Introduction

BRAND’S Essence of Chicken is a flagship product under Cerebos Pacific, a Singapore-based

company which manufactures and distributes health supplements, coffee, tea, canned goods,
condiments, and herbs and spices across Asia and Australia (Hong et. al, 2010). As of 2005,
BRAND’s Essence of Chicken enjoys 85% market share across Asia Pacific and is said to be
the forerunner in the markets of Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and China,
selling over 100 million bottles per year (Usha Devi, 2005). Made of all-natural extract of high
quality chickens, which is supplied fat-free and cholesterol free, BRAND’s Essence of Chicken
is dubbed as the “Original Essence of Chicken” (Brandsworld, 2018), and is used in almost all
households in Asia and Australia.

Although it remains in most eyes as a distinctively Singaporean product, BRAND’s Essence of

Chicken roots from England, where HW Brand, a former royal English chef, first bottled the said
essence in 1835 (Leow, 2015). It then experienced changes of ownership until it came into the
possession of Cerebos Pacific in the 1980’s, where it stayed until today (Leow, 2015). Now,
having survived 180 years in the market, BRAND’s Essence of Chicken became an icon in
colonial Malaya households as it represents the modernity of today’s life while maintaining
tradition and home through giving a modern spin to the traditional double boiled chicken soups
(Leow, 2015).

By using branding principles to highlight their brand of “promoting wellness for people” (Leow,
2015), BRAND’s Essence of Chicken was able to: (1) distinguish its product from its
competitors, (2) evoke the sense of quality and standard of its product, (3) eliminate imitations,
and (4) create and sustain brand loyalty, that led to its stable and continuous success for over
180 years. Today, after eighteen decades in the market, BRAND’s Essence of Chicken remains
to be the forerunner brand in chicken essence, with its competition mostly being among its own
line which consists of: BRAND’s Essence of Chicken with Cordyceps (for adults), BRAND’s
Essence of Chicken with Lycium (for kids), BRAND’s Essence of Chicken with Tangkwei (for
women), and BRAND’s Essence of Chicken Tablets (Drum It Loud, 2020).

Major Segmentation Variables

a) Geographic Segmentation – Marketed across Asia and Australia, BRAND’s Essence

of Chicken angles its marketing strategy not only to accommodate the external
 differences in the geographic units where its products are being sold, but also to
consider the geographic factors affecting these locations such as cultural preferences,
population, climate and more. Specifically, according to Ms. Neerja Sewak, the executive
vice president and chief commercial officer of Cerebo’s health supplement division,
BRAND’s Essence of Chicken targets the cultural preferences of these markets by
marketing them in a manner that makes the consumers believe that BRAND’s Essence
of Chicken originated from their own country, and is therefore part of their cultural
tradition (Leow, 2015). In her own words, Ms. Neeja Sewak said in an interview that “I
think the success of this brand is, wherever it goes it becomes as if it’s a country’s own
brand” (Leow, 2015).

From this statement, it can be inferred that BRAND’s Essence of Chicken highlights
different aspects of its product depending on the market to cater to its market’s cultural
preferences. In Asia for example, since this region of the world is religiously diversified,
BRAND’s Essence of Chicken made sure to emphasize that its product is Halal certified,
for Asian Muslims (Brandsworld, 2018). On the other hand, for its Australian market,
BRAND’s Essence of Chicken emphasized that the brand was first made by an
Englishman. This way, Australians would be able to love it as it will remind them of
“home” (Taste, 2020), as Australians originated from England.

b) Demographic Segmentation – Considered as a “brain tonic” in Asia, students are the

key market of BRAND’s Essence of Chicken (Teodoro, 2018). Since it was distributed,
BRAND’s Essence of Chicken has been associated with the Singaporean rite of
passage of the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), as it helps stressed pupils
to make it through the crucial exam (Leow, 2015). Regardless of gender and financial
income, BRAND’s Essence of Chicken has been used by many Asian families to help
bolster the mental development of a child aged 4-12 years old (Teodoro, 2018).

With its market focused on students, BRAND’s Essence of Chicken started to create
several versions of its products, which are now more specific in catering the needs of
other demographics and not just students, so that it can expand the demographic
segment it caters to. Now, they have a wide array of chicken essences which are
marketed to be specific for adults, kids, and women. These are: BRAND’s Essence of
Chicken with Cordyceps (for adults), BRAND’s Essence of Chicken with Lycium (for
 kids), BRAND’s Essence of Chicken with Tangkwei (for women), BRAND’s Essence of
Chicken Tablets, and of course, BRAND’s Essence of Chicken original (Drum It Loud,
2020).

c) Psychographic Segmentation – Basing from the geographic and demographic

segmentations of BRAND’s Essence of Chicken, we can determine the products’
psychographic segmentation by identifying the following variables: (1) what its
customers value in life, (2) what pain points they face, and (3) what it can do to help
them. As provided in its geographic segmentation, BRAND’s Essence of Chicken is
marketed in Asia, whose people value academic success (Teodoro, 2018), and
Australia, whose people value the sense of home (Taste, 2020). Consequently, its
psychographic segmentation shows that is customers have two emerging needs: (1) a
product that would help them excel, and (2) a product that would make them feel at
home.

d) Behavioral Segmentation – Like psychographic segmentation, to determine this

segment type, it is essential to look at the geographic and demographic segmentation of
BRAND’s Essence of Chicken to determine the following variables: (1) purchasing
behavior of target market, (2) the benefits they are looking for, (3) how customers are
using the product, and (4) if customers are loyal to the product. In relation to the
purchasing behavior of the market of BRAND’s Essence of Chicken, those who buy the
essence in Asia are mostly parents who give it to their children (Teodoro, 2018). The
benefits they are looking for is to help bolster their children’s mental development and
use the essence as a “brain tonic” that help children do well in their exams (Teodoro,
2018). In this aspect per se, customers became loyal to BRAND’s Essence of Chicken
as shown in the case where it became the Singaporean rite of passage of the Primary
School Leaving Examination (PSLE) (Leow, 2015).

