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Welcome back to Marketing Connected.
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This episode is a snippet from our Content 360 Philippines Conference.
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Under this year's theme, Empowering Culture Elevating Experience, C360 Philippines brought together in-depth conversations, case studies, and insightful panels.
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Catch Oliver Rabatan, Deputy General Manager and Head of Marketing and User Operations at Char Ghines in a far-sight chat with marketing director's editor-in-chief Roswana Manjo, speaking on the topic the Char Gi Effect, Building Global Brand Equity One Local Moment at a time.
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Olli is a seasoned marketing architect with a career defined by driving brand dominance in highly competitive markets.
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Prior to Char Gi, he spent over 15 years at McDonald's, Philippines, culminating in his tenure as vice president and chief marketing officer.
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Tune into the full conversation right here.
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I'm good.
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Thank you for joining us and happy international tea.
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Yes, happy international tea, everyone.
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Thank you for inviting me here, yes.
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Uh it's a it's an honor.
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Um, it's my first time to actually attend the Content 360 event.
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Well, we're very happy you chose us to start uh the day with.
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Of course.
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So, you know, your brand is so well loved.
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Um, I'm based in Singapore, so I see my teammates having Char Gi every other day.
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It's really taken over the world and you're launching stores everywhere.
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Uh, it's such a recognizable packaging.
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What is the strategy that you took in launching Char Gi in the Philippines and how have you localized the strategy?
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Happy to be here to share Chaji's story with you guys.
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Some of you might have known Chaji, might have heard, or might have even tried Chaji, but I know most of you probably haven't seen or tried our product yet.
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So let me give you a very quick introduction of Chad Gi.
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So Chaji is a modern tea house that started in 2017 and that's in China.
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We are about nine years old, we're turning nine this November, and our mission has has been set out very clearly, and it's modernize the tea culture and also connect the world through a good cup of tea.
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Now we've been expanding very quickly all over the world.
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So we're at around 8,000 stores globally, around 7,000 of which are in China.
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Outside of China, we have more than 200 stores in Malaysia, and we started there as early as 2019.
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And just last year, we opened in five countries, namely Indonesia, the US, Thailand, Vietnam, and of course the Philippines.
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And just last month we opened in Korea.
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We have three beautiful stores in Korea, and just today we opened our fourth store in Korea.
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Wow.
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And we're we're doing really well in that market.
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Now, going back to the Philippines, we have around 17 stores, and we've opened those 17 stores in less than 10 months.
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So we've been very, very aggressive.
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And now going back to your question, what has been our strategy in launching in the Philippines?
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I'd say I go back to our mission, the mission of modernizing tea culture and connecting the world through tea, because it is basically the business model that we adopt and entering the market, right?
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So we are entering a market where tea either equates to a dessert type of beverage, the bubble teas, or in a very traditional way, it's about the herbal drinks, right?
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So that's the notion of tea when you go into the Philippines.
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And also we are entering a landscape where the dominant drink is coffee, right?
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So we are very conscious of that context, and therefore our strategy is to position Chaji as a modern tea house where people can enjoy their authentic tea and connect with the people, uh with their friends, with their loved ones.
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That's basically the strategy.
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And when we talk about maybe localization, you ask how did we localize the strategy?
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When we talk about localization, it's about integrating into the culture of the Filipinos, right?
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And especially for the younger generation, what we observed is that they don't just consume drinks, they actually consume experiences, and that bit of insight is very important to us as we build the brand in the country.
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So that's why you can see Chaji in the first level of a premium mall.
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That's why we build our stores beautifully.
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Yeah, I love it.
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And I I think tea is the second most drunk beverage globally after water, isn't it?
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It is, yes, it is.
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I think that is so cool.
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I thought before it was beer.
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But apparently.
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On Friday nights, definitely beer.
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So I love that you guys are doing that.
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And what you said really connects with me because I think we're moving into an experience economy now, right?
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So much of culture is what you feel, what you see, what you it what are the emotions that it strikes.
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So with culture being so nuanced across Southeast Asia, I think, you know, one of the things with a lot of global companies, and you worked with McDonald's before, I'm sure a lot of global companies kind of think of, oh, Asia, that's a whole region on its own.
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But when you live and breathe in Asia, you realize how different charge would be in Singapore versus Indonesia versus Philippines, right?
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So how did you avoid having a surface level localization?
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Well, in in a market like Philippines that's so nuanced, um we have three distinct levels of localization.
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The first level is what you mentioned, the surface level localization.
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I think it's the standard playbook.
