MANILA, Philippines – Jollibee’s younger sister brand Mang Inasal is all grown up, thanks to its unique Pinoy offering, store expansions, and “tradigital” (traditional and digital) marketing.
In case you missed it, Mang Inasal is now Philipppine food conglomerate Jollibee Food Corporation’s (JFC) second biggest local brand next to flagship Jollibee, in terms of store count.
In the JFC family that is loaded with 18 brands, the grilled chicken fast-food founded by Ilonggo entrepreneur Edgar “Injap” Sia has 573 stores in the Philippines, second to Jollibee’s 1,251 stores, as of the first half of 2024.
Although they don’t compete within the JFC family, Mang Inasal has overtaken another JFC sister brand, Chinese fast-food Chow King, in terms of store count. Chow King had 566 stores as of the first half of 2024 or 7 less than Mang Inasal.
Among the major quick-service restaurants (QSRs) operating in the Philippines, that would unofficially make Mang Inasal the third biggest in the country next to Jollibee and McDonald’s Philippines. The latter had 755 stores as of first half of 2024.
Based on JFC’s latest earnings report (first half of 2024) Mang Insasal was the second biggest contributor to the JFC’s system-wide sales (SWS) in the Philippines, accounting for 8.4% in the first half of 2024, with 46-year-old Jollibee contributing 36.6%; Chow King contributed 7.6%.
“It’s a testament to what the brand has done…. We started 21 years ago, we were a very small player, now we’re one of the biggest in the eat-out category,” Allan Tan, marketing head of Mang Inasal, told Rappler in a Zoom interview.
JFC was incorporated in 1978. Injap Sia started Mang Inasal in 2003 and sold 70% of it to JFC in 2010 after which it was fully acquired by JFC six years later.
In a sea of food stores (including convenience stores) with fried chicken on their menus, Mang Inasal stands out. It has competitors that offer chicken inasal, such as JT’s and Chicken Bacolod, but their presence is not as widespread as Mang Inasal.
Strongest food brands
Marketing and analytics firm Kantar recently recognized Jollibee, McDonald’s Philippines, and Mang Inasal as its top three fast-food brands in the Philippines based on a survey conducted in November 2023 which measures consumer demand for brands.
“With high future power, Jollibee and Mang Inasal are well-placed to lead change in the fast-food category with their hyper-localized marketing and relatable ‘masa’ (masses) Pinoy experience,” according to a Kantar study on Most Valuable Philippine Brands in 2024. The study was presented by Ed Dacanay, Kantar Brandz’s business unit head for fast-food, last September 17.
On Mang Inasal, Dacanay said the “grillling expert” food firm “provides unique options for consumers who want a break from their usual,” in reference to the more commonly consumed fried chicken.
He said Mang Inasal captures “strong value perception with ‘unli-rice [unlimited rice] meals, and very Pinoy ‘ihaw-sarap’ [deliciously grilled] menu.”
“QSRs should demonstrate high value to stand out among the whole gamut of food and beverage choices,” the study said.
Similarly, Brand Finance, an independent brand valuation global consultancy firm, named Mang Inasal as the “strongest brand among the most valuable Philippine brands ranked this year” in its annual report on the most valuable and strongest Philippine brands. It was followed by Bear Brand and Globe Telecom.
“Its performance was driven by factors such as a perfect score for brand familiarity, in line with an expanded store network in the country,” Brand Finance said.
Mang Inasal and Chow King had the “largest brand value gainers” in Brand Finance’s 2024 rankings, with Ayala Land placing third.
“Rankings-wise, Mang Inasal jumped eight places to become the 15th most valuable Philippine brand. Chowking kept its 22nd place while Ayala Land rose one spot to 13th place,” the report said.
Pinoy experience for tourists
Mang Inasal would be a much bigger brand if only the Philippines were a stronger tourist destination compared to other countries.
Its unique Pinoy experience and accessibility in malls make Mang Inasal the better brand to offer to tourists.
Travel guide Taste Atlas’ recent choice of chicken inasal as the Philippines’ number one food would buttress this selling point for Mang Inasal. Chicken inasal beat lechon and bulalo in Taste Atlas’ October listing.
“That’s something big for us — that Pinoy food is being recognized,” said Tan. “It’s a uniquely Filipino dish. And it’s not just a dish, it’s a real experience. When people go to the store, people who eat in Mang Inasal, you can let your hair down, nagkakamay (they eat using their hands), nakakailan unli [unlimited] rice (they have several servings of rice) with soup. And that resonates.”
Mang Inasal made use of this last January 2024 when it got former Lakers star Dwight Howard as endorser during his short visit to Manila.
@itsechanes Dwight x Inasal ❤️ #fyp #pinoyfood #philippines #pinoy #manginasal #comedian #nba #chicken #bussin #pinoyrestaurant ♬ original sound – Mike Echanes
Tan said Howard’s visit “created a space for us to be known outside the Philippines,” as the retired Laker showed himself tasting Filipino food.
“It was really a viral moment for the brand, it got featured in so many different publications and talked about by many online influencers,” he said. For this campaign, Mang Inasal and DDB Group Philippines won a silver in the Viral Marketing Campaign category in the 21st International Business Awards held in Turkey last October 11.
