Press Release: 7-Eleven Malaysia Introduces exclusive Justice League Ring or Tag™ Collection

By

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21st March 2017

Tuesday, 21st March 2017 – Superb news, Justice League fans! 7-Eleven Malaysia proudly presents its latest loyalty program – Justice League Ring or Tag™, featuring exclusive collectibles of your favourite Justice League characters!

Ring or Tag™ comprises of 8 designs each of either a key ring or bag tag, highlighting iconic characters, namely Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash and more! The collectibles also has a glow in the dark feature for some added exclusivity and to maintain the element of surprise, comes in individual “blind” packs. As an added surprise, there will also be 3 limited edition Ring or Tag™ each and avid collectors can begin redeeming these adorable and exclusive items at any 7-Eleven stores nationwide.

This loyalty campaign will run for 8 weeks beginning 21^st March 2017 until 15^th May 2017. During this period, customers will be rewarded with one program sticker for every RM5 spent in a single receipt on selected purchases in stores. What’s more, bonus program stickers will be rewarded when each purchase include preferred partner’s products listed by 7-Eleven Malaysia. Once all 8 stickers are collected, customers are able to redeem a Ring or Tag™ for free.

“Ring or Tag™ will be a major appeal to all, especially Justice League fans,” said 7-Eleven Malaysia’s CEO, Gary Brown. “The collection is of high quality, and with its exclusivity of being a DC Comics-licensed product, it certainly is a ‘must have’ collectible! It is also of functional use whereby to keep our keys organized, as a luggage bag identification or simply as a decorative piece. We have also added a glow in the dark feature – making it the first of its kind from our past loyalty programs.”

“As we constantly strive to ensure utmost customer satisfaction, we believe that this loyalty program will meet up to expectations and is bound to incite excitement for customers to collect them all!” he concluded.

In conjunction with the Ring or Tag™ loyalty program, 7-Eleven Malaysia will be commencing its Ring or Tag: Search Party from 28^th March until 8^th May 2017. The weekly online contest is open to all 7-Eleven customers with exciting prizes up for grabs! Participants are required to collect the Justice League Ring or Tag™ at 7-Eleven Malaysia, snap a creative photo based on the announced weekly selected Key Ring or Bag Tag and share it on their Facebook page.

7-Eleven Malaysia is the largest stand-alone convenience store-chain nationwide, with more than 2,100 outlets across the country. The launch of Justice League Ring or Tag™ extends the journey to continuously aspire to elevate customers’ shopping experiences and scale greater heights as the leading convenience store operator in Malaysia. To achieve expectations in providing convenience to customers, 7-Eleven Malaysia opts to stay true to its motto, Always There for You.

For more information on Justice League Ring or Tag™ or Ring or Tag: Search Party contest terms & conditions, visit www.7eleven.com.my or Facebook at 7ElevenMalaysia.

About 7-Eleven Malaysia

7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad through its subsidiary 7-Eleven Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. is the owner and operator of 7-Eleven stores in Malaysia. Incorporated on 4 June 1984, 7-Eleven Malaysia has made its mark in the retailing scene and have been a prominent icon for over 32 years. 7-Eleven Malaysia is the pioneer and largest 24-hours standalone convenience store operator in Malaysia with over 2,100 outlets nationwide and serves more than 900,000 customers daily. 7-Eleven stores can be found across bustling commercial districts to serene suburban residential compounds throughout Malaysia, from petrol stations and LRT stations to shopping malls and medical institutions. 7-Eleven is Always There For You.

New Nestle Bliss Plus with inulin

By

Tan Heng Hong

-

19th March 2017

New Nestle Bliss Plus

Nestle Bliss, Malaysia’s popular yoghurt drink, now has a new variant Bliss Plus. The new Nestle Bliss Plus comes with prebiotic inulin to promote good gut bacteria. It also contains live cultures and real fruit juice.