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It's it's when you introduce a local product, it's when you um convert a regional artwork into a the local language, or it's using local um maybe KOLs, right?
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So it's part of localization.
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And though as a marketer, you don't find it as inspiring or it it doesn't connect well really with audiences, but it's something that we really have to do.
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It's part of what we do, especially if you're rapidly expanding, right?
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So but that's just the first level.
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The second level is about cultural and brand integration, right?
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This is where we respect and fully understand the values and the culture of the Filipinos and where we weave the essence of the brand uh in these uh values and and and culture.
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That's the second level.
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An example of that would be again going back to Filipinos being known as very communal, family-oriented.
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We have the term called bayanihan, so we love shared moments, so we're very much into connection.
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Understanding that made Shaji again deliver these beautiful stores, uh, not just as avenues to serve drinks, but really to gather communities, to gather people for them to share with their loved ones.
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So that's that's the second level of localization.
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The third level, I think I would say, is the ultimate level of localization, and it is personalization, right?
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So back then this is not as possible, right?
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This is this is almost impossible.
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I mean personalizing your marketing at scale.
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It's almost impossible.
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But uh understand that Chad G was born into the digital age, so we have so from day one, we already have the systems, uh, whether it's consumer-facing, whether it's internal systems that are digital in nature, and that we use this data and infrastructure to know more about the individual, our customers more deeply, to build that strong relationship with them.
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So we we do all those three, you know.
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So while while yes, we do some surface level localization, but we also understand the market we operate in, and more importantly, we understand our consumers at an individual level.
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What you're saying sounds like essentially the marketing funnel, right?
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You start with the broad, but you also have to detail down with the data to really understand.
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And I guess when it comes to new market launches, it's always a little bit of a mix between what the market analysis is telling you and also what your marketers on ground are telling you, right?
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Because I always say using data to move forward is like driving a car moving forward, looking back, right?
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At the end of the day, you also must hone in on what the local level findings are on the marketers' front.
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Um, and I love that you mentioned that about Char Gi being born in the digital era, because Char Gi being a Chinese brand, we know that it's extremely tech driven.
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A lot of Chinese companies, be it like Xi In, Luckin Coffee, they're essentially tech companies offering a service at the end of the day.
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So, how do you draw the line between preserving heritage, which is what tea is all about?
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It's about culture and heritage, and at the same time modernizing it.
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And how would you describe the appetite of Filipino consumers when it comes to embracing technology?
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Yeah, so we we draw a very clear line.
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The heritage is in the cup, while outside of it is modernity, right?
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That's where modernity thrives.
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So let me explain.
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Heritage in the cup.
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So what we have, what you drink, what you sip, is really authentic tea coming from tea leaves, real using real tea leaves that were planted in China and in tea regions.
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That's that's one.
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So using authentic tea leaves.
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The product that we're seeing here is boya jasmine.
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Locally, we know this as sampagita, right?
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So in Cha Gi we don't use artificial flavors.
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So our tea leaves, for example, for boya, it's a green tea, and we infuse it with uh with real jasmine.
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So that's how we come up with with our products, right?
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So it's it's very authentic.
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And number two, we also honor, for example, the the way we brew our tea.
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So there's an exact time of brewing, and also how how long and the level of water, those things are all considered.
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So it's really an authentic tea inside the cup, yeah, and the consistency and taste, right?
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Yeah, yes.
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But outside of the cup is we're modernity tribes, right?
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We start with a beautiful packaging.
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So we do serve our tea in a beautiful cup, in a beautiful takeout bag, and then you have technology again of using uh precision brewers in the store.
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We have if you go to a charge store, you'll see there um a machine.
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Our partners call it the AI machine because it's it's where we combine the ingredients of your milk tea.
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Right?
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So that's and it's operated by AI, basically.
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Is that why it smells so good in charge stores?
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It's always such a we have a we have a brew at the back of our store, is a kitchen where we really brew our tea leaves, right?
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So and then you have also the store.
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The store, as mentioned, is are really nice and we really invest in in making our stores beautiful.
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But that goes beyond that.
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Uh, even the way we do marketing is is a modern, meaning we don't do traditional marketing.
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And I'm used to a very traditional marketing coming from McDonald's, right?
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But we've fully embraced digital marketing, specifically social media marketing, and also combining it with experiential events.
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So that's how we draw the line between uh heritage in a cup and then modernity that thrives outside of that cup.
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I think if you made a charge candle with that smell, it would fly off the shelves.