Tan said the idea to have foreign endorsers started in 2022 when visiting K-pop band SEVENTEEN asked its Filipino fans what they should eat during their visit. Only two brands emerged — Jollibee and Mang Inasal.
“That’s a lot of pride for us. So, when people come over, we want them to get to try the brand. Because chicken inasal is one of the top chicken dishes of the world, we want them to try it and make it famous globally, not just in the Philippines. That’s a big aspiration for Mang Inasal — get that inasal experience,” Tan said.
In line with this, Mang Inasal has supported the Department of Tourism’s “Love the Flavors, Love the Philippines” campaign that promotes gastronomy or culinary tourism.
During World Tourism Week in September, Mang Inasal offered free halo-halo tourists who went to the store and showed their boarding passes, as part of this campaign.
“Food connects people, and at Mang Inasal, we’re proud to be a part of that connection for tourists visiting the Philippines. We’re excited to share the flavors of the Philippines with the world,” said Mang Inasal president Mike Castro. “Every bite of chicken inasal, every spoonful of halo-halo, connects tourists to the heart of our culture, making their travels more meaningful and unforgettable.”
Tradigital marketing
Traditional and digital marketing, also called tradigital marketing, has helped propel Mang Inasal’s rise.
Mang Inasal’s choice of Filipino celebrity Coco Martin as principal endorser has endeared the brand to the masses. Coco is the star of the long-running Kapamilya teleserye, FPJ’s Ang Batang Quiapo (now on its second year) and prior to that, FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano, which lasted seven years.
Ads on television and online featuring Coco Martin endorsing Mang Inasal have connected with the lower-income households who watch his top-rating prime time action series on TV5, A2Z, and on YouTube.
“Coco has been an integral part of Mang Inasal’s growth. He’s one of the top stars of this generation. His partnership with us has really helped put Mang Inasal on the map,” Tan said in the interview with Rappler.
In the digital sphere, two campaigns on social media have helped build the Mang Inasal brand.
In 2022, it set up private Facebook group Mang Inasal Nation where people share photos of mostly family events — birthdays, baptisms, monthsarries, reunions — in Mang Inasal stores.
From only 30 people, this community has grown to 220,000 members on Facebook. Mang Inasal claims it’s the first Philippine restaurant-managed social community.
Tan said Mang Inasal Nation has a 50% engagement, while the typical engagement is just 1% to 4% with most brands.
Rise of influencers
The other digital strategy driving the brand is its Mang Insasal Content Creators Circle (MICC), a group that generates content for Mang Inasal. This tack targets the younger generation who are more into digital media.
How does it work?
“Creators partner with us and generate content and get from the platform. We also give them ex deals, and we partner with them. We give them a lot of space, they have their own niche,” said Tan.
Mang Inasal explained in a release: “Everything starts with a simple brief — for the content creator to post about the campaign however they prefer it. Apart from key messages, reminders on what to highlight in their photos and videos and coordination with the stores for the products that are taken care of by Mang Inasal, it’s the influencers who work on the magic of their materials in a way that achieves the goals yet aligned with their personalities and lifestyles.”
From only 30 members in March 2022, MICC now has at least 160 members. They include mom influencers such as Mommy Sigrid who post Mang Inasal content on social media. Mommy Sigrid has over 20,000 followers on Instagram.
“This growth gave birth to a new category of content creators within the community — the Gen Zs and TikTokerists. Now, with over 30 campaigns in 2023, the youth, moms, and foodies all seamlessly tell their unique love for Mang Inasal across their 29-million overall follower base,” Mang Inasal added.
“MICC started as an experiment because we wanted to try out better ways to promote Mang Inasal on social media…. Then, during the first campaign, we saw that there’s promise in it as the MICCs’ posts looked and sounded so natural that netizens found them authentic and relatable. And the selection was perfect because MICC members are real loyal Mang Inasal patrons,” said Mang Inasal digital and PR head RJ Jabeguero-Rodillo.
Tan told Rappler Mang Inasal has adapted to a world that has seen major changes in how brands should connect with consumers.
“It’s really a blend of above-the-line superstars and also mixing it with real experiences shared by consumers on digital,” Tan said.
Budget-wise, he said the company now spends more on digital than on traditional media.
“The way digital acts is, you can have more targeted content, create meanngful content, not a one size fits all. It helps us create the content that resonates. We’re able to create personalized content that’s more meaningful. That’s the strength of digital,” Tan said.
Perhaps, the only thing missing for Mang Inasal now is its own mascot.
Tan, however, said this isn’t on the horizon. “Mang Inasal believes it’s strength lies in the Ihaw-Sarap taste of its food.” – Rappler.com
ALSO ON RAPPLER
- ‘Better Chicken McDo’ helps make 2023 a ‘big year’ for Golden Arches
- Jollibee vs McDonald’s: Fried chicken war spills over to noon show
- NCCA recognizes chicken inasal as ‘cultural property’ of Bacolod
- Oks manoks! Chicken Inasal is 5th Best Chicken Dish in World, according to TasteAtlas
- Jollibee Group banks on robot baristas to further lift sales