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Yobick yogurt-flavoured drink taps into Japanese heritage

By
Tan Heng Hong
-
Photo Credit: Minimeinsights.com

The joint venture between Mamee Double-Decker (M) Sdn Bhd and Japan’s DyDo Group Holdings has unveiled Yobick, a yoghurt-flavoured drink that was launched in Malaysia in May 2018.

Yobick is described by the Japanese company as “a new, high-quality product for the Malaysian market modeled on similar offerings in Japan.” The product was first launched in China in 2017. Mini Me Insights first saw it at SIAL China 2017 held in Shanghai in May 2017.

Photo Credit: Minimeinsights.com

The new yogurt-flavoured drink represents part of DyDo’s effort to rebuild its product portfolio in Malaysia.

Ambient yogurt-flavoured drink

Yobick is an ambient yogurt-flavoured drink, which means it does not need to be refrigerated. The drink is made in Thailand by Toyo Seikan (Thailand) Co., Ltd. and is distributed in Malaysia by DyDo Mamee Distribution Sdn Bhd and distributed in Hong Kong by Jagger International Co., Ltd. Yobick comes with the Malaysian halal certification.

Key ingredients

Yobick’s main ingredients are water, sugar, skim milk powder, non dairy creamer, contains acidity regulator, soybean polysaccharide and flavouring. It contains pasteurised yogurt powder (whey, streptococcus thermophilus and lactobacillus Bulgaricus), honey and inulin as well as colour (E150a).

Below is how Yobick stacked up against Mamee’s Nutrigen cultured milk, which needs to be chilled, and rival Calpis, an ambient cultured milk drink from Etika, a unit of Japan’s Asahi.

Yobick taps into made-in-Japan, aims at Calpis

Like Calpis, Yobick taps into the Japanese heritage and is marketing it as a leading brand from Japan. Below is a similar Japanese-centered approach taken by rival Calpis to promote its Fibre range.

https://www.facebook.com/CalpisMalaysia/videos/1904338239623408/

Yobick (310ml) is selling at Giant at RM 3.67, while Calpis Original is selling on Tesco Online for a price of RM 2.35.

Dutch Lady unveils Protein + with highest protein in the market

By
Tan Heng Hong
-
Photo Credit: Dutch Lady Vietnam

From the fascination with calcium, the Vietnamese dairy industry is shifting its focus towards protein. In April 2018, Dutch Lady, a unit of FrieslandCampina, unveiled Dutch Lady Protein+, which is said to have the highest protein content in the local market.

The new product has 4.1g of protein per 100ml.

According to the press release, “a recommended serving of two packs of Dutch Lady Protein+ a day helps supply not only 14.8 grams of protein, equivalent to about 40% of the Reference Nutrient Intake (RNI) in Vietnam, but also 464mg of calcium for children at the age of 6 or 7.”

SEANUTS study shows serious protein deficiency

The South East Asian Nutrition Survey (SEANUTS) carried out by FrieslandCampina in coordination with the Vietnam National Institute of Nutrition under the Ministry of Health revealed 40% of urban children aged between 6 months and 11 years fail to meet the minimal standard of protein consumption recommended by the RNI. The figure is as high as 70% in rural areas.

The lack of protein might result in the shortage of weight and height due to the underdevelopment of the bones and muscles.

The new Dutch Lady product comes in packs of 180ml.

Dutch Lady existing UHT range includes Dutch Lady Cao Khỏe with vitamin D to support calcium absorption to grow taller and Dutch Lady Active 20+ with calcium, protein, phosphorous and vitamins B2 and B12 for bone and general health. Protein is not part of the narrative of Dutch Lady Active 20+. The emphasis on protein in the new Dutch Lady Protein+ could herald something significant in the protein space in the near future.

 

Cobra energy drink, like millennials, are often misunderstood

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

The Cobra energy drink from LT Group’s unit Asia Brewery has recently launched a series of commercials about the truth about Cobra.