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Oh, we've had merchandising with that kind of function, yeah.
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Well, what about the beyond the creation of the drinks and the usage of the apps to drive um conversion?
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How else is Chargy using technology for community building in markets like Philippines?
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One of the things when we think about technology, we always think of it as something a little bit more cold, you know, very functional, very service-driven, not really emotionally connected.
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But being such a tech company, how are you creating meaningful experiences using tech?
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I can share two things.
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Uh, first is internally, we use technology to connect all charge employees globally, right?
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So we have this one system that we use for everything related to Chargy, whether it's creating documents, whether it's presenting these documents, whether we would like to seek approval for a travel.
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So everything is in this uh app, it's in this super app uh that we're using uh for chargy.
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And we also use it as a social network.
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It has its built-in social network wherein everybody up to the store level can post something, whether it's an achievement, whether it's a good experience in the store, and everyone in the system will be able to see it.
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And and just like your typical social network, you can like it, you can put your comments, you can share it.
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So that's that's that's how we use technology internally to connect everybody in Chad G.
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Externally, I have a very simple example.
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It's how we amplify user-generated content.
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Right?
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So we use technology because Chad G is such an aesthetic brand, and a lot of people would like post with the pictures of either the store or their drink.
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And what we do is basically use our digital platforms to capture this and then amplify it to the community so the community can talk about it.
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So if you look at our Chad G stories at any time of the day, you'd see a number of posts uh from our customers.
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Yeah, yeah, very craft driven as a brand, right?
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It's very aesthetically beautiful, the way that from your stores to your social content to your cups, it's got a very strong brand consistency when it comes to the craft of it.
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Um, are there any specific platforms or innovations?
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I love the example that you gave about the internal social system.
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But what about things like loyalty ecosystems or AI-driven engagement that have been game changers for the community building of the brand?
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Oh, for sure.
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It's our Chad G app.
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So sorry for the shameless plugging, but we have a very good app so you can download it and experience it for yourself.
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But what we have in our app is a loyalty tier.
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So you can be uh from a Cha seeker all the way to a Cha Master.
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Uh it depends on how much Cha G you've already consumed.
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But what we do with that is we we use that online platform for online for offline activation.
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So, what we've done recently, for example, we had a tea workshop that's conducted in-store.
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So we invited the Cha Explorers or the Cha Masters, right?
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It's so it's an exclusive event for our members.
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When they went to the store, and this happened just recently, they were strangers.
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But after the session, they literally became friends, right?
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So I I thought that's a a very good example of how we used technology to drive online to offline connections.
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Yeah, absolutely.
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I and I know you spoke about the retail experience a little bit and how it plays.
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I mean, you're always in the premium first floors of the malls and the placement of it.
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Just to throw you a little bit of a curveball on that one, what's the strategy in setting up retail versus also partnering up with the marketplaces to get your drinks delivered, right?
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Because you gotta be where the consumer eyeballs are, but at the same time, you wanna keep that brand looking premium.
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Yeah.
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Our retail strategy is having the mindset that our store is the best advertising medium of Chaji, it is also the best manifestation of our brand.
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So we don't just consider it as a point of distribution, rather, it's a place of experiences.
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You're seeing here examples of how we built our stores.
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So again in the Philippines, we have already 17 stores.
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One of our few stores that we built was pet-friendly store.
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It is the first and only pet-friendly store in Southeast Asia.
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We have that in Eastwood, in our Eastwood store.
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So it has the pet-friendly features and also the logo itself has a pet-friendly element to it.
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So that's that's one of the stores.
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And then I go to a global concept store in Malaysia, in Molo, Malaysia.
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It's a three-story Chaji store in Malaysia, so it's huge, it's big, it's really beautiful.
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And then if you go to Singapore, we have a number of flagship stores in Singapore.
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But one of the highlights there is if you go to the Chinatown in Singapore, there's what we call the Pagoda House.
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So it's uh another beautiful concept store that was built to fit into the community in that area.
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Just recently in Gangnam, Korea, we built this massive, aesthetically really beautiful store.
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We have now four of those in Korea.
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And what we do is to have unique elements per store.
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So no two stores are alike.
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It's absolutely beautiful.
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They look like tourist destinations.
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Before we let you off the stage, I have a rapid fire set of three questions for you.
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Okay, are you ready?
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One-word answers, okay?
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One brand you love, you cannot say charge.
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Unique law.
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Oh, okay.
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Why?
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It's it's very practical.
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The designs are good, and I use it in my everyday uh everyday wardrobe.
