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The Slurpee Siku Challenge

By
Tan Heng Hong
-
From left: Marketing General Manager of 7-Eleven Malaysia, Mr. Ronan Lee; Marketing Manager of Mitsubishi Electric Sales Malaysia, Mr. Gordon Wong; and the team from Mitsubishi Electric Sales Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur, 5 January 2018 – Think you might have a hidden talent using your elbows, but never had a chance to test it out? Here’s your chance! 7-Eleven Malaysia is delighted to launch its first ever – The Slurpee Siku Challenge, and submissions are now open until 29 January 2018 with impressive prizes worth up to RM72, 000 up for grabs!

To participate, contestants are required to purchase a Slurpee of any size at any 7-Eleven stores, keep the receipt, and take a creative 7-second video of them self drinking Slurpee while holding the cup using only their elbows. Yes, that’s right – elbows. Once completed, entries have to be posted publicly through the contestants’ personal Instagram or Facebook page with the dedicated hashtags #TheSlurpeeSikuChallenge, #MitsubishiElectric, and #7ElevenMY to be in the running to win. By submitting more cool entries, the higher the chances to bring home even cooler prizes!

The most creative submission winner will bring home prizes worth a total of more than RM25,000 consisting of a Mitsubishi LX Grande Fridge 630L worth RM5,959; three units of Mitsubishi Kirigamine Air Conditioner 1.5HP worth RM4,559 each; and one Apple iPhone X (64GB) worth RM5,457. There would also be 7 special prize winners that will take home one Mitsubishi LX Grande Fridge 630L respectively while 20 consolation prize winners will each bring home a Mitsubishi Electric Living Fan (LV 16 GU) worth RM263.

“Our loyal customers are a priority and the reason we live up to our tagline, Always There For You,” said Ronan Lee, Marketing General 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.”

 On the subject of The Slurpee Siku Challenge contest he commented, “It has always been interesting to view our fans’ extent of creativity, especially in digital submission contests and we look forward to plenty of fun and zany entries. We initiated the campaign as a challenge for our fans to show us how they enjoy their most favourite frozen beverage, Slurpee in the most creative manner using only their elbows and what better way to taste sweet victory than with the Coolest Drink on Earthℱ !.”

Mitsubishi Electric Sales Malaysia Marketing Manager, Gordon Wong commented, “We are delighted with our partnership with the No.1 convenience store chain in the country as our innovative products incorporates the latest technological advances but with a competitive pricing and our association with Slurpee, The World’s Coolest Drinkℱ is spot on as our products are all about keeping one cool.”

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

Online Grocery Shopping Sets the Pace for Chinese New Year

By
Tan Heng Hong
-
[From left] Wong Chui Ling, well-known TV personality and host; Bruce Lim, Vice President of Merchandising at 11street; Tan Sri Danny Ooi, Founder of the Malaysia Book of Records; YB Datuk Wira Dr Abu Bakar Mohamad Diah, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI); Joshua Sew, Chief Executive Officer of JOCOM; Agnes Chua, Managing Director of JOCOM; and Chef Cheah Kee Khiang posing for a group photo with couplet greetings to welcome 2018.
  • Online grocery saw more than 30% increase in its gross merchandising value (GMV) in 2017 as compared to 2016;
  • Launch of Cooking Up Prosperity cookshow cements partnership renewal between 11street and JOCOM (Just Order Conveniently On Mobile) to open up a plethora of grocery items for Chinese New Year;
  • JOCOM plans to expand its online grocery offerings and services on 11street nationwide by Q3 of 2018, including the east coast.

Kuala Lumpur, 4 January 2018 – Preparation work for Chinese New Year, especially the reunion dinner, is often extensive and time-consuming. As the festive celebration is around the corner, 11street – Malaysia’s number two online marketplace – has reinforced its partnership with JOCOM to bring prepping and shopping for Chinese New Year grocery items to another level of convenience.

This partnership is off the back of 11street’s grocery category emerging as one of the platform’s continued focus in 2018, in which it saw more than 30% increase in its gross merchandising value (GMV) in 2017 as compared to 2016.

Bruce Lim, Vice President of Merchandising at 11street said: “More Malaysian consumers would start to explore shopping for groceries and other household items online. This holds true and as 2017 comes to an end, we expect this category to only flourish from hereon.

