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2 BRAND BRANDEQUITY 

BRAND 

Raghunath 

editor’s note 

We are simply delighted that this issue’s lineup 

includes more homegrown products and services 

Celcom is on the cover and its brand building 

adventure is certainly tinged with loads of 

excitement Nothing more need be said other than 

the fact that the telco operators are treating 

customers with undiminished importance 

Customers are well into the frenzied adoption of 

mobile phones and the amazing repertoire of 

services That directed us to the doors of MNC 

Consulting a mobile business solutions provider to 

be reckoned with We believe that their tools are well 

positioned to assist aspiring brand builders 

Service providers such as FBI have given clients that 

much needed opportunity to get closer to customers 

at the ground level Drypers has made a comeback 

with an inspiring story that says a lot about making 

defensive as well as offensive moves as a market 

leader 

Arc Worldwide offers a repertoire of ROIcentric 

multidisciplinary communications solutions for 

brand ascension A case study featuring Arc’s 

adventure with the Virgin brand is an encouraging 

read 

We welcome back our legion of multifrontier experts 

in the area of brand protection personal branding 

relationship marketing and well as SME branding 

This issue also features the thoughts of an expert on 

brand loyalty 

As always ACNielsen and Nielsen Media Research 

have graced the pages with information of value 

A lot has been said and written about brand building 

Nevertheless it’s a mad world out there and things 

aren’t getting any easier 

The cobblestoned track offers challenges that must 

be negotiated with innovative ideas and true grit as 

well

Brand Revisited | 06 

The The The The The Passion Passion Endures 

Endures 

Drypers makes a ‘Passionate’ 

comeback in this piece as a brand on the offensive 

Cover Story | 10 

It’s It’s in in in Your Your Hands 

Hands 

Celcom’s analysis of customers delivers what matters to 

them connection & control 

features 

Below the Line Branding | 18 

Fabulous Fabulous Business Business Ideas Ideas 

Ideas 

A cluttered media environment is driving brand builders to 

onground activities 

Mobile Marketing Solutions | 22 

Solutions Solutions with with Limitless Limitless Possibilities 

Possibilities 

A mobile business solutions provider offers a 

repertoire of tools for engaging customers 

Contemporary Communications | 27 

Multidisciplinary Multidisciplinary ROIcentric ROIcentric ROIcentric ROIcentric ROIcentric Communications 

Communications 

Arc Worldwide rolls out a slew of communication disci 

plines to deliver for aspiring brands 

Shopper Trends | 54 

Malaysian Malaysian Shopping Shopping Habits 

Habits 

ACNielsen’s tracking activities gives a bird’s eye view of 

shopping trends & nuances in 

ACNielsen Update | 65 

Fast Fast Fast Food Food Food Food Food Brand Brand Mapping Mapping & & Online Online Surveys 

Surveys 

ACNielsen offers its insights and thoughts into a range of 

areas and issues 


BRAND 

Brand Equity 

SME Branding | 48 

Increasing Increasing Market Market Share Share & & Profit Profit Margins Margins 

Margins 

A brand consultant presents his views about transiting 

from sales to brand management 

Relationship Marketing | 35 

The The Proof Proof of of of the the the Pudding 

Pudding 

A relationshipmarketing practitioner proposes key 

metrics for measuring direct marketing programs 

BrandLaw | 32 

Copyright Copyright & & Consequences 

Consequences 

Presenting the ninth in a series that carries constructive 

ideas for defending brand value 

Customer Loyalty | 42 

Truly Truly Loyal Loyal Customers Customers do do not not Have Have to to to be be 

be 

Bought! 

Bought! 

A critical look at some commonly held beliefs about 

loyalty programs 

Market Research | 44 

Tracking Tracking Tracking Brand Brand Performance 

Performance 

A research agency offers a potent tool for tracking brand 

equity 

Brand Ambassador | 38 

It’s It’s all all in in in the the Stars 

Stars 

Explores the logic behind moving the brand portfolio 

with potent brand ambassadors

Media Equity 

Media Specialist | 57 

The The Media Media Media Maverick 

Maverick 

A seasoned specialist behind the Images 

Corporation has an enviable journey to tell 

Nielsen Media Research | 60 

A A Bullish Bullish Adex Adex Heralds Heralds Confidence 

Confidence 

The Government a dogfight for eyeballs and 

mindspace propels adex to meaningful levels 

Personal Branding | 52 

The The Personal Personal Personal Connection 

Connection 

Weighty thoughts on Personal Branding from 

Bill Arruda the world’s leading exponent on 

the subject 

Management 

Publisher : James Selva 

Executive Publisher : R. T. Selvii Publishing Director : R. S. Kumar 

Editorial 

Group Editor : Raghunath (email: brandman@tm.net.my) 

Staff Writer : Chris Krishna Contributors : ACNielsen, Benjamin J. Thompson , CSeng Lim , 

Dr. Matt Hasan, GfK Research Germany, R. Venkateswaran, Salim Khubchandani, William Arruda 

Member of : 

Media Marketing 

Marketing Manager : A. Veerasingam, K.Sigamani 

Marketing Executive : Anenda Sharma. 

