Red Bull (European version) gave the author a pleasant surprise while driving on the heavily congested rush hour traffic in KL few days ago.
While driving, suddenly there was a knocking sound on the car window. Appearing outside of the car was a female with a cheerful smile asking if we would like some Red Bull. She then passed two cans of Red Bull to us. She made sure the cans were opened and that meant we had to drink it immediately.
The surprise and the refreshing taste of chilled Red Bull really cheered up me and other fellow motorists. This experiential marketing has served its purpose of energising tired motorists who spend countless of hours in their daily commute. It has also left an indelible mark on the consumers who received the drink in such daring and surprising manner of passing it from the car window. This is what i called marketing!
Coca-Cola has collaborated with KFC China to introduce the Zico x KFC meal. The meal is only exclusively available online on KFC delivery portal for delivery in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing. The promotion runs from 25 July 2016 to 11 September 2016. The price for the set meal is RMB 36.
Yin Yang collaboration
The collaboration with KFC makes sense. Coconut water has yin or cooling property. Coconut water helps balances out the yang (heaty) element in burger and fries.
Zico debuts in May 2016
Zico was launched in China on 16 May 2016 and is currently exclusively available online such as Tmall.com. The price for a pack of 4 x 1L is RMB 99 (USD 14.8). The regular price is RMB 119. The 330ml Zico is RMB 10 each.
Zico targets schools, yoga centre and western restaurants
According to the portal ifooday.cn, Zico will be targeting schools, yoga centres (a popular target for coconut water) and western restaurants, citing Coca-Cola Greater China New Business Development Manager Yao Huiyi (姚慧仪). The company will not go through the traditional channel as Zico is deemed to be a beverage of high added value, said Yao.
Coca-Cola is importing Zico from Thailand in small batches to ensure they are fresh.
Shell Malaysia has been actively upgrading its petrol station convenience store into the modern Deli2Go concept. Shell Damansara Jaya is the latest concept store featuring Boost Juice and Berjaya Corp’s Krispy Kreme.
In 2016, the company will upgrade 130 Shell petrol stations, of which 100 will be turned into the standard Deli2Go featuring seating lounges, electronic charging stations and WiFi, while 30 stores will have a mix of local and global food and beverage retailers. The goal is to turn Shell petrol station into a food oasis for motorists, which makes perfect sense as Malaysia is notorious for its traffic jam.
A look inside Deli2Go
Here is a look inside one of the Deli2Go outlets next to DRB HICOM in Shah Alam. The name of the petrol station is Shell Subang Toll.
On the entrace of Deli2Go is a big signboard saying ‘Make your stop sizzle with a hearty hot dog.’
A seating area with free WiFi and charging stations for motorists.
A wide range of fresh and chilled food.
The microweable food is supplied by CP. They include sausages, wonton soup, pasta, nasi lemak with chicken rendang and fried rice priced between RM 4.90 to RM 8.30. The sandwiches come from DPO International, which also supplies Petronas, WHSmith, Circle K, Gloria Jean’s and other retailers with Grab&Go sandwiches.
The cakes are made by English Hotbreads (Sel) Sdn Bhd with prices ranging from RM 3.70 to RM 4.20. They include Almond Chocolate Chip, Premium English Fruitcake and Strawberry Shortbread.
Pastries are sold inside a glass display shelf along with DPO sandwiches and beverages such as Vitagen, Nescafe, Milo, Dutch Lady milk and Magnolia milk. The water is sold under the Shell label.
Coffee is supplied by Caffè del Caravaggio. Cafe mocha single is priced at RM 6.50, Cafe Latte single at RM 6.50, Americano single at RM 4.80 and Espresso single at RM 4.80. Ice blended mocha and Flavoured Smoothie each at RM 8.80.
Here comes the sausages.
Drinks galore.
I will be updating readers on other interesting retail outlets, locally and abroad, in the future.
Nestle Taiwan has recently introduced several products for the hot summer season from its sister companies in the tropical countries of Malaysia and Singapore.
From Malaysia, Nestle Taiwan introduced Nescafe Original and Coffee Mocha in RTD can in the second half of July 2016. From Singapore, the company unveiled Milo Ice Energy. All these products are only available for a limited period during summer 2016.
Nescafe RTDs
Interestingly, the two Nescafe RTDs are sold in their original form including the Malay words ‘wajah baharu’, which means ‘brand new look.’
They are sold exclusively at 7-11 and each can costs TWD 29.
Milo Ice Energy
The limited-edition, made-in-Singapore Milo was launched in Taiwan in early July 2016. It bears a close resemblance to the Milo Ice Energy in Singapore, which was available for a limited period in August 2015. In Singapore, Milo Ice Energy is formulated to taste like the iced cold MILO from the MILO van. It strikes a chord with Singaporeans growing up drinking Milo from van during sports day. However, there is no such tradition in Taiwan.
Milo Ice – TaiwanMilo Ice Energy – Singapore
In Taiwan, Milo Ice Energy is described as a nutritious drink that helps to replenish lost energy during hot summer days. It is also known as a popular drink for Singaporeans who live in a tropical country with hot weather all year long.