“This motivates us to strengthen our collaboration with JOCOM and become the e-commerce platform that offers great variety of fresh produce and other frozen goods as food preparation for Chinese New Year heightens. With our host of offering coupled with our established technological prowess, we aim to enable consumers to use our platform as the go-to channel to fulfil all their grocery needs, especially during the festive season.”

Chef Quality Cooking, At Home

The partnership between 11street and JOCOM goes beyond opening an online channel for grocery shopping, for it also includes “Cooking Up Prosperity”, a 10-episode cooking show that will be streamed online. Featuring Chef Cheah Kee Khiang, a prominent chef in Malaysia, and hosted by well-known host and TV personality, Wong Chui Ling, the show will feature simple-to-follow Chinese New Year recipes using fresh ingredients available on JOCOM’s online store at 11street.

Image above: Chef Cheah Kee Khiang showing the crowd a snippet of ‘Cooking Up Prosperity’ in a live cooking demonstration using fresh ingredients available on JOCOM’s online store at 11street. [From left] Jacqueline Tiang, first runner up of Miss Astro 2016, and Chef Cheah Kee Khiang.

Joshua Sew, Chief Executive Officer of JOCOM said: “When we first partnered with 11street last year, we wanted to expand our outreach to a wider community. More importantly, we hoped to empower Malaysians with the convenience of shopping for groceries and other household items online. As a way forward, we produced the cooking show to showcase that Chinese New Year preparation can be made simpler if they know where to get the ingredients and how to best prepare them, without the need to leave their homes.”

Each episode of “Cooking Up Prosperity” will be streamed every Tuesday and Thursday, beginning today, and run for 10 minutes. Among the dishes featured are Golden Prosperity (Fried Prawn with Salted Egg Floss), Tremendous Opulence (CNY Cake with Taro & Sweet Potato), and Superior Smooth Porridge Seafood Steamboat, with each dish taking less than 10 minutes to cook.

The cooking show is sponsored by Clio, Desa Home, Electrolux, F&N, Khind, Kinohimitsu, Maggi, Onenot-enough, Philips, Sharp, SJK Electrical, Starbucks, Sublime and Trine Nexus.

2018 Roadmap with Nationwide Expansion

Moving forward, 11street is geared towards enhancing the variety of groceries to advocate the growing trend of grocery shopping for better consumer convenience. On that note, by working with 11street, JOCOM is planning to expand its online grocery business nationwide by Q3 of 2018, including to the east coast. Currently, 11street’s online grocery services is available to consumers in Klang Valley, Johor and Penang.

“Following the growth of online grocery shopping, we hope the numbers especially the GMV and number of orders will double in the next two years. The possibilities are limitless, in which we believe that there are still many untapped avenues to grow the grocery segment on the 11street platform,” Sew concluded.

In conjunction with the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration, 11street will be having promotions for more than 3,000 home appliances, grocery and household items, with up to 50% discounts and conditional free shipping.

On top of lower prices, shoppers can also enjoy additional savings by visiting the promotion page to download discount coupons worth up to RM20 until 4 March 2018.  For more information on the “Cooking Up Prosperity” promotion, please visit http://promotion.11street.my/2018/01/cooking-prosperity.

Malaysia Book of Records Recognition

To conclude the event, JOCOM was recognised by the Malaysia Book of Records (MBOR) as the First Grocery Mobile Commerce App in the country. The award was presented by Tan Sri Danny Ooi, Founder of the Malaysia Book of Records and witnessed by YB Datuk Wira Dr Abu Bakar Mohamad Diah; Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI).

The four-month evaluation process concluded with JOCOM leading the way in its product innovation and leadership – a nod above other local and foreign grocery app providers and competitors, including more established hypermarket. JOCOM was further lauded as the first Malaysian establishment to have won an award under the category.

About 11street (www.11street.my)

11street is a trustworthy and convenient online marketplace that offers a great variety of products at competitive prices. It strives to revolutionise today’s consumers’ online shopping experience by making it more personalised and engaging. 11street has a diverse selection of product categories which are tagged on Fashion, Electronics, Groceries, Health & Beauty, Kids & Baby, Leisure & Sports, Home & Living, and Books & Services including deal offerings like E-vouchers. 11street is also an optimised marketplace where its merchandising ecosystem, education and training programs can fully support sellers regardless of the size of their businesses. Established in Korea since 2008, 11street is now one of the top global e-commerce marketplace providers with 400,000 sellers serving over 30 million consumers worldwide. 11street also has a presence in Turkey and Thailand, known as n11 and 11street respectively. For more information, please visit http://www.11street.my.