Nestle emphasises inulin in recent innovation

Inulin features prominently in Nestle’s new dairy innovation. The ambient yoghurt drink Nestle Bliss Go, launched in early September 2016, comes with the soluble dietary fibre to promote the growth of good bacteria.

Nestle Bliss was marketed to contain inulin around 2010-11. But when you look at the nutrition information on the current packaging of Nestle Bliss, there is no mentioning of inulin.

Nutritional information – Nestle Bliss Plus (left); Nestle Bliss (right) (image above)

Three Nestle Bliss Plus variants

The new Bliss Plus low fat yoghurt drink comes in three variants using new ingredients not found in the existing Nestle Bliss such as red beet (beetroot), cranberry and pomegranate:

Apple, cranberry & pomegranate
Apple, passion fruit & lemon
Apple, prune and red beet

The net weight of the The yoghurt drink is 700g and has to be refrigerated at 4°C.

Nestle Bliss Plus versus competitors

This is how the new Nestle Bliss Plus fares against Nestle Bliss and other products in the low fat segment as well as against its zero fat peers. Nestle Bliss Plus is the only yoghurt drink in the country with inulin, which helps it to differentiate from competitors.

What’s the next flavours?

Halal Malaysian portal accessed on 19 March 2017

The Halal Malaysian portal is a good source to seek clues on what’s next for Nestle Bliss. According to the portal, which is run by the Malaysian halal certifying body JAKIM, the company has obtained the halal certification for two new flavours for the Nestle Bliss range.

The new flavours are Kurma Gula Melaka (palm sugar dates) and Rose Bandung (condensed milk flavoured with rose cordial syrup), which have not been launched in the market. The two flavours are already featured in the Nestle Tradisi Potong ice cream range. We can only guess that Kurma Gula Melaka and Rose Bandung will be introduced soon. [These were offered as a limited-edition during Ramadan 2017]

7-Eleven Fresh to Go bread gets better shelf placement

By

Tan Heng Hong

-

18th March 2017

7-Eleven Malaysia has improved the visibility of its Fresh to Go bread and bread products by placing them in the common bread aisles. Now Fresh to Go shares the same rack as the leading brands Gardenia, Massimo and Mighty White. Previously, it was hidden inside the glass cabinet.

7-Eleven Fresh to Go bread on the left and Gardenia bread on the right (image above)

Wider varieties

7-Eleven Fresh to Go bread products come with wider varieties including montego delight and mexican bun to differentiate it from national brands. All the Fresh to Go bread products are made by Fuji Bakery Supplies (M) Sdn Bhd, a private company that supplies bakery products to supermarkets, hypermarkets, cafés and convenience stores.

The price of Fresh to Go is slightly cheaper than branded equivalent. For example, the Fresh to Go sardine bun is selling at RM 1.00, which is RM 0.05 cheaper than Gardenia, which makes perfect sense as private label is meant to be cheaper.

The Fresh & Go initiative is part of the wider strategy by 7-Eleven Malaysia to grow the food and beverage segment. According to 7-Eleven Malaysia CEO Gary Brown speaking to Focus Malaysia (11-17 March 2017 issue), the convenience store chain serves hot coffee at over 1,600 outlets, fresh and ready-to-eat food like onigiri and bento at more than 200 outlets and ready-to-heat meals at 1,500 outlets. 7-Eleven Malaysia has more than 2,000 stores in the country.

Private label blurring the lines

Private label is evolving from being generic with bland branding and packaging to one that looks and feels more than national brands. Grocery store brands are now less likely to be easily picked out on grocery store shelve as many now have their own unique brand names.

A good example is GCH Retail (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, which runs the Giant and Cold Storage grocery chains as well as Guardian beauty and personal care store. In the past few years, GCH Retail has introduced a series of private label products under names like Sun Harvest (cereal and jam), Snapmax (snacks) and Feather Soft (household paper products). They all come in attractive packaging.

