Santharuban unveils radical idea for Wonda 3 in 1 coffee range

WONDA’s 3-in-1 Coffee range was recently launched in Malaysia, and it was the launch market for the brand worldwide. Millions have already enjoyed the blend in canned form, but now the 3-in-1 sachet is also now available for the masses.

ETIKA Holdings Senior Vice-President of Marketing & Alternate Business, Santharuban Thurai Sundaram, explained that the company took a very radical approach to launch the range in the supermarket area, exclusively tied to Tesco.

In the home shelf space, they were not allowed to do branding as the category was blocked by a competing product. Having launched it exclusively in Tesco, it was crucial for the brand to stand out amidst the clutter that exist within the category.

“Since there were challenges in getting noticed on shelf, the conventional way, we came up with an alternative to circumvent the restrictions,” Santharuban explained.

Etika has done something really bold and out of the norm, by literally blocking their own shelf with an automated wooden panel which reads “do not press, unless you are a true coffee lover”, the button when pressed, reveals the WONDA 3-in-1, inside.

The shelf also lights up and emits coffee scent to further add experience of purchase at the moment of truth. So far Santharuban says the company has only deployed it for two outlets so far, but will target at least 20 more outlets in the coming week.

“The radical thing about this idea, is that we complied with the request for no branding, but still created a sense of curiosity for consumers,” he added.

He explained that this approach was truly a one-of-a-kind approach to branding, where in most cases it’s always about the logo standing out, call-to-action lines and so forth, so this idea truly bucked the trend.

“I must also add that in both versions, be it the manual or automated versions, when the lid opens, the lights turn on, a coffee scent is also dispersed, to create a truly ‘sensorial’ experience for the consumer,” he said.

Santharuban said that the 3-in-1 coffee market in Malaysia is currently very cluttered, with a host of local and international players, so his goal was to ensure Wonda’s products stood out from the rest and cut through the clutter.

The WONDA range has seen an upward growth with new promotions like state editions for Malacca and Sarawak for their canned editions, the brand has been tapping into the cultural zeitgeist as well.

Different from the existing Wonda lineup, the limited edition WONDA Melaka Edition Coffee is medium roasted with earthy flavour, while the WONDA Sarawak Edition Coffee is full-bodied with slight bitterness.