Quaker plugs health to drive oatmeal sales

<P>KUALA LUMPUR As more competitors enter the oatmeal category, Quaker has kicked off a new branding offensive to boost low consumption rates amongst Malay women.</P> <P>"Our target audience is Malay housewives, aged 28 and above," said Melati Abdul Hai, marketing manager of Pepsico Malaysia. "The Malay female is not a regular consumer of oatmeal, simply because it's not really a part of our heritage."</P> <P>Local celebrity Amy Mastura has signed on as an endorser, and will appear in a television ad, created by BBDO, as well as cooking show demonstrations, recipe leaflets and point-of-sale communication. </P> <P>"We want to impress upon our audience that oats can easily be built into their daily cooking, for example as a replacement for cornstarch. This gives the food loads of heart-healthy nutrition," said Malanti, who added that heart disease was a leading cause of death in Malaysia.</P> <P>The campaign follows Quaker's package re-design implemented last June, which was refreshed to give the long-established product "a more contemporary look." </P> <P>In Malaysia, the hot cereal category faces slow growth rates that hover between one to two per cent per annum, and is split amongst a growing number of players. Aside from long-time competitors, such as Nestum and Captain Oats, the segment has seen a recent proliferation of in-house brands from Giant, Tesco and Carrefour. </P>