YSP524_IMC Plan Report _PhanJiaYing(P-KOM006621)

School of Communication
Semester 2, Academic Year 2021/2022
YSP 524 Integrated Marketing Communication Capstone Professional Project

IMC Plan:

Exploring Factors to Influence Customer Satisfaction and Brand Loyalty towards
Yogurt Cow Malaysia and its Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Name Matrics No.
Phan Jia Ying P-KOM0066/21

Supervisor:
Dr. Nur Atikah A Rahman

Second Reader:
Dr. Izzal Asnira Zolkepli

Content

Executive Summary 1

1.0 Introduction 2
1.1 Yogurt Cow Malaysia 2
1.2 Research Problem 4
1.3 Research Objectives 5
6
2.0 Research Methodology 11
3.0 Discussion 11
12
3.1 Customers’ Consumption Pattern
3.2 Factors that Influence the customer satisfaction and brand loyalty towards 13

Yogurt Cow Malaysia 14
3.3 Effect of Customer Satisfaction on Brand Loyalty towards Yogurt Cow
16
Malaysia 16
3.4 Customers’ Expectation towards Yogurt Cow Malaysia’s Customer 19
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Relationship Mangement (CRM) 21
4.0 Strategic IMC Plan 25
28
4.1 Strategic Objectives 30
5.0 Strategic Plan and Tactical Plan 32
34
5.1 To Maximize the Brand Awareness 35
5.1.1 Launch a User-Friendly Website 39
5.1.2 Augmented Reality (AR) Instagram Filter Game 41
41
5.2 To Reduce Price Sensitivity of the Customers 42
5.2.1 The Unboxing Experience 44
5.2.2 After-Marketing – Customer Service Program 45
50
5.3 To Strengthen the Customer-Brand Relationship
5.3.1 Packaging DIY Contest
5.3.2 Launch Loyalty Program Apps

6.0 Timeline & Budget
6.1 Timeline
6.2 Budget

7.0 Conclusion
8.0 References
9.0 Appendices

Executive Summary
Customers’ concerns for healthier lifestyles have become the driving force for forming
healthy food purchasing intention. Customer awareness of yogurt’s benefits and preference
for yogurt among customers pursuing an active and healthy lifestyle are expected to
significantly contribute to the industry’s growth. In recent years, yogurt-based beverages
have grown in popularity across the world, including Malaysia. The yogurt drink market in
Malaysia is extremely competitive. Yogurt Cow Malaysia faces the issues of understanding
the factors that would affect customer satisfaction and brand loyalty towards Yogurt Cow
Malaysia and its customer relationship management (CRM). The online questionnaire has
been delivered to 450 respondents via the questionnaire link and QR code, but only 320
respondents out of 450 respondents can proceed with the questionnaire due to 130
respondents do not aware of the existence of Yogurt Cow Malaysia. According to the survey
data analysed, there are three key insights that can be highlighted, i) Yogurt Cow Malaysia
has low brand awareness and not in the top of mind of the audiences; ii) Yogurt Cow
Malaysia’s yogurt drink is judged being more expensive than its competitors; iii) High
customer satisfaction, but low brand loyalty. Hence, this IMC Plan is developed to focus on
maximizing the brand awareness, reducing price sensitivity of the customers, and
strengthening the customer-brand relationship.

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1.0 Introduction

1.1 Yogurt Cow Malaysia

Yogurt Cow Malaysia was established two years ago in 2020. In 2020, the company name
was A Yogurt Cow, a China-based brand. The ingredients were sourced from China.
However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the China organization has stopped all assistance
to A Yogurt Cow. Thus, Logan Neo, the Malaysian founder and CEO of Yogurt Cow
Malaysia, has decided to rebrand the company with a brand new name, Yogurt Cow Malaysia.
He and his team share a common passion for making the best quality yogurt possible. They
independently source the ingredients for the yogurt drinks.

Within two years, the chain has expanded to nine locations, primarily in Kuala
Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Penang, and Sabah. Yogurt Cow Malaysia is a café serving yogurt
drinks. All the yogurt drink products are low in sugar, fat, and calories. The primary offering
is handcrafted fruity yogurt. So far, it is the most and only yogurt drink brand that offers a
large variety of handcrafted fruity yogurt.

The main goal of Yogurt Cow Malaysia is to provide fresh, healthy, and happiness to
all the customers. There is a fermentation machine at each location to ensure the highest
quality and freshest yoghurt drinks. Only fresh fruits and natural ingredients are used to
ensure the customers’ daily nutritional requirements. To ensure the survival of fresh and
active probiotics throughout the yogurt making process, no artificial additives shall be used.
The quality of Yogurt Cow Malaysia products is remarkable, but the price range is reasonable.

The yogurt drink market in Malaysia is extremely competitive. Yogurt Cow Malaysia
competes on a commercial or economic level with its competitors, which are I am Yogost

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Malaysia, Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt, Miss Mi Yogurt, Tien Tien Yogurt, Koomi Malaysia, and
Yixi’s Rice Yogurt.

Yogurt Cow Malaysia is focusing its engagement with its customers via Facebook and
Instagram. There are two Facebook pages for Yogurt Cow Malaysia. In order to reach more
target groups, the Facebook and Instagram have two pages each for the brand, one page is in
English, and another page is in Mandarin. Yogurt Cow Malaysia's founder, Logan Neo, is
also marketing this brand through his own social media accounts. Since May 2022, Yogurt
Cow Malaysia involves the engagement with its customers in TikTok.

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1.2 Research Problem

According to the discussion with Linda, the marketer of Yogurt Cow Malaysia, the main
problem that is facing by Yogurt Cow Malaysia is they lack of understanding over the factors
that would affect customer satisfaction and brand loyalty, as well as the customer expectation
towards its customer relationship management (CRM). Malaysia’s yogurt drink brand is
extremely competitive. Yogurt drinks can be replaced by others beverages such as bubble tea
and soft drink. Thus, Yogurt Cow Malaysia seeks to gain a better understanding of the
elements that affect customer satisfaction and brand loyalty, as well as the best practises for
developing strong relationship with its customers. This study is to solve this problem by
explaining brand loyalty through the customer satisfaction, as well as identifying media
platforms and activities that can develop the relationship with customers.

Throughout this study, Yogurt Cow Malaysia seeks to confirm that perceived healthiness will
affect the customers’ perception of yogurt drink, which will influence the customer
satisfaction and brand loyalty. The brand would like to know if the service quality has met or
exceeded customers’ expectations. In addition, menu informativeness is an essential
communication technique because the descriptions provide information about the yogurt
drink offered. The brand wishes to determine whether detailed menu information reduced
decision-making ambiguity and encourages customers to choose healthier selections.

Consumers concern about price fairness, especially a price increase, and that they may
dislike and are usually unwilling to pay the price that is perceived as unfair. Unfair price may
result in customer dissatisfaction and disappointment with brand. Consequently, Yogurt Cow
Malaysia intends to determine whether the price meets customers' expectations by comparing
it to their previous yoghurt drink market experiences. Additionally, Yogurt Cow Malaysia
wishes to determine if the sensory perceptions of customers contribute to a memorable

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experience. Sensory perception can be assumed that experiences stored in consumers’ long-
term memory which may lead to customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.

Yogurt Cow Malaysia aims to produce yogurt drink and develop brand environment
that meets or exceeds customers’ expectations, consequently achieving customer satisfaction.
The customer satisfaction is viewed as a key strategic issue for Yogurt Cow Malaysia in
determining a company’s long-term profitability, customer retention, and loyalty. The ability
to manage customer satisfaction and enhance brand loyalty is crucial for Yogurt Cow
Malaysia to improve its “competitiveness.”

