A CASE STUDY OF YAKULT MALAYSIA

                                                  A VISIT TO YAKULT MALAYSIA

A big thanks to Manipal International University who allowed my classmates and me who organised a visit to Yakult Factory located at Ockland Industrial Park, Seremban on 5th July 2017. We planned this trip for this semester under New Media & Communication Technology subject assignment. All students are been told to meet up at campus foyer by 7:45 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. Once done collecting everyone at the foyer, everyone instructed to enter the trip bus to move on to the Yakult Factory.  

We reached there around 8:30 a.m. We were told to move in to the factory’s briefing room. Once we took the seat, the tour begins with a brief introduction on the background of the Yakult Company and product, followed by an educational video show on the importance of good bacteria for a healthy digestive system. The word ‘Yakult’ originated from Esperanto language which means yogurt or sour milk. The bacteria used to make Yakult are named ‘Probiotic’ or another name called ‘Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain’ and it is imported directly from Japan.

Yakult Showcase

Picture Presence

From the briefing, we get to know that Yakult came into Malaysia officially on 2004.There are many different versions of Yakult bottles from all over the world. Do you noticed that the Yakult bottle in Malaysia is different from others countries? If you noticed, those Vitagen bottles have same design with Yakult bottles, so the Yakult organization in Malaysia changed their bottles design to an all new design. This is because of the copyright issues and  to make differences between this two products to avoid customer confuse but for the other country, they still maintain the Yakult bottles design standardized for another 31 country. Not only cultured drink are Yakult’s only business, they also sell health care products and cosmetics to the public. They don’t use the bacteria from the Yakult to produce those products because, Yakult’s bacteria are only authorized for internal human body parts and not the external.

Then, few of my classmates asked few questions based on New Media & Technology to the person who in charged for the briefing. The briefing ends on 9:30 a.m. Then I took few photo’s with Yakult’s product showcase and also photo’s of their frames which hanged on the wall. Then, we had given a guided tour person to view the whole production process through specially constructed glass wall. We learn more about how the latest technology is used to make Yakult. Yakult’s operations process department had 40 workers to run the operations. The company only takes few manpower, because the company build with a highly cost of constructions and machines, this is the reason why only 40 workers is hired in the operations process.

Finally done with the tour ended on 10:15 a.m., and we were offered to buy some souvenir and drinks from the Yakult. Besides that, we took group photo’s to show our attendance to the factory and as a source to apply to our assignments. The bus arrived on 11:00 a.m. and we reached Manipal Campus Foyer at 11:30 a.m.

                             TYPES OF NEW MEDIA USED FOR COMMUNICATION

No matter whatever product it is, advertising a product through New Media is important as well. This is to ensure their product known worldwide and to do higher market targeting throughout the market. As from the interview we done from the Yakult Company, my classmates and me found out several types of New Media used for communication.

Yakult made a good approach towards the public to set them as regular customers for their product. The product and the consumer obviously must go hand in hand. To apply a better production through New Media, Yakult company first analysis the target audience for their product, which are the categories of society would prefer to consume Yakult cultured milk in their daily lifestyle. Women’s has the highest drafts of consuming Yakult on their daily lifestyle rather than the kids and men’s.

First, Yakult uses all the biggest New Media networks like, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn as the main social media to posts their products with the information of every product stated below every posts. Obviously it is a good business techniques done by Yakult with the known, most of the people uses main media’s through out their life. Moreover, apps such as Facebook launched one of the earliest business profiles for a business companies or individuals to use.

Meanwhile, as a New Media sharing networks or sites, Yakult company uses the benefits on point through the app Instagram and YouTube as well. Where for Instagram, Yakult company announce their new product releasing date’s and also the information’s of the product to the public. Any new events launched by Yakult company will be announced through the app with the whole event details. One of the features in Instagram, where public could see the Yakult advertisement right below with a link which connects to Yakult page or website. This made their product to be known easily by the public.

Besides that, YouTube is also one of the main sharing networks, that Yakult used for their product to get advertised. In this app, Yakult uploads their product advertisement and how does their product leads to healthy lifestyle towards the feature by consuming their product. In this case, it helps Yakult to communicate and present their company brand to be known for its quality and purposes to the public in an ethical and professional method.

 

 

                   
                       CHALLANGES OF NEW MEDIA USED FOR COMMUNICATION

As from the research on Yakult New Media Used for Communication, there are few challenges faced by the Yakult company. One of the current well known and developed company is Yakult, so as they also do face challenges equally to their company’s development.

One of the challenges is, the main thing for a product company with only a single official admin who only controls and monitor all those post or information updates about Yakult. This is important due to few factors which would affect the company reputation through New Media. One of the affects is, the most common ‘hacking accounts’ – missuses and manipulate the company in to negative contents. Admin of Yakult should be able to report and prohibit other anonymous profile which is created on the base of Yakult’s company.

