Kangshifu ropes in Yen for revamp

BEIJING: Mainland food group Kangshifu has signed on Taiwanese celebrity Ritchie Yen to relaunch its ice tea brand in a nationwide campaign which is due to break in the next few days. The brand is looking to capture the traditionally strong demand during the peak April-August summer season for beverages in this category. Set to roll out across the mainland and Hong Kong by next week, the relaunch campaign has been developed to help Kangshifu counter stiff competition from local brands as well as the Tong Yi label, marketed by Taiwan's President food group. Kangshifu launched its ice tea brand in the late '90s, but the market has since been flooded with a number of local competitors. Grey Worldwide: Beijing is handling the relaunch. The agency, however, declined to disclose billings. Grey's appointment marks the first time the food and beverage conglomerate is working with a multinational 4A's advertising agency on any of its brands. Frankie Chan, general manager of Grey Beijing subsidiary G3, said Kangshifu will also invest in a major below-the-line activity in the mainland in the coming summer months. He said the below-the-line activity would be a significant exercise, extend ing beyond the usual consumer promotions the brand had done in the past. Singer/actor Yen, who fronted a campaign for hongkong.com last year, has been chosen based on his popularity in the mainland and Hong Kong and because his "cool image" fitted in with the campaign's objective to portray the "icy feeling" of consuming the ice tea brand. Market observers say Kangshifu is seeking to grow into a full food and beverage conglomerate since diversifying its instant noodle operation to enter the bakery and beverage business in the mid-'90s. 'Kangshifu wants to develop the beverage business and the ice tea brand is a very important part of it," said Chan. It is understood that the company intends to build Kangshifu as its corporate umbrella brand, while developing different brand names for its various product categories.

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