1.3 Research Objectives
This research aims to:

1. To understand customers’ consumption patterns
2. To explore the factors that influence the customer satisfaction and brand loyalty

towards Yogurt Cow Malaysia
3. To examine the effect of customer satisfaction on brand loyalty towards Yogurt Cow

Malaysia
4. To investigate customers’ expectation towards Yogurt Cow Malaysia’s customer

relationship management (CRM)

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2.0 Research Methodology

The researcher employed a quantitative research method, utilising the survey questionnaire.
The researcher applied purposive sampling to select the respondents “on purpose” because
the respondents are considered to be the most appropriate for the study. The population of
this study focused on all the Yogurt Cow Malaysia’s customers in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor,
Johor, Penang, and Sabah. The respondents’ feedback helped Yogurt Cow Malaysia in
determining which factor has a greater impact on customer satisfaction and brand loyalty
towards Yogurt Cow Malaysia and its customer relationship management.

Due to the pandemic and contactless practice, an online survey was conducted. The
items of the questionnaire were adopted from other researchers’ earlier published research
papers. The questionnaire was in English version. It was mainly divided into five sections.
Respondents took average five minutes to answer all the questions. Before the survey starts,
respondents were informed on their voluntary participation. A filter question was included to
eliminate the unsuitable respondents.

Section A was to identify the respondents’ demographic and their consumption
pattern towards Yogurt Cow Malaysia. Section B was to indentify the influencing factors on
customer satisfaction and brand loyalty towards Yogurt Cow Malaysia. Section C was to
determine the customer satisfaction towards Yogurt Cow Malaysia. Section D was to identify
the brand loyalty towards Yogurt Cow Malaysia. Lastly, Section E was to identify the
communication channels and activities that can build a stronger relationship with customers.
The answers for Section B, C, and D were measured by using a 5-point Likert scale where
responses range from 1-strongly disagree to 5-strongly agree. The survey response rates
increased since the Likert scale is identifiable and easy to understand; therefore respondents
were not frustrated by the questions.

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After discussing with Linda, the marketer of Yogurt Cow Malaysia, few proposed
questions from Section B, C, and D in the questionnaire have been filtered. The questions
should be eliminated because they are low priority and have comparable meanings to other
questions, according to the viewpoints of both sides. For Section E, the two questions were to
determine the customers’ expectations towards CRM. The researcher formulated the question
in response to Linda’s request to determine which communicate channels and activities that
can encourage respondents to develop a stronger relationship with Yogurt Cow Malaysia.

Table 1 has shown the list of measurement items included in the questionnaire of the
study and their sources.

Construct Items Scale Source
Perceived I perceive Yogurt Cow Malaysia’s yogurt drinks as healthy.
Healthiness 1 = Strongly Jin et al.

Disagree (2017)
I perceived Yogurt Cow Malaysia’s yogurt drinks to be good

for my health. 5 = Strongly

Agree
I perceived Yogurt Cow Malaysia’s yogurt drinks as

nutritious.

Service Quality Yogurt Cow Malaysia’s staffs are polite/friendly. 1 = Strongly Uddin

Disagree (2019)
Yogurt Cow Malaysia’s staffs are knowledgeable about their

yogurt drink and service. 5 = Strongly

Agree
Yogurt Cow Malaysia’s staffs provide speedy and desirable

services.

Menu The menu provides a good description of the yogurt drink 1 = Strongly Brewer et

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Informativeness being offered. Disagree al. (2021)

The menu provides potential diners with a comprehensive 5 = Strongly

picture of the yogurt drink being offered. Agree

The menu provides enough details for me to decide whether
the food being offered would be a good fit for my appetite.

Price Fairness The price of the yogurt drink in Yogurt Cow Malaysia is 1 = Strongly Fachinelli et

reasonable. Disagree al. (2022)

Yogurt Cow Malaysia offers an acceptable price. 5 = Strongly

Agree

The price of yogurt drink in Yogurt Cow Malaysia is lower

compared to other yogurt drink brands.

I would pay more for higher quality yogurt drink at Yogurt
Cow Malaysia.

Perceived Yogurt Cow Malaysia has a visually attractive yogurt drink. 1 = Strongly Nadiri et al.
Sensory
Disagree (2013)

Materials associated with the service (such as menus) are

visually appealing and attention-getting at Yogurt Cow 5 = Strongly

Malaysia. Agree

The internal and external decoration of Yogurt Cow
Malaysia is attractive and attention-getting.

The auditory (music) system offers a relaxing and pleasant

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atmosphere.

There is a nice and interesting smell within Yogurt Cow
Malaysia.

The taste of the yogurt drink matches my expectations.

The yogurt drinks offered for drinking are fresh.

Furniture is clean and comfortable.

Customer I am satisfied with yogurt drink in Yogurt Cow Malaysia. 1 = Strongly Dhisasmito
Satisfaction
Disagree et al. (2020)

I really enjoy myself at Yogurt Cow Malaysia.

5 = Strongly

The quality of yogurt drink and service of Yogurt Cow Agree

Malaysia fulfil my expectations.

Overall, I am satisfied with Yogurt Cow Malaysia.

Brand Loyalty Even when I hear negative information about Yogurt Cow 1 = Strongly Liu et al.

Malaysia, I am still willing to dine at Yogurt Cow Malaysia. Disagree (2020)

I will give priority to Yogurt Cow Malaysia when I choose 5 = Strongly

to purchase yogurt drink. Agree

I want to visit Yogurt Cow Malaysia again.

I would recommend family, friends, colleagues, and relatives
to have yogurt drink at Yogurt Cow Malaysia.

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A total of 450 respondents were being collected via the online questionnaire within
three weeks of data collection, from 23 April 2022 and closed on 13 May 2022. There were
320 out of 450 responses were selected and the remaining 130 responses were excluded due
to the screening question. The 130 respondents did not hear about Yogurt Cow Malaysia
before. This shows that they did not have hear about Yogurt Cow Malaysia before. This
shows that they did not have any past purchasing experience with Yogurt Cow Malaysia and
was excluded to answer the subsequent questions of this online questionnaire.

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3.0 Discussion

This section discussed the findings and data collected from survey to address the research
objectives.

3.1 Customers’ Consumption Patterns

Based on the data collection, the target audiences for Yogurt Cow Malaysia are female from
Generation Z (aged 10-25) and Millennials (aged 26-41). Majority of them heard about
Yogurt Cow Malaysia via Facebook Ads, as well as store promotion and social media
giveaway. Gen Z is extremely online where they have been active on social media for more
than 50% of their lives (“Sprout Social,” 2022). Millennials use social media to communicate
with their peers and the outside world, where 63% of them have increased usage over the
past-year.

In addition, the promotion and free gifts can also attract audiences. Social media
involvement positively affects customer satisfaction. The brand was least recommended by
family, relatives, friends, and colleagues. This could be because they are not the brand's most
loyal consumers or because they received unpleasant service, and as a result, they did not
recommend the brand to the respondents.

Yogurt drink is a healthy leisure dessert, not a need for the majority audiences. Thus,
majority respondents purchase or visit Yogurt Cow Malaysia occasionally, mostly in the last
month. They prefer fruit-flavoured yogurt, according to the findings. This is consistent with
the statement made by Mordor Intelligence in 2012, which indicated that fruit is one of the
best options because the fruit yogurt market is expected to grow at CAGR of 7% between
2020 and 2025. Since the majority of respondents are student and fresh graduates, most of
them would spend RM20 and below per visit to Yogurt Cow Malaysia.

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3.2 Factors that Influence the Customer Satisfaction and Brand Loyalty towards
Yogurt Cow Malaysia

Based on the several data analysis methods, it can be concluded that majority respondents
have agreed perceived healthiness is the most important factor influencing customer
satisfaction and brand loyalty. Consumers are more concerned about personal well-being and
are better equipped to gain knowledge about health and nutrition through wealth of
information available in print and online media (Legrand & Sloan, 2006).