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So lovely.
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Okay, one advice that you would give our audience, which is made up of marketers.
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Stay humble.
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Very nice.
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One charge drink you need to have on a daily or a weekly basis.
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Peach oolong milk.
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Oh my gosh, me too! With that, can we give Ollie a round of applause for sharing all his insights?
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Thank you so much, Olli.
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Welcome back to Marketing Connected.
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This episode is a snippet from our Content 360 Philippines Conference.
00:00:11.439 --> 00:00:21.440
Under this year's theme, Empowering Culture Elevating Experience, C360 Philippines brought together in-depth conversations, case studies, and insightful panels.
00:00:21.679 --> 00:00:40.159
Catch Oliver Rabatan, Deputy General Manager and Head of Marketing and User Operations at Char Ghines in a far-sight chat with marketing director's editor-in-chief Roswana Manjo, speaking on the topic the Char Gi Effect, Building Global Brand Equity One Local Moment at a time.
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Olli is a seasoned marketing architect with a career defined by driving brand dominance in highly competitive markets.
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Prior to Char Gi, he spent over 15 years at McDonald's, Philippines, culminating in his tenure as vice president and chief marketing officer.
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Tune into the full conversation right here.
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I'm good.
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Thank you for joining us and happy international tea.
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Yes, happy international tea, everyone.
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Thank you for inviting me here, yes.
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Uh it's a it's an honor.
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Um, it's my first time to actually attend the Content 360 event.
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Well, we're very happy you chose us to start uh the day with.
00:01:22.560 --> 00:01:23.200
Of course.
00:01:23.760 --> 00:01:26.560
So, you know, your brand is so well loved.
00:01:26.640 --> 00:01:32.079
Um, I'm based in Singapore, so I see my teammates having Char Gi every other day.
00:01:32.239 --> 00:01:36.400
It's really taken over the world and you're launching stores everywhere.
00:01:36.480 --> 00:01:39.439
Uh, it's such a recognizable packaging.
00:01:39.680 --> 00:01:45.760
What is the strategy that you took in launching Char Gi in the Philippines and how have you localized the strategy?
00:01:46.159 --> 00:01:49.920
Happy to be here to share Chaji's story with you guys.
00:01:50.159 --> 00:01:59.599
Some of you might have known Chaji, might have heard, or might have even tried Chaji, but I know most of you probably haven't seen or tried our product yet.
00:01:59.840 --> 00:02:03.359
So let me give you a very quick introduction of Chad Gi.
00:02:03.760 --> 00:02:10.479
So Chaji is a modern tea house that started in 2017 and that's in China.
00:02:10.639 --> 00:02:24.240
We are about nine years old, we're turning nine this November, and our mission has has been set out very clearly, and it's modernize the tea culture and also connect the world through a good cup of tea.
00:02:24.479 --> 00:02:28.080
Now we've been expanding very quickly all over the world.
00:02:28.319 --> 00:02:34.000
So we're at around 8,000 stores globally, around 7,000 of which are in China.
00:02:34.240 --> 00:02:40.800
Outside of China, we have more than 200 stores in Malaysia, and we started there as early as 2019.
00:02:41.039 --> 00:02:53.599
And just last year, we opened in five countries, namely Indonesia, the US, Thailand, Vietnam, and of course the Philippines.
00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:56.719
And just last month we opened in Korea.
00:02:56.800 --> 00:03:02.960
We have three beautiful stores in Korea, and just today we opened our fourth store in Korea.
00:03:03.039 --> 00:03:03.280
Wow.
00:03:03.759 --> 00:03:06.159
And we're we're doing really well in that market.
00:03:06.319 --> 00:03:13.520
Now, going back to the Philippines, we have around 17 stores, and we've opened those 17 stores in less than 10 months.
00:03:13.919 --> 00:03:16.319
So we've been very, very aggressive.
00:03:16.479 --> 00:03:22.159
And now going back to your question, what has been our strategy in launching in the Philippines?
00:03:22.319 --> 00:03:35.120
I'd say I go back to our mission, the mission of modernizing tea culture and connecting the world through tea, because it is basically the business model that we adopt and entering the market, right?
00:03:35.280 --> 00:03:47.199
So we are entering a market where tea either equates to a dessert type of beverage, the bubble teas, or in a very traditional way, it's about the herbal drinks, right?
00:03:47.360 --> 00:03:50.960
So that's the notion of tea when you go into the Philippines.
00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:56.719
And also we are entering a landscape where the dominant drink is coffee, right?
