Marketing a Humble Soy Sauce
First of all: Gong Xi Fa Cai to you all, may the Year of the Ox brings good fortune, good health and prosperity to all.
What bring to write about soy sauce is because yesterday, I watch a tv show (probably) called ” ibu selalu bisa”. I am sure if you watching tv enough (and the commercials) this motto will ring you a bell.
The Show is quite good actually, it is about entrepreneurship and also about cooking or food as well. The host is Dessy Anwar and Bondan Winarno, big name in the TV and Indonesian culinary Industry. It turns out that this show is sponsored by ABC soy sauce and also become an announcement a website called http://www.abcculinaryacademy.com. Soy sauce market and competition
If we look back few years ago, ABC dominate the market of soy sauce, only handful national brand competitors (Indofood). The biggest competitor is local brands who big in certain area only.
In 2001 Unilever bought Kecap Bango soy sauce (one of the big local brand in Jakarta and West Java). With stronger distribution machine and also bigger money to spend in advertising, Kecap Bango start eroding ABC market share.
In 2007 Wings group also introducing their new soy sauce called Kecap Sedaap, using their instant noodle name to promote the brand. This brand quickly become a national brand competing with ABC, Bango and Indofood.
Soy sauce Innovation
It is very interesting to me how the manufacturers try to rejuvenate this product category.
Unilever for example : Communicate Kecap Bango that they made from black soy. To be honest, it is bit hard for me to believe it, as black soy is quite expensive. At this price, if Kecap Bango made 100% from black soy, they will go belly up in no time. Kecap bango also promoting few different size of refill pack. They sell mostly in modern trade
To engage with their consumers, they have their TV show called Bango Cita Rasa Nusantara and Jajanan Bango Festival. This proved to be quite succesful, many talk about this two events and certainly will have a good impact on Bango as a brand.
ABC, the market leader will do anything to protect their share. They launch few other innovation of their own such as : anti spill package, and the latest one is their website www.abcculinaryacademy.com. and a dedicated cooking and what entrepreneurship TV show. Seems to me that ABC try to engage with modern mom, and elevate the brand to a more modern image.
All in all I really think that is a good move if ABC do want Bango stealing their share and I am sure another innovation will keep coming to keep the brand fresh and relevant to their consumers.
So nothing humble about marketing a humble soy sauce. Just saying that “kecap no 1″ will no longer enough.