The descriptive analysis identified price fairness as the second most important factor
influencing customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. However, it has the lowest overall mean
score compared with the other factors. This can be explained with the data collection, where
most of them think that the price of yogurt drink in Yogurt Cow Malaysia is higher compared
with other yogurt drink brands. Moreover, few respondents think the pricing is reasonable
and acceptable. Due to the group of audiences are mainly students and fresh graduates, they
would like to purchase an item within their budget. Since Yogurt Cow Malaysia is not the
only yoghurt drink brand, the audiences may choose its competitor. Thus, the brand needs to
revise its pricing in order to maintain both present and future customers.

For perceived sensory, overall results are resulting a positive influence in customer
satisfaction and brand loyalty. Only two items in this area have a marginally poor
performance, where the service-related materials, such as the menu, can be improved more
visually appealing and attention-grabbing, and the yogurt drink’s packaging can be made
more visually appealing, in order to provide customers with a superior sensory experience.
According to the researchers Togawa et al. (2019), food packaging does influence flavour
perception and healthy eating decision. Both emotional and hedonic values have a favourable

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impact on customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. Therefore, Yogurt Cow Malaysia should
revise those two assertions.

For service quality, the majority of respondents agreed that Yogurt Cow Malaysia’s
staffs are polite, friendly, and knowledgeable with yogurt drink and service. However, the
respondents think the staffs still can improve their speedy in producing yogurt drink. The
customer satisfaction is inversely related to waiting time. The longer time the customers wait
for the yogurt drink, the less satisfied they become with the service process.

In contrast, menu informativeness was determined as the least important factor. This
may be because responders feel tense as others are waiting behind them. After choosing, they
want to leave the counter soon. Therefore, it may not significantly influence customer
satisfaction and brand loyalty. Through the multiple regression analysis, the negative value
has determined that the increase in menu informativeness will decrease the customer
satisfaction. This can be justified that overload information in menu might be misleading,
make it difficult for customers to make decision, and reduce their likelihood of returning
(Hemp, 2009).

3.3 Effect of Customer Satisfaction on Brand Loyalty towards Yogurt Cow Malaysia

There is a quite high level in customer satisfaction, whereas the level of brand loyalty is
relatively low. Satisfaction can motivate customer to become loyal to the brand. However, the
customer satisfaction does not equal to brand loyalty (Katie, 2017). According to Magids et al.
(2015), it can be quite risky for saying customer satisfaction is equating with loyalty.
Satisfaction does not automatically result in loyalty as it requires multi-step process. The
truly loyal customers are not just satisfied with the brand, but love it. The customers who
were “fully emotional connected” to the brand were 52% more valuable than those who were
highly satisfied but not emotionally connected.

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Majority of the respondents answered that they are not willing to dine at Yogurt Cow
Malaysia after hearing negative information about this brand. They are also not putting
Yogurt Cow Malaysia as their priority brand. The findings have resulted that Yogurt Cow
Malaysia is still in weak in brand loyalty. It has not effectively managed its customer
relationship management (CRM) well by creating an emotional connection with its customers.

Even they are low in brand loyalty, but they are still willing to involve in the word-of-
mouth, by recommending this brand to their family, friends, relatives, and colleagues, as well
as they want to visit the brand again. This may indicate that they are satisfied with Yogurt
Cow Malaysia, but they have yet to reach the level of loyalty. Highly satisfied customers tend
to be more loyal than those who are merely satisfied.

3.4 Customers’ Expectation towards Yogurt Cow Malaysia’s Customer Relationship
Management (CRM)

A high number of respondents consider that Facebook and Instagram are the best
communication channels that can develop a stronger relationship between Yogurt Cow
Malaysia and the customers. According to Pingrey (2022), Yogurt Cow Malaysia may engage
with customers on Facebook and Instagram, resulting to greater marketing insights, service,
and relationship. Based on the data collection, some respondents mentioned that they hope
Yogurt Cow Malaysia could improve its social media engagement, conversation, and
response rate. Consequently, Yogurt Cow Malaysia can consider these for improving CRM
via the social media platforms.

The second and third highest are loyalty program apps and official website
respectively. Currently, the loyalty program apps and website are unavailable in the brand.
The primary motivation for the audiences to participate in the brand’s loyalty programme is
to save money. This is in line with the customers’ expectation towards the activities that can

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build CRM. Majority of the respondents expect Yogurt Cow Malaysia offers more discounts
and vouchers for yogurt drinks and also reward loyal customers. Instead than delivering
simply continuous discounts, consumers can accumulate points redeemable for rewards or
free products (Shouse, 2022).

The respondents expect that Yogurt Cow Malaysia could engage in corporate social
responsibility (CSR), conduct giveaways on social media, and sell merchandise, according to
the collected data. The brand does engage in CSR, but only once or twice every year. Thus,
Yogurt Cow Malaysia could become more involved in CSR to increase audience appreciation
for its contribution to sustainability. The brand did offer social media giveaways.
Consequently, they can continue this activity. The brand does not currently offer merchandise.
Thus, it may contemplate this in the future.

Yogurt Cow Malaysia can less focus on live video session since it is the choice for the
least respondents. This may be because the respondents think that the live event is wasting
their precious time.

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4.0 Strategic IMC Plan

4.1 Strategic Objectives

Based on the findings, these are the summary of the insights:

i. Yogurt Cow Malaysia has low brand awareness and not in the top of mind of the
audiences.

ii. Yogurt Cow Malaysia’s yogurt drink is judged being more expensive than its
competitors. Students and fresh graduates between the ages of 20 and 29 make up the
majority of the target audience; therefore, they may purchase the yogurt drink within
their budget.

iii. Perceived healthiness, service quality, price fairness, and perceived sensory are
essential factors in influencing the customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.

iv. The menu informativeness has the least influence on customer satisfaction and brand
loyalty.

v. High customer satisfaction, but low brand loyalty.
vi. Yogurt Cow Malaysia has yet to develop a strong relationship with its customers.
vii. Facebook and Instagram, loyalty program apps, official website, and Tiktok were

voted as the communication channel the respondents expect to have in order to build a
stronger brand-customer relationship.
viii. Discord, Twitter, and email marketing are ineffective platforms for brand-customer
relationship development, as well as the live video sessions.
ix. The majority of the respondents are looking forward Yogurt Cow Malaysia to offer
more discounts and vouchers for yogurt drinks, reward loyal customers, engage in
corporate social responsibility (CSR), host giveaways, and sell merchandises.

Therefore, the following are the three strategic objectives:

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i. To maximize the brand awareness

The yogurt market in Malaysia is extremely competitive. Data indicate that brand
awareness remains low despite the fact that Yogurt Cow Malaysia has expanded to nine
locations and conducts social media contests offering a free yoghurt drink to those who
like and share the post. Brand awareness is essential because it is the initial step in the
marketing funnel and a crucial foundation to acquiring customers. Brand awareness helps
to keep the brand’s prominence in the minds of the audiences. Audiences can become
acquainted with and comfortable with Yogurt Cow Malaysia if they know about the brand.
Then, when faced with a decision to buy yogurt drink from Yogurt Cow Malaysia or its
competitors, they are more likely to choose Yogurt Cow Malaysia. Few integrated tactics
are recommended in this strategy.

ii. To reduce price sensitivity of the customers

Majority respondents stated that the price of the yogurt drink is higher than its
competitors. Additionally, the findings stated a minority of respondents think that the
price of yogurt drink is acceptable and reasonable in Yogurt Cow Malaysia, while slightly
more respondents stated they would pay more for a higher-quality yogurt drink. Thus,
Yogurt Cow Malaysia can consider few ways to reduce price sensitivity.

iii. To strengthen the customer-brand relationship
Based on the findings, it was determined that Yogurt Cow Malaysia has a
relatively high level of customer satisfaction, but a low level of brand loyalty.
This is because majority of respondents are not willing to dine at Yogurt Cow
Malaysia after hearing negative information about the brand, and they do not
prioritise Yogurt Cow Malaysia when purchasing a yogurt drink. Thus, it is
important to improve the customer-brand relationship.
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To maximize the brand To reduce price sensitivity To strengthen the brand-
awareness of the customers
customer relationship

