Ovaltine MY's PR value exceeds 30 times initial spend for Ground Coffee tie-up event

Ovaltine Malaysia has tied up with Petaling Jaya-based cafe Ground Coffee for a series of drinks with a unique infusion of Ovaltine products. To promote the new offering, it recently hosted an event named #SimplyAddOvaltine during which the baristas demonstrated three drinks with an Ovaltine twist to them. While the brand declined to reveal the monetary investment behind the campaign, Jessica Chen, product manager at Delfi Marketing, told A+M that the PR value from the event coverage thus far has hit nearly 30 times the initial spending. 

Ovaltine partnered with Ground Coffee because it is a homegrown neighbourhood cafe frequented by customers from different walks of life. This fits perfectly with Ovaltine's narrative of connecting with grassroots audiences with a focus on accessible location, serving everyday people. Through this partnership, Ovaltine hopes to build a "Friends of Ovaltine" community comprising KOLs who participate, promote, and create a unique shared experience in future partnerships. 

According to Chen, Ground Coffee is the start of potentially various other unique partnerships the brand will engage in as it plans to expand its versatility and reach more audiences in the years to come. This is in line with its marketing strategy for 2023, which has a renewed and strengthened focus in several areas. Aside from the "Friends of Ovaltine" community, it also wants to showcase the brand's flexibility not only as an everyday drink but also as a wholesome twist to common food and beverages.

The  #SimplyAddOvaltine event was designed to be a secret one, with the agenda, flow, and even the concept not made public until the day itself. Participants were able to try their hands at latte art, watch music performances, win prizes and bring home goodie bags. the three drinks - Ovalanché, O-Mighty Mocha, and Malty Delight - will be available at Ground Coffee until 31 October. 

Chen said this partnership has already brought in a fresh wave of consumers to try Ovaltine products and has contributed to an increase in brand recognition and loyalty. "We look forward to continue expanding our consumer base by constantly innovating and introducing new creations in future partnerships," she added.

Meanwhile, the malt drink brand is also innovating by leveraging its social media strategy. By actively listening and participating in online conversations, the brand seeks to keep abreast of current trends online and join in on the fund as it continues to engage with Gen Z.

This strategy has succeeded for Ovaltine as the brand grew its Instagram followers from scratch to more than 1.1k in less than a year. It expects this engagement rate to continue growing with further development of omnichannel strategies and the potential of the "Friends of Ovaltine" community. Chen did not comment on specific marketing strategies and plans for 2023 when asked by A+M.