00:03:56.800 --> 00:04:13.759
So we are very conscious of that context, and therefore our strategy is to position Chaji as a modern tea house where people can enjoy their authentic tea and connect with the people, uh with their friends, with their loved ones.
00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:15.199
That's basically the strategy.
00:04:15.280 --> 00:04:20.079
And when we talk about maybe localization, you ask how did we localize the strategy?
00:04:20.319 --> 00:04:25.680
When we talk about localization, it's about integrating into the culture of the Filipinos, right?
00:04:25.839 --> 00:04:39.839
And especially for the younger generation, what we observed is that they don't just consume drinks, they actually consume experiences, and that bit of insight is very important to us as we build the brand in the country.
00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:45.439
So that's why you can see Chaji in the first level of a premium mall.
00:04:45.680 --> 00:04:47.839
That's why we build our stores beautifully.
00:04:48.160 --> 00:04:49.040
Yeah, I love it.
00:04:49.199 --> 00:04:56.079
And I I think tea is the second most drunk beverage globally after water, isn't it?
00:04:56.319 --> 00:04:57.279
It is, yes, it is.
00:04:57.600 --> 00:04:58.319
I think that is so cool.
00:04:58.720 --> 00:05:00.560
I thought before it was beer.
00:05:01.040 --> 00:05:01.680
But apparently.
00:05:02.160 --> 00:05:03.839
On Friday nights, definitely beer.
00:05:04.079 --> 00:05:05.680
So I love that you guys are doing that.
00:05:05.759 --> 00:05:11.199
And what you said really connects with me because I think we're moving into an experience economy now, right?
00:05:11.439 --> 00:05:17.439
So much of culture is what you feel, what you see, what you it what are the emotions that it strikes.
00:05:17.600 --> 00:05:33.360
So with culture being so nuanced across Southeast Asia, I think, you know, one of the things with a lot of global companies, and you worked with McDonald's before, I'm sure a lot of global companies kind of think of, oh, Asia, that's a whole region on its own.
00:05:33.519 --> 00:05:41.199
But when you live and breathe in Asia, you realize how different charge would be in Singapore versus Indonesia versus Philippines, right?
00:05:41.360 --> 00:05:45.600
So how did you avoid having a surface level localization?
00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:55.360
Well, in in a market like Philippines that's so nuanced, um we have three distinct levels of localization.
00:05:56.240 --> 00:05:59.839
The first level is what you mentioned, the surface level localization.
00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:02.319
I think it's the standard playbook.
00:06:02.720 --> 00:06:17.120
It's it's when you introduce a local product, it's when you um convert a regional artwork into a the local language, or it's using local um maybe KOLs, right?
00:06:17.279 --> 00:06:19.839
So it's part of localization.
00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:31.439
And though as a marketer, you don't find it as inspiring or it it doesn't connect well really with audiences, but it's something that we really have to do.
00:06:31.839 --> 00:06:36.160
It's part of what we do, especially if you're rapidly expanding, right?
00:06:36.319 --> 00:06:38.240
So but that's just the first level.
00:06:38.639 --> 00:06:43.600
The second level is about cultural and brand integration, right?
00:06:43.839 --> 00:07:03.040
This is where we respect and fully understand the values and the culture of the Filipinos and where we weave the essence of the brand uh in these uh values and and and culture.
00:07:03.279 --> 00:07:04.319
That's the second level.
00:07:04.480 --> 00:07:12.560
An example of that would be again going back to Filipinos being known as very communal, family-oriented.
00:07:12.720 --> 00:07:19.040
We have the term called bayanihan, so we love shared moments, so we're very much into connection.
00:07:19.360 --> 00:07:33.519
Understanding that made Shaji again deliver these beautiful stores, uh, not just as avenues to serve drinks, but really to gather communities, to gather people for them to share with their loved ones.
00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:36.639
So that's that's the second level of localization.
00:07:36.800 --> 00:07:43.759
The third level, I think I would say, is the ultimate level of localization, and it is personalization, right?
00:07:44.000 --> 00:07:48.639
So back then this is not as possible, right?
00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:50.560
This is this is almost impossible.
00:07:50.639 --> 00:07:54.000
I mean personalizing your marketing at scale.
00:07:54.240 --> 00:07:55.759
It's almost impossible.
00:07:56.079 --> 00:08:25.600
But uh understand that Chad G was born into the digital age, so we have so from day one, we already have the systems, uh, whether it's consumer-facing, whether it's internal systems that are digital in nature, and that we use this data and infrastructure to know more about the individual, our customers more deeply, to build that strong relationship with them.