 Retargeting  Unboxing Experience  Packaging DIY Contest

 Brand Positioning  Create value  Launch Loyalty Program

 Launch a user-  After Marketing Apps

friendly website  Sweet notes on

 AR Insta Game packaging

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5.0 Strategic Plan and Tactical Plan

5.1 To Maximize the Brand Awareness

Brand awareness plays an essential role in increasing the familiarity and appeal with the
customers and put the brand into their top of mind during the buying decision. Based on the
findings, it is noticeable that females between the ages of 20 and 29 are more brand-aware.
Based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs model, customers visit Yogurt Cow Malaysia can be
categorized from the bottom level of psychological needs until the third highest level of love
and belonging. The need of secure in basic human needs and safety needs in health can be
sought from Yogurt Cow Malaysia. Customers can enjoy a refreshing moment and create
social connections with family, loved ones, and friends at Yogurt Cow Malaysia. This
demonstrates that Yogurt Cow Malaysia's offerings are suitable for all age and gender groups.

According to the researcher's observations at the shopping mall and shoplot, the
majority of customers of Yogurt Cow Malaysia and its direct competitors, I am Yogost
Malaysia, Yomie's Rice x Yogurt, and Tien Tien Yogurt, are young women between the ages
of 20 and 29. Yogurt Cow Malaysia can differentiate itself from its competition by increasing
its brand awareness through a retargeting strategy that targets non-existent audiences aged
below 20 years old and above 29 years old. In this IMC Plan, it would be preferable if Yogurt
Cow Malaysia could increase the customer experience by targeting parents with children
between the ages of 7 and 15.

Brand positioning is a key marketing technique used to establish or build a brand's
identity or image in the minds of consumers in order to boost brand awareness within the new
target audience (Kaushik, 2018). Based on the findings, majority of existing customers think
that “Healthy” best describes the brand. Nonetheless, healthy is a perception shared by all the
yogurt drink brands that emphasise healthy meals. Thus, when the target audience considers

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the term “Healthy,” they will recall a number of yogurt drink brands, not only Yogurt Cow
Malaysia.

Due to the COVID-19, children rarely leave their homes, which may result in health
issues associated with a lack of physical activity. Thus, Yogurt Cow Malaysia could enhance
brand awareness by addressing the parents’ pain point by promoting the benefits of
consuming yogurt for children, which is beneficial for their gastrointestinal health and bone
health and development, especially when they are growing (Bennett, 2019). Additionally,
once Yogurt Cow Malaysia has successfully increased brand awareness among parents, this
will be followed by a long-term goal in which children who are familiar with Yogurt Cow
Malaysia and have been drinking the yogurt drink from a young age will incorporate brand
awareness into their growing up. As they grow, they are more likely to maintain their support
for Yogurt Cow Malaysia. In fact, the majority of customers establish their brand preferences
between the ages of 15 and 25 (Taylor & Cosenza, 2002).

Yogurt Cow Malaysia could implement a variety of IMC strategies and tactics to
increase brand awareness by consistently communicating the same message that the brand is
not only a place where customers can enjoy a healthy beverage, but also a place where they
can share a refreshing moment with family, friends, and colleagues. The uniformity of the
messaging would enhance brand awareness, however the inconsistency of the information
would confuse consumers, resulting in a low recall of the brand due to the inconsistency of
the brand image displayed through numerous touch points (Kitchen & Burgmann, 2010).

In general, brand awareness could improve when there is a connection with the
customers’ lifestyle, image, and personality, which distinguishes the brand from its
competitors. In other words, customers warmly recall not only their healthy needs, but also
the experiences and memories that surrounded those needs. This will strengthen the Yogurt

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Cow Malaysia’s brand presence in customers’ mind and lead them to recognise and recall the
brand.

5.1.1 Launch a User-Friendly Website

Website is a form of direct marketing, and its content can reach audiences worldwide in order
to inform, guide, and sell the products or services to them. Website plays an essential role in
developing the brand awareness and engagement. There is 71% of customers evaluated brand
recognition as very or somewhat important before making a purchase (Global Banking &
Finance Review, 2017). However, the official website of Yogurt Cow Malaysia is currently
unavailable. Website branding is the visual representation of the company in the digital world,
which is an effective way to communicate important information to Yogurt Cow Malaysia’s
audiences. To maximise the brand awareness and engagement, a website may provide visitors
with an immersive and entertaining experience.

An effective and engaging Yogurt Cow Malaysia’s official website must be visually
appealing and easy to browse. Visitors will not remain on the website for long if the
homepage does not have engaging and relevant content. In fact, 38% of users will stop
engaging with a website if the layout is unattractive (Shirey, 2022). Shirey, the Sr. Director of
Business Development at WebFX, has also highlighted that user experience is all about
creating an aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly website for the visitors with applying six
elements, including value, usability, functionality, adaptability, navigation, and design. It
involves more than just a stylish view. Thus, Yogurt Cow Malaysia’s website is about
functionality and how simply the user can navigate the site to locate what they want, and how
to attract the attention through the layout design without being overlay distracting.

Additionally, potential customers have limited time to read all the content on the
website. Thus, list and bold headings that summarise the information can effectively convey

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the message to the audiences. The strategic placement of offers, images, and product details
that are simple to read and comprehend quickly can also retain visitors on the website and
promote the value of Yogurt Cow Malaysia. The website should also be responsive on all
devices (desktop, mobile, etc.). Furthermore, Yogurt Cow Malaysia should not make the
website look like an advertisement (Veloso, 2009). Visitors may form a negative impression
that discourages them from exploring the website further. Instead of telling visitors how great
Yogurt Cow Malaysia is, demonstrate the value of the brand that can bring to them; this is a
great way to engage satisfied customers.

Before designing the layout of the website, a sitemap (Refer to Figure 1 Appendix A)
was created as a guide or outline for planning out the content and pages that will be placed in
the website, as well as help to eliminate the unnecessary or duplicated pages, in order to
organise and incorporate the complex information. Sitemap plays a crucial role in ensuring
that the website is easily focused, navigable, and provides a positive user experience for
website visitors. This is because the sitemap clarifies the objective of the Yogurt Cow
Malaysia website, which is to establish an image by allowing the target audience to learn
more about Yogurt Cow Malaysia and enhance the brand's credibility. The sitemap includes
the following 11 sections: Sign In, Welcome Photos, Highlighted Menus, Ratings & Reviews,
Brand Story, Unique Selling Point (USP), Stories & News, Branch, About Us, Loyalty
Program Apps, and Get in Touch.

The layout design for the Yogurt Cow Malaysia’s website is shown in the Figure 2
Appendix A. The design of the website is based on the brad personalities of Yogurt Cow
Malaysia, which are excitement, freshness, and healthiness. The primary brand colour of the
website is purple, representing royalty, spirituality, and imagination (Morin, 2022). The
designed brand element is the Yogurt Cow Malaysia’s yogurt drink. The designed brand
element is the Yogurt Cow Malaysia’s yogurt fruit drink, which is the consumers’ most

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preferred yogurt drink, according to the findings. The splash of the yogurt drink instils a
sense of playfulness. The engaging graphic could make more enjoyable for the users to read
than a regular entire content text website. Helvetica, a sans-serif font, is utilised due to the
fact that sans-serif fonts are slightly more readable than Serif fonts (Arora, 2018). The font
type for the headline of each section is in script which gives a sense of fun and creative. A
graphic of a darker purple wave is utilised as the background to divide the sections, making it
easier for users to understand the provided information and distinguish between the sections.
The logo of Yogurt Cow Malaysia is linking to the home page of the website; while there are
only three underlying pages (Stories & News, Loyalty App, and Sign In) under the navigation
bar, the other sections will all be displayed in the home page. The three bold lines is the drop
down menu.