About JOCOM (http://www.jocom.my/)

JOCOM is M-Commerce platform specialized in online groceries and shopping. JOCOM revolutionized the way you buy groceries and shopping online via your smart phone. The tagline, ‘Just Order Conveniently On Mobile’, was formed to specifically highlight their mission; it provides a total integrated solution that protects both the consumers and the vendors. JOCOM wants to give a new convenient way to assist traditional business by providing the platform of latest technology connecting rural farmers, traders and vendors with affluent consumers via e-commerce via their app.

Flavoured beer Prost Alster with 10% real lemon juice debuts

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

PT Beverindo Indah Abadi, the brewer of Prost beer in Indonesia, has unveiled flavoured beer Prost Alster with 10% real lemon juice. The lemon flavoured beer was launched at the end of 2017 in time for Christmas and New Year celebration. The new flavoured beer is aimed at urban millennials. The Prost lager beer has an ABV of 4.8%, while Prost Alster has a lighter ABV of 2.9%.

Dedicating 10% output to Prost Alster

The company, a unit of the consumer products group Orang Tua, has dedicated 10% of the production capacity to the production of Prost Alster, said Beverindo Indah Abadi CEO Thomas Dosy.

Producing both Prost and König Ludwig Weissbier

Beverindo Indah Abadi, which started production in August 2015, not only produces Prost beer for the mass market but also König Ludwig Weissbier, one of Germany’s specialty beers, for the premium market. König Ludwig Weissbier was officially launched in January 2017 but the product was already in the market for 6 months as reported by the news portal of the German-Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Fifth in brand share

Dosy said, as reported by Kontan, that the Prost brand currently occupies the 5th place in brand share and the company aims to improve the ranking to the 4th place in 2018.

Focusing on HoReCa

Beverindo Indah Abadi is focusing on the HoReCa channel and is also active in making them available in tourist spots. Java and Bali are areas where consumers can get hold of Prost and König Ludwig Weissbier.

 

Milo Ice offers the icy taste

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

The icy taste seems to be in vogue in new product development for Nestle (Malaysia) Bhd. After the debut of Nescafe Black Ice, the ready-to-drink category saw the launch of Milo Ice, which also offers the icy taste.

The drink is available at 7-Eleven with a promotion price of RM 2.00 per can.

The new drink has the product description that resembles the Milo Peng or Iced Milo that was launched in Singapore in 2017. According to the official description, “the new MILO Peng was inspired by Singaporeans love for MILO Peng from the MILO Van – now conveniently packaged in a ready to drink format for our hectic lifestyles. It features a more “gao” and chocolatey flavour to cater to local palates. Each serving contains calcium equivalent to a glass of fresh milk.”

Personally, the author has not tried Milo Peng. My guess is, Milo Peng is probably a thicker version and does not have the icy  taste of Milo Ice.

Vinamilk localises its packaging for Malaysia

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

Vietnam’s Vinamilk’s yogurts have reappeared in Malaysia with a brand new packaging following an initial trial in early 2017. The new packaging comes in English and Malay with a prominent halal logo on the front to assuage Muslim consumers in Malaysia where 62% of the population are Muslims that the yoghurts are safe to consume.

Solving brand visibility issue

The relaunched Vinamilk features a paper wrap that effectively solves the issue of brand visibility and communication. The former packaging does not have product description on the side of the cup, which makes it hard to catch the attention of shoppers unless the four-pack format is tilted. In addition to that, the previous packaging was mainly in Vietnamese.

Local language and prominent halal logo

Now, DS Borneo Trading Sdn Bhd, the importer and distributor of Vinamilk in Malaysia, has solved this issue by coming up with a paper wrap in English and Malay with a prominent halal logo on the front pack. The halal logo is granted by the Halal Certification Agency Vietnam (HCA), a foreign certification body officially recognised by Malaysia’s JAKIM.