In Indonesia, the country’s leading minimarket chain Indomaret has recently introduced Prime Bread, which does not feel like a private label brand. Prime Bread is made by PT Gardenia Makmur Selaras, a subsidiary of PT Indomarco Prismatama, the operator of Indomaret.

What Mini Me thinks

Even though Fresh to Go bread is now more visible, thanks to better shelf placement, the key challenge is to improve the aesthetic value of the product to make it more attractive to consumers.

Press Release: Get Aktif with Smurfs!

By

Tan Heng Hong

-

16th March 2017

Tuesday, 14^th March 2017 – Time to Get Aktif with Smurfs! Loyal customers are in for a treat as 7-Eleven Malaysia’s latest initiative involves an online photo contest featuring prizes worth a total of RM50, 000 is up for grabs! Get Aktif with Smurfs contest is open to all 7-Eleven customers and the submission period begins now till 1 May 2017.

Participation is simple! Customers are required to purchase a minimum of RM5 in a single receipt on 7-Eleven’s range of Aktif brand labelled water products, be it mineral or drinking water, collage the receipt with a creative photo of anything blue, and post it publicly on their personal Facebook or Instagram with the hashtags #AktifSmurfs and #7ElevenMY. Participants could increase their chances of winning by posting more entries!

The most creative entry winner will be rewarded an exciting 7 days 6 nights’ trip for two to Belgium and Amsterdam including a visit to Smurfs Museum of Brussels worth up to RM20,000; while the next best 100 entries will each receive a Limited Edition Scooter from Smurfs: The Lost Village worth RM300 each!

“Our loyal customers are a priority and the reason we live up to our tagline, Always There For You,” said Ronan Lee, General Marketing Manager of 7-Eleven Malaysia. “As an appreciation for their wholehearted support, we aspire to continue offering exciting promotions and campaigns to further enrich the shopping experience of our devoted customers.”

From left: Marketing Senior Executive Ms. Haley Ong, SONY Pictures Malaysia Marketing Manager Ms. Catherine Chai and 7-Eleven Malaysia General Manager (Marketing) Mr. Ronan Lee.

On the subject of Get Aktif with Smurfs contest he commented, “It has always been interesting to view our fans’ extent of creativity, especially in photo contests. We look forward to plenty of entries for Get Aktif with Smurfs as our customers would be in the running to win great prizes whilst drinking more water, which is always a great habit to maintain.”

Sony Pictures Malaysia Marketing Manager, Catherine Chai commented, “We are delighted with our partnership with the No.1 convenience store chain in the country to celebrate Smurfs: The Lost Village which will be releasing in cinemas nationwide on the 6^th of April 2017 and the association of our Smurfs with an Aktif lifestyle is spot on as Smurfs are all about being happy and healthy!.”

For more information and contest terms & conditions, please visit www.7eleven.com.my or Facebook at 7ElevenMalaysia.

About 7-Eleven Malaysia

7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad through its subsidiary 7-Eleven Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. is the owner and operator of 7-Eleven stores in Malaysia. Incorporated on 4 June 1984, 7-Eleven Malaysia has made its mark in the retailing scene and have been a prominent icon for over 32 years. 7-Eleven Malaysia is the pioneer and largest 24-hours standalone convenience store operator in Malaysia with over 2,100 outlets nationwide and serves more than 900,000 customers daily. 7-Eleven stores can be found across bustling commercial districts to serene suburban residential compounds throughout Malaysia, from petrol stations and LRT stations to shopping malls and medical institutions. 7-Eleven is Always There For You.

Kopiko RTD coffee rolled into Thailand

By

Tan Heng Hong

-

16th March 2017

Inbisco (Thailand) Ltd has announced the launch of the new Kopiko ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee in Thailand in early March 2017. Each bottle weighs 240g and comes in a PET packaging.