The AIDA model is used to develop the layout of the website. Behind the photo
slideshow on the homepage is a warm and inviting gradient of purple watercolour. Users can
interact with the slideshow to prevent them from being bored with text and photos alone.
Following this is the highlighted menu. The menu will stimulate the user's interest to learn
more about this brand. Therefore, the following section is the ratings and reviews section,
which provides customers with a transparent insight of what others think about the brand and
influences their purchasing decisions. Due to the fact that 97% of consumers rely on reviews
when making a purchasing choice, this part is crucial (Power Reviews, 2018). Today, 85%
have demonstrated that they have a negative bias toward reviews, giving more weight to
negative information. They seek out negative feedback to demonstrate how the brand's
transparency might aid in building trust. Positive or negative, constructive feedback is always
beneficial. The negative feedback could provide Yogurt Cow Malaysia with an opportunity to
identify and address its weaknesses. Feedback is valuable information that can be considered

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as shared media, as viewers frequently share reviews for their own reference, so enhancing
the brand's visibility.

This is then followed by the brand story, USP, and stories & news. A brief and
engaging brand story can appeal to the visitors' emotions and encourage them to continue
browsing this website. For the Stories & News, an interactive photo slideshow is shown too.
The users could click the “learn more” button to Stories & News webpage to explore the
update additional information like past promotion and activities that have been done by
Yogurt Cow Malaysia. Additionally, the article related to the importance of yogurt drink
towards the young children is included too. When viewers feel that informative articles are
relevant to them, they are likely to share the articles with others, which acts as word-of-
mouth and helps to create brand awareness. Customers are more likely to revisit a website to
read the most recent news updates if it is often updated and relevant to their interests.

Once their interest is triggered, they have a strong desire to visit Yogurt Cow
Malaysia; therefore, the locations of the nine branches are displayed. A video that introduce
the brand and a tutorial video on installing loyalty programme apps are provided to keep
visitors on the site longer and engage them with the material. If users are interested in
learning more about the loyalty applications, they can click the "learn more" link on the
Loyalty Program Apps webpage.

In addition, a contact form is provided so that site visitors with inquiries about the
brand can send a message to the site's owner. A tagline, “You Deserve Good Things like
YOGURT COW” is placed at the bottom to create a stronger connection with Yogurt Cow
Malaysia and its customers. A “back to the top” button is put after the tagline for easier to
users to return to the top. As the call-to-action, the Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok icons
were placed at the bottom of the page. If the audience is truly satisfied with Yogurt Cow

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Malaysia, they can sign up for updates on the menu and stories & news on the website by
submitting their name, email address, and other basic information. A login function can be
used to increase the value while fostering stronger brand loyalty among users. Additionally,
Yogurt Cow Malaysia could obtain audience information. By referring to the data received,
Yogurt Cow Malaysia could enhance its marketing techniques by gaining a deeper
understanding of their target demographic.

Overall, there are more visual images than words on the website. This is due to the
fact that the brain processes graphics 60,000 times faster than text, and 94% of internet
articles containing visuals receive greater engagement (Walgrove, 2019).

5.1.2 Augmented Reality (AR) Instagram Filter Game

AR is defined as an improved version of reality created via the use of technology to
overlay digital information on an image of something being viewed through a device such as
a smartphone camera (Merriam Webster Dictionary, n.d.). The use of AR has gained fame
and ongoing attention from advertisers and marketers in Malaysia.

Spark AR Studio, a program that allows users to easily create AR effects for
Facebook and Instagram, has already inspired thousands of private and business users to
design their own AR filters (Youssef, 2022). Spark AR announced that Spark AR’s closed
beta on Instagram allow the community of Spark AR creators to publish and create their own
Spark AR effects on Instagram, whereas Facebook’s Spark AR only allow users to access the
tools, inspiration, and resources (Tech at Meta, 2019). This demonstrates that Yogurt Cow
Malaysia could share its creative juice by creating the AR effect with Instagam filter.
Additionally, the most recent GWI data, according to Hootsuite (2022), indicated that

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Instagram has now surpassed Facebook to achieve second place in the global ranks of
favourite social media platforms. Thus, Instagram is used as the social media channel for the
interactive AR game.

Furthermore, the best part of choosing Spark AR as the software is that is free to
install and use. This could help Yogurt Cow Malaysia save a lot of budget in marketing while
growing brand exposure. In addition, the blog, workshop, and website of Spark AR contain a
multitude of video tutorials on the creation of a variety of interactive AR effects and games.
Additionally, a number of YouTubers have shared the Spark AR tutorials too. This will help
Yogurt Cow Marketers’ gain the basic idea of creating the AR effect in future.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic happened in 2020, people have changed their
lifestyles and adopted the new norm; nevertheless, no one predicted that the pandemic would
last for such a long time, which has put Malaysians in a depressed state since 2020 till today.

Many brands have been pushed to be innovative with their creative campaigns in
order to create a meaningful interaction with their online audiences. In this IMC Plan, Yogurt
Cow Malaysia is recommended to share optimism through corporate social responsibility
(CSR) by utilising Spark Augmented Reality (Spark AR) to develop an interactive and
engaging augmented reality fun eating yogurt drink game with an Instagram filter
(Refer to Figure 3 Appendix A) This interactive activity conveys that Yogurt Cow Malaysia
cares about the mental health and emotions of Malaysians and demonstrates that it is with the
people in all circumstances, with creating a voice of optimism, hopeful, inspiring, and
enthusiastic to the public. This CSR initiative has portrayed a supportive and positive image
of Yogurt Cow Malaysia in the mind of customers and increased its brand awareness.

This fun eating AR game targets for two players, where parents are encouraged to
play with their children on the same scene. However, if the participants are not in the target

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group, they are still welcome to play with their family, love one, friends, or colleagues. The
players are suggested to turn their phone to be landscape in order to have a wide screen to
play. The game challenges the participants to open their mouth to catch as many yogurt
drinks as possible within one minute. Nonetheless, the game is not that simple. The
participants must avoid catching a few obstacles, which is the bombs; otherwise their score
will be deducted. The scores for each player, parent and child, are separate. This could add an
element of competition between parents and children, making the game more engaging and
competitive.

A trending music can be used as the background music. Utilizing popular music that
appeals to parents and children helps familiarise customers with the brand and product, a
common marketing strategy, in an effort to entice audiences to participate and enhance
Yogurt Cow Malaysia's brand awareness and brand recognition. Potential participants who
are brought to the attention of a new trend want to learn more about it, and may even want to
participate in this game.

This AR interactive game will run for two months. This game can be played in two
different ways. The first is that participants can play the game at their own place. If the
players enjoy playing this game, they will share the link of this game with their family,
friends, and colleagues. Alternately, the participants can play this game at any Yogurt Cow
Outlets. If the two players score at least 80 yogurt drinks within one minute and share their
feelings and results on their social media, they can each redeem a free yogurt drink, but only
applicable to Busy Mango Yogurt, Pure Melon Yogurt, More Passion Fruit Yogurt, and
Grapey Grape, by presenting the Yogurt Cow Malaysia staffs with their social media post.

Every time the game ends, two brief notes will display. The first note appreciate the
participants for playing this game by expressing, “Thank you for having fun with us, we hope

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you enjoy it (love and joyful emojis),” where emoji is a great way to improve the dialogue. A
consumer oriented strategic approach is applied on the second note, which addressing the
parent’s paint point by stating, “Are you worrying about your children’s health? No worries,
yogurt drink is here to assist you by promoting digestive health and bone health for your
children.”

