Mamee Nutrigen cultured milk is now in the 700ml format. The existing 800ml, in what I called the ‘bulging waistline’ bottle (700ml + 100ml free) is to be replaced by the standard 700ml bottle. The new 700ml packaging does look nicer compared to the 800ml bottle. The 700ml format is also the same as the one used by Betagen in Thailand.
In Thailand, Betagen has the following packaging sizes: 700ml, 400ml, 300ml, 140ml and 85ml. In Malaysia, Nutrigen’s packages sizes comprise 700ml, 300ml and 125ml.
Nestle’s Maggi Royale journey continues with the latest Thai White Seafood Tom Yum. The premium Royale range currently comprises Asian noodle dishes from the region including Malaysia (Peanang Seafood Curry, Johor Seafood Laksa and Sarawak Sambal Laksa), Korea (Korean Spicy Braised Beef) and Thailand (Thai White Seafood Tum Yum).
Co-created by Thai Cuisine Master
The new Maggi Royale Thai White Seafood Tum Yum is ‘co-created by Chef Wandee Na Songkhla, a Thai Cuisine Master, who is recognized by His Majesty the King of Thailand’. This is the first time the Royale range is turning to a chef to come up with a co-creation to improve the noodle’s authenticity. Maggi’s competitor Mamee has already turned to local Chef Ismail for its Chef Gold Recipe featuring the Mi Tarik technology to provide the noodle with a better texture.
This is how the new Maggi Thai White Seafood Tom Yam actually looks like on the shelf.
Improve authenticity using Thai language in social media postMaggi did something unique on its Malaysia Facebook page by introducing the new Thai noodle in Thai.
‘You Buy, We Cook’
The same approach of ‘You But, We Cook’ is employed to promote the new noodle in store. Buy purchasing a pack of the new noodle, Maggi will cook it in store with fresh premium ingredients.
Premium pricing
The new Maggi Thai Seafood Tum Yum is priced above the RM 8 level with the 4x88g pack priced at RM 8.25 (USD 2). As a comparison, the Maggi Royale Penang Seafood Curry comes with a price tag of RM 8.31 per 4x91g and RM 8.31 for the Maggi Royale Korea Spicy Beef per 4x82g.
Nestle Bliss has launched a surprising attack on Calpis by claiming ‘Not all drinks have real goodness of live cultures and real fruit juice like Nestle Bliss.’
Even though Nestle did not name the competitor but from the look of the bottle, it does resemble Asahi’s Calpis. Most of the people who left messages on Nestle Bliss Facebook site saw the obvious connection.
Some netizens have blasted the latest campaign by Nestle Bliss as ‘childish,’ while some have defended the move as ‘cheeky marketing’ with a positive aim of improving the competitive landscape in the name of ‘competitive advertising.’ Several people who left messages on social media said Nestle should name Calpis instead of showing the white bottle where everyone knows it is Calpis.
Few things that come up in this heated debate are ingredients (live cultures), sugar, taste and price. Few people were actually concerned about live cultures. One reader mentioned in Japan, Calpis has live cultures but in Malaysia it is just ‘water and flavouring’ with no live cultures. Another doubted whether live cultures can be kept in bottle form and wanted Nestle Bliss to proof this.
Many talked about sugar with more negative remarks about high sugar content directed at Nestle Bliss than at Calpis. Several readers did mention both are sweet and one said both drinks could cause diabetes, while another asked for ‘less sugar or no sugar version.‘ One requested Nestle Bliss to reveal its ‘nutrition facts,’ which could possibly give a more quantifiable proof to the claims.
Taste wise, more readers thought Calpis has better taste and comes with a more competitive price.
It all comes down to perception – that is Nestle Bliss is possibly losing sales. Here are some comments related to such a perception.
‘Your sales down huh’?
‘Obviously Nestle’s ground is affected much by Calpis’
‘Lost confidence on ur own brand‘
Finally, the attack on Calpis may have backfired with some readers saying
Nestle Bliss’ initial approach was about reminding consumers to choose ‘real goodness’ (live cultures and real fruit juice) but at the end of the day, consumers were more concerned about sugar, taste, price and the way the advertising was done. Essentially, the functional aspect of yoghurt drink is still not strong in people’s mind. Vitagen and Yakult still has the top of the mind when it comes to the probiotic message.
belVita Breakfast biscuit is now in Malaysia as part of Mondelez’s roll out of belVita across the world. belVita is now in over 50 countries worldwide with the US, the UK, France, Brazil and Russia as its biggest markets. In the Asia-Pacific region, belVita made its debut in China in 2015. The launch in Indonesia occurred in early 2016. The belVita sold in Indonesia is made in Malaysia.
belVita chalked up USD 550 million sales worldwide
belVita has been a success story for Mondelez with USD 550 million revenue in 2015, growing over 20% annually over the past few years, according to the belVita fact sheet.
All about breakfast
It is all about breakfast for belVita in its marketing message for Malaysia. The biscuit offers ‘tasty and nutritious breakfast to start your day’ and ‘full of spirit for your morning.’ The pack claims the biscuits are developed by belVita nutritionists and provide a balanced breakfast with 8 important vitamins and minerals featuring whole grains. belVita is also likely to be the first biscuit brand in Malaysia to associate itself with the breakfast occasion.
Image from belVita FB page
On the belVita Malaysia FB page, the company encourages consumers to eat 5 belVita biscuits, 1 serving of fruit, 1 cup of plain yoghurt and 1 cup of tea or coffee for a balanced breakfast.
Breakfast on the go
To link belVita as the perfect breakfast for busy commuters, Mondelez launched a marketing activity by making available belVita biscuits and coffee at selected train stations in the month of August 2016.
The belVita TV commercial features two adults with the female rushing to work. She was given a pack of belVita to start the day as a convenient, healthy portable breakfast by her husband. The message is clear, busy urban dwellers are the key target for belVita.
An interesting thing about this TV commercial is it is the same commercial used in Indonesia. The ad features the famous celebrity couple Bunga Citra Lestari from Indonesia and Ashraf Sinclair from Malaysia, which means audiences from both countries will be able to connect with them.
How belVita is displayed in store
At Giant Hypermarket, Spectrum Shopping Mall Ampang, belVita is placed next to cookies (indulgence) and oat biscuits (healthy). Competing against belVita are products like Quaker Oat Biscuit, Munchy’s Oat Krunch, Julie’s Oat 25, Chips Ahoy! and Hershey’s cookies.
Opposite belVita are mainly crackers including Mondelez’s very own Jacob’s.
Cracker growing slow
Crackers are popularly consumed in Malaysia for breakfast by topping it with toppings, dunking it in Milo or coffee or dipping it in spreads. However, the matured cracker category is growing very slow. According to Hup Seng, its cracker sales is growing at 2-4% a year in tandem with population growth of 1-2%. It is now betting on oat cookies to propel growth.
For Munchy’s to grow in the matured cracker category, it requires innovation such through dip-sized cream crackers by positioning Munchy’s Cream Cracker as Kawan Cawan Anda (your cup’s best friend. This simple innovation helped Munchy’s to grow its cracker sales by 18%, according to Campaign Asia, March 2012.
Sweet spot for oat biscuit
Oat biscuit is growing faster than cracker. This places belVita, which is made from whole grains (20%), in a sweet spot tapping into demand for biscuit that is perceived to be healthy, convenient, offers energy and yet indulgent.
belVita comes in Milk & Cereal and Honey & Chocolate in 160g and 80g packs.
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.
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Maggi did something unique on its Malaysia Facebook page by introducing the new Thai noodle in Thai.
