Uncategorised

Weet-Bix rebrands for Chinese market as popularity grows [VIDEO]

The cereal traditionally enjoyed by ‘Aussie Kids’ is becoming increasingly popular in China and will be rebranded as Nutri-Brex in that market from Mid-November.

The product has been exported to China as Weet-Bix for more than eight years. But, as Sanitarium’s international marketing manager Mark Roper told Food & Beverage Industry News, its placement on popular Chinese TV soap, Ode to Joy, saw a dramatic rise in its sales.

“The leading lady was seen eating Weet-Bix and that caused a lot of interest. A lot of Chinese were very eager to try this great product from down under that they hadn’t heard of before and we saw a big spike in sales following that TV show,” said Roper.

Apart from the name change, Nutri-Brex will be the same as Weet-Bix. Both products will use the same traditional recipe and be made in the same factories in Australia and New Zealand.

The change sees Sanitarium seize on an opportunity to build a strong, distinctive brand for the largest emerging ready-to-eat cereal market in the world, while complying with new trademark restrictions that are now coming into place.

“We’re keen to establish a distinctive and new brand name in the market. We have high hopes to continue our business in China and we really felt that using our new international trade mark Nutri-Brex would be a better strategy for us going forward,” said Roper.

Nutri-Brex will be positioned in China as a healthy and convenient breakfast choice for families, with its strong nutrition credentials and exclusive use of Australian wholegrain wheat in focus.

The launch, which represents Sanitarium’s biggest push into China to date, will be supported by a digitally-focused marketing campaign which also aims to raise awareness among Chinese consumers of the company’s commitment to health and its breakfast legacy in Australia.

Nutri-Brex will be sold in over 1,500 stores nationwide in China and multiple e-commerce channels from mid-November. Currently online sales, predominantly through Sanitarium’s flagship store on Alibaba’s TMall platform, represent more than half of all sales of Sanitarium product in China.

Send this to a friend