In addition, according to the research findings, some respondents would like to see
family events that include both parents and children; therefore, this AR game could be an
effective strategy for reaching this group of audiences. The players will also perceive Yogurt
Cow Malaysia as a place of relaxation because it offers engaging activities for them to
participate in during their break from their busy schedules, while also strengthening family
ties and promoting health awareness.

5.2 To Reduce Price Sensitivity of the Customers

Price sensitivity is the degree to which the price of goods and services influence customers’
willingness to purchase (Qualtrics, 2022). Customers with high price sensitivity are likely to
reject the product because its price is unreasonable. Whereas, low price sensitivity indicates
that customers are willing to pay the stated price and are even willing to pay more. There are
four factors that influence price sensitivity of customers, which are ease of comparison,
reference price, switching cost, and fairness (Pricebeam, 2017).

The yogurt drink market is very competitive nowadays. The yogurt drink is very easy
to compare with other yogurt drink brands since it lacks unique qualities, resulting in high
price sensitivity. According to the findings, majority of respondents indicated that Yogurt
Cow Malaysia’s yogurt drink is priced higher than its competitors. The customers will hold in
mind the price reference based on their observations and comparisons with other yogurt drink
brands. Additionally, the current customers are the students and fresh graduates; their

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perception towards a product is affordable. Thus, they may decide to switch to a different
yogurt drink brand if they discover Yogurt Cow Malaysia is more expensive than its
competitors. Whereas, there is a minority of respondents believe that Yogurt Cow Malaysia's
prices are acceptable and reasonable.

Strategic pricing involves more than just lowering the prices; customers' perceptions
of Yogurt Cow Malaysia also play a significant role. This can be explained that, when the
customers are considering and evaluating the product, customers rarely lack complete
information and use a variety of strategies to fill in the gaps. One of the strategies is involving
the naïve theories: informal, common sense, explanations that customers adopt to make sense
of their environment. According to the customers’ naïve theory, a low price can indicate
either good quality or low quality, while a high price can indicate either poor value or high
quality (Journal of Consumer Research, 2012). However, lower prices do not always indicate
higher quality. If a sales promotion is successful in convincing a customer that he or she is
receiving a good deal, lower prices may help to close the deal. The researchers Deval et al.
(2013) highlighted that customers may perceive both popular and unique products to be of
high quality. This demonstrates that if Yogurt Cow Malaysia suddenly reduces their prices,
this may be perceived as a reduction in the drink's quality.

And hence, when dealing with such customers, Yogurt Cow Malaysia should find
ways to deliver value by emphasising the product's quality and value, as well as enhancing
the customer experience, rather than lowering prices to meet the customers' demand.

Moreover, according to the findings of the study, the majority of respondents are
eagerly awaiting more discounts and coupons for the yogurt drink. Yogurt Cow Malaysia has
successfully executed this. Frequent promotions from this brand include Buy-Two-Get-One-
Free and 50 percent off the second cup of yoghurt drink. The brand can continue with this

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promotional strategy. Although there are frequent promotions, some customers perceive the
price is higher than that of competing brands. This suggests that vouchers and coupons may
not be the best way to achieve the long-term objective. Emphasizing value and customer
experience may be the most effective strategies for retaining current customers and reducing
their price sensitivity.

5.2.1 The Unboxing Experience

The packaging of the yogurt drink has a significant impact on customer perception of Yogurt
Cow Malaysia and even their lifetime value as customers. This statement is supported by the
results of an experiment conducted by a partnership between Pregis, a leading provider of
innovative protective packaging materials and systems, and the University of Wisconsin to
determine the relationship between customers’ unboxing experience and their perception of
product value, which its objective is to determine the effect of various packaging materials on
pricing perception and unboxing emotions (Germann, 2018). Through this experiment, it is
also can be seen that emotion is connected with a buying experience.

Yogurt Cow Malaysia could design an unboxing experience with applying sensory
marketing, in order to create value for attracting both existing and new customers. There are
five senses under the sensory marketing, which are sight, hear, smell, touch, and taste. In this
unboxing experience, the senses could be emphasised the four senses (sight, smell, touch, and
taste). Thus, the consumers’ sensory can response to Yogurt Cow Malaysia as a means of
eliciting deeper, more personal experience with the yogurt drink and services offered in the
brand (Malefyt, 2015). By focusing on the specific sensory responses to consumption, social
interaction will help to maximize customer-brand relationships. This indicated that the
unboxing experience could help to achieve the three stated objectives of this IMC Plan, as the
unique experience creates value by demonstrating that the product is not only a normal

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healthy beverage, and hence reduce their price sensitivity, while simultaneously
strengthening customer-brand relationships. According to Packaging Digest (2017), there are
74% of young adults with the aged between 18 and 25 are more likely to share a photo of
their product packaging online, and almost 40% of all customers share packaging with an
interesting gift-like design on social media. As a result, the brand awareness of the current
target audience, female between the ages of 20 and 29, will be increased, and their sharing
could reach to more potential audiences. This unboxing experience can win the customers’
attention, as well as trigger the excitement.

In addition, the concept behind the design of this unboxing experience was based on
corporate social responsibility (CSR) in environmental sustainability, where CSR was
identified as one of the key factors in strengthening the customer-brand relationship, based on
the findings. This is to convey the message of Yogurt Cow Malaysia cares not only about the
quality of its yogurt drinks and customer service, but also about the environment. This
provides customers a new perception that when they purchase yogurt drink from Yogurt Cow
Malaysia, they are also making a contribution to the environment. Additionally, this event
will run for three months in next year, starting from April. This is to in conjunction with
Earth Day, which will take place on April 22, 2023. Consequently, they would perceive the
value that Yogurt Cow Malaysia offers, and they may perceive the price for the yogurt drink
to be reasonable and appropriate.

For further information, Yogurt Cow Malaysia participated in CSR, but only once or

twice per year, with its most recent CSR event occurring in September of last year through

collaboration with H.O.P.E to promote the "Fashion Tote Bag" as a way to support the non-

profit organisation. Thus, this unboxing activity with the theme of environmental protection

could make Yogurt Cow Malaysia more distinctive and distinguish it from other yogurt drink

brands.

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In addition, the unboxing experience can be made more entertaining and engaging by
collaborating with Panda's Art to design a series of illustrated stickers. The designer and
illustrator, Pandayoong is one of the most well-known Malaysian illustrators, as evidenced by
her 1,150 Facebook followers, 1,091 Facebook likes, and 12,100 Instagram followers. All her
works are sweet and imaginative. With the stickers, the audience could have fun in pasting
the stickers on the packaging of the yogurt drink, which would generate more excitement
among the children. Furthermore, Yogurt Cow Malaysia is also recommended to collaborate
with Callie Mask to launch a brand new limited designed mask. Callie Mask is one of the
well-known mask brands, with the evidence of 4,887 Facebook followers and 11.9K
Instagram followers. The collaboration helps the brands to reach new audiences, boosts sales,
and strengthens the brands. Collaboration is a win-win strategy for the brands.

The journey of unboxing experience begins to see some stickers and the sweet
message with written “Sweet Gift. Thank You! This Gift Box is Happy to See You Too!” on
the cardboard box (Refer to Figure 4 Appendix B). Upon opening the box, the audiences will
smell the yogurt drink. The box contains a yogurt drink in an eco-friendly foldable silicon
cup, few Yogurt Cow Malaysia x Pandayoong stickers, a Yogurt Cow Malaysia x Callie
mask, an eco-friendly reusable drinking straw kit, and an A5 size postcard that illustrating the
advantages of yogurt drink.

Additionally, this packaging is suitable for giving as a gift to customers' families,
friends, or colleagues. The sudden and unexpected will provoke feelings of surprise.

5.2.2 After-Marketing – Customer Service Program

After-marketing refers to the activities a company undertakes after the sale has been
completed (Haris, 2010). Customer Service Program is one of the product and service
strategies under After-Marketing, which recognises that the sale is not the end of the

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relationship, but rather the beginning, and that the relationship is more than just repeat
purchases. In other words, the buyer-seller relationship will depend heavily on what the seller
does after the purchase is completed. Thus, this strategy could aid in establishing a long-
lasting relationship with customers and reducing their price sensitivity.

