TamJai International CMO on NFTs: 'We did not jump on the bandwagon'

TamJai International is set to debut its NFT series Souper Hero on 19 June. Prior to the debut, the F&B brand launched the first round of presale, attracting celebrities in the city to buy the quotas of its white list.

In an interview with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Agnes Lung, group CMO of Tam Jai International explained that rolling out NFTs is part of the group's strategy as it hopes to keep abreast of the young generation. "We did not jump on the bandwagon. Instead, we understand that many of our target audiences embraced a tech-savvy lifestyle. To engage them, I believe that we have to keep abreast of their appetite," she said. 

The company first announced the sale of its first-ever NFT collection "Souper Hero" in May. In addition to the NFTs, TamJai International will also create a hub on The Sandbox's metaverse where avatars and NFT items created by the community members will be showcased.

The collection, created by local comic artists such as Wong, Kam Siu-man, Big Y, and Chow Siumou, consists of four series, including the TamJai Topping series, the TamJai JehJeh series, the SamGor Topping series, and the SamGor Character series. A total of 10,020 pieces of NFTs will be minted, of which 1,000 are reserved for whitelisting with the pre-sale scheduled on 8 June 2022 and 20 for auction.

A number of celebrities were also included in the brand's white list, explained Lung. Buyers, who are on the while list are eligible to purchase NFTs rolled out by TamJai International, such as Master 7, singers Tyson Yoshi and Kaki Sham, as well as boxer Rex Tso. 

Tyson Yoshi said, "I have been buying NFT artworks over the past year. It is a new normal to promote the new generation of art through the craze of NFTs. I am glad to see more Hong Kong artists joining this field. In addition, as Tam Jai International is hoping to support local artists, I wholeheartedly support this meaningful initiative."

The collection will be available on the NFT marketplace Artzioneer which accepts fiat money such as credit cards. Moreover, every NFT is priced at HK$500.

Lung said innovation is part of the company's DNA. Moreover, she added that the project can support local NGOs. All net proceeds from the "Souper Hero" collection will be donated to Hong Kong Arts Centre's (HKAC) project “Out of the Cube” to support the local digital artist communities and foster digital art training and education in long run. Artists will be invited to join the Creator Grooming programme, a regular programme of the “Out of the Cube” project curated by the HKAC to sharpen their digital artmaking skills.

Plans in the metaverse

Tam Jai International will also create a hub on The Sandbox's metaverse where avatars and NFT items created by the community members will be showcased. Lung said the company will build the Tam Jai edutainment hub on The Sandbox. The sale of the NFTs is the brand's foray into the metaverse, while Tam Jai International will leverage its resources and network to support local businesses. 

The hub will become a platform for NFT holders to participate in mixian-themed mini-games. NFT items created by the community members will be listed on The Sandbox Marketplace as a featured TamJai voxel NFT collection. Winners will be rewarded with The Sandbox's native token SAND. As an iconic part of the brand, TamJai International will also feature the uniform of its waitresses in the metaverse. In its uniform design competition on the metaverse, artists and fans can customise their 3D NFT avatars, ranging from the Enoki-mushroom man to virtual waitresses.

Asked why each NFT is only priced at a relatively reasonable cost, Lung said Tam Jai International hopes to enter the world of web 3.0 instead of using the NFTs to speculate. 

Moving forward, Lung believed that the use of NFTs and gamification will gain traction, while they will also be part of marketing tools in the future. For example, owners of Tam Jai International's NFTs are entitled to a variety of privileges, such as a free bowl of rice noodles with two toppings, and free VIP membership at either TamJai or SamGor, as well as invitations to private events. Owners can also gain bonus points to redeem rewards, along with a vast array of perks.

The company will also roll out more initiatives in Q4 2022 and Q1 2023, according to Lung. 

Building customer loyalty

Tam Jai International operates TamJai Yunnan Mixian and TamJai SamGor Mixian in the city. Both brands are branded fast-casual restaurant chains specialising in rice noodles in Hong Kong. It also operates in foreign markets, including Singapore, Japan and China. 

As Lung said, Tai Jai International's foray into the metaverse is part of its brand strategy, but the company is still working on conventional ways to engage customers.

"Building and maintaining customer loyalty is an ongoing challenge for F&B brands. As a quick-service restaurant, Tam Jai International previously relied on social media to promote its brands. However, Lung said the number of combinations of its food items is also the core of the brand's success. 

"We offer plenty of toppings and soup bases to customers. Together with appetizers, we are offering as many as more than 630,000 combinations. Moreover, we also launch limited-time food items from time to time, offering our customers more choices and diversity," Lung said. 

Lastly, she added that although Tam Jai International has been working on different marketing initiatives over the years, there is one thing that they have been working on, "Although we leverage consumer insights to roll out limited-time items, we insist on offering food and beverages of the highest standard, which is the core of any F&B brands."

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