range was introduced at MAHA 2016, Malaysia’s leading agricultural show. The fish instant soup is the first of its kind in the Malaysian market. The entry of Rezza provides consumers with an alternative to Campbell’s instant soup, which has been dominating the market following the exit of Ajinomoto’s Vono brand.

Also available was the Rezza Mie Kari Pedas. I was told this instant noodle was first conceived as a product for Palestinian refugees but was later made commercially available for the Malaysian market.

The packaging of the existing Rezza range of cup instant noodle was upgraded to a more robust PP packaging from food grade polystyrene.

Asian spaghetti

Sabah-based DongSin Food Sdn Bhd showcased its quick prepared Asian Spaghetti Oriental Taste, which cooks in 4 minutes. The serving size is 70g. The ingredients are wheat flour, salt, potassium carbonate and lemon yellow. The wheat grains used in the noodles are imported from Australia. The noodles are suitable for stir fry the Asian way.

Also on display was Sabah Mee, a low fat, vegetarian instant noodle ideal for both dry and fried base. The noodles are free from preservatives and has no cholesterol. Each pack weighs 210g and contains four pieces of noodles ideal for the entire family.

The ingredients are wheat flour, salt, sodium carbonate and colouring (tartrazine).

Organic oats

TenTen Food Manufacturing Sdn Bhd introduced its O’Daily Organic Instant Baby Oats and Organic Rolled Oats, known to be a good source of beta glucan. The oats are free from GMO.

The other products at Thaifex 2017 was the O’Daily O’Kiddos 4 Colours Highlands Bario Rice Porridge – Original, Mix Vegetables and Pure Mix Fruit. The Bario rice is harvested only once a year and is planted conventionally by local tribes. The rice is free from gluten and lactose with no GMO and preservatives. The rice porridge is suitable for babies aged 6+ months and above.

TentTen is famous for its TenTen jelly pudding and has added instant oatmeal to tap the healthy eating trend.

Jaya Grocer selling Milo Energy Cube

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

Jaya Grocer, a premium supermarket chain in Malaysia, has jumped into the Milo Energy Cube hype by making the product available in its stores. The Milo Energy Cube (137.5g) is selling for a price of RM 19.90 (USD 4.66) at the Jaya Grocer Mid Valley outlet.

The Milo Energy Cubes are made in Ghana and are certified halal. Each pack has 50 cubes.

Sellers on the B2C platform 11Street.my are selling the Milo Energy Cubes for RM 25 to RM 43.90 per pack each with 100 cubes.

The popularity of Milo Energy Cube has spread to Thailand where even the street vendors are selling the cubes. I saw a street vendor selling Milo Energy Cube in a morning market in Bangkok targeting locals. The price for a pack with 100 cubes was THB 350 (RM 43.80) and a pack with 10 cubes was THB 40.

What Mini Me thinks

When Milo Energy Cubes are even available in brick-and-mortar stores, it shows the extend of the popularity of such cubes in Thailand and Malaysia.

*All the images (except for the middle one) were photographed by the author

Sugar-free Gatorade G-Active enriches flavoured water line-up in the Philippines

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

Gatorade G-Active debuts in the Philippines

Gatorade, the top sports drink in the Philippines, has announced the launch of the new G-Active. It is a refreshing take on water with available flavors: Berry, Orange, and Lime. This electrolyte water drink does not come with sugar.

Previously launched in Mexico and Australia

Gatorade G-Active was previously launched first in Mexico in 2016 and subsequently in Australia at the end of April 2017.

Here is how the Australian version looks like. The campaign in Australia asks audiences ‘what if your water was as active as you?’. The message is Gatorade G-Active is the smart hydration choice for busy lifestyles.

Flavoured water is trending in the Philippines

We have seen the emergence of a range of new flavoured water or near water beverages in the Philippines market targeting consumers embracing the healthier lifestyle.

Philippine Spring Water Resources has its Nature Spring Flavoured Water packed with vitamins B1, B3, B6, and B12. This water-based drink with fruity twist flavors is positioned as a healthier alternative to soft drinks.

Another water brand, The Coca-Coca Co’s Wilkins delivered the county’s first water brand infused with flavors extracted from real fruit.

Gatorade G-Active is sugar free

Both Nature Spring Flavoured Water and Wilkins Delight represent the extension of the bottled water category into the emerging flavoured water segment. Both products contain sugar. Wilkins Delight’s sugar content is 18g per 250ml, while Nature Spring Flavoured Water is 25g per 350ml.