Nestle Taiwan also uses this occasion to introduce Milo Dinosaur, a popular way to drink Milo in Malaysia and Singapore. Milo Dinosaur, according to Wikipedia is ‘composed of a cup of milo over ice with powdered undissolved Milo added to it.
Milo Dinosaur
Other Nestle recent launches in Taiwan
July 2016 – Nescafe Iced Sweet Americano (雀巢咖啡美式冰咖啡) from South Korea for summer.
May 2016 – Nestlé Frutips Blackcurrant Ice Bar sold exclusively through 7-11 for summer.
Nestlé Frutips Blackcurrant Ice Bar
May 2016 – Nestle Kit Kat Green Tea from Japan
Nestle Kit Kat Green Tea
It is interesting to see how Nestle can tap into the huge pool of products and concepts (Milo Dinosaur) from other markets and localized them for their respective countries.
The Coca-Cola Company has unveiled Heaven and Earth Ayataka Japanese Green Tea in Malaysia. Ayataka is a ready-to-drink Japanese Green Tea with the taste and cloudiness of authentic Japanese teapot-brewed tea. It contains no preservatives and is free from calories and sugar.
Launched in Japan in 2007
Ayataka (綾鷹) was first introduced in Japan in 2007 as part of a collaboration between The Coca-Cola Company and Kyoto-based tea company Kanbayashi Shunsho Honten. Aayataka is made with powdered green tea with matcha powder listed as part of the ingredient.
Ayataka. Image from http://thekyotoproject.org/english/ayataka/
Competes with Pokka in Singapore & Malaysia
In Singapore, Ayataka was launched in 2013 under the Heaven and Earth label. The Japanese green tea, promoted as the authentic Japanese teapot-brewed tea even Maikos ((apprentice geisha) would choose, apparently took 5% of sales from market leader Pokka in the first month, according to Spikes Asia.
In Malaysia, we will be seeing the same situation where Ayataka will pose a strong challenge to Pokka in the sugar-free RTD tea space. No TVC or social media marketing have been initiated by The Coca-Cola Company for Ayataka in Malaysia so far.
The locally made Ayataka comes in a 315ml slim can and is priced at RM 1.40 at Giant Supermarket.
Ayataka RTD tea is also likely to be the first beverage from Coca-Cola for Malaysia that is free from sugar. Welcome to sugar-free The Coca-Cola Company!
The Indonesian online marketplace on China’s biggest B2C platform Tmall was launched on 8 July 2016. The new marketplace Inamall is a platform to selling Indonesian products directly to Chinese consumers. Inamall is hosted on the HK site of Tmall.
Limited range of F&B
Inamall carries a limited range of food and beverage products. Among them are Kusuka cassava chips, Kapal Api (civet coffee and white coffee), Luwak White Koffie and Inaco (nata de coco drink and nata de coco).
No price advantage
Products sold on Inamall is actually more expensive than similar products sold by other merchants on Tmall. Take Kapal Api as an example. On Inamall, Kapal Ali Kopi Luwak carries a price tag of RMB 199, while Kapal Api White Coffee is selling for RMB 48. The same Kapal Api Kopi Luwak sold by other merchants on Tmal can go as low as RMB 145, while Kapal Api White Coffee is cheaper at RMB 32, that’s a 33.3% discount. However, Inamall does provide consumers with better protection against fake goods as products sold on the site are directly supplied by the manufacturers.
Kapal Ali Kopi Luwak – RMB 199 and Kapal Api White Coffee RMB 48 on Inamall
Exclusive
Kusuka, Inaco and Luwak White Koffie are exclusively available on Inamall as these Chinese consumers are not familiar with these brands.
Most popular
As of 23 July 2016, the most popular items on Inamall are Safe Care Roll On Refreshing Oil Aromatherapy, followed by Kusuka cassava chips and Kapal Api White Coffee and Kapal Api Kopi Luwak.
More Indonesian companies are likely to join Inamall in due course since getting the right logistics partner presents a challenge for Indonesian companies doing online business in China.
On 13 July 2016, PepsiCo China has finally unveiled emoji cans featuring eight designs. It marks the continuation of the roll out of the PepsiCo’s Say It with Pepsi campaign across the world.
Three male celebrities were picked to promote the emoji cans. They are actor Deng Chao (邓超), track and field athlete Su Bingtian (苏炳添) and professional boxer Zhou Shiming (邹市明). The last two ads have a Olympic feel.
At the time of writing, the campaign has yet to be introduced in Indonesia, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan.
Shanghai Bairun Investment Holding Group Co., Ltd. (百润股份), best known for the Rio brand, has launched Rio in slim cans. The ready-to-drink (RTD) alcoholic cocktail beverage (预调鸡尾酒) in slim can covers RIO (5% ABV and 3% ABV). Rio Strong (强爽) with 8% ABV, launched in April 2016, is already in a 500ml slim can.
The 3% ABV Rio 500ml complements the existing 330ml can packaging and offers more value for money.