The commercials star Brandon Michael Vera, a Filipino-American mixed martial artist, debunking the myths of Cobra as high in sugar and caffeine.

Millennials are often misunderstood

Millennials, born after 1980s, are often misunderstood and are blamed for everything bad. The millennials serve as a reference to Cobra energy drink, often seen as laden with sugar and caffeine.

In The Truth Series Episode 1: Selfie Generation, the millennials aren’t the ones that are taking selfies all the time. In fact, Brandon goes to show, the older generations have been taking selfies using other devices for as long as one could remember. People claim Cobra is all sugar. In fact, Cobra is filled with vitamin B complex, inositol, ginseng and taurine.

https://www.facebook.com/cobraphilippines/videos/2058787464162274/

In the second episode, Brandon advises the audience not to quick to judge millennials as they aren’t the ones always on their phone. It is the same with Cobra, some people claim it has higher caffeine than coffee. The truth is there is even more caffeine in other coffee brands than Cobra.

https://www.facebook.com/cobraphilippines/videos/2058327207541633/

Lacklustre category

The energy drink is seeing an overall contraction in 2017 and has been stagnated for years. Cobra, which commands over 70% share of the market, is the bellwether of the industry. The volume sale of Cobra in 2017 fell 3% from the same period a year ago, according to the latest LT Group annual report 2017. Competition from the carbonated soft drinks market has been cited by Cobra as the reason for its poor sales.

The sugar tax, which took effect on 1 January 2018, has also taken a toll on energy drink. Cobra volume sales in the first three months of 2018 fell 18% year-on-year. The focus now is on growing value, which means either passing higher cost to consumers, which Cobra did with a PHP 2 hike per 240ml returnable glass bottle, or premiumise the category.

The truth about Cobra is seen as a move to downplay sugar and caffeine and reinforce the benefits of energy drink simply beyond as a wake-me up drink to something more functional and good for you.

 

Cleanse with Wilkins Pure Water

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

Wilkins Pure, the distilled water brand of Coca-Cola Philippines, has launched a new marketing campaign to highlight the cleansing attribute of water.

The message says “The food you eat may leave toxins in your body. So #CleanseWithWilkinsPure daily.” Plus it is affordable as a bottle of Wilkins is only PHP 9 (USD 0.17).

The humble potato chip is a representation of toxic and it can be removed from the body by drinking Wilkins Pure.

The complete TVC can be viewed here.

https://www.facebook.com/WilkinsPH/videos/1947247008628282/?t=3

Water is known for its goodness to health. The Wilkins Pure TVC uses the detoxification angle, an approach more commonly taken by the premium alkaline or ionized water. Wilkins Pure tacitly shows all you need to detox your body is to drink distilled water and not the other fancy water.

OT Group’s VitAmin Tea fortified with vitamins

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

OT Group’s VitAmin Tea, launched in the first quarter of 2018, represents an RTD tea that uses vitamin fortification as its key selling point. VitAmin Tea comes in two flavours – orange and apple. The nutritional value is explicitly mentioned on-pack as having vitamin B3, B6 and C. Each pack contains 1% fruit juice and 3% tea content.

Each 350ml in PET bottle is priced at IDR 3,600 on Artaboga.com, the e-commerce platform of OT Group.

Using RTD tea as a platform for vitamin fortification is a new idea in Indonesia. It paves the way for the emergence of functional tea with fibre, slimming and other health beneficial properties.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTJ6pNswFgM

New Calpico Gurt x JKT48

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

Calpico Gurt, a new product from PT Calpis Indonesia, is described as a fermented milk for active youth. We have not actually tasted this product but from the look of it, Calipco Gurt, officially launched in May 2018, does look like the existing Calipco Teenz. A clear sign of this is both product has the same description on the official website.

Could Calpico Gurt be a rebranding of Calpico Teenz?