After the customers have purchased a yogurt drink, the staff at Yogurt Cow Malaysia
could write a short note of encouragement and attaches it to the yogurt drink cup to brighten
the consumers' day. The unexpected notes will give a surprise to the customers which may
trigger the customers’ interest in sharing their happiness on social media.

The message for each individual customer is unique. The staffs may choose to write
notes or draw pictures without any limitation (Refer to Figure 5 Appendix B). Thus,
customers would not find a repeated message boring and repetitive; instead, they may
anticipate their next purchase with excitement, wondering what the message will involve.
There are only two rules for employees: they are not permitted to write anything negative to
customers or to judge their appearance or behaviour. This concept is similar to Starbucks,
where the Starbucks baristas write the customer's name on the cup as a fun tradition that grew
out of their relationship and interaction with the customers.

Yogurt Cow Malaysia aims to create value for its customers by fostering a sense of
care and warmth during their visit and after they have made a purchase. The brand hopes that
customers will experience a sense of “home” at the venue, where they can enjoy their yogurt
drink alone or spending quality time with others. Additionally, whenever the customers look
back the message notes, they will be recalled of Yogurt Cow Malaysia, a place that has
touched their emotion.

The purpose of After-Marketing is not trying to sell, but to reduce the customers’
regression and price sensitivity for being purchased an expensive yogurt drink from Yogurt

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Cow Malaysia while noticing other yogurt brands are selling cheaper. Additionally, this
interactive strategy could also build the customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. The
customers may feel that Yogurt Cow Malaysia treat them like a valued customers and really
appreciate them.

5.3 To Strengthen the Customer-Brand Relationship

Consumers’ relationship with brands is not all that distinct from their interactions with other
customers. There are two distinct varieties of consumer-brand relationships which are
exchange relationship and communal relationship (Thompson, 2022). Exchange relationship
is characterised by the anticipation of receiving a comparable benefit in return or as
compensation for a comparable benefit obtained in the past, where the customers relate to the
brand primarily on the basis of economic considerations. For instance, the brand could entice
the customers with pricing and value in order to get the revenue from them. In contrast,
communal relationships involve care for the welfare of others. Consequently, Yogurt Cow
Malaysia seeks for the exchange partnership.

The customer-brand relationship is defined as a relationship between a brand and a
customer is one of a connection that can be beneficial to both parties. Customers are able to
form partnerships with brands and view them as partners. Customers perceive brands as more
human and acquire value and meaning as a result (Thompson, 2022).

In the value-driven era, customers desire to be treated as entire human beings with
minds, hearts, and spirits, not just as simple customers. (Kotler et al., 2010). There is a quote
stated by Juntae Delane, the founder of Digital Branding Institute, “Brands are built upon
people, not products or services.” This has determined that the customer-brand relationship
plays a crucial role in Yogurt Cow Malaysia's marketing, resulting in a shift in customer

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power and a modification of the selling process that places a greater emphasis on the
customer experience.

Yogurt Cow Malaysia could examine seven dimensions of brand loyalty, including
behavioural interdependence, personal commitment, love and passion, nostalgic connection,
self-concept connection, intimacy, and partner quality (Aaker, 2022). Customers will believe
that Yogurt Cow Malaysia plays an important role in their lives if they have frequent
interactions with the company that have generated a high level of engagement and
significance. In terms of personal commitment, Yogurt Cow Malaysia feels guilt when the
customer-brand relationship is harmed or deteriorates over time. It also seeks to strengthen
the emotional ties between customers, with the hope that they will believe that no other brand
can replace Yogurt Cow Malaysia. Yogurt Cow Malaysia desires to build a relationship that
is rooted in the customers' memories of a refreshing and enjoyable experience at Yogurt Cow
Malaysia, so that the brand can remind the customers of a specific period in their lives. In
addition, Yogurt Cow Malaysia aims to reflect the interests and activities of its customers by
sharing opinions, activities, and common interests. Yogurt Cow Malaysia also hopes that
customers will have a desire to learn more about the brand. Lastly, Yogurt Cow Malaysia
aspires to attain the partner quality by displaying a value attitude toward its customers, i.e.,
by demonstrating that it treats them as valued customers.

5.3.1 Packaging DIY Contest

According to the collected data, CSR is one of the activities that customers anticipate
engaging in to strengthen their relationship with Yogurt Cow Malaysia. Thus, Yogurt Cow
Malaysia could host an online Packaging DIY Contest to encourage customers to recycle and
reuse the packaging of the Yogurt Cow Malaysia’s yogurt drink. The current of the plastic
cup of Yogurt Cow Malaysia's yogurt drink is not eco-friendly. Some customers enjoy

35

purchasing the yogurt drink, but they may feel bad and guilty for throwing away so many
plastic cups. Through this contest, Yogurt Cow Malaysia hopes to convey that the non-eco-
friendly cup is not destined to become garbage, but can instead be transformed into
something imaginative.

This Packaging DIY Contest is a mixture of Consumer-Oriented Strategic Approach
and Think/Feel/Do Strategic Approach, as the contest focuses on how Yogurt Cow Malaysia
associates with the customers’ feelings and attitudes by addressing their concern about
polluting the environment if they dispose of too many plastic cups. In addition, not only does
Yogurt Cow Malaysia use the non-eco-friendly cups, but so do all other beverage industries.
Therefore, this contest may lead the customers’ perception of thinking that Yogurt Cow
Malaysia is the best connection for them to alleviate the guilt associated with purchasing non-
eco-friendly products.

While Think/Feel/Do Strategic Approach is a strategy for altering the cognitive,
affective, and behavioural attitudes and behaviours of customers (Osorio, 2015). This contest
indicates that the customers will believe that this contest is saving the environment, which
will elicit a positive emotional response from them, and they will be aware that they should
also contribute to environmental protection. Therefore, the contest may foster a strong desire
for a lasting relationship with Yogurt Cow Malaysia.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the contest will be conducted online for three
months. This contest is open to two categories, children and adult group. The children's
category is open to all Malaysians aged 15 and below, while the adult category is open to all
Malaysians aged 16 and above. For the intention of having the children category is to provide
parents with an opportunity to spend time with their children engaging in creative exploration.

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While for the adult category, the participants can take this contest as their break from their
busy schedule.

This contest has no restrictions on creativity; participants are encouraged to use their
imagination to turn the packaging into something unique and meaningful. They have the
option of physically designing the packaging or using the design software (Adobe Illustrator
and Adobe Photoshop) to enhance the message they wish to convey. The participants are
required to share their creative outcome of the packaging design on their social media with
tagging Yogurt Cow Malaysia and also hashtag #yogurtcowmalayssiadiypackaging. They are
also required to write a brief design rationale and the message they hope to convey with the
final product.

Contest offers a fun and interactive way for the participants to engage with the brand
without directly promoting Yogurt Cow Malaysia’s product. The online contest helps to build
the customer-brand customer relationship, brand awareness, and boost the sales of yogurt
drink. Additionally, due to the fact that the DIY packaging must be a cup of Yogurt Cow
Malaysia's yogurt drink, there will be a Buy-One-Get-One-Free promotion for all customers
for the duration of the three-month contest.

Each category has three winners and ten consolation prizes. The decision of the result
is evaluated based on their creativity. The first three winners could receive a two-day
staycation in Langkawi and a 90% discount on the yoghurt drink for one month. This trip is
included accommodation and food. The consolation prize is a voucher for a yogurt drink
worth RM150, subject to certain conditions. To motivate the participants to actively share
their design on the social media, three big mystery prizes will be awarded based on the total
number of likes their post receives. There are only three places available for the popularity
award in both categories.

