Mosili’an – China’s first and only ambient yogurt product – was initially launched in 2010 in response to increasing consumer demand for yogurt that could be consumed on-the-go. Bright Dairy at first marketed Mosili’an in a plastic cup, but turned to Tetra Pak for guidance after a less-than-satisfactory market entry.
According to Tetra Pak, Bright Dairy identified the Tetra Prisma Aseptic 200ml carton with straw as the “ideal package for consumers to easily use and to drink whilst on the move without the risk of spillage.”
As well as recommending its Tetra Prisma Aseptic carton, Tetra Pak referenced its Dairy Index to provide Bright Dairy with wider industry context on consumers.
On the back of Bright Dairy’s efforts, Tetra Pak expects the Mosili’an brand to realize growth of around 60% in 2013.
Effective strategy to reach consumers
Ambient products currently account for 86% of the Chinese liquid dairy sector, according to Tetra Pak The country’s yogurt category has, however, been traditionally dominated by chilled products. Spotting this gap in the market, Bright Dairy launched Mosili’an.
Unfortunately for Bright Dairy, initial Chinese consumer uptake of Mosili’an was slow, Libby Costin, global portfolio director at Tetra Pak, told DairyReporter.com.
“As with all new product launches, and especially given the significant numbers of Chinese consumers who historically consumed chilled yogurt, it took time to develop widespread appeal,” she said.
“However, by working with Tetra Pak’s market research team, Bright Dairy had a deep understanding of the consumer group, and devised an effective strategy to reach consumers.”
“Consumers did not misunderstand the concept of the original packaging,” said Costin. “The change came about in response to changing consumer demands and the requirement to drink yogurt on-the-go.”
Premium packaging
The Tetra Prisma Aseptic, which is an eight-sided carton, is available in a range of sizes – from 125ml to 1 litre. According to Tetra Pak, this shape and the carton’s metalized and non-metalized print options make it stand out on the shelf and “provides many branding opportunities.”
In this case, the metalized finish of the new Mosili'an carton strengthens the products visual appeal and “helps it to stand out from its chilled competitors as a premium product,” added Costin.
Commenting, Tong Chen, managing director, of Bright Dairy’s UHT division, said that through its work with Tetra Pak, Mosili’an is now a “challenger to the established chilled yogurt.”
“[We] are now seeing consumers move not only from chilled to ambient yogurt but also from high end white milk.”
“The quality brand image which the Tetra Prisma Aseptic 200 supports has helped cement our place as a premium brand with a high quality product,” said Chen.