O’lala Sufle: Premium product and practical packaging
O’lala Sufle was selected by Nielsen for its packaging format and premium positioning.
But the R&D process began with Pladis, one of Turkey’s major cake and sweets manufacturers, having to first choose which type of cake it wanted to launch.
“We realised through our research that soufflés are perceived as the most premium,” said Nihal Gül, marketing director of biscuits and cakes. “They are the most difficult to make at home, they contain expensive ingredients, and they are viewed as very indulgent.”
The resulting combination of a premium dessert and single-serving, on-the-go packaging format hit the mark with a major consumer segment: young ‘pleasure seekers’ between the ages of 18 and 35 that take indulgence seriously, are willing to pay more and don’t have much time.
“Previously, pleasure seekers tended to visit coffee chains or patisseries to treat themselves for gourmet coffee and cake. However, there are time and cost barriers associated with this. We realized that this could be our big differentiator. The ‘patisserie-like experience’—anytime, anywhere—is something that no other confectionary brand was offering to consumers,” said Gül.
Pladis’ O’lala Sufle also found itself boasting a number of world firsts, said Nielsen: it was the first ambient packed soufflé format in the world, the first portion-sized cake consumed with a spoon and the first portion-sized cake that could be heated in an oven.
Videos shared on social media platforms reinforced the 'anytime, anywhere' patisserie moments, the dessert was rolled out in McDonald's outlets across Turkey and by 2016 had become the third most valuable brand in Pladis’ cake portfolio.