Production 

Production Coodinator : R. Sangheeta 

Design Team 

Senior Graphic Designer : Mohd Ezral Bin Zaudi 

Graphic Designer : Hemalatha N, Fazlly Ismail 

Dtp Artist : S. Savithri 

Administration : Kavitha 

Printered By : BHS Book Printing Sdn Bhd 

Trade Fair Research | 74 

Monitoring Monitoring Trade Trade Fairs? Fairs? 

Fairs? 

Decisive ideas on the ‘whats’ and ‘hows’ of 

monitoring the success of trade fairs 

Published by : 

Perception Media Sdn.Bhd. 

3-3, Jalan 11/48A, Sentul Raya Boulevard, 51000 Kuala Lumpur. 

Tel : 603-4043 0500 Fax : 603-4043 7648 

BRAND BRANDEQUITY BRAND 

5

BrandRevisited 

The 

Passion 

Endures 

By Raghunath 

YES IT’S ‘WELCOME BACK’ FOR 

the brand featured in this tale And 

one word sumsup the motive 

behind such a moveappreciation 

for an adventure laced with 

PASSION! 

Two years ago we penned a tale 

about the exploits of a winning 

brand’s wellcrafted firstmoves 

that caught seasoned players off 

guard and delivered stellar results 

And we restate a fragment from 

the piece’In a race peppered with 

stirring miniepisodes the folks 

behind Drypers flushed 

convention down the tubes and 

usurped the share positions of 

leadingedge diaper brands such as 

Pampers Pureen Basic BabySoft 

Sealer and Huggies’ 

6 

BRAND BRANDEQUITY 

BRAND 

Eric Eric Eric Eric Eric Balinghasay 

Balinghasay 

Balinghasay 

Balinghasay 

Balinghasay

Since then it’s status quo of sorts 

at least by position The folks 

behind Drypers changed the rules 

of competition by drummingup 

and executing strategies plus 

tactics that were somewhat alien 

to the category players then 

The challenger dumped the usual 

‘blue liquid into the diaper and hey 

presto; its dry’ creative The 

package got redesigned and 

translucent blue moved in looking 

very inviting on retail shelves 

Prices were at best consumer 

centric competitive and quality 

ascended 

Ad campaigns tickled fathers and 

kids looked adventurous Cloth 

came in plastic ran for cover and 

parents loved it Storybooks that 

encouraged parents to read 

bedtime stories came in and the 

brand looked darn good A high 

level of consumer awareness was 

secured with a pitch as a new 

modern and upcoming brand 

And distribution took on an 

intense stance 

Drypers gave importance to 

bonding in the family and 

eventually took over as leader of 

the category in It was a 

sensitive personalityfocused 

‘understand’s your baby better’ 

campaign that put Drypers in the 

spotlight 

Since then it’s business as usual 

only this time the role has been 

reversed they are under attack! 

The brand’s posture has taken on 

a hybrid facade; time for defensive 

and offensive moves! 

And there’s a whole lot of brand 

passion that backs the brand 

You’d like to talk with the brand’s 

regional director of marketing Eric 

Balinghasay to get a blast of it 

To begin with this guy hasn’t 

changed His passion for the 

Drypers brand is still intact and 

pretty much explicit 

And since then a lot has happened 

in the market Most brands 

including global competitors 

slashed their retail price At times 

priceundercutting tactics were 

deployed Competitor advertising 

and promotions went into high 

gear with new messages Some in 

the pack followed Drypers closely 

with somewhat similar pack 

designs Amidst the skirmish 

others relaunched their brands 

‘Our priorities for had to 

change We wanted to ensure 

that Drypers is the topofmind 

brand considered by most 

parents when choosing a baby 

diaper In addition we wanted to 

defend our 

position as a 

market 

leader rely on 

our heritage 

and widen the 

gap with 

competing 

players’ said 

Eric 

He pointed out 

that research 

revealed gaps in 

brand perception 

‘We were not as 

strong in terms of 

function and 

performance at that 

time Being a leader we 

realized that we needed 

to highlight Drypers’ 

functional features’ he 

added 

‘In the early years our 

advertising was 

considerably personality 

driven and reliant on 

traditional abovetheline 

media Our tone and 

manner was conveyed through 

emotive propositions’ said Eric 

With that background coupled 

with their position the intent 

became clear the brand had to be 

associated with functional product 

benefits; which changed the tone 

and manner of communication 

from last year Complementing 

that was the desire to tell the 

market that Drypers is the leader; 

