As brands across Southeast Asia compete for younger consumers’ attention, legacy snack brands face a difficult challenge: staying culturally relevant without losing the heritage that made them iconic in the first place.
That is exactly what Glico Asia Pacific is attempting with Pocky’s latest regional refresh. As the chocolate-coated biscuit stick marks its 60th anniversary, the company is launching one of the brand’s most significant updates to date. The initiative combines new packaging, an upgraded recipe, and a region-wide campaign designed to position Pocky as a catalyst for real-world connection among Gen Z consumers.
The move highlights a broader trend in brand marketing. Rather than reinventing their identity, established brands are increasingly modernizing visual assets, localizing storytelling, and creating social-first experiences that resonate with younger audiences while preserving familiar brand cues.
Table of contents
Jump to each section:
- Why Pocky is refreshing its brand for Gen Z
- What’s changing across Pocky’s products and packaging
- How Southeast Asia is shaping Pocky’s marketing strategy
- What marketers should know about legacy brand reinvention
- Why connection remains a powerful brand asset
Why Pocky is refreshing its brand for Gen Z
Glico Asia Pacific has unveiled a year-long regional campaign called “Connect with a smile” to celebrate Pocky’s 60th anniversary.
The campaign will run across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. It aims to reposition Pocky as more than a snack, emphasizing its role in creating moments of real-world connection among younger consumers.
According to Yukio Kimura, chief operating officer of Glico Asia Pacific, the campaign celebrates Pocky’s heritage while introducing a fresh identity designed to resonate with today’s audiences.
The strategy combines promotional activations, pop culture partnerships, refreshed creative assets, and social-first content to keep the brand visible in the digital spaces where Gen Z spends much of its time.
What’s changing across Pocky’s products and packaging
At the center of the refresh is a redesigned packaging system spanning eight core Pocky flavors:
- Chocolate
- Strawberry
- Cookies & Cream
- Milky Matcha
- Double Chocolate
- Nutty Almond
- Milk Chocolate
- Milk
The updated packs feature brighter colors and more vibrant graphics intended to make the brand feel more contemporary and youthful while maintaining its playful personality.
Glico is also introducing an upgraded chocolate recipe. The company says the new formulation delivers a richer chocolate flavor and a crispier texture, reinforcing Pocky’s focus on product innovation alongside brand modernization.
The refreshed packaging will begin rolling out across Southeast Asia from June 2026, starting in Thailand before expanding throughout the region.
How Southeast Asia is shaping Pocky’s marketing strategy
The latest campaign builds on Pocky’s growing focus on local relevance across Southeast Asian markets.
In Malaysia, the brand previously launched limited-edition Pocky Durian and Pocky Ondeh-Ondeh flavors during National Day and Malaysia Day celebrations. The campaign celebrated local heritage through culturally inspired packaging, a large-scale street mural, and storytelling centered around traditional Malaysian identity.
Meanwhile, in the Philippines, Pocky partnered with dentsu Philippines on the “POCKY SABI” campaign. Inspired by the cultural concept of hiya, the initiative encouraged young consumers to express affection through anonymous messages delivered via Instagram filters, campus confession booths, and TikTok creator collaborations.
These localized campaigns reveal a consistent strategy. Rather than applying a single global message, Pocky adapts its storytelling to reflect local culture, behaviors, and social norms while maintaining a common brand platform centered on connection and sharing.
What marketers should know about legacy brand reinvention
Pocky’s refresh offers several lessons for marketers managing mature brands.
1. Modernize without abandoning brand equity
Many heritage brands make the mistake of chasing trends at the expense of recognizability. Pocky’s refresh retains its iconic shape, sharing-focused positioning, and playful identity while updating visual elements for modern audiences.
2. Product innovation still matters
Brand campaigns generate awareness, but product improvements reinforce credibility. The recipe enhancement gives consumers a tangible reason to revisit the brand beyond the anniversary messaging.
3. Local relevance drives stronger engagement
The Malaysia and Philippines campaigns demonstrate how regional adaptation can make a global brand feel more culturally connected. Local storytelling often resonates more deeply than generic international messaging.
4. Connection is becoming a differentiator
As digital fatigue increases, brands are increasingly positioning themselves around authentic human experiences. Pocky’s emphasis on sharing and real-world interaction aligns with a growing consumer desire for meaningful social connection.
Useful tools for marketers
Brands looking to replicate this type of localized engagement strategy may benefit from:
- Brandwatch for regional social listening and cultural trend monitoring
- Sprout Social for audience engagement analysis
- Meltwater for consumer sentiment tracking across Southeast Asian markets
- Canva and Adobe Express for rapid creative adaptation across local campaigns
Why connection remains a powerful brand asset
Pocky’s 60th anniversary refresh is about more than new packaging.
The initiative reflects a broader shift in brand building, where emotional relevance and cultural connection increasingly matter as much as product quality. By combining updated visuals, product innovation, localized storytelling, and social-first engagement, Glico is attempting to ensure that a six-decade-old brand remains meaningful to the next generation of consumers.
For marketers, the bigger takeaway is clear: legacy brands do not always need reinvention. Often, they simply need to reinterpret what made them successful in the first place for a new audience.
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