The most important thing that differentiates Calpico Gurt from Calpico Teenz is Calpico Gurt is endorsed by JKT48, an Indonesian idol group and the first AKB48 sister group outside Japan. JKT48 injects a lot youthful dynamism into the new Calpico Gurt, which is available in original and strawberry flavours.

 

 

Tealive Plus on-the-go booster for the extra collagen, antioxidant, protein in your drink

By
Tan Heng Hong
-
Photo Credit: Tealive

Tealive, a Malaysia-based tea chain with around 150 outlets, has introduced Tealive Plus (+), an on-the-go booster to be added into the Tealive drink. For RM 2 per sachet, one can choose if they need the extra boost in protein, collagen, antioxidant or energy to fuel their day.

Just pour the goodness from the sachet into the Tealive drink.

According to Tealive, Tealive + Collagen is only recommended for pairing with Milk Tea, Coco, Matcha and Coffee series. It is not recommended to add Collagen and Protein in hot beverages as they risk ineffectiveness at high temperature.  Each sachet (4g) of Tealive + is sufficient for a day’s intake.

 

Analysing the Increased Online Shopping Consumption During the Fasting Month of Ramadan 2018

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

Understanding Unique Online Shopping Trends During the Holy Month of Ramadan in Malaysia & Indonesia

The month of Ramadan is considered as the most sacred period for millions of Muslims in Malaysia & Indonesia. As such, a huge number of people observing the religious period would shift their daily routine to focus on spirituality & contribute to charitable initiatives. This also shifts the way consumers shop in a very significant manner as well.

Just a few weeks into Ramadan, online shopping consumption increased greatly during the fasting month. This was evident as iPrice Group, a price aggregator platform for hundreds of online merchants in Indonesia & Malaysia experienced double-digits growth in online sessions. Undertaking this study, there are unique consumer insights that only occurs during the month of Ramadan.

Online Shopping at the Wee Hours of the Morning

While many Malaysians & Indonesians are awake in the wee hours of the morning for Sahur (pre-dawn meal), they are more likely to shop online as well. Analysis suggests that online traffic at 5:00am increased by 105% in Malaysia & 345% in Indonesia when compared to the same time prior Ramadan. The increase was much higher in Indonesia as the country has the largest Muslim population in the world. This is a continuous trend as seen in our study last year in both Malaysia & Indonesia.

In Malaysia, the increase in online traffic was much higher when compared to our research last year, where we only saw a 90% increase in online traffic at 5:00am. Indicating an increased interest in online products this year as compared to 2017.

Evident in both countries was that online traffic during Ramadan was significantly higher when compared to the previous period. Overall online traffic was 11% higher in Malaysia & 30 percent higher in Indonesia. In addition to this, online traffic in both countries experienced a dip in online traffic at 7:00pm in Malaysia & 6:00pm in Indonesia as many prepare to break-fast (Iftar). Online traffic decreased 9% in Malaysia & 4% decrease in Indonesia at these periods. After Terawih prayers online traffic in both countries would resume, reaching its peak at 10:00pm.

Search Trends for Fashion Products During Ramadan

Fashion products are among the most sought-after items during Ramadan as millions of Malaysians & Indonesians prepare for the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations. Using Google Trends, we saw that keywords such as “Baju Raya” & “Baju Raya 2018” was among the most popular keywords associated with “Raya” (which is closely associated with the Aidilfitri celebrations) in Malaysia.

In the country, local brands have been actively showcasing their 2018 Raya collection & deals through various advertising, social media, & marketing campaigns across the country. The three most searched local fashion eCommerce brands in Malaysia during Ramadan were Naelofar Hijab, Fashion Valet & Muslimah Clothing. Towards the end of May 2018, Naelofar Hijab launched the “Shine On” collection which is their #naelofaraya2018 campaign. At this same period, Naelofar Hijab garnered a high volume of search interest between 23 – 30 May2018 indicating a successful campaign that caught the attention of many Malaysians.