sans the uppity stance 

That in turn called for changing 

the way in which consumers were 

engaged with the brand Trust had 

to be piledriven into the mind of 

new parents The consumer 

Drypers experience needed to be 

intense and immensely rewarding 

And in line with tradition the need 


7

to surprise plus shocknawe also 

figured in campaign planning 

Everything fell into place when a 

multitude of touchpoints was used 

to get the message across and stun 

consumers And a series of 

communications activities of the 

degree type were rolled out 

And here’s the repertoire 

Drypers Drypers National National Consumer Consumer 

Consumer 

Promotion 

Promotion 

Timing: Feb to April All 

consumers had to do was purchase 

any Drypers pack cut out the 

barcode and attach it to a contest 

form Entries had to be 

accompanied by creative pictures 

and illustrations either drawn 

photographed or together 

featuring the grand prize That’s 

the firstmover element Naza 

Ria MPVs aside from over 

electrical prizes Eric said that 

results exceeded expectations and 

selected creative entries get to 

flaunt on the walls of the 

company SCA Hygiene 

Abovetheline Abovetheline Abovetheline Abovetheline Abovetheline Advertising 

Advertising 

Advertising 

Two new TVCs took to the air 

between May and June last year 

The message gave emphasis to 

Drypers’ functional elements a 

clothlike cover and absorbency 

with a pitch that declared ‘Comfort 

Inside Out’ In addition part of the 

message and tone emphasized 

that the brand remained the 

choice of most Malaysian parents 

Merchandizing 

Merchandizing 

A supporting instore 

merchandizing blitz was rolled out 

in all market centers A repertoire 

of pointofsalematerials was 

displayed instore at key retail 

establishments Some of them 

included block displays flaglines 

shelf talkers and wobblers 


BRAND 

InStore InStore InStore InStore InStore Promotions 

Promotions 

Promotions 

The idea was to create noise and 

build excitement as well as linkage 

for the brand amongst nonusers 

The events reinforced Drypers key 

selling messages which center 

staged its material absorbency 

and most preferred benefits 

A ‘Comfort Rewards’ challenge 

was executed instore All 

shoppers had to do was aim and 

throw a velcrowed dart at a board 

that displayed the benefits of 

Drypers to win prizes A 

complementing ‘Drypers Perfect 

Score’ enticed shoppers to drop a 

ball through holes in a box that 

carried a suspended diaper Prizes 

were given away to shoppers that 

dropped the ball onto any benefit 

of the diaper 

Infomercials 

Infomercials 

Two TV ad campaigns were aired 

for the purpose of building trust 

and credibility The creatives 

validated the rationale behind its 

position as the choice of most 

Malaysian parents 

TV TV Parenting Parenting Show 

Show 

A reality show for a diaper brand? 

Get out of here! But for Drypers 

Drypers gave importance to bonding 

in the family and eventually took over 

as leader of the category in It 

was a sensitive personalityfocused 

‘Understand’s Your Baby Better’ 

campaign that put Drypers in the 

spotlight

it was just a case of the itch for 

roping in just another innovative 

touchpoint 

To take off a promo ad called for 

inthefamilyway couples to sign 

up and take the challenge to get 

natural under the lights Spread 

over eight episodes the show over 

TV featured real experiences and 

tips shared by participating 

couples on their way to 

parenthood starting from the 

eight month The idea was to 

address elements such as 

credibility and trust and in turn 

highlight the funny tender and 

anxious moments that pepper the 

journey 

A show that’s a first for the 

category and went a long way to 

strengthen Drypers ‘Understand’s 

Your Baby Better’ equity 

Drypers Drypers Super Super Comfortable Comfortable Wee 

Wee 

Wee Wee Wee Stop 

Stop 

Yet another first from Drypers and 

for the category The company got 

in touch with PLUS with the 

intention of generating trial and 

interest for their disposable 

variant and to reinforce their 

‘super comfortable’ as well as 

‘most parent’s choice’ key selling 

messages 

A truck was decked to generate 

consumer awareness and interest 

at PLUS’s R&R stops along the 

NorthSouth Highway A team of 

promoters descended at the stops 

during the term holidays to 

engage consumers with 

information and offer free samples 

as well as change of diapers 

There’s a secret to the continuing 

onslaught and success of the 

Drypers brand The brand building 

adventure remains tinged with 

firstmover ideas strategic 

thinking innovative moves plus 

loads of passion 

‘The gap is enlarging to Drypers 

advantage its equity is high and 

we are well into the relentless 

pursuit of maintaining market 

leadership’ said Eric 

::: ::: ::: ::: ::: THE THE THE THE THE TEAM TEAM TEAM TEAM TEAM BEHIND BEHIND BEHIND BEHIND BEHIND DRYPERS 

DRYPERS 

DRYPERS DRYPERS 

DRYPERS ::: ::: ::: ::: ::: 

SCA Hygiene’s Marketing Team Matthias Chan Melvin Leow Suzanne Loo 

BBDO (Creative Agency) Account Account Management Management Chong Tzin Nui Michelle 

Achutan Michelle Nunis Phoebe Tan 

Creatives Creatives Colin Yeoh Loh Chan Wai 

FBI (BelowtheLine Agency) Vincent Lee Avril Ong 

OMD (Media Agency) Loo Shu Fen Siew Wey Tng Theresa Quah 


9

cover story 


BRAND 

Celcom’s insightful analysis of 

customers delivers what 

matters to them 

connection connection connection connection connection & & & & & control control control control control 

Michael Michael Michael Michael Michael Lai Lai Lai Lai Lai

By Raghunath 

TM 

Itʼs in your hands 

cover story 

DEFENSIVE TACTICS OFFENSIVE TACTICS 

GUERILLA TACTICS FLANK ATTACK AND IT’S WAR 

DECLARED BY ALL PLAYERS IN THE MOBILE TELCO 

SECTOR! 

Never has Malaysian corporate history ever 

chronicled an intense war of a type that continues 

to rage with unyielding ferocity And never has the 

Malaysian consumer been inundated with offers that 

entice with absolute frenzy 

It’s an unyielding battle that’s fought along several 

fronts right from pricing to product development 

And at times its shade of ruthlessness is prompting 

the question where is this all leading to? 

