Interview: A nostalgic brand for Millennials, Ribena eyes Gen Z dollars with digital

Ribena is a household name in Malaysia with over 80 years of history. While it has captured the hearts of older consumers such as Gen X and Millennials, its work in building brand awareness and affinity with Gen Z has just started. Like many brands during the pandemic, Ribena ramped up its digital investment to maintain visibility and now allocates 70% of its marketing budget to digital, a 10% increase from pre-pandemic.

Naturally, the pandemic was a period of change for many companies and for Lam, she said COVID-19 has shaped the company's view of marketing. While Ribena retained plenty of its pre-COVID activities, Lam Hui Min (pictured below), head of marketing, Beverage at Suntory Beverage and Food Malaysia, explained to A+M that there is now a greater emphasis on digitalisation and stronger demand for personalised content. "People are more tech-oriented these days and they want more from brands, such as authenticity and organic touches to content," she added.

Ribena considers all types of channels and platforms to be relevant. Lam said that whether traditional or digital, it all plays a role in upholding the brand's visibility in the market. "Throughout our campaigns, we consistently use a combination of advertising, PR, and digital marketing to ensure our products are amplified as holistically as possible to our audience," Lam said.

Ribena believes in reaching as many segments of its consumer base as possible through multiple touchpoints, given that its consumers are from different walks of life. They include Malaysians who have grown up drinking Ribena and consumers who have introduced Ribena to their children.

Lam is also cognisant of the need to be where Gen Z and Generation Alpha are at and one of the platforms is TikTok. "As the saying goes, content is king, and apps such as TikTok are one of the trendiest places to build and attract audiences through personalised content right now," she said.

While the brand does not have a TikTok presence yet, Lam said it is something Ribena is looking at expanding into and will allow the brand to consistently engage with the younger generation. "We are also looking to strengthen our presence in general through influencers with strong content on TikTok and Instagram Reels," she said.

Today's digital space, however, is cluttered with plenty of content as brands clamour to capture consumers' attention. Like many brands, Lam knew that it was important to understand one's target audience and she cited Ribena's nostalgic factor among Malaysians as something it keeps in mind when mapping out marketing strategies. Ribena constantly showcases certain properties of the drink such as Vitamin C and its taste in its content, while at the same time interacting with consumers through contests.

Aside from breaking into new platforms, Ribena also surprised consumers in March this year by launching its Ribena Strawberry range. This marks its first venture in flavours outside of its recognised blackcurrant flavour. "We wanted to expand our range even further and produce something new and loved by Malaysians, yet not commonly available, that will also grow to become a part of Malaysian culture with Ribena Strawberry," Lam said.

The brand did not hold back on its marketing for Ribena Strawberry, using a multi-channel approach to create buzz by combining PR, social media, DOOH, and on-ground activations for maximum impact. This was done via social media influencers, paid and earned articles on high-traffic media websites, as well as sampling and advertising in some of the busiest parts of Kuala Lumpur, such as KL Sentral, Jalan Tun Sambanthan, and other locations such as Petaling Jaya and LDP near Kelana Jaya.

Ribena's social media accounts continuously pushed teasers and content on the new product to retain mindshare. Ribena currently works with Ruder Finn Malaysia, dentsu, and Mindshare Malaysia. While Lam declined to reveal specifics of its marketing plans for the remainder of 2022, she said it will continue pushing its core products – Ribena Blackcurrant, Ribena Strawberry, Ribena Jelly – towards its target audience.

"Ribena has some big campaigns in the works and Ribena fans can catch us through on-ground and digital events soon. Consumers can also look forward to lots more exciting contests and prizes to be won," she said.

When asked how clients can foster better relations with their agencies, Lam said in her experience, a positive, collaborative environment is one of the best ways for great and creative campaigns to emerge from the client-agency relationship.

"This can be fostered by doing something as simple as creating an open dialogue during discussions. Ribena enjoys this friendly, productive relationship with our agencies, working with them as our partners, and it ultimately makes a positive impact on our campaigns," she added.

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