San
Miguel Corporation has relaunched the Magnolia ice cream
brand in the Philippines after a five year absence from
the market. The move is seen as part of a bid to fend off
stagnant food sales in the domestic market.
Although the Magnolia is already strongly
represented by margarine, cheese and butter brands, sales
of the ice cream brand lagged during the 90s, eventually
leading to the company dropping it from shop shelves.
But with the continued presence of the brand
in other dairy product formats, San Miguel says that the
brand name carries tremendous strength, which, given the
right marketing opportunities, could easily be turned into
a success again.
In
the Philippines, the Magnolia brand is by far the dominant
player in the margarine segment, where the brand is claimed
to have cornered 90 per cent of the market for non-refrigerated
margarines and 80 per cent of the market for refrigerated
margarines.
Although
the market for ice cream is much more competitive in the
Philippines, the company still believes that the existing
market dominance in the other segment will do much to strengthen
the brand's chances of renewed success in ice cream.
San Miguel says that as a quality and totally
dairy-based product, Magnolia ice cream is likely to be
positioned at the upper end of the market. It will be relaunched
in its classic flavours: chocolate, strawberry, sweet corn,
vanilla, ube and mango, as well as the addition of new variations
that will include ripple and fruit bits, gold labels rocky
road, cookies and cream, dulce de leche and double dutch.