It’s apparent that consumers are going nuts over the 

myriad of offers with none about to complain For 

most it’s an opportunity to seize the moment and 

trim their monthly tab even by a hefty ! And 

for others time to be promiscuous! 

BRAND BRAND BRAND BRAND BRANDEQUITY BRAND 

11

cover story 

Last year the three mobile telcos 

spent hefty sums advertising their 

products Significant portions of 

their campaigns were product 

centric and reignedin to support 

tactical campaigns as well Maxis 

topped the Top list of 

advertisers in with RM 

million (increasing over 

) followed by Celcom at third 

placing spending RM (up 

) and Digi closing in with 

fourth placing spending RM 

million (up by ) 


BRAND 

Celcom Celcom Celcom Prepares Prepares for for War 

War 

And in the welcome brawl giving 

competitors a massive headache as 

well as a run for their money is an 

unrelenting Celcom In the past 

year it has hit the headlines for 

reasons 

that are 

aimed at moving 

it smack into the war 

zone as a force to be reckoned 

with 

With a history peppered with fault 

lines that’s still fresh in the minds 

of cynics the movers & shakers in 

the nervecenter of its parent 

Telekom (known now as TM) 

decided to shift Celcom to high 

gear with a clear mandate get 

back on track entice more 

subscribers and strengthen its 

market position as well as bottom 

line 

Among others the company 

scoured the talent landscape for 

competent brand builders Enter 

Michael Lai as Celcom’s Senior VP 

of Branding & Communications in 

with an experience bag that’s 

replete with brand building 

experiences with known 

companies notably global 

software giant Oracle 

A A New New Persona 

Persona 

And as the gear shifted just under 

two years ago Celcom’s first move 

was to take on a new persona TM 

Touch was dismantled and 

absorbed by Celcom A new 

refreshing identity remained vital 

to its ambitious plan 

The inspiration behind the move 

was triggered by insights revealing 

that the consumer harbored the 

desire to be in control; suggesting 

that Celcom must be 

considerably customer 

centric or risk further 

attrition 

A new visual identity 

was forged with a 

contemporarized bird 

in flight The 

brand’s persona was accentuated 

with the tagline ‘It’s in Your 

Hands’; simply reflecting the 

customer’s desire to take charge 

On Celcom’s tagline Michael said 

‘It is our promise of empowerment 

to customers We believe that 

mobile technology is democratic; 

people must use it in many 

meaningful ways to enrich their 

lives’ 

With that Celcom’s adventure 

began and what followed was a 

spate of proactive and reactive 

moves that altered the rules of the 

game 

Customer Customer Insight 

Insight 

But Celcom’s refreshed persona 

and repertoire was rolled out in 

phases on the back of insights that 

were delivered from intense 

market probing 

A comprehensive study that 

traversed Malaysia was 

commissioned The investigation 

probed every aspect of mobile 

communications from a technical 

personal and professional 

standpoint 

Michael emphasized that the 

powerful insights directed Celcom 

to what he labels as ‘Real 

Malaysians’ ‘People out there 

believed that the real values that 

Malaysia stood for such as family 

values unity of purpose and 

understanding were under 

threat of forces emanating from 

the modern world In addition 

everyone deep down inside their 

hearts wanted to belong and have 

more control over their lives’

cover story 


BRAND 

Celcom’s Celcom’s Proposition 

Proposition 

& & & Core Core Values 

Values 

‘We provide the most extensive 

therefore most powerful 

telecommunication network 

that’s available in Malaysia’ 

assured Michael ‘It’s with that 

premise that Celcom ensures the 

customers always take control 

with their communications needs 

With Celcom customers have the 

power to connect and how the 

customer uses it is entirely in their 

hands The power to truly connect 

to communicate in their own way 

is what makes them who they 

are’ 

So in place is the rationale 

behind the exposure of ‘The Power 

of True Connection’ a key 

message incorporated of late into 

Celcom’s brand building 

campaigns 

‘True Connections alludes to two 

things: First and foremost the 

network and technology we 

provide to our customers 

Celcom’s network reaches places 

other mobile telcos still aspire to 

But that’s not what matters most 

What matters most is how our 

customers use this communication 

power to truly connect hearts 

souls dreams and aspirations’ 

added Michael 

Target Target Customers Customers 

Customers 

Without a doubt modish 

technology offers new and 

exciting changes for Celcom and 

their competitors as well The 

scramble to latch on and offer 

highspeed data services (with G 

almost in) opens new windows of 

opportunity 

This is the point at which content 

becomes king New areas of 

application must be explored to 

fulfill the customer’s desire for 

more and create new segments 

In a businessasusual stance just 

about everybody who needs a 

mobile phone to communicate is 

a potential Celcom customer As 

Michael put it ‘Our ‘Celcom 

Moments’ advertising campaigns 

designed to 

celebrate life 

demonstrate 

clearly that 

Celcom is a brand 

for every 

Malaysian’ Mass 

is on! 

Then there are the 

price conscious 

teens and young 

adults that find their 

XPax variant 

appealing Get the 

mind to work and 

you’d find other options 

corporate customers 

from manufacturing and 

service sectors The result 

Celcom’s service 

repertoire and customer 

options swells! 

