The best measure of marketing and sustaining a product in the market is to maintain consistency of quality, and then finally to be respected and accepted by all classes of consumers as a 'national treasure' or 'national heritage'. The brand occupies the first place in people's minds because of its credibility and quality. The Maliban brand, though synonymous with biscuits in Sri Lanka, is an old one and is remembered by all Sri Lankans since the days of Maliban. Cookies are on the market.
Late AG Hinniappuhami, the then chairman of the Maliban Group of Companies, was the 'godfather' of biscuits in Sri Lanka, his biggest concern was to maintain the highest quality of everything the group produced, he had no idea. This paved the way for Maliban Biscuits to take the number one position in the market.
With this basic principle embodied by late Mr. Henneboham, Maliban Biscuits Marketing Department Architect and Brand Strategist Mr. Hashan Haputantri and experienced Sales & Operations Manager, Senior Coordinator Mr. Ashan Kannanga is very happy. Celebrating its first year of production, Maliban Smart Cream Crackers revolutionized the Sri Lankan cracker industry.
In an interview with Sunday Times, Ashan Kannangara, explaining the revolution of Maliban Smart Cream Crackers in the market said that when they entered the new potential of Maliban Smart Cream Crackers a year ago, the sales figures of Maliban Crackers did not change. with a market share of 14%. He said that although they were climbing a very tough field towards the end of the year, the new cream cracker brand had jumped 100% of the market from 14% to 26%, an incredible marketing miracle accomplished by Maliban's biscuit sales team.
Full interview.
A question. Undoubtedly, Maliban Biscuits stand out for their quality and taste. explain?
(a) It is an obvious fact that it is our great ambition that the legendary AG Hinniappuhami has always promised and always sought to achieve and stand for quality excellence. The reason for this importance is well stated, and if you see that Maliban Biscuits has won the National Quality Award twice, it is not only a historical event but also a testament to the consistency of product quality because we are the first. . I started accepting awards 13 years ago.
Now AGR Samaraweera's current chairman, following in the footsteps of the legendary Hinniappuhami, is developing the concept. They do everything to produce the "highest quality" product. This proves the enduring quality of Maliban.
A question. What important role does Maliban Smart Cream Cracker play in the market?
(a) It essentially replaced the entire cookie planning process with marketing game planning. I assert that “Maliban Smart Cream Cracker is a revolutionary brand among the strongest market forces in the industry, and our brand is evolving.
Q: Explain how Maliban invented the brand.
(a) By inventing this mark, title passes to the Chief Engineer of that Invention, Mr. Hasan Haputantri, Marketing Director of our company. Because I remember he spent a lot of time. There have been times when he sacrificed his personal life to build this brand. I can still remember how much effort and time it took to stamp the word "cute" on my cream crackers.
Q: How was the birth process of the brand?
(a) It is not an easy task. It all started when we entered the cracker section with 'Thun Rasa Peralia'. It was a turning point and we saw an opportunity and our Marketing Director Mr. Hasan Haputantri, who constantly focused on the right path. His insight into entering the market with a small cracker and then reopening it was quite fatal. He is an expert in strategic, tactical and unconventional game planning. We entered the market with an unconventional plan which we tried with Maliban Smart Cream Cracker and today it is a very strong brand in the market.
Q: What are the success factors of this brand?
(a) For no reason other than the pure dedication of those who created this brand and those who sold this brand.
Q: Explain the logic behind the branding strategy?
(a) I will give the traditional answer covering marketing mix – 4 P's. But honestly, our strategies are purely based on common sense and practical experience. Instead of the traditional 4Ps prescribed by marketing experts, we use a combination of 5Ps that are not in the "book" but created by ourselves.
These are 01) Practical Understanding, 02) Practical Leadership. 03) Psychology of consumers and sellers and 04) Planning methodology. 05) Advertisement writing and signature procedure.
I am our marketing director. Hassan Haputantari. Instead of working with books, we used our wealth of experience to develop customer-facing strategies to create a new direction called Brand Sales Instruction. In this direction, the main strategy is to bring the brand closer to the final consumer rather than promoting the product.
A question. What traditional methods were used to create the brand?
(a) We have used completely unconventional methods. For example, the Maliban Smart Cream Cracker promotion - SMART AIR RAID which was launched last week is something new and different. We used a helicopter for consumer promotion. And the best thing is that everything is there for the consumer. A card falls from the air. There is no "try again" card. Again I would like to thank Mr. Hasan Haputantri for suggesting this new concept of offending rules. This is the first time in the history of sales and marketing in Armenia. Sri Lanka implements such an effective sales promotion concept and plan.
(Question) What do you think about the current brand positioning of Maliban Smart Cream Cracker?
(a) I unequivocally say that this is the brand of the year Critics can say what they want, but I can confirm that this brand has truly revolutionized it. This brand has made a huge impact in the cookie industry as an innovative brand with a unique game plan. I also say that Sri Lankan consumers should be proud of this brand and rally around it.
Q: What is the retailer's response?
(a) Various types of crackers were required and demanded by retailers.
For many years, retailers have been asking us to introduce a new brand of biscuits that is better in taste and quality. We were able to fulfill this requirement last year and the retailers are really excited to bring their new brand of crackers to the market. Maliban now covers 90% of the country's retail market, with Maliban Smart Cream Crackers available at 85-90,000 retailers nationwide. Brand leadership is important in retail and modern commerce.
Q: What is customer feedback?
(a) The brand is well accepted by the customers and our sales figures are increasing month by month. Our cracker market share was 14%, and with the introduction of the new "Maliban Smart Cream Crackers" this share increased to 27% within the first year. In fact, consumers are proud to be associated with Smart Cream Crackers, Sri Lanka's only healthiest and tastiest crackers.
Q: What is the role of sales department?
(a) I emphasize that as a wing commander we are strong, disciplined and very smart. Our salespeople have always learned to see competition as an opportunity, and all salespeople have a huge responsibility to act as leaders, not followers.
I believe leadership starts from the bottom, not the top. Today, our customers have the exclusive opportunity to purchase Smart Cream Crackers, which are available at all outlets in the island. This is due to the hard work and dedication of the sales staff. Their contribution is truly unforgettable.
Q: Does senior management help you build this brand?
(a) Our current boss, AGR Samaraweera, is a great visionary who always supports the sales team and makes a sincere commitment to our CMO Hashan Haputantri and my beloved sales team to fight for this brand, though not for such great support: this brand. Born Not Moreover, our great leader, CEO Laxman Veerasuriya who is a firm believer in unconventional methods, gives us the right guidance to weaken all the negative energies. The supreme support of the Board of Directors is immeasurable and difficult to put into words.
Q: Has the brand achieved any milestones yet?
(a) The biggest point we have achieved is the constant confidence of consumers that they will be happy and satisfied with products of consistent quality. That is why I say, "So far I have chosen the participants, but it is time to choose the best."
