F&N rebranding isotonic drink 100Plus to expand market share in Malaysia
The isotonic drink 100Plus is a brand not unknown to many. The drink was the first to be formulated and launched in Malaysia as a sports drink under the F&N Group in 1983.
And Khalid Alvi, managing director of F&N Beverages Marketing believes that 100Plus continues to enjoy a loyal and significant following among Malaysians.
He noted that 100Plus has grown with the market over the past 30 years and currently holds the lion’s share of the isotonic segment with over 80 per cent market share. But F&N Beverages hopes to grow 100Plus’ market further with a new brand proposition.
Recently, F&N Beverages launched a rebranding campaign to change the scope of 100Plus’ market to reach out to consumers outside the sports arena.
“Brands grow big because they have in some way touched people’s lives. By and large, 100Plus is the leading ready-to-drink brand with 24 cans consumed every second and with three times more loyal consumers than other brands.
“But we need to continue to re-engineer the brand. 100Plus was launched as Malaysia’s first sports drink. But we are giving it a refreshed look and a new proposition for consumers,” Khalid said.
In the coming months, F&N Beverages will be rolling out more advertising and promotional (A&P) efforts to push 100Plus as a beverage for an active lifestyle rather than just a sports drink.
Khalid hopes to see sales double after the campaign. But he is guarded about the drink’s current sales.
“Generally, the average A&P expenditure for the beverage industry is 8 per cent to 12 per cent of revenue. We are putting in a little more than our usual A&P budget to push this campaign out,” he said.
The soft drinks segment makes up about 40 per cent of F&N Holdings revenue, which posted about 3.5 billion ringgit (Bt32 billion) for financial year ended March 2013.
F&N Beverages is Malaysia’s largest soft drinks distributors and manufacturer with a workforce of 1,400 employees and five manufacturing plants nationwide.