Below is the image of the redesigned Vinamilk yogurts in Giant Supermarket featuring the use of English and Malay to communicate the product features more easily to Malaysian consumers.

Below was the original packaging fully imported from Vietnam on display in Giant Supermarket in March 2017.

The back of the new pack contains the description of the ingredients in English and Malay.

More reasonable prices

The prices have been reduced to bring them down to a more reasonable level. For example, Vinamilk Star (4x100g) was previously sold at a price of RM 9.99. Now, it is available for a much lower price of RM 4.79.

The 5 flavours of Vinamilk yoghurt are available in Giant supermarkets across Peninsula Malaysia and Kuching in east Malaysia.

UHT milk in the pipeline

DS Borneo told the author during MIFB 2017 in August 2017 that it has plans to introduce Vinamilk’s UHT milk and yogurt drink into the Malaysian market in the future.

What Mini Me thinks

As Vinamilk embarks on an international expansion, it is crucial to pursue the localisation strategy when it comes to brand communication especially as Vinamilk is relatively unknown in Malaysia.

Relive the joy with classic F&N Orange Crush for Chinese New Year

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

F&N jumped into retro marketing by bring back the classic Orange Crush soda made with real juice for Chinese New Year. Available only for a limited time only, the drink comes in a slim can featuring the image of the classic F&N glass bottle imprinted with the words 1883, the year F&N was founded.

Orange Crush is sold in a carton (12 x 325ml) and so far is not available as a single unit.

The outer packaging comes in a form of a vintage poster featuring a Chinese lady enjoying the drink. This packaging attracts consumers especially millennials who are curious with the taste of the Orange Crush. Most have never even seen F&N drinks in a glass bottle before and would want to try it especially since the drink is made with real juice. Throwback marketing might help boost sales of F&N during Chinese New Year.

F&N Orange Crush can be bought in hypermarket/supermarket or online at 11street.

Also available is the limited edition F&N Sarsi

 

Outstanding showcase of Tesco Lotus private label products

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

In November 2017, Tesco Lotus organised its inaugural Tesco Lotus expo at IMPACT’s Challenger Hall to spur year-end spending. Over the course of four days (9-12 November), the event saw the participation of leading product manufacturers, small businesses, local farmers and community groups. The highlight of the event was the showcasing of Tesco Lotus private label products.

Tesco brand Pracha Rath jasmine rice

The fair saw the launching of the Tesco brand of Pracha Rath jasmine rice sourced from rice farmers in northeastern Thailand. The expo ground was decorated with real rice plants in the form of a paddy field to let consumers get up close with the rice. In a way, this helps to strengthen the product’s authenticity.

There were also customer interaction activities to engage and educate them about the rice.

The rice is sold under the Tesco label.

Tesco Organic produce

The organic vegetable section came with the replica of several greenhouses to show consumers how the produce were grown.

The organic eggs were promoted with a robotic chick that slowly emerged from the egg.

Tesco Finest

The Tesco Finest booth featured premium Tesco Lotus private label range complete with wine tasting area, wine cellar and other Tesco Finest food range.

Unfortunately due to its premium positioning, the Tesco Finest booth received a lot less visitors compared with the mainstream Tesco Lotus private label booth next door.

Everything you need

The Tesco Lotus private label exhibition came in the form of a house. The message was Tesco Lotus has everything you need for each section of the house from your kitchen needs to your pet needs. Food sampling was provide to let consumers taste firsthand the quality of Tesco Lotus private label foodstuff.

 

What Mini Me thinks

The private label showcase by Tesco Lotus demonstrates the retailer’s strong confidence in its comprehensive private label range in meeting household needs as well as the maturity of its Finest premium range for those who want something more upmarket. Quality is a key barrier to private label use. Only through continuous consumer education like what this event has achieved and trial will this improve consumer confidence and the desire to purchase more private label products in the future.

*All images above were photographed by the author

End of pricey zam zam water in Malaysia

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

Zam zam water, which is available at a hefty price, is no longer permitted to be sold in Malaysia after the Saudi embassy in Malaysia ruled against the sale. The letter below was taken from the Desk of the Director-General of Health Malaysia.

Director-General of Health, Datuk Noor Hisham Abdullah said on 9 December 2017 “the Saudi government only allowed the distribution of zamzam water for free to the pilgrims of haj and umrah as well as visitors for personal consumption in limited quantity,” reported The Star.