Close in fourth place was Siti Khadijah which garnered a high volume of search interest from Malaysians as well. Siti Khadijah specialises in prayer outfits specifically for women known as telekung. As such, the high level of interest for the eCommerce was no coincidence because many women are dedicating their time to pray during Ramadan.

In Indonesia, there was high search volume for “gamis” which is a long dress worn by Muslim women along with keywords such as “hijab” & “baju muslim”. These keywords indicate that many Indonesians were looking for inspiration or sources for clothing suitable for their religion activities during the month of Ramadan. In addition to this, there was a high level of interest for “Baju Koko”, which is a fashionable traditional top for men most popularly worn during the Aidilfitri celebrations.

Other Unique Search Trends Prior Aidilfitri

Utilising Google Trends, there is also a high search interest for airline ticket promotions in Malaysia & Indonesia before Ramadan. This is in line with local trends since many will be travelling back to their hometown prior Aidilfitri celebrations. Search interest for airline tickets began during the second half of May 2018 which takes place a month before the Aidilfitri celebrations on 15th of June.

In Malaysia, the most popular keywords & brands associated with “promotion” were “Airasia”, ”Malindo Air” &”Malaysia Airlines”. In Indonesia, inhabitants located in Sumatera, Kalimantan & Sulawesi were most interested in airline ticket promotions as compared to other states. This indicates that inhabitants in these regions were more likely to travel to the Java Islands or to other parts of the country for Aidilfitri.

Other than airline tickets, the second most popular keyword used in Malaysia were related to groceries & merchandise deals. During Ramadan, there is a high demand for Raya goods such as biscuits, traditional delicacies, & other food stuff. Since these items are usually available at major supermarkets & stores many Malaysians are on the lookout for promotions by major retailers in order to maximise their spending. The top brands associated with the keyword “promotion” were:

  • Aeon
  • Giant
  • Tesco
  • Aeon Big
  • Econsave
  • Mydin

 Methodology:

  • Data of the average sessions per hour in Malaysia & Indonesia were obtained by comparing online traffic between 17 May – 3 Jun 2018 (Ramadan) & 19 Apr – 6 May 2018 (Before Ramadan) on http://iprice.my with Google Analytics.
  • Data of Malaysia’s four most searched fashion eCommerce platforms, most popular fashion products & other search trends were obtained on Google Trends during the Ramadan period (17 May – 3 Jun 2018).

About iPrice Group

iPrice Group is a meta-search website where Malaysian & Indonesian consumers can easily compare prices, specs and discover products with hundreds of local and regional merchants. iPrice’s meta-search platform is also available in six other countries across Southeast Asia namely in; Singapore, Thailand, The Philippines, Vietnam and Hong Kong. Currently, iPrice compares and catalogues more than 250 million products and receives more than five million monthly visits across the region.

iPrice currently operates three business lines: price comparison for electronics and health & beauty; product discovery for fashion and home & living; and coupons across all verticals.

Goodday Kurma Flavoured UHT Milk for Raya

By
Tan Heng Hong
-
Photo Credit: Goodday Milk

Etika has unveiled its kurma flavoured Goodday Milk for Raya. Made with real date or kurma extract, the milk taps into the Muslim festive dietary habit of consuming date to nourish the body after a day of fasting.

* Goodday Kurma will be available nationwide in July 2018

Not a novel concept

The incorporation of date extract in milk is not a novel concept as Farm Fresh and Summerfield have date milk as part of their permanent all-year-round offering.

Photo Credit: Summerfield

Summerfield by Hybrid Allied Dairy Company has recently introduced Bandung and Teh Tarik flavoured fresh milk.

Collaborating with Tealive

What is interesting with the new Goodday Kurma Flavoured Milk is the collaboration between Goodday and Tealive, a local tea chain with around 150 outlets in Malaysia. They have created Goodday Kurma Coco and Goodday Kurma Milk Tea available at Tealive shops.