More segments spawn the 

need for new products and over 

time partnerships are needed to 

sweeten the offer ‘We are one of 

the world’s very first mobile telco 

to develop a strategic partnership 

with Microsoft We are working 

together to leverage on each 

other’s strength As a result about 

corporations todate have 

subscribed to our ‘Celcom 

Integrated Business Solutions 

(CIBS)’ service package which is 

primed to deliver a seamless 

experience beyond email Work 

and productivity will continue 

while their staff is on the move 

Today Celcom can truly mobile 

enable any enterprise in Malaysia 

to enhance their competitiveness 

productivity and bottom line It’s 

much more that just providing a 

mobile email system The world of 

business unplugged is finally here 

today with Celcom!’ he said 

Celcom’s partnership is now 

loaded to increase operational 

efficiencies in sales force 

management CRM 

enterprise messaging 

cash management 

mobile advertising 

mobile banking 

that’s in brief 

‘A restaurant which 

is WiFi’ed can use 

Celcom as the 

gateway for net 

cruising patrons; a 

sales executive 

can dialup the 

company’s 

database and 

confirm orders 

as inventory 

a n d 

manufacturing 

schedules are 

verified Our 

customers 

can use an 

application from 

Microsoft’s office suite and 

transfer the file wireless from their

mobile devices to their PCs They 

can ‘google’ on their PDA’s with 

our infrastructure It’s an exciting 

new world’ explained Michael 

On other possibilities Michael 

cited a case ‘We recently tiedup 

with Kenanga Securities; so we get 

to penetrate a new and growing 

segment The company’s remisiers 

and also their customers now have 

access to live streaming of all stock 

quotes And their customers in 

turn can manage portfolios and 

even deal them’ 

He emphasized that Celcom is the 

only company that’s ready to 

provide a complete repertoire of 

mobile communications solutions 

for businesses corporate SMIs 

SMEs and individuals 

Challenging Challenging Issues 

Issues 

There’s no escape from 

maintaining an obligatory 

eye on issues 

such as share 

ofvoice 

revenue targets 

brand delivery 

consistency 

c u s t o m e r 

satisfaction and 

among others 

competitive 

onslaughts 

Michael said that 

challenges on several 

fronts remains 

inherent to the 

business ‘Commitment 

and consistency in all 

brand product and 

service offerings is a must 

for us In addition 

simplicity in product 

offerings and consistency in 

communications is a priority 

as well’ 

Touching on competitive 

forces he said ‘Competitive 

share of voice is always a 

constant threat to be 

watching out for Our 

actions will impact one 

another That is why it 

pays to be a big step 

ahead of the herd’ 

‘This is a competitive 

b u s i n e s s 

environment 

Short term sales 

objectives and 

target are 

important in 

order to 

survive; 

however 

being long 

term branddriven 

is still the key priority for 

Celcom’ stressed Michael 

Delivering Delivering the the Brand Brand Promise 

Promise 

‘Fire at will’ It’s obvious that 

of late the sector has been 

peppered with a frenzy of 

tactical campaigns A price 

war has become an 

indelible element in the 

fracas between the 

mobile telcos 

Customers find their 

new package 

somewhat ‘outdated’ 

in a few days post 

adoption Additional 

services have been 

surfacing almost 

every fortnight in 

the past six 

months 

But Celcom has 

made some 

decisive first 

m o v e s 

Knowing that 

Malaysians 

have the 

habit of 

cover story 

going nuts over football the brand 

has linked itself to the 

passionate 

diversion for 

m a n y 

Malaysians 

‘Communications 

must build strong 

customer affinity 

towards our brand 

This is why 

sponsorship is one of 

few areas we focus on to 

bring the brand closer to 

the consumer’ said 

Michael when asked about 

brand communications 

‘Celcom recognizes the 

Malaysian passion for football 

We would like to delight our 

customers not only by providing 

them with the best in 

telecommunications but also in 

entertainment and lifestyle We 

enable our customers and 

Malaysians at large to live the 

passion for football through the 

English Premier League and 

‘Celcom InPlay’ In addition we 

also enable our customers to live 

the magic of 

entertainment with ‘Celcom In 

ShowBiz’ through movies music 

concerts and other 

entertainment’ 

‘Another area we looked at to 

enhance our brand promise is 

product branding In line with our 

desire to simplify our product 

offerings we consolidated our 

range of xseries prepaid brands 

under a single brand called XPax 

From a branding perspective it’s 

simpler and stronger’ explained 

Michael 

And XPax also carries some 

elements that were not offered by 

competing brands The key 

advantages include airtime 

transfer to a friend or loved one 

BRAND BRAND BRANDEQUITY BRAND 

15

and firstinMalaysia SIM card 

back up; just in case you lose your 

phone! Incidentally the package is 

targeted at young adults women 

teens and students 

Amidst all that the brand has 

taken the opportunity to stake a 

territorial claim with a strong 

message that declares ‘This is 

Celcom Territory’ 