Moreover, zam zam water, which is obtained from underground sources, is classified as natural mineral water under the Regulation 360A of Food Regulations 1985. Therefore, the importation of zam zam water requires approval from the government.

Any commercial sale of zam zam water abroad is deemed a “commercial fraud,” said the Saudi embassy. This comes as the kingdom does not allow the export of the water abroad.

This marks the end of the sale of the prohibitive zam zam water in Malaysia, which many sellers claim to have curative power.

We have reported about zam zam water in a post in February 2014. A 10 litre zam zam water could be sold for up to RM 100 but it has been proven very hard to verify its authenticity.

Zam zam water is also featured as an ingredient in some of the herbal drinks in Malaysia. The sellers of these beverages have to reformulate their products to avoid being fined under Section 4(1) (f) of Food Act 1983.

The crackdown on zam zam water sale marks the end of the era of zam zam water sale in Malaysia. Unless sustained enforcement is carried out, there will still be the unauthorised sale of the water as the curative power of the water is well known among Muslims worldwide.

Tipco Me juice offers 50% less calories, sugar

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

Amidst the struggling juice market in Thailand and the sugar tax,  Thailand’s Tipco Foods Plc has rolled out Tipco Me in November 2017. Touted as a premium range of low-sugar, low-calorie juice, Tipco Me contains 50% less calories, 50% less sugar and rich in vitamin A,C and E.

The juice, sweetened with stevia extract, features the Healthier Choice logo issued by the Nutrition Promotion Foundation at Mahidol University.

Juice market heading south

Nielsen’s data shows the Thai juice market decreased by 6% year-on-year in the 12 months to June 2017 as cited in the Malee Group Plc Q2/2017 Opportunity Day Presentation. The sharpest decline is seen in others and economy market, down 16% respectively, premium market (100% juice) fell 0.4%, while medium market (40-99% juice) rose marginally by 0.3% and super economy (under 19% juice) surged 13%.

For the first nine months of 2017, Tipco’s beverage segment reported a 5.6% decline in revenue (including export) compared with the same period a year ago. Domestic sales of all products declined 2.7% year-on-year.

Premium market growing

The premium juice UHT market bucked the trend with a 2% year-on-year growth, according to Nielsen. This premium segment was worth THB 4.72 billion accounted for 35.5% of overall sales with Tipco taking a 28% value share MAT June 2017, followed by Doikham 22% and Malee with 21%. The slide does not have the definition of what constituted premium juice. However, it does shows the premium segment is growing.

Tipco Foods Managing Director Ekaphol Pongstabhon said in the press release during the launch of Tipco Me that the less-calorie, less-sugar segment has been growing by 51% to THB 77 million. This is a segment that is worth looking out for in 2018.

 

 

 

 

2017: A year of Yuzu. New Oishi Yuzu green tea & Mizone Yuzu Lemon

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

Thailand’s Oishi Group PCL has recently introduced Oishi Yuzu Orange Flavored Japanese Green Tea with Nata de Coco, which marks the highlight of yuzu as the flavour of the year in 2017.

Yuzu has received the spotlight as the flavour of the year with drinks companies in Thailand and Indonesia turning to yuzu to spice up their new product launches. Yuzu is strongly associated with Japan and the marketing of yuzu beverages have a touch of Japan.

Yuzu in Indonesia

We have seen yuzu embraced by PT Savoria Kreasi Rasa for its new yuzu RTD tea in Indonesia. Launched in 2017, the range is available in the form of Yuzu Tea and Yuzu Green Tea.

In addition to Savoria Kreasi Rasa, PT Sinar Sosro has its Sosro Yuzu Fruit Tea, which was made available in 2017. Even the Danone’s sports drink Mizone has embraced yuzu with the new Mizone Yuzu Lemon in the second half of 2017.

 

Yuzu has the potential to go further in its application in beverages or as a combination with other flavours such as lemon. However, it is important to find a delicate balance between the taste of yuzu and green tea to ensure the taste of yuzu does not get too empowering or artificial.

Marigold Uji Cha, a freshly brewed green tea with matcha from Uji infused with rare yuzu juice from Kochi Japan, was first launched in Singapore in 2014. (image above)

 

 

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