The partnership goes one step ahead with a limited edition “Sihat Sihat Sahur” or healthy pre-dawn meal pack comprising Goodday Kurma Flavoured Milk and the new Tealive Energy booster pack containing vitamin B and guarana extract.

Photo Credit: Tealive

What’s next for kurma?

Even though date does provide a convenient way to innovate during festive season, date can also be used as a natural sweetener to sweeten new beverage innovations. The challenge is to ensure the date does not overpower the taste.

Minions Da! Da! Da!TM, an exclusive ‘goal-ection’!

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

Kuala Lumpur, 4 June 2018 – Have a ball with Minions Da! Da! Da!TM, the latest loyalty program by the nation’s favourite convenience store, 7-Eleven Malaysia. The Minions Da! Da! Da!TM campaign (‘Da!’ meaning ‘Yes!’ in Russian) ties in the ever-popular animated characters Minions (Despicable Me, Minions 3) with an upcoming international football tournament which will take place in Russia this year. The fabulous collection features Minions in the form of football-themed key rings and bag tags with 16 designs each, available in individual ‘blind’ packs to add an element of fun and surprise for collectors.

From now until 23 July 2018, customers are rewarded with one program sticker for every RM5 spent in a single receipt on selected purchases. Additionally, bonus program stickers are given when the purchase includes preferred partner products from Coca-Cola, Dutch Lady, Mentos, Mondelez and many more. A Minions Da! Da! Da!ℱ key ring or bag tag is redeemable for free by collecting 10 program stickers.

7-Eleven Malaysia’s Marketing General Manager, Ronan Lee said, “We are certain that our customers are just as thrilled as we are with the release of Minions Da! Da! Da!ℱ. This exclusive ‘goal-lection’ is truly one of a kind and would definitely be a hit amongst fans and avid collectors, especially with its exclusivity as a Universal Studios-licensed product. These multi-functional collectibles can be used to organize keys, customize luggage, or even used as a car accessory to show support for their favourite team!”

He further added, “There would also be other exclusive football-related promotions happening in our stores over the next 8 weeks so make 7-Eleven your only choice to meet your needs for the late nights as we enjoy a real football extravaganza both on television and in all 7-Eleven stores nationwide.”

On top of this loyalty program, 7-Eleven Malaysia will also be having a “Who’s Your Final 2” social media contest from now until 30 June 2018. The contest is open to all 7-Eleven Malaysia customers, with amazing prizes up for grabs such as a special Minions-themed Fujifilm Instax camera with 10 films or limited edition Minions lanyards. Participants are required to snap a creative photo of their chosen final two football teams using their redeemed key rings or bag tags and share it on Facebook or Instagram and tag @7ElevenMalaysia with the hashtags #MinionsDaDaDa, #MDDFinal2, and #7ElevenMY.

In timely accordance with the holy month of Ramadhan, 7-Eleven Malaysia is having its annual Semurni Kasih campaign now until 18 June 2018, and customers can offer their support by donating necessities purchased from 7-Eleven stores and place them into dedicated contribution boxes in more than 2,240 stores nationwide. Contributions received will then be distributed by 7-Eleven Malaysia to various charity homes and charitable causes across the nation. Customers reap double the rewards from contributing to the underprivileged and receiving stickers from Minions Da! Da! Da!ℱ campaign at the same time.

7-Eleven Malaysia is the largest stand-alone convenience store-chain nationwide, with more than 2,240 outlets across the country. The launch of Minions Da! Da! Da!ℱ extends the brand’s aspiration to elevate customers’ shopping experiences and scale greater heights as the leading convenience store operator in Malaysia. 7-Eleven Malaysia opts to stay true to its motto, Always There for You by providing further convenience to customers and giving back to the community.

For more information on Minions Da! Da! Da!ℱ, please visit www.7eleven.com.my or follow 7ElevenMalaysia on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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 33 years. 7-Eleven Malaysia is the pioneer and largest 24-hours standalone convenience store operator in Malaysia with over 2,240 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.

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