Twisties gets truly local in Malaysia with Kaya Butter Toast twist

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Mondelēz 's Twisties has added yet another Malaysian local flavour to its product list, the Kaya Butter Toast variant. This move came after the brand kicked off its “Embrace Your Twists” tagline in 2019, which called on young Malaysians to embrace their unique selves and expressions. According to the brand, the new flavour offering reflects the brand's purpose by introducing fresh twists to its product lineup.

With the growth of the local snacking market, Twisties' spokesperson told A+M that this is has resulted in a significant increase in demand for local and unique flavoured snacks. "The new Kaya Butter Toast shows our commitment to deepening our local roots and offerings. The brand is also aiming to strengthen its market-leading position in the corn shape segment in the salty snack category," added the spokesperson.

Inspired by the Malaysians' obsession with local flavours, Twisties decided to tap on the locals' appetite by elevating a comforting local flavour such as the Kaya Butter Toast to the next level, explained Arpan Sur, marketing director of Mondelēz Malaysia and Singapore. According to Sur, the Kaya Butter Toast flavour is uniquely comforting and is easily resonated with all Malaysians. "Following the success of the 'Spicy Seaweed Splash', we know that Malaysians are always on the lookout for flavours that excite their palette, and we believe Kaya Butter Toast will do just that," he added.

To drum up awareness of the new flavour, Twisties has also released a series of limited edition Kaya Butter Toast merchandise for its consumers. The merchandise is specially curated and available for fans to win via its social media pages, content partners and collaborations with key influencers. The merchandise includes a bicycle with toast for wheels, a gaming keyboard with toasts and butter as keys, Chinese chess set with toasts pieces, an action figure of a Kaya Butter Toast man, a necklace, toasts earrings, toast shaped bath sponges and kaya butter scented candles.

A+M has reached out to Twisties for additional information regarding its social media and collaboration strategy with key influencers.

Sur was first promoted to associate director, marketing head, for Malaysia and Singapore in April last year. He leads a 12-man team that is responsible for all categories in both countries. In his role, he oversees the end to end marketing responsibility across the full portfolio of brands. Based in Kuala Lumpur, he reports to Nikhil Rao who was promoted to senior director of marketing for Southeast Asia in 2021 as well. As marketing head, Sur wants to take a leadership stance in everything Mondelēz does and make Malaysia and Singapore aspirational for both internal and external stakeholders, he said. Additionally, brands such as Cadbury, Oreo, Jacob’s and Twisties will report to him as well.

Mondelez International also just named Narmeen Khan as managing director for Malaysia and Singapore. Khan is responsible for the overall growth and operational excellence for the business in both markets.

Khan has a 17-year career with Mondelēz International, helming several senior category and leadership roles in Pakistan and Dubai. Prior to this appointment, she was the managing director for Mondelēz Pakistan, responsible for the turnaround of the Pakistan business and outstanding growth across the past three years. During her category roles, she was also pivotal in developing the chocolates category in Pakistan and ultimately leading Cadbury Dairy Milk to its market leader status in the country.

Khan, who succeeds the former country lead James Kane, will be based in Kuala Lumpur.

“Mondelēz has established a strong foundation in both markets as a category leader, an employer of choice, as well as an important contributor to our global innovation and supply chain. I am delighted to have an opportunity to build on these fundamentals while bringing new perspectives to accelerate our growth and extend meaningful progress in line with our environmental, social and governance responsibilities,” said Khan.

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