Kopiko RTD coffee in Thailand (image above)

The bottle design for Kopiko Thailand appears more refined compared with the Kopiko RTD coffee in Indonesia. This reflects the need to adapt to Thai consumers who are accustomed to sophistication in packaging design.

Kopiko RTD coffee in Indonesia (image above)

RTD coffee grew 2% in 2016

According to Marketeer magazine, the country’s RTD coffee market only grew by 2% in 2016 to THB 12 billion (USD 342 million), a slowdown from an 8% growth in 2015. The projected growth for 2017 is 5%.

Inbisco has built a factory in Bangpakong Industrial Estate, Ayutthaya. The production capacity of the factory is 250 million units.

To promote the new Kopiko RTD coffee, Inbisco will focus on sampling and advertising in outdoor and TVC. Three celebrities have been appointed including Kawin Thamsatchanan, a professional footballer and actor Sukollawat Kanarot to project a strong image, while actress Usamanee Waitayanon fits the smart lady image. (image below from the Marketeers)

The total marketing budget for Kopiko RTD coffee is THB 250 million.

My personal experience shopping at Honestbee in Malaysia

By

Tan Heng Hong

-

15th March 2017

Officially launched in Malaysia

Honestbee, the Singapore-based startup concierge and delivery service provider, has been officially launched in Malaysia on 28 February 2017. The online grocery service was available in the Malaysian market on a trial basis for the past several months.

It currently has over 10 partners including Ben’s Independent Grocer (B.I.G.), Shojikiya, Fareastflora.com, Cat and The Fiddle, Southern Rock Seafood, Castania Nut Boutique, Vom Fass, The Blue Cow Butcher, La Juiceria, Wondermilk, Wine Connection, Cookie Box, GNC, Real Food, Chai Huat Hin and Jezripe.

Covering KL & PJ

The coverage of Honestbee is limited to the Petaling Jaya (PJ) and Kuala Lumpur (KL) areas covering the central business district (CBD) and most of the major commercial and office buildings. (image above)

In Singapore, Honestbee has a much better coverage, encompassing most of the island (image below)

In Thailand, Honestbee focuses on serving the capital city Bangkok (image below), a strategy adopted for the other countries like Indonesia (Jakarta), Taiwan (Taipei), Japan (Tokyo) and the Philippines (Manila).

Key supermarket partners in the region

My experience with Honestbee in Malaysia

My mission was to shop for Happy Puffs Superfood Sweet Potato & Carrot (RM 21.10) at Ben’s Independent Grocer to make full use of the RM 1 promotional delivery fee, which ended on 14 March 2017, and a RM 10 voucher from the Manis loyalty lifestyle mobile app.

The image below shows the normal delivery rate of RM 9.99. Concierge fee of RM 5.99 is the fee paid to the team who does the shopping for you.

This was what I paid.

Unfortunately, only once voucher can be used per transaction.

After choosing the product, I was given the option to pick the preferred delivery time. The peak delivery fee is RM 11.99, while the normal delivery fee is RM 9.99.

RM 9.99 is the minimum delivery price after the RM 1 promotion ended on 14 March 2017 (image above)

For this order, I picked 10-11am as the delivery time. The parcel arrived at my office at 10.50am, which is within the stipulated time. Bravo!

The Happy Puffs Superfood Sweet Potato & Carrot arrived in a yellow Honestbee bag. I was given a card containing a discount code where I will get a RM 20 discount with a minimum purchase of RM 100 to entice me to shop at Honestbee again.

The final receipt was sent to my email once I signed on the device to confirm I have received the parcel.

To spread the word, I was encouraged to share the voucher code on social media where my friends will receive RM 15 and I will get RM 10 when they shop.

The overall shopping experience at Honestbee was a breeze and the delivery was punctual. The delivery fee and the concierge fee are quite expensive (totalling at least RM 16) but can be waived if you have the discount voucher.