And strong TVCs imbue the idea 

that life can be celebrated with 

loads of fun Recall the ‘Celcom 

Moments’ TVCs that lampoon a 

hopeful trying to impress his loved 

one with a SMS picture of ‘his’ Z 

or an elderly hopeful getting 

connected with his young tribal 

wife and a chef’s escapist interlude 

with a Bollywood dance scene? It’s 

all very much an all Malaysian and 

real Malaysians posture 

But there is no let up in product 

development either ‘We are the 

first to help customers send an 

SMS in Chinese many years ago; 

and offer the first K SIM card 

and customized menu 

configuration We are the first to 

introduce Microsoft Windows 

Mobilebased email and business 

solutions We are the first to 

introduce special prepaid cards and 

offerings for the women segment 

And most recently we introduced 

the Celcom Minutes plan the 

country’s first postpaid plan that 

truly charges the same low rate to 

all millions mobile and fixed 

phone numbers nationwide day 

and night Not just within the 

same network Now you don’t 

have to pay higher rates to call just 

because your friends or family 

members are on other mobile 

networks or home lines This is 

definitely the FIRST in Malaysia’ 

he emphasized 

And Celcom is very big into Futsal 

a craze that’s germinating among 


BRAND 

teens young adults and all those 

who are ‘young at heart’ The 

brand has sponsored the largest 

Futsal Tournament in the country 

themed Celcom inPlay Futsal 

Fiesta since last year Celcom in 

Play Futsal Fiesta is making 

stops all over the country right 

now on a city tour 

‘The aim of Celcom inPlay Futsal 

Fiesta is to bring as many people 

as we possibly could to come 

together and celebrate the sport 

of football We were more than 

pleased when a total of teams 

took part in Celcom inPlay Futsal 

which spanned nine cities 

nationwide’ he explained 

‘ The KL event last year even made 

it into the Malaysian Book of 

Records and was named the ‘the 

biggest Futsal tournament in the 

country’ when teams 

participated It’s a great honor to 

be recognized for this 

accomplishment I am proud that 

Celcom succeeded in bringing 

people from many walks of life to 

come together for one 

purpose which is 

FOOTBALL! This is a 

testament to the power 

of football and Celcom’s 

passion for the sport’ he 

added 

In responding to the issue 

about price war Michael 

said ‘To us price is about 

giving value and we have 

to cope with all that is 

happening’ 

‘But the issue that matters 

is how do we keep giving 

value to our customers? 

There are several other 

components that must be brought 

in to work together; and this is 

about a degree approach to 

customer management because 

every touch point builds the brand 

cover story 

Our branches Careline dealers 

service quality solutions content 

development and delivery 

everything must be coordinated to 

deliver a brand that is trusted to 

deliver what we promise 

flexibility and choices of True 

Connections in our customer’s 

hands’ he added 

As with many corporations 

Celcom has received its fair share 

of flak on their ARPU churn and 

profit margin But with all that’s 

happening what’s interesting is 

Celcom’s competitive attitude 

they are prepared for anything 

that the war has to offer And they 

are not about to let up anytime 

soon The next two years will tell 

though! 

So an assured Michael had this to 

say ‘At the end of the day it’s not 

about us but about the customer 

We provide the power to truly 

connect But what they do with it 

to enrich life it’s always in their 

hands!’

BelowtheLineBranding 

Fabulous 

Business 

By Raghunath 

WWWFBICOMMY WE 

often visit websites for obvious 

reasons But this one took us for 

one heck of an interesting ride! 

The modest animation is worth a 

trip! 

And the man behind it all is no 

greenhorn Vincent Lee and his 

team can drumup surefire ideas to 

enhance your customerbrand 

connection in no time through on 

ground promotional services and 

events 

His repertoire of services road 

shows product launches contest 

management sampling programs 

product demos instore gondola 

end merchandising design of 

point of sale materials and 

fabricating showcases and road 

show structures 

And in the battlefield belowthe 

line customer engagement tactics 

have become a force to be 

reckoned with 

Clutter in the media environment 

powerful retailers with an eye on 

KPIs eroding differentiation 

between brands the tendency for 

brand builders to realign budgets 

for favorable ROI the high cost of 

media advertising sophisticated 

customers expecting relevant 

brand experiences a mixture that 

triggers the need for alternative 

methods of communication; add 

to the list the crusading disposition 

of belowtheline specialist firms 

18 


BRAND 

ideas 

An increasingly increasingly cluttered media 

environment is driving brand brand builders 

builders 

to to interface interface with customers via 

onground activities 

such as FBI or Fabulous Business 

Ideas 

Vincent is FBI’s founder as well as 

creative & marketing director A 

passionate veteran fmcg 

marketer the man comes with 

matching skills that’s hard to find 

The kind of jobs he has been 

through after having left art 

college with flying colors includes 

sales production of commercials 

account management 

merchandizing brand 

management as well as advertising 

& promotions 

As employee he has worked with 

top brand owning firms an 

advertising agency a production 

house as well as a trading firm Add 

to that the heavyweight retail 

connections nationwide and what 

any client is likely to gain are 

potent AtoZ solutions And 

sometime in between he topped 

his personal portfolio with a 

marketing qualification 

It’s a journey that started in the 

early s and took a different 

tangent in when Vincent 

unveiled FBI a promotion and 

event management agency It’s 

been five years; his client list reads 

like a whoswho in the consumer 

marketing arena 

‘My forte is in developing 

organizing and executing tactical 

promotion activities for client 

brands It is my intense experience 

that helps me to understand my 

client’s objectives and strategic 

direction FBI’s goal is to support 

clients with onestop promotional 

solutions’ said Vincent

From idea generation to 

execution belowtheline 

campaigns involve coordinating a 

range of key activities 

Case in point a contest must be 

supported by of a team of 

promotional staff Add to that the 

sourcing of premium gifts 

planning contest mechanics 

developing contest creatives 

managing the contest period 

securing supporting sponsors and 

retailers designing and producing 

pointofsale materials planning 

instore merchandizing designing 

and printing trade presenters for 

the sales team to rope in retailers 

advertising to create awareness as 

well as present details about the 

contest 

The sourcing and negotiations 

that follow soon after and 

eventual coordination of inbound 

supplies and onground 

coordination of activities to 

support successful execution will 

brand owners free up their time to 

manage the show themselves? 

