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Brands poke fun at beloved roti prata 'whitewashed' to Asian Flat Croissant

Brands poke fun at beloved roti prata 'whitewashed' to Asian Flat Croissant

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You might call it a prata. Or you might call it a roti canai. But we are pretty sure you won't be calling it an "Asian Flat Croissant".  Unfortunately, that is what a cooking blog run out of Germany, yet owned by a Malaysian, described our favourite breakfast (or lunch...or dinner...or supper) dish as - the "Asian Flat Croissant". Yup, you read that right.

And boy did they feel the heat. The recipe posted on cooking blog Nyonya Cooking's Facebook page, and on its online site, was accompanied with a description that read, "A flatbread with Indian origins and is extremely loved in countries like Malaysia and Singapore. "

Netizens comprising mostly Singaporeans and Malaysians, however, were not impressed with Nyonya Cooking "whitewashing" of the dish's actual name. In a string of comments on Facebook, one particular netizen called out the blog coming across pretentious and lacking appreciation for the food’s origin and culture despite its objective on promoting authentic Southeast Asian recipes. Another netizen said that the author should have maintained the original name of the dish, and not have given it a European name. He added that he hopes there was no "whitewashing" intention behind the naming as well.

In response to the comments, a Nyonya Cooking spokesperson replied saying the title "Asian Flat Croissant" came about solely for its marketing purpose, and also to make it more relatable for audiences who may not be familiar with words such as canai, prata, parotta or paratha.

https://www.facebook.com/nyonyacooking/posts/3214302005265924

But taking the opportunity to strike while the iron is hot were brands in Singapore and Malaysia.

Winning netizen praise on creativity was Domino's Pizza which served its hot and "punny" social posts once again. This time, Domino's Pizza Malaysia turned an Italian dish into "Italian flat naan". A pepperoni pizza is described to be a naan with Italian origins, and what makes for a naan-daful experience. Created by social media agency 16Two, the Facebook post was reposted on Domino's Pizza Singapore's Facebook page as well.

One particular netizen also commented: "When asked if Pizza Hut had any comments about this creative advertisement by their great rivals, they said they had naan", to which Domino's replied: "This is naan-sense."

Well played, Domino's.

Domino's Malaysia

https://www.facebook.com/DominosMY/posts/1817187298414406

Gardenia Singapore

Household brand Gardenia for one decided to take the opportunity to promote its croissant breads. Conceptualised by social media agency PROTOCOL, Gardenia Singapore wanted fans to have a laugh and also try the butter sugar crunch croissant.

https://www.facebook.com/FriendsofGardenia/posts/2793293257420190

In a statement to Marketing, Kelvin Kao, managing director of PROTOCOL said the team was bemused at the “westernised” nomenclature of a beloved dish, and took the opportunity to showcase one of Gardenia’s variants. According to Kao, the team is constantly seeking for ways to generate content that resonates with fans, and has found humour to be quite effective in engaging with its followers.

Grimm & Co

Singapore-based branding and marketing agency Grimm & Co put on its creative hat and took the Asian Flat Croissant for a spin.

Locals will truly understand the description and recipe of the "Le cai png" (which involves pointing at dishes through a glass). Grimm & Co calls "le cai png" as Singapore's protein bowl, which consists of the chef greeting you "handsome" or "beautiful girl" (no matter how you look like).

https://www.facebook.com/agencygrimm/posts/2574524846156792

Seen any other versions of the "Asian Flat Croissant". Share with us at farzanahf@marketing-interactive.com.

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