The Malaysian Snack Attack That the World Can’t Resist

Advertising and promotion are such a fundamental part of running a business that it is impossible to ignore or completely forgo – and this is true regardless of whether economic times are booming, or challenging in the face of global disasters and epidemics. Especially during the best of times, the global market is flooded with countless shiny brands from every corner – so it takes an exceptional icon to not only make a mark on the world stage but to blossom.

Malaysia has such an iconic brand: Mister Potato! That’s right: Malaysia’s favourite potato chip brand since it was introduced in 1992 is not only popular back home, it is sold in more than 80 countries, including top markets such as Indonesia, Thailand, the Middle East, East Asia, and the Maldives. The latest venture for the popular potato chip involves a big name for a big event: a partnership with NR Sports and Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior as the latest face of the brand in conjunction of 2022 World Cup.

Root Vegetables, Local Soil

It all began in 1971, when Datuk Pang Chin Hin entered the food manufacturing business by Pacific Food Products. Although the company did not meet much success early on, they struck gold in 1974 with what became their signature product: the Mamee Monster instant noodle snack.

And just like their addictive snacks, the Malaysian public couldn’t get enough, leading Pang to expanded further into the snack business, which eventually led to the introduction of the Double Decker crackers in 1980 and Mister Potato snacks in 1992. Their success soon saw the company being renamed to Mamee-Double Decker (M) Bhd., where the firm was listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange’s main board on March 18, 1992 until it was taken private by the family in 2012.

Pang remained as founder and executive chairman of Mamee-Double Decker (M) Sdn. Bhd. until his death recently on November 5, 2022. His son Tan Sri Pang Tee Chew still serves as Executive Chairman while his other son Datuk Seri Pang Tee Nam is Vice-Executive Chairman, and his grandson Pierre Pang serves as the current Group Chief Executive Officer.

Mamee-Double Decker has since included more items into its offerings like Mamee Chef instant noodles, Corntoz and Tora including joint ventures with Shinsegae Food and Hausboom for Korean and beverage product range respectively. The company has won various awards including back to back Deloitte Best Managed Companies Award (2021 & 2022), the Frost & Sullivan for Best-Home Grown Packages Food Company and the Putra Brand Award under the Foodstuff Category where Mamee Chef was listed as the Top 10 best instant noodles in the world.

Delicious Deals for the Cup of Life

The partnership – known Mister Potato x NR Sports – is part of Mister Potato’s 30th anniversary celebration and collaboration with celebrities, where the first phase started earlier this year. The prizes up for grabs are as tasty as the snacks themselves: the chance to win a trip to Qatar, PUMA merchandise, and cash prizes worth more than RM138,000.

Neymar Jr – who is considered one of this generation’s most talented footballers, and has been named South American Footballer of The Year twice – said: “I’m very happy to be Mister Potato’s new ambassador, even more so in an important year in my career. I had a lot of fun doing the campaign and I’m really enjoying the products.”

Neymar Jr. as Mister Potato, regional brand ambassador

Current Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Pierre Pang (2nd from right) during Mister Potato x Manchester United global partnership launching ceremony at Old Trafford, Manchester in 2011.

Muhammad Anas (on wheelchair) together with whole Manchester United squad at Carrington Training Centre, Manchester in 2011.

This is certainly not the first time that Mister Potato has been dishing out crispy collaborations; the brand became a Global Snack Partner for football team, Manchester United from 2011 to 2014, where they brought Muhammad Anas Sadiq Aminuddin – an underprivileged child from Muar, Johor who was diagnosed with Duschene Muscular Syndrome – to Manchester in 2011 to fulfil his dream of meeting the whole Manchester United squad and to attend a match at Old Trafford stadium. It was a hit campaign that still wins praise – for although Muhammad Anas Sadiq sadly passed away a few years later, the country never forgot what Mister Potato did for him.

Earlier in the year, Mister Potato revealed a campaign that generated many screams: the appointment of South Korean K-pop artist Cha Eun-Woo as their newest brand ambassador. The star – who is a member of K-pop boy band Astro – had his name and image featured on the brand’s packaging for its crisps and chips, point-of-sale material, and trade displays in Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand, along with the release of limited-edition merchandise.

Mamee-Double Decker Group Chief Executive Officer Pierre Pang said that the Mister Potato 30th anniversary was a reminder of the fun and exciting years the brand has experienced to date. “…we are grateful to our consumers for their loyalty and support throughout this time. We remain committed to being bold and innovative – and we have more exciting plans in the pipeline,” he added.

As the Government’s principal agency to oversee and drive investment into the manufacturing and services sectors in Malaysia, MIDA is thrilled to see that a local powerhouse brand is able to entice the world as easily as it did the local market. The thought of collaborating with a famous snack brand which is part of a popular food empire’s stable will surely leave investors licking their lips.