Adabi clarifies about authenticity of Adabi Oyster Sauce

By

Tan Heng Hong

-

15th March 2017

There has been a commotion over the authenticity of Adabi Oyster Sauce in Malaysia. In response to that, Malaysia’s Adabi Consumer Industries Sdn Bhd (Adabi), the company famous for its condiment and packaged foodstuff, issued a press release on 11 March 2017 stating that it “has never produced any other seafood-based cooking preparation sauce apart from “Adabi Seafood Sauce”.

Adabi Oyster sauce made for Sri Nona Industries

The product in question is the Adabi Oyster Sauce (Sos Tiram Adabi), which has been in the market for quite sometime. Even though this oyster sauce features the iconic Adabi logo of a Malay traditional traditional stilt house, it is manufactured for Kepong-based Sri Nona Industries. The name of the manufacturer was not listed on the packaging.

Interestingly, the Kepong-based firm shares the same address as Sri Nona Food Industries Sdn Bhd and Lee Shun Hing Sauce Industries Sdn Bhd. The packaging of Lee Shun Hing (李顺兴) oyster sauce and vegetarian oyster sauce indicates that the oyster sauces are made for Lee Shun Hing Sauce Industries Sdn Bhd but without mentioning by whom.

A closer look at the ingredients reveal all three products Sri Nona Oyster Sauce, Adabi Oyster Sauce and Lee Shun Hing Oyster Sauce appear to have identical ingredients. However, the Adabi Oyster Sauce (255g – RM 4.91) is more expensive than the Sri Nona Oyster Sauce (255g – RM 3.85) even though both have the same ingredients.

All three products are distributed by DKSH Malaysia Sdn Bhd.

Pending appeal cases before the Court

The court case between Adabi Consumer Industries Sdn Bhd with Sri Nona Industries Sdn Bhd, Sri Nona Food Industries Sdn Bhd and Lee Shun Hing Sauce Industries Sdn Bhd is currently on going for many years. The High Court document can be found here.

Based on the author’s understanding, Adabi (Plaintiff) entered into an agreement with Sri Nona Industries (First Defendant) in 1988 for the sale and manufacturing of oyster sauce to be marketed under the “Adabi” brand name.

According to the plaintiff, the defendant has sold its Adabi oyster sauce in Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia and registered the trademark in Singapore and Indonesia in violation of the agreement. The defendant was also found to have breached the agreement by selling flavoured oyster sauce, said the plaintiff.

The High Court Judge Datin Hajah Azizah binti Haji Nawawi delivered her verdict in favour of Adabi (plaintiff) in the document dated 13 December 2016.

Now the case is pending appeal before the Court of Appeal, Malaysia.

Adabi Seafood Sauce

In the meantime, Adabi has released the Adabi Seafood Sauce, which carries the tagline “Lebih Sedap Dari Sos Tiram” or tastier than oyster sauce.

What Mini Me thinks

This is another example of commercial dispute involving the licensee and licensor of trademark. Looking at the broader picture, the penetration of soy sauce in Malaysia has reached a saturation point where soy sauce is available in the kitchen of every household.

Unlike soy sauce, oyster sauce is a growth segment. The usage of oyster sauce is high among the Chinese population but still low among the Malays who form the majority of the population. The recent action by Adabi is seen as a move to take back the oyster sauce business as this is where the money is.

Teapins Farmer’s Tea taps into provenance

By

Tan Heng Hong

-

14th March 2017

Know your tea farmers. This is what Vietnam’s Sense of Asia Company Limited (Teapins) has done with its Farmer’s Tea. The range comprises 10 authentic Vietnamese loose teas and exotic blends including 2 rare tea. The tea is hand picked and comes directly from the farmers who grow the tea in small family farms.