Vincent Vincent Vincent Vincent Vincent Lee Lee Lee 

Lee Lee 

And can FBI deliver a total 

solution? 

‘A typical belowtheline project 

may be executed at several 

locations Each retail or concourse 

area with different character may 

require adaptation of ideas and 

pointofsale materials Our full 

service capability is enabled by our 

connections with a comprehensive 

network of retailers printers and 

premium suppliers In addition 

FBI has a team of creative people 

supervisors and promoters on 

standby to deliver anytime 

anywhere’ explained Vincent 

But there is more to Vincent’s 

adventure Is your brand pressed 

for time? Are competitors playing 

catchup too fast? Are consumers 

getting edgy because they want 

more from your brand? Are they 

hardup for enriching experiences? 

Is the management screaming for 

more ROI way before the year is 

up? Are retailers demanding to 

getyourbrandsacttogether or 

else? 

More than ever speed is a source 

of competitive advantage 

‘Concept to execution we can get 

everything up and running within 

a week or two’ said Vincent 

Can logistics cope? ‘That will 

depend upon the client as well’ he 

said ‘A large campaign requires 

negotiations with retailers to book 

and block space Once that is taken 

care of a wellequipped sales force 

supported by a team of 

merchandizers can coordinate to 

execute the campaign efficiently’ 

Point isVincent knows his 

business and the potential that lies 

ahead He opined that since 

consumers have numerous 

options ‘it is important for brand 

owners to organize innovative 

road shows create an enticing 

look secure the customer’s 

attention and get them closer to 

the booth and brand’ 

He stressed that onground brand 

building events are one powerful 

tool that manufacturers neglect 

save for a few that understand its 

deliverables Perhaps the usual 

about which portion of your ad 

budget really delivered comes into 

play here A blind spot is a regular 

with all marketing campaigns 

‘Brand builders can see immediate 

results if they are willing to 

commit a fraction of their budget 

for belowtheline campaigns’ said 

Vincent 

And what about budget 

constraints? Assured Vincent 

‘Creative campaigns can be 

tweaked to accommodate smaller 

budgets as well’ 

Vincent Vincent can can be be be contacted contacted at 

at 

vlee@fbicommy 

vlee@fbicommy 

vlee@fbicommy 

vlee@fbicommy 

vlee@fbicommy 


19

FBI’s Noteworthy 

Campaigns 

JOHNSON’S JOHNSON’S BABY BABY ‘SNIP ‘SNIP ‘SNIP ‘SNIP ‘SNIP 

SNAP SNAP SNAP SNAP SNAP SMILE’ 

SMILE’ 

The intent was to strengthen 

Johnson Baby’s presence and 

increase sales volume A 

nationwide road show got 

underway So dig this Happy 

parents were enticed with an offer 

by J&J to give 

their baby a 

haircut A shot of 

the ‘event’ was 

framed along 

with a lock of the 

baby’s hair And 

purchasing a 

bottle of the brand’s shampoo was 

part of the happy deal FBI helped 

to execute the road show at 

locations nationwide receiving 

overwhelming support from 

consumers and the trade 

NEUTROGENA NEUTROGENA MOBILE MOBILE FACIAL FACIAL FACIAL SPA 

SPA 


BRAND 

DREAMLAND DREAMLAND DREAMLAND CHIROPRACTIC CHIROPRACTIC MATTRESSES 

MATTRESSES 

The idea was to get the brand moving forward The focus was 

on caring for our ‘backs’ Endorsements were secured from expert 

chiropractors The brand Dreamland introduced a premium range 

that came with an advanced Miracoil spring system Alongside 

provocative and evocative ads consumers were invited to 

participate in a blind test on the mattress stripped of padding 

and interestingly consumers feedback was positive for factors 

such as firm support and less partner disturbance Market share 

increased and sales doubled within months of the campaign 

The objective was to execute a talkofthetown event for the launch of Neutrogena Facial Hydration Mask 

An executive coach transformed into a mobile facial spa invited consumers on board at over high traffic 

locations in the Klang Valley to experience minutes of free facial and demonstration The deliverables? 

High impact and positive consumer response! 