00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:28.240
So we we do all those three, you know.
00:08:28.399 --> 00:08:42.240
So while while yes, we do some surface level localization, but we also understand the market we operate in, and more importantly, we understand our consumers at an individual level.
00:08:43.200 --> 00:08:46.639
What you're saying sounds like essentially the marketing funnel, right?
00:08:46.720 --> 00:08:51.519
You start with the broad, but you also have to detail down with the data to really understand.
00:08:51.679 --> 00:09:03.919
And I guess when it comes to new market launches, it's always a little bit of a mix between what the market analysis is telling you and also what your marketers on ground are telling you, right?
00:09:04.080 --> 00:09:10.559
Because I always say using data to move forward is like driving a car moving forward, looking back, right?
00:09:10.720 --> 00:09:17.440
At the end of the day, you also must hone in on what the local level findings are on the marketers' front.
00:09:17.600 --> 00:09:26.799
Um, and I love that you mentioned that about Char Gi being born in the digital era, because Char Gi being a Chinese brand, we know that it's extremely tech driven.
00:09:26.879 --> 00:09:35.279
A lot of Chinese companies, be it like Xi In, Luckin Coffee, they're essentially tech companies offering a service at the end of the day.
00:09:35.360 --> 00:09:41.200
So, how do you draw the line between preserving heritage, which is what tea is all about?
00:09:41.279 --> 00:09:45.120
It's about culture and heritage, and at the same time modernizing it.
00:09:45.200 --> 00:09:50.480
And how would you describe the appetite of Filipino consumers when it comes to embracing technology?
00:09:50.799 --> 00:09:54.399
Yeah, so we we draw a very clear line.
00:09:54.639 --> 00:10:00.639
The heritage is in the cup, while outside of it is modernity, right?
00:10:00.960 --> 00:10:02.399
That's where modernity thrives.
00:10:02.480 --> 00:10:03.279
So let me explain.
00:10:03.600 --> 00:10:04.720
Heritage in the cup.
00:10:04.879 --> 00:10:17.919
So what we have, what you drink, what you sip, is really authentic tea coming from tea leaves, real using real tea leaves that were planted in China and in tea regions.
00:10:18.240 --> 00:10:19.120
That's that's one.
00:10:19.279 --> 00:10:21.279
So using authentic tea leaves.
00:10:21.600 --> 00:10:24.720
The product that we're seeing here is boya jasmine.
00:10:24.960 --> 00:10:27.519
Locally, we know this as sampagita, right?
00:10:27.679 --> 00:10:31.279
So in Cha Gi we don't use artificial flavors.
00:10:31.600 --> 00:10:40.080
So our tea leaves, for example, for boya, it's a green tea, and we infuse it with uh with real jasmine.
00:10:40.159 --> 00:10:43.200
So that's how we come up with with our products, right?
00:10:43.519 --> 00:10:45.440
So it's it's very authentic.
00:10:45.519 --> 00:10:52.080
And number two, we also honor, for example, the the way we brew our tea.
00:10:52.320 --> 00:11:01.919
So there's an exact time of brewing, and also how how long and the level of water, those things are all considered.
00:11:02.000 --> 00:11:07.440
So it's really an authentic tea inside the cup, yeah, and the consistency and taste, right?
00:11:07.600 --> 00:11:08.399
Yeah, yes.
00:11:08.559 --> 00:11:11.840
But outside of the cup is we're modernity tribes, right?
00:11:11.919 --> 00:11:13.919
We start with a beautiful packaging.
00:11:14.240 --> 00:11:26.639
So we do serve our tea in a beautiful cup, in a beautiful takeout bag, and then you have technology again of using uh precision brewers in the store.
00:11:26.879 --> 00:11:31.360
We have if you go to a charge store, you'll see there um a machine.
00:11:31.519 --> 00:11:38.960
Our partners call it the AI machine because it's it's where we combine the ingredients of your milk tea.
00:11:39.360 --> 00:11:39.600
Right?
00:11:39.679 --> 00:11:41.759
So that's and it's operated by AI, basically.
00:11:42.080 --> 00:11:44.480
Is that why it smells so good in charge stores?
00:11:44.720 --> 00:11:52.399
It's always such a we have a we have a brew at the back of our store, is a kitchen where we really brew our tea leaves, right?
00:11:52.480 --> 00:11:54.799
So and then you have also the store.
00:11:54.960 --> 00:12:00.879
The store, as mentioned, is are really nice and we really invest in in making our stores beautiful.