Image below and above from Teapins website

On the back of the packaging contains information on how to brew the tea, notes about tasting and the origin of the tea with minute detail on the exact location of the tea farm. For example, the ginger lemongrass herbal tea comes from Cong Hoa, Hai Duong Province in northern Vietnam – 21 08’56.1″N 106 23’44.0″E

Teapins ginger lemongrass herbal tea comes from this farm (image above and below)

Teapins display at Giant, Crescent Mall, Ho Chi Minh City, District 7. Image above was taken by the author

What Mini Me thinks

Teapins farmer’s tea is a perfect example of a provenance-based produce. This concept not only supports local farmers by skipping the middlemen but also justifies the tea premium positioning. Consumers also get to know about the farmers behind the tea, which adds to the product’s appeal, making it ideal as a gift.

Anlene now in sakto pack

By

Tan Heng Hong

-

14th March 2017

The Anlene Sakto pack has been released by New Zealand’s dairy company Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited in the Philippines. Anlene Sakto is a practical 30gm single-serve pack for people on-the-go. The suggested retail price is PHP 15.50. The Anlene Gold has 2x the Calcium, 5x the Vitamin D, and 6x lower in fat than regular adult milk.

Anlene 180g

Fonterra earlier introduced a similar Anlene Gold Plain in 180g with a suggested retail price of PHP 99, which is more affordable than the previous price.

What Mini Me thinks

Anlene is embracing smaller pack to reduce the price point to a more affordable level to improve usage and penetration. The lowering of the price of the 180g pack also serves the same purpose of increasing consumption of milk by adults.

Fonterra launches MoveMax in Indonesia

By

Tan Heng Hong

-

14th March 2017

New Zealand’s Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited has launched MoveMax in Indonesia in March 2017. MoveMax is all about moving with dynamism, flexibility and strength so that you can move as young as you feel.

MoveMax was introduced in Malaysia in May 2016. The new formulation is now available in Indonesia. The MoveMax marketing in Indonesia focuses on the theme “tetap bisa,” literally translated in English as “still can” or still being able to move actively for oneself and for the ones you love (#TetapBisa bergerak aktif untuk diri sendiri dan orang yang kamu sayangi).

Story of a drummer

The advertising of Anlene MoveMax focuses on the story of Titi Rajo Bintang, a 36-year-old celebrity who is famous for her drumming skills. Her wish is to continue to play the drum until she grows old. However, would she be able to do that when she is old?

A challenged is thrown to her, which requires her to wear an “age suit.” The suit limits her ability to move and mimics how her body feels when she becomes old.

She initially thinks she can play the drum well even while wearing the suit but actually she struggles with both her hand and leg movements.

A scene later appears showing a mobility expert claiming how the suit is stimulating how her bones, joints and muscles will be when she is old.

Titi even ‘fell’ on the floor when she tried to pick up the drumming stick.

The message is one has to better take care of oneself before it gets too late. So start acting now!

Here is the entire video clip.

https://www.facebook.com/AnleneIndonesia/videos/1352626268130894/

What Mini Me thinks

Fonterra is shifting its positioning to the concept of full mobility (live young), which can be achieved only after the person has taken care of their bones, joints and muscles. The MoveMax marketing also touches the heart of modern female consumers.

Unlike the older generation who devotes most of their time to their family, new generation of consumers wish to achieve a balance between family, work and life. They wish to continue to be actively fit to engage in activities they like such as travelling even when they grow old. This is how MoveMax comes into play with a product that enables female consumers to take preventive measures so that when they become old they can still move as young as you feel.

Mini Me Insights

Press Release: 7-Eleven Malaysia Introduces exclusive Justice League Ring or Tag™ Collection

New Nestle Bliss Plus with inulin

7-Eleven Fresh to Go bread gets better shelf placement

Press Release: Get Aktif with Smurfs!

Kopiko RTD coffee rolled into Thailand

My personal experience shopping at Honestbee in Malaysia

Adabi clarifies about authenticity of Adabi Oyster Sauce

Teapins Farmer’s Tea taps into provenance

Anlene now in sakto pack

Fonterra launches MoveMax in Indonesia

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