Just a moment ago, I happen to stumble upon an article from The Wall Street Journal about how Kraft has changed the formula and appearance to Oreos, so they can market them better in China.
It is off topic from the usual news that is delivered here, but I found it extremely fascinating.
“Kraft is the world's second largest food company by revenue.” “With its’ international business representing 40% of Kraft's revenue.”
In“1996, Kraft introduced Oreos to Chinese consumers.” They were not very successful though, as “Chinese Oreo sales represent a tiny fraction of Kraft's $37.2 billion in annual revenue” (WOW, that’s a tiny revenue *insert sarcasm here*).
Chinese found the cookies way too sweet and odd, that they did not catch on in China. So Kraft went to the drawing board and tinkered with the Oreo formula. They put a lot less sugar in them, making them not as sweet, and changed the shape to a longer wafer. They also took advantage of the growing demand for milk in China and advertised the Oreos being dunked in milk.
Click on te link below to the video that describes how they changed the Oreo for China. Watch it, it is really good and sums it all up in a nice package.
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid452319854/bctid1531249449
“In 2006, Oreo wafer sticks became the best-selling biscuit in China, outpacing HaoChiDian, a biscuit brand made by the Chinese company Dali. The new Oreos are also outselling traditional round Oreos in China, and Kraft has begun selling the wafers elsewhere in Asia, as well as in Australia and Canada."
The article also talks briefly about Kraft’s business history and how they have changed other products to fit international tastes. For example Kraft noticed “European preference for dark chocolate. Kraft is introducing dark chocolate in Germany under its Milka brand. Research in Russia showed that consumers there like premium instant coffee, so Kraft is positioning its Carte Noire freeze-dried coffee as upscale by placing it at film festivals, fashion shows and operas. And in the Philippines, where iced tea is popular, Kraft last year launched iced-tea-flavored Tang.”
Here is the link to the article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120958152962857053.html?mod=yhoofront
