Brand, Identity and Reputation: Exploring, Creating New Realities ...

The interviews were conducted in the national Malay language and translated immediately following the sessions.
Discussions were on informal basis and arranged in the evenings between 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm to avoid peak hours of the
business. The owner and her husband were present and participated in each interview. As much as possible, questions
were asked to trigger responses on the motivations to start the ethnic business, the marketing practice, product
innovations and branding, and the ethnic business environment. Detailed notes were taken and verified during the
interviews. Photographs were also taken during each visit to the business outlet and were used together with the notes
during data interpretation.
Research Findings
The ethnic batik business is owned by Justina Dusing who is in her late forties. The idea to establish the business was
mostly out of her concern for the preservation of ethnic cultural values and assets. She considers it as partly the duty of
the ethnic communities to educate the mainstream consumers of their distinct and unique cultures through product
designs and innovation. According to Justina, her initial intention was to create an opportunity to market the important
part of her culture and treasures inherited mostly from the KDM ethnic as well as Rungus, Bajau and Iranun ethnics
groups. Prior to starting the business, the owner spent about seven years undertaking research to understand ethnic
motifs, their history and origins, and mastering the art of batik making. Since batik business in Sabah was still at its
early stage when Justina entered the market, she decided to integrate it with a cafeteria business. The batik business
occupies an area of about 15 square metres inside the cafeteria which is also managed by Justina. The cafeteria focuses
on ethnic food, drinks and authentic cuisines. Its interior decorations highlight the ethnic batik fabrics, fashion designs
and soft furnishing. Such a business combination was uncommon in Sabah when they first started. The fashion house in
a cafeteria provides a convenient and relaxing atmosphere for her customers to make their selections in one comfortable
place.
The application of ethnic motifs in designing the Malaysian batik was not new when the business first started. However,
Justina was uncomfortable to find that some of the motifs were misrepresented in the form of design combinations.
Some ethnic motifs carry sensitive meanings which are considered taboo and to be presented only in specific manners.
Ignorance of the meanings may result in unintended insults or damages to the consumers and the affected ethnic
communities. Thus, Justina, with the support of her family, was determined to educate the public by engaging in the
batik making. Batik fabrics offered by Olumis are characterised by unique combinations of ethnic motifs combined with
exclusive flora and fauna using exquisite selection of colours. The business owner claims that Olumis now takes the
centre-stage of ethnic batik category among the local producers in Sabah. Olumis also caters to the tourist market by
integrating ethnic motifs with contemporary ideologies and trends. This is produced in pictorial arts and hand-painted Tshirts.
The ethnic motifs are presented as creative images to create uniqueness in the designs. Geometrical patterns are
sometimes combined with plants, animals and other natural resources. Unlike traditional batik entrepreneurs, Olumis
invests on creating brand awareness for her batik fabrics by participating in local and international contemporary
fashion shows and also in government sponsored cultural activities. Among the ethnic consumers, however, emotional
attachment and ethnic pride seem to add to the brand loyalty and commitment. When deciding to establish the brand for
her batik, Justina insisted on using an ethnic term. She was very keen to promote the ethnic culture and lifestyles while
at the same time attempted to educate her broad-based customers including international tourists. According to the
owner, ‗there is a story behind every ethnic motif‘. The word Olumis, according to Justina, brings luck and prosperity
to her business.
Conclusion
In Malaysia, the limited batik designs at present create opportunities and challenges for new innovations. Considering
the growth of ethnic community and their cultural strength, ethnic branding may be the way forward for Malaysian
entrepreneurs. With Sabah batik industry at its beginning, its ethnic motifs provide a fresh addition to the tourism
industry. The exotic natural setting and diverse cultural background contribute to the development of distinguished
batik designs. This study shows that it is the brand name rather than the product features that attracts the niche
customers and thus, the business success at the initial stage. This could also be an indication of increased confidence by
the ethnic community of their growth in size and acceptance into the mainstream. In addition, the paper presents
selected ethnic motifs and their underlying meanings. Even though the findings are rather context-specific the results
highlight several issues that merit further research to promote global understanding of ethnic branding.
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