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There will be two months of pre-launch, three months of launch, and one month of
post-launch for this contest. Throughout the first month of pre-launch, there is a campaign’s
teaser post on the Facebook and Instagram, to trigger the audiences’ curiosity. The official
announcement of the contest will be announced on the first week of the second month of the
pre-launch. The audiences can start to register for the contest. Problem-solving copy text will
be used in the social media post. Two months after the launching, the winners will be
announced via social media and website. This could remind the participants of how much fun
they had during the competition.

Referring to Figure 6 Appendix C, this is a poster about the contest that will be placed
at every outlet. AIDA model is applied in this poster. The biggest font size of the headline is
“Say No Single-Use Plastic Cup” has grabbed the attention of the audiences. They will
immediately get the main purpose of this contest. This is followed by problem-solving copy
that addresses the customers' pain point and concern about feeling bad and guilty for wasting
so many plastic cups. And so the audiences will continue reading the text to know what will
be the solution suggested, which the main topic of this poster is shown, “Packaging DIY
Contest.” If they are interested with this contest, they will read the details information about
the campaign. Two graphics, which are an empty Yogurt Cow Malaysia’s yogurt drink cup
and a illustrated girl is in this poster too to prevent the customers feel too dry or boring when
seeing a whole text poster. If their interest is successfully, they will have a strong feeling in
participating in this contest. Thus, the QR code served as a call-to-action button that
prompted participants to scan it in order to register for the contest. Additionally, a purple
watercolour painting is used as the background of the poster. This is due to the fact that
watercolour paintings portray dreams, emotions, bright feelings, and illusions in an unique
and artistic manner, which is meet with the theme of this contest.

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5.3.2 Launch Loyalty Program Apps

On the July 5, 2022, Yogurt Cow Malaysia launched its membership program, allowing the
members to receive a second cup of yogurt drink for only 90sen from 12pm to 3pm on every
Monday and Wednesday. This is consistent with the findings, which the respondents prefer
Yogurt Cow Malaysia rewards the loyal customers with more discounts and coupons.

However, there are few suggested strategies to enhance the membership program.
Yogurt Cow Malaysia could launch the Yogurt Cow Malaysia loyalty program apps for
audiences to download. The instruction for signing up for the app and the FAQ about the app
will be updated on its official website. This Loyalty Program Apps can include few settings,
including profiles, notification, rewards, points redemption, outlets, order now, latest news,
transaction history, feedback, FAQ, Privacy Policy, Terms and Conditions, and Tutorials.
This application's colour scheme follows the brand's purple colour scheme. (Refer to Figure 7
Appendix C). Besides, the loyalty members could receive free birthday surprises on the “My
Active Rewards” page in the app.

The member could enjoy different unique benefits and rewards depending on their
rank. The ranking can be categorized as basic, elite, royalty, and legend. Referring to the
IKEA Effect, ranking plays a significant role in establishing emotional connection with
customers, as people are more likely to value a product when they put more effort. Loyalty
members should be required to maintain their tier by earning the points from purchasing the
yogurt drink and its newly launched product, croissant, from Yogurt Cow Malaysia.
Otherwise, their tier will be downgraded after the mentioned period. In my opinion, the
current rewards for the membership program will encourage customers to purchase, but this
may not be a sustainable strategy because the promotion is too easy to obtain and only
requires a limited-time purchase.

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In general, loyalty program apps can help to retain the customers by long-term
engagement and customer satisfaction. The ranking of the loyalty program influences and
encourages customers to develop repeat-purchase behaviour by rewarding them with points.
Thus, the loyalty program is not only can build the customer-brand relationship, but also
increase the revenue. Rather than collecting the loyalty points indefinitely, the loyalty status
they earned instils self-esteem in them and makes them feel a sense of belonging and
recognize by the brand. The ranking is the goal for them to accomplish, thus motivating them
to stay engaged in the loyalty program for a longer duration.

Parahoo (2012) states engagement and involvement have been demonstrated to work
in conjunction with quality and value to develop and maintain customer loyalty. The
customers with a strong emotional connection to the brand will increase their lifetime value
(Kecsmar, 2020). Additionally, loyal customers are willing to try new products. They are
more likely to spread positive word-of-mouth by recommending this brand to others. They
might even become Yogurt Cow Malaysia’s brand ambassadors on social media. They would
also prioritise Yogurt Cow Malaysia whenever they want to purchase a yoghurt drink in order
to accumulate points for the rewards they desire.

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6.0 Timeline & Budget
6.1 Timeline

Figure 8: Timeline
This one-year IMC plan will be implemented throughout the span of 4 quarters in 2023 in
order to fulfil the three objectives. In buying funnel, awareness is the first phase of the
customer’s journey (“Skyword,” 2020). Thus, brand awareness is the first objective that
should be conducted first. The Yogurt Cow Malaysia’s official website is planned to launch
in the first quarter, from January until March, 2023. However, three months of website launch
may not be sufficient to raise brand awareness; therefore, the AR Instagram Filter Game
serves as a boost for increasing brand awareness. This AR interactive game will run for two
months during the last two months of the third quarter, August and September. The filter
game is not designed to be played for more than two months, as customers may lose interest
if they play the same game for too long. Short duration of the event is easily triggering the

41

audience's interest, and they may not want to miss out on the opportunity to play the game for
free.

For the second objective, there are two strategies to reduce price sensitivity of the
consumers. The After-Marketing – Customer Service Program is a simple but effective way
in creating value for the customers. Thus, this strategy could be a long term execution,
throughout next year. The unboxing experience will be run for will run for three months
beginning in April of next year. This is to coincide with Earth Day, which will take place on
April 22, 2023. The reason why the unboxing experience has a longer duration than the
augmented reality game is because the box could be a gift for the customer's loved one,
meaning that more events, such as birthdays and farewells, will occur over the month.

The two strategies to strengthen the customer-brand relationship will be implemented
beginning in the second quarter. The loyalty program apps is planned to launch in the second
quarter. The DIY Packaging Contest consists of three phrases. The two-month pre-launch
period will begin in May, and the three-month launch period will begin in the third quarter,
from July to September. Lastly, two months after the launch, in December, the last month of
the fourth quarter. This event has a lengthy duration because participants must impose their
creative energy and work hard to gain as many likes as possible on their posts in order to win
the popularity award prizes.

6.2 Budget

Strategy Programs Start Due Cost No. Total

(RM) Estimation

Strategy 1: To Website Jan March 6,000 1 6,000

maximize the Free yogurt drink August September 15 200 3,000

brand (Prize)

awareness

42

Strategy 2: To Designer & April June 1 1,500 1,500

reduce price Illustrator,

sensitivity of Pandayoong

the customers Callie Mask April June 30 per 700 300

box

(50pcs)

Cardboard box April June 3 700 21,000

Foldable Silicon April June 15 700 10,500

Cup

Reusable April June 1.5 700 1,050

Drinking Straw

Kit

A5 poster colour April June 0.10 700 70

printing

Strategy 3: To Staycation in December December 811 6 4,866

strengthen the Langkawi

customer-brand (Accommodation,

relationship 6 star hotel)

90% discount of December December 15 6 90

the yogurt drink

for the

challengers

Vouchers July September 150 20 3,000

Mystery gift Dec Dec 200 3 600

App April May 7,000 1 7,000

Total 57,926

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7.0 Conclusion
Since the market of yogurt drink is growing in the recent years, Yogurt Cow Malaysia needs
to understand and solve its weakness and threats in order to survive in this competitive
market. Yogurt Cow Malaysia could develop solutions to the problem of low brand
awareness, reduce price sensitivity, and build customer-relationship behaviour based on the
acquired data. Through this IMC Plan, the strategies and tactics have been explained in detail,
thus, it could be a contribution to the community of researchers, sellers, and students who
have an interest in this topic or are looking for answers to the same problem.

44

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