The next challenges would be the company’s competitors. There are few more companies which produces cultured drinks as well, this is where they target each other’s development through the industry. New media would be one of the biggest advantages for certain companies. Posts and updates of Yakult should be fulfilled with the correct and accurate facts. Single false stated sentence or misinterpreted information would bring a big disaster to Yakult company. This might create a great advantage to the competitors as well.

This is why statements updates and posts products should be correctly done to avoid problems. Not only competitors, society also would react the most upon the post and statement through the New Media does by Yakult. Society may sue the company under false or fake statement on Yakult’s product. Society are the main neurons for the company achievement and development and that is why Yakult should beware of their updates to the society all over.

Besides that, Yakult should manage their posts and updates through New Media ethically. Repetition of a content usually lower down the interest on the society to see the updates. It might lead to people don’t even care to see the updates of the company anymore due to lack of interest. Professionalism required from the official admin of Yakult to keep the post and updates fresh and attractive as to attract the society to bookmarked or mark it as their favourite website or New Media in their device.

This would keep the society connected always with the updates, so do they get more interested to Yakult’s products in order to get one or more. Last but not least, anonymous profiles through New Media are much than expected. New Media such as Facebook, Blogs, YouTube are occupied with anonymous users who updates and posts fake and false statement on Yakult, some accounts or profile even criticize Yakult on their products. This would be the fired up challenges Yakult faces through New Media.

This is why Yakult are registered under official accounts through New Media’s like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. Hoping this would screened to the audience that, their New Media Used for Communication are officially exist and updated with true statements and posts on their company bio and products. This is to ensure their messages are sent to the target audience clear and clean.

                                  THE CASE STUDY AND BLOGGING EXPERIENCE

Yakult Malaysia is a company that has been around for several decades, primarily in Asia and Europe. Stating about Yakult, Yakult is first introduced in Japan in 1935 which had made them a big success as well. Then, Yakult is registered as a trademark in 1938 followed by the presence of Yakult Honsha Co.Ltd is established with Dr Shirota as the Presidennt in 1955. Yakult’s unique and different style of business made by creating a system named “Yakult Ladies” where the system provides door to door distribution by housewives is officially launched in 1963. 4 years after in 1967, The Yakult Central Institute is established in Kunitachi, Tokyo.

Today, the 404 scientist and medical doctors here are actively pursuing research with the goal of applying beneficial bacteria effectively to contribute to human. The new iconic Yakult plastic bottle is launched. 30 years after, Yakult is acknowledged by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as a “Food for Specified Health Usages” (FOSHU). The FOSHU status is only awarded to food products that can prove through studies in humans, that they have positive health effects, both medically and nutritionally. Yakult came to the Malaysia and officially established in the year 2003, bringing with it a rich, international history.

Yakult in Malaysia also launched the system Yakult Lady door to door and home delivery service in the year 2008. By the year 2013, Yakult Malaysia does a better business expanding their products to few places all over Malaysia. Current price of Yakult cultured drinks is Yakult Ace and Light Ace which is RM 4.69 cents each and RM 8.49 cents for the double pack. Overall, consuming Yakult Cultured drink improves a person’s health nutrition, improves immune and digestive systems, and moving towards a better lifestyle fitness. 

Coming to the New Media platform, Yakult brings a fresh perspective to their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram platforms, we knew we had to simultaneously preserve that history and culture while bringing an updated, creative approach to the brand’s published content. With the help of New Media, Yakult in nearly 33 other countries and regions, maintained a unified voice with Yakult’s other platforms, as well as create a fresh, new look at their products.  Yakult wanted their Malaysia Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages to pay homage to the specific states, cities, and demographics that help make their brand so unique.

Yakult able to come up with fun, family friendly content that garnered audience engagement for the brand, as well as provide educational material for the consumer. By combining original illustrations, graphic design, and original photography, Yakult able to increase sentiment and engagement for Yakult. Currently, there is significant growth in Yakult’s social media’s. It is amazing sometimes to look back and see what you have done, what you have learned, and to whom you shared.

I been given a good blog post entry by my subject lecturer Miss Siti Mazmi Niza, which I have been doing for a month plus and wanting me to think this, every time I does an entry, “collecting information, and creating a blog post helps a lot to the public to know more even into the product and why not the information shared what have I learned as well?” Great isn’t it?

Ever before I knew what blogging was, I was a person who believes everything fast and not doing any filter or research on the particular part. Blogging is not that easy as some of them state as. Creating a good blog is important, where your information’s given accurately and attached with proves to show the public, that I have feed and updated a good and quality blog, so that they would be eager to read my next blog post continuously. Overall in a sentence “Blogging does helps the society very much, It’s the subject content you post should be accurate and understandable”. I hope my blog on new media communication of Yakult Malaysia help’s the public.