The difference between Gatorade G-Active and the other flavourer water brands is G-Active does not have sugar. This is something new for the flavoured water category and for sports enthusiasts who do not want to burden their body with the extra sugar.

All eyes on snack puffs for babies with new Promina Puffs

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

Baby supplementary food innovation in Southeast Asia is moving towards puff snack, a finger food for toddlers. The most recent launch involves the Promina brand of Indonesia’s leading food producer Indofood.

New Promina Puffs

The Promina Puffs was officially launched on 7 June 2017. Promina and SUN are part of the Indofood’s Nutrition & Special Foods Division. Promina is aimed at the higher-income bracket, while SUN is for the mass market.

There are 2 variants under Promina Puffs – banana and blueberry for babies 8 months and above. The puffs are fortified with Omega 3 & 6, calcium, iron and 7 vitamins.

Nestle Cerelac Nutripuffs launched in Malaysia in 2016

In 2016, Nestle launched its first toddler finger food in Asia – Cerelac Nutripuffs in Malaysia. There are two flavours – Banana & Orange and Banana & Strawberry. Unlike Promina Puff, Cerelac Nutripuffs is aimed at children 12 months and above.

Cerelac Nutripuffs now available in Vietnam

Cerelac Nutripuffs was subsequently introduced in Vietnam in the first quarter of 2017 in the form of a direct import from Malaysia.

What Mini Me thinks

The growth of the middle income class in Southeast Asia meant that parents have the extra money to spend beyond basic baby supplementary food such as cereal and biscuits and into something more premium like puffs.

The availability of imported puff from brands like Gerber and Happy Baby, often priced at a premium, provides a conducive environment for local market players to come up with a cheaper alternative.

Personally, I still buy Happy Baby Organic Puffs for my baby even through they are more expensive than Cerelac Nutripuffs because Happy Baby does not contain cane sugar and is less sweet than Nutripuffs.

David versus Goliath in Ichitan’s entry into energy drink

By
Tan Heng Hong
-
Image from the web

The official launch of T247, a new energy drink from Ichitan Group PLC in May 2017, marked the entry of the Thai RTD tea giant into the energy drink space in Thailand.

Struggling with RTD tea sales

It is obvious from the 2016 annual report of Ichitan that the company is struggling to revive consumer interest in RTD tea after years of intense marketing. There is no exact breakdown of the segment but Ichitan’s revenue mainly came from RTD tea, according to the annual report.

Turns to energy drink

The energy drink market stood at THB 35 billion in 2016, a contraction of 2.6% year-on-year, according to the article in the Bangkok Post on 24 May 2017. The top three players M-150, Carabao Dang and Krating Dang had a combined 94.4% share of the market, in which M-150 from Osotspa dominated with a 57% share.

The reason Ichitan turns to energy drink is because the market is huge and there is only a handful of players. This is a classic example of David taking on Goliath. Ichitan founder Tan Passakornnatee is well known for his ability to use crude but effective marketing (ie cash rewards and lucky draws) to grow the company’s share in the RTD tea market, wrestling market share away from Oishi. It is wait to be seen if he is able to repeat the same success with RTD tea in energy drink.

Focusing on both white and blue collars

T247 is aimed at both white and blue collar workers (20-30 years old), particularly new workers, who need the energy to stay ahead. The choice of the brand ambassadors reflect the brand positioning – actor Son-Yuke Songpaisan (well groomed) endorsing T247 with Collagen + Zinc and pop musician Jetrin Wattanasin (macho) promoting T247 with Ginseng.

PET bottle as differentiation

The energy drinks of the top three players are in either can or in glass bottle. Ichitan differentiates from the key competitors by coming up with an energy drink in a 280ml PET bottle packaging, similar to AJE’s Volt (300ml).

At 7-Eleven, the T247 energy drink is priced at THB 15, which is more expensive than Volt THB 10, Carabao THB 10, White Shark THB 10 and Red Bull Theoplex-L THB 10 but the higher price is made up for the higher volume. The price of T247 is comparable with Red Bull G2 and G3 THB 15 and M-150 Storm THB 15.

The image below was photographed by the author at 7-Eleven in May 2017.

The downsize to using PET is that Ichitan T247 is not placed on the same rack as the other energy drinks in glass or can.

What Mini Me thinks

Ichitan’s entry into the crowded and competitive energy drink market will be a test of the marketing powress of the company. Ultimately the success or failure of T247 hinges on marketing.

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