00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:02.480
But that goes beyond that.
00:12:02.639 --> 00:12:09.120
Uh, even the way we do marketing is is a modern, meaning we don't do traditional marketing.
00:12:09.519 --> 00:12:13.279
And I'm used to a very traditional marketing coming from McDonald's, right?
00:12:13.440 --> 00:12:22.559
But we've fully embraced digital marketing, specifically social media marketing, and also combining it with experiential events.
00:12:22.720 --> 00:12:31.279
So that's how we draw the line between uh heritage in a cup and then modernity that thrives outside of that cup.
00:12:31.600 --> 00:12:36.240
I think if you made a charge candle with that smell, it would fly off the shelves.
00:12:36.559 --> 00:12:40.879
Oh, we've had merchandising with that kind of function, yeah.
00:12:41.200 --> 00:12:47.519
Well, what about the beyond the creation of the drinks and the usage of the apps to drive um conversion?
00:12:47.679 --> 00:12:52.720
How else is Chargy using technology for community building in markets like Philippines?
00:12:52.879 --> 00:13:02.480
One of the things when we think about technology, we always think of it as something a little bit more cold, you know, very functional, very service-driven, not really emotionally connected.
00:13:02.720 --> 00:13:07.120
But being such a tech company, how are you creating meaningful experiences using tech?
00:13:07.440 --> 00:13:08.639
I can share two things.
00:13:08.799 --> 00:13:16.240
Uh, first is internally, we use technology to connect all charge employees globally, right?
00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:31.919
So we have this one system that we use for everything related to Chargy, whether it's creating documents, whether it's presenting these documents, whether we would like to seek approval for a travel.
00:13:32.240 --> 00:13:38.639
So everything is in this uh app, it's in this super app uh that we're using uh for chargy.
00:13:38.799 --> 00:13:41.039
And we also use it as a social network.
00:13:41.200 --> 00:13:56.080
It has its built-in social network wherein everybody up to the store level can post something, whether it's an achievement, whether it's a good experience in the store, and everyone in the system will be able to see it.
00:13:56.159 --> 00:14:02.720
And and just like your typical social network, you can like it, you can put your comments, you can share it.
00:14:02.879 --> 00:14:08.639
So that's that's that's how we use technology internally to connect everybody in Chad G.
00:14:09.279 --> 00:14:11.679
Externally, I have a very simple example.
00:14:11.840 --> 00:14:14.799
It's how we amplify user-generated content.
00:14:15.039 --> 00:14:15.200
Right?
00:14:15.360 --> 00:14:25.759
So we use technology because Chad G is such an aesthetic brand, and a lot of people would like post with the pictures of either the store or their drink.
00:14:25.919 --> 00:14:34.080
And what we do is basically use our digital platforms to capture this and then amplify it to the community so the community can talk about it.
00:14:34.240 --> 00:14:40.559
So if you look at our Chad G stories at any time of the day, you'd see a number of posts uh from our customers.
00:14:41.039 --> 00:14:43.679
Yeah, yeah, very craft driven as a brand, right?
00:14:43.919 --> 00:14:54.720
It's very aesthetically beautiful, the way that from your stores to your social content to your cups, it's got a very strong brand consistency when it comes to the craft of it.
00:14:54.960 --> 00:14:57.840
Um, are there any specific platforms or innovations?
00:14:57.919 --> 00:15:01.120
I love the example that you gave about the internal social system.
00:15:01.279 --> 00:15:09.919
But what about things like loyalty ecosystems or AI-driven engagement that have been game changers for the community building of the brand?
00:15:10.240 --> 00:15:10.960
Oh, for sure.
00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:12.559
It's our Chad G app.
00:15:12.639 --> 00:15:20.720
So sorry for the shameless plugging, but we have a very good app so you can download it and experience it for yourself.
00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:24.559
But what we have in our app is a loyalty tier.
00:15:24.799 --> 00:15:30.399
So you can be uh from a Cha seeker all the way to a Cha Master.
00:15:30.559 --> 00:15:34.399
Uh it depends on how much Cha G you've already consumed.
00:15:34.559 --> 00:15:42.639
But what we do with that is we we use that online platform for online for offline activation.
00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:48.639
So, what we've done recently, for example, we had a tea workshop that's conducted in-store.
00:15:48.799 --> 00:15:54.399
So we invited the Cha Explorers or the Cha Masters, right?
00:15:54.639 --> 00:15:58.480
It's so it's an exclusive event for our members.
