The Malaysian automotive industry consists of two low-end manufacturers. To help these manufacturers, the government protects them with massive import duties, sales and other taxes that can jack up the price of an imported car with a large engine by as much as 155%. In addition to these taxes an Approved Permit (AP) is required … Continue reading »
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Successful brand building is determined more by customer experiences than by slick advertising campaigns
Far too many companies, whether Multi National Corporation (MNC) or Small, Medium sized Enterprise (SME) think or are led to believe that the fast track way to branding acceptance is to spend large amounts of money on high quality TV commercials, billboards or print advertising campaigns that showcase their products or services and communicate corporate … Continue reading »
Effective use of Twitter to build your brand
This article first appeared in the 29th November print edition of The Malaysian Reserve Earlier this week at the launch of the 1Malaysia Social Media Convention, the Prime Minister of Malaysia Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak announced that the Barisan Nasional (BN) was developing an army of BN friendly cyber practitioners to engage consumers online. … Continue reading »
Build a brand with the basics
Right near my office at Phileo Damansara in Petaling Jaya, a luxury German auto manufacturer has two billboards advertising its top of the range luxury autos. One is a saloon and the other is an SUV. I like this particular SUV so much that if I was still putting posters up on my bedroom wall, … Continue reading »
Even iconic brands need to do the basics
Since the first iMac came out back in the 1990′s, I have been a loyal mac user. I’m now on my third generation of iMacs, and currently have 7 macs in my office as well as 2 iPhones. At home my family uses 3 mac laptops, 1 iMac, 3 iPods and 2 iPod touch. We … Continue reading »
3 words that can ruin your brand in Malaysia and Singapore
If you are in Malaysia or Singapore and you sell stuff to customers, there is one phrase that can ruin your brand. “No stock Lah.” Is repeated time again by poorly trained and disinterested staff. This seemingly innocuous phrase should be banned in your organization. While we’re at it, you should also ban the obligatory … Continue reading »
A is for Advertising
This is a good place to start a compendium of branding terms because unfortunately, it is where many companies start their brand building. And that’s a shame, no tragedy because it is an expensive exercise in futility to try and build a brand using advertising alone. Advertising can be traced back to around the late … Continue reading »
Case study – How a Malaysian Company built its brand from the inside
Senior executives at a Malaysian technology related firm were frustrated. Sales growth was not meeting expectations, despite the firm’s 20-plus year track record, strategic partnerships with top international firms, excellent service and high profile advertising campaigns. To boost sales, the firm had explored common alternatives – price cuts and an expensive marketing campaign. But although … Continue reading »
Tips for building a retail brand
In terms of service, Christmas shopping this year has been a roller coaster ride from the highs of the interactions in the luxury stores of Pavillion to the lows of the interactions in the wannabe Malaysian fashion store in Mid Valley. And even though approximately 85% of the interactions have left me frustrated, I want … Continue reading »
Organisational excellence required to build global Asian brands
Not too long ago, the Michigan (U.S.) State Business School reported that every US$1 (RM3.36) invested in marketing earned US$5 (RM16.80). By contrast, for every US$1 (RM3.36) invested in operational excellence, returned revenue was US$60 (RM201.75). Despite such data, the majority of Asian firms have been slow to grasp the importance of everyday operational excellence … Continue reading »