Differentiation Strategy

To identify the differentiation strategy of BRAND’s Essence of Chicken, it is necessary to

identify its unique selling propositions (USP) that differentiate it from its competitors. Although
BRAND’s Essence of Chicken was created by HW Brand as a health supplement that would
contribute to people’s wellness (Leow, 2015), it became ultimately famous, especially in the
Asian market, for its capability to help bolster mental development and enhance memory in
times of stress (Teodoro, 2018). As studies show, participants with higher stress levels see
greater memory benefit with BRAND’s Essence of Chicken compared to its competitors (Globe
News Wire, 2020). This also explains why BRAND’s Essence of Chicken is famous in
Singapore for children who are taking their exams (Leow, 2015). On the other hand, in Australia,
what makes BRAND’s Essence of Chicken stand out is its affinity with England, as it was made
by an Englishman. Thus finding a sense of “home” in the product, Australians, choose BRAND’s
Essence of Chicken compare to other chicken essence in the market (Taste, 2020).

Thus, following the data above, it could be gleaned, that BRAND’s Essence of Chicken has the
following unique selling propositions that it utilizes in its differentiation strategy: (1) proven ability
to restore health, (2) proven reputation in helping bolster mental development, (3) improves
memory even with high stress levels, and (4) gives sense of tradition and feeling of “home”.

Positioning Strategy

High wellness
Lao Xie Zhen Premium
Boiled Essence of
Chicken BRAND’s Essence of
Hock Hua Traditional Chicken
Black Bone Chicken
Essence

Low adaptability High adaptability

Low wellness

Based from the positioning map above, it could be gleaned that BRANS’s Essence of Chicken
positioned itself as a wellness brand that helps bolster mental development while giving you a
sense of tradition. Compared to the other two brands that focused on wellness and authenticity,
where they emphasized the origins of the essence, BRAND’s Essence of Chicken is high in
adaptability, as it positioned itself to provide a sense of tradition to any culture and all countries.
Mixing promotion of wellness and a sense of tradition by staying true to the brand started by HW
Brand, BRAND’s Essence of Chicken has not only positioned itself in the market as a choice for
health wellness, nor solely for mental development, but as a product that belongs to a culture’s
traditions. Wherever it is marketed, the market would consider it their own brand.

Conclusion

BRAND’s Essence of Chicken has been one of the top chicken essences in Asia for over 180
years. The secret to its longevity, as what was stated by its executive vice president, is that they
were able to position their brand not only in a sense that customers would see them as the best
wellness product, especially for mind enhancement, but also in a special and personal sense
where customers would think that the brand originated in their home country. The brand was
able to do this through effective branding, which they were able to maintain and improve in the
period of those 180 years.

References:

Brandsworld (2018). About BRAND’s Essence of Chicken. Retrieved from

https://www.brandsworld.com.sg/en/products/essence-of-chicken-original.html

Brandsworld (2018). The Chicken We Use. Retrieved from

https://www.brandsworld.com.sg/en/about-us/manufacturing-process/essence-of-chicken-
manufacturing-process.html

Drum It Loud (2020). 9 Best Chicken Essence Drinks in Singapore (2020) for Good Health.
Retrieved from https://www.drumitloud.com/best-chicken-essence-singapore/

Globe News Wire (2020). BRAND’s Essence of Chicken improves memory function: clinical
study supports. Retrieved from https://www.globenewswire.com/news-
release/2018/09/06/1566091/0/en/BRAND-S-ESSENCE-OF-CHICKEN-IMPROVES-MEMORY-
FUNCTION-CLINICAL-STUDY-SUPPORTS.html

Hong et. al. (2010). Marketing Communication IMC Plan. Retrieved from
https://www.slideshare.net/VincsKong/marcomm-imc-plan

Leow, A. (2015). Foreign roots but part of rite of passage here. Retrieved from
https://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/foreign-roots-but-part-of-rite-of-
passage-here
Taste (2020). Australian Food: evolution of cuisine. Retrieved from
https://www.taste.com.au/articles/how-australian-food-has-evolved/tafz0txs

Teodoro, M. (2020). Asia’s Brain Tonic, Chicken Essence, Targets Youth. Retrieved from
https://www.mintel.com/blog/food-market-news/asias-brain-tonic-chicken-essence-targets-youth

Usha Devi, K.S. (2005). Secret to Brand Longevity. Retrieved from

https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2005/05/15/secret-to-brands-
longevity#:~:text=As%20the%20flagship%20product%2C%20Brand's,Singapore%2C%20Hong
%20Kong%20and%20China.