00:15:58.799 --> 00:16:03.120
When they went to the store, and this happened just recently, they were strangers.
00:16:03.440 --> 00:16:08.799
But after the session, they literally became friends, right?
00:16:09.039 --> 00:16:19.279
So I I thought that's a a very good example of how we used technology to drive online to offline connections.
00:16:19.600 --> 00:16:20.480
Yeah, absolutely.
00:16:20.559 --> 00:16:25.440
I and I know you spoke about the retail experience a little bit and how it plays.
00:16:25.600 --> 00:16:30.559
I mean, you're always in the premium first floors of the malls and the placement of it.
00:16:30.799 --> 00:16:42.879
Just to throw you a little bit of a curveball on that one, what's the strategy in setting up retail versus also partnering up with the marketplaces to get your drinks delivered, right?
00:16:43.039 --> 00:16:49.679
Because you gotta be where the consumer eyeballs are, but at the same time, you wanna keep that brand looking premium.
00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:50.080
Yeah.
00:16:50.399 --> 00:17:06.319
Our retail strategy is having the mindset that our store is the best advertising medium of Chaji, it is also the best manifestation of our brand.
00:17:06.480 --> 00:17:15.200
So we don't just consider it as a point of distribution, rather, it's a place of experiences.
00:17:15.519 --> 00:17:19.039
You're seeing here examples of how we built our stores.
00:17:19.119 --> 00:17:22.319
So again in the Philippines, we have already 17 stores.
00:17:22.480 --> 00:17:26.079
One of our few stores that we built was pet-friendly store.
00:17:26.319 --> 00:17:31.200
It is the first and only pet-friendly store in Southeast Asia.
00:17:31.359 --> 00:17:34.000
We have that in Eastwood, in our Eastwood store.
00:17:34.079 --> 00:17:41.359
So it has the pet-friendly features and also the logo itself has a pet-friendly element to it.
00:17:41.519 --> 00:17:42.960
So that's that's one of the stores.
00:17:43.119 --> 00:17:48.160
And then I go to a global concept store in Malaysia, in Molo, Malaysia.
00:17:48.240 --> 00:17:53.839
It's a three-story Chaji store in Malaysia, so it's huge, it's big, it's really beautiful.
00:17:54.079 --> 00:17:57.839
And then if you go to Singapore, we have a number of flagship stores in Singapore.
00:17:58.319 --> 00:18:05.680
But one of the highlights there is if you go to the Chinatown in Singapore, there's what we call the Pagoda House.
00:18:05.839 --> 00:18:12.559
So it's uh another beautiful concept store that was built to fit into the community in that area.
00:18:12.799 --> 00:18:20.000
Just recently in Gangnam, Korea, we built this massive, aesthetically really beautiful store.
00:18:20.240 --> 00:18:23.039
We have now four of those in Korea.
00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:27.519
And what we do is to have unique elements per store.
00:18:27.599 --> 00:18:29.920
So no two stores are alike.
00:18:30.160 --> 00:18:31.279
It's absolutely beautiful.
00:18:31.359 --> 00:18:33.119
They look like tourist destinations.
00:18:33.359 --> 00:18:38.319
Before we let you off the stage, I have a rapid fire set of three questions for you.
00:18:38.480 --> 00:18:39.200
Okay, are you ready?
00:18:39.359 --> 00:18:40.640
One-word answers, okay?
00:18:40.880 --> 00:18:42.880
One brand you love, you cannot say charge.
00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:44.000
Unique law.
00:18:44.240 --> 00:18:45.599
Oh, okay.
00:18:45.839 --> 00:18:46.319
Why?
00:18:46.720 --> 00:18:48.079
It's it's very practical.
00:18:48.400 --> 00:18:54.319
The designs are good, and I use it in my everyday uh everyday wardrobe.
00:18:54.400 --> 00:18:55.200
So lovely.
00:18:55.359 --> 00:19:00.400
Okay, one advice that you would give our audience, which is made up of marketers.
00:19:00.640 --> 00:19:01.519
Stay humble.
00:19:01.759 --> 00:19:02.480
Very nice.
00:19:02.640 --> 00:19:06.720
One charge drink you need to have on a daily or a weekly basis.
00:19:07.039 --> 00:19:08.079
Peach oolong milk.
00:19:08.319 --> 00:19:15.039
Oh my gosh, me too! With that, can we give Ollie a round of applause for sharing all his insights?
00:19:15.200 --> 00:19:16.720
Thank you so much, Olli.