Rio 500ml 3% ABV
Rio 500ml 5% ABV in can
Also new is the RIO 5% ABV (本味) in 500ml can. The RIO 5% ABV in 275ml glass bottle was first launched in April 2016 to provide consumers with an RTD alcoholic cocktail beverage that has a higher alcoholic content targeting both male and female.
Slim can has recently become a trend with Coca-Cola introducing slim cans for its beverages to project a modern look.
Rio claims first to embrace ad-free broadcast of Sing! China
Rio has become a partner of Youku for the ad-free broadcasting of Sing! China (中国新歌声), which was previously known as The Voice of China (中国好声音), a hugely popular show, not only in China but in countries/territories with a sizable Chinese population like Malaysia, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The reality singing contest Sing! China premiered on 15 July 2016 featuring top singers including Jay Chau as part of its panelists.
One thing special about Rio’s collaboration with the video hosting service provider Youku is Rio covers all the advertising expenses for Youku to broadcast Sing! China on Youku, which is equivalent to YouTube. This makes Rio the first advertiser to test the add-free (免广告赞助商) concept in China.
What Rio did is it buy out the 60 second ad on Sing! China. Also, each consumer who bought Rio Sing!China-related products will get to enjoy seven days of ad-free Youku viewing experience. In addition to that, from 25 July 2016, Rio will have a 1mn free drinks promotion on its Tmall website. This free drink promotion raises the question whether the company is trying to clear old inventory following the build up of inventory due to poor sales.
Image from http://chuansong.me/n/429505743084
The ad-free approach does away the need for audience to watch the commercial, which is on average 30 minutes and 28 seconds for one episode of the previous The Voice of China.
This ad-free concept ties in with the purity appeal of Rio’s 5% ABV (本味), which carries the tagline ‘ 最经典最纯粹的口感 (classic and pure taste).’
Rio 5% ABV
On Youku, there is still a four second advertisement for Rio but the audience gets to enjoy the show immediately.
First quarter 2016 results
First quarter 2016 revenue for Bairun fell 73.3% year-on-year to RMB 216.4 million from RMB 810.4 million a year ago. The company reported a net loss attributable to parent company of RMB 63.57 million, down from a net profit of RMB 315 million. The decline is attributed to the fall in sales of Rio. It appears the troubles for Rio is far from over.
URC’s flavoured water/isotonic drink B’lue has been actively engaging young social media active Filipinos first with the personalised label and now with TV ad moment.
You n B’lue personalised your summer moment
The personalised bottle label campaign, which ran until 30 June 2016, was to ‘show everyone how fully alive your summer is.’ Consumers get to choose the bottle, flavour and upload their ‘fully alive’ photos online. They could get the personalised bottle from the travelling B’lue Truck or have it delivered to their house for a small fee.
Here is the author’s panda and cat designsA selection of personalised B’lue drinks
Starring in own commercial
Now, B’lue is taking this campaign ones step further with a personalised commercial to ‘express what #BlueFeelsLike in your own commercial.’
You TV – from B’lue Facebook
Participants can become a skydiver or a performer in a sold out rock concert. The key is to ‘experience something one of a kind and [feel] fully alive’. The experiential aspect is key to the marketing of B’lue with its tagline ‘Live to Feel.’ There are likely to be more ‘Live to Feel’ marketing efforts to cultivate B’lue as a lifestyle isotonic drink.
Stellar sales performance of B’lue
Danone Universal Robina Beverages saw volume sales of B’lue increasing 47% quarter-on-quarter in the third quarter of FY 2015 with the strong growth attributed to the brand growing from a small base. FY2015 runs from October 2014 to September 2015. B’lue was first launched in January 2015 with brand activation and marketing communications commencing in the second quarter of FY2015.
According to URC citing ACNielsen data, B’lue has overtaken ‘Propel and Pocari Sweat for the first time in May 2015 for supermarket and convenience stores in Greater Manila Area (GMA) and Luzon.’ So now is an exciting time for B’lue as it charges ahead in the isotonic drink category.
Ikea Malaysia has recently changed its drinks menu. Now, the drink fountain comes with four new options:
Sparkling Nordic fruit water lemon
Sparkling Nordic fruit water pear
Sparkling Nordic water raspberry
Still Lingonberry drink
This is in addition to the usual Pepsi, 7 Up, Mountain Dew and Mirinda.
The flavoured water surprisingly taste very good with no after taste often associated with sugary drink. In my opinion, the best are Sprkling Nordic Fruit Water Raspberry and Still Lingonberry Drink. These ought to be sold commercially outside of Ikea and will likely to be well received by consumers who want something sweet but light.
Apart from flavoured water, Ikea has made available orange juice drink with no sugar added. The juice is made by Malaysia Milk Sdn Bhd, the same company that produces the Marigold Peel Fresh juice. The Ikea orange juice is priced at RM 2.70 (USD 0.70).
Also caught my attention is the Ikea reversed osmosis (RO) water and the funny part is this treated piped water is made by Dr. Who (M) Sdn Bhd.
So Bon Appetit at Ikea where the queue for food is always long but the wait is worthwhile.
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