CLEAN CLEAN & & CLEAR CLEAR DAILY DAILY PORE PORE CLEANSER 

CLEANSER 

A new range from the brand required 

the support of a high impact ground 

event The hero of the product was 

its dualmicroscrubbers cleansing 

system Highlights of the event 

executed at major shopping malls 

in the Klang Valley included a free 

skin analysis to consumers 

followed by a demonstration to 

explain the brand’s features A 

giant microscrubbers chamber 

was developed and consumers 

were invited to participate in a 

‘Grab the Mircoscrubber 

Challenge’ & win instant prizes 

with proof of purchase Response 

and sales were beyond 

expectations

ANLENE ANLENE GOLD 

GOLD 

CONCOURSE CONCOURSE EVENT 

EVENT 

The intent was to introduce a new 

improved formula and strengthen 

the brand’s position A Scratch & 

Win contest to win instant prizes 

was executed The purchase of an 

Anlene Gold pack was rewarded 

with a healthscreening package 

which was redeemable at 

concourse and road show venues 

nationwide High sales turnover 

was delivered throughout the 

promo period 

NEXT NEXT NEXT FRUIT FRUIT MILK 

MILK 

SAMPLING 

SAMPLING 

The big idea was to reinforce brand awareness and educate 

consumers on fun ways to enjoy Next Fruit Milk A 

Mediterranean style mobile cafe bar was consigned to serve the 

product to consumers and distribute new recipe leaflets days 

and the sampled cups exceeded 

DRYPERS DRYPERS ‘PIT ‘PIT STOP’ STOP’ SAMPLING 

SAMPLING 

A first time ever for a diaper brand to roll out a nationwide sampling 

program at PLUS highway R&R stops offering free diapers change for 

travelers with babies to a fresh comfortable Drypers diaper for a better 

journey home The sampling exercise was rolled out for a period of 

weeks during the school term holidays The result? High response that 

enticed many new users 

BRAND’S BRAND’S HEALTH HEALTH SUPPLEMENT 

SUPPLEMENT 

The introduction of Brand’s new range of Health Supplements via 

a roadshow & concourse event A comprehensive ground event 

concept was deployed to lure consumers to visit Brand’s roadshow 

at selected shopping centers in various market centers They 

received free Screening of cholesterol level blood glucose blood 

pressure and fat analysis Over of people tested were instantly 

converted to customers It was the first time that Cerebos Malaysia 

adopted an onground program The overwhelming result proved 

that roadshows were effective in both brand building and 

generating instant sales 

STAYFREE STAYFREE STAYFREE INSTORE INSTORE INSTORE INSTORE INSTORE 

PROMOTION 

PROMOTION 

The relaunched Stayfree brand needed 

to demonstrate the effectiveness of a 

new feature its antileak channels 

An interactive game challenge was 

planned in which consumers were 

invited to play and score Participants 

won the New! Stayfree pack instantly 

and samples were also distributed 

What followed was the heightened 

interest of new users and increasing 

sales 

DRYPERS DRYPERS ‘PERADUAN ‘PERADUAN PANDU PANDU RIA’ 

RIA’ 

The objective of this consumer contest was to further strengthen 

Drypers’ market share and drive incremental sales within a month 

period A simple and easy to enter consumer contest with big prizes 

was the strategy Two MPVs were the grand prizes to be won It was 

supported with both above & below the line activities massive instore 

merchandising and a mega display with the presence of the Naza Ria 

MPVs as a prime temptation The contest received overwhelming 

response and generated over entries Market share reached an 

all time high 

BRAND’S BRAND’S ESSENCE ESSENCE OF OF CHICKEN 

CHICKEN 

FOR FOR JUNIOR 

JUNIOR 

The big idea was to get children closer 

to the brand Targeted at school kids 

aged to a ‘search color and count 

chickens’ contest was organized and 

prizes given away included a ps game 

console In addition selected winners 

were also given the opportunity to 

attend a free course at FutureKids a 

leading IT school for children 


21

MobileMarketingSolutions 

Solutions 

with Limitless 

Possibilities 

By Raghunath 

CONTENTGATEWAY 

interactivity webbased short 

code customized manager plug 

nplayif the spread isn’t all that 

familiar it’s possible that you are 

not up to speed about the future 

Yes the future! 

But the need to know becomes 

pressing if you are keen to ascend 

your brand position Undoubtedly 

these indelible expressions have 

become part of the contemporary 

brand building landscape 

And just one compelling reason 

will do to impress the need for 

getting into the act and 

contemporarising your brand 

building initiatives last year a 

whopping billion ( bil in year 

) SMS messages went back 

and forth between individuals in 

Malaysia Secondly mobile phone 

ownership enjoys a penetration 

rate of more than () 

So we shift gear right about now 

to surmise that as a loyal Da Ma 

Cai (formerly known as Pan 

Malaysian Pools) customer your 

senses get tickled twice a month 

with random luckypick numbers 

in English or Chinese! And the 

gaming company relays the 

numbers to your mobile phone 

22 


BRAND 

A mobile business 

solutions provider 

offers a repertoire 

of empowering 

real-time tools for 

engaging customers 

Jasmine Jasmine Jasmine Jasmine Jasmine Lee Lee Lee Lee Lee

Soon after you’d like to get an 

update on your BonusLink points 

Just do the SMS thingy and the 

numbers are beamed in an instant 

Or zip an SMS for interesting 

downloads from Samsung’s Fun 

Club Or you’ve decided to 

participate in a contest organized 

by some weighty global brand via 

SMS 

What you’ve been served is a 

sample from the seemingly endless 

list of opportunities that await 

brand builders within the mobile 

marketing environmentAnd the 

enablers include Malaysia’s 

aggressive telcos other firms that 

provide content plus those that 

furnish the right tools or 

applications to facilitate 

communication between brand 

builders and their endcustomers 

Enter MNC Wireless Berhad a 

leader in mobile business solutions 

and an acknowledged ‘tool’ 

provider that delivers innovative 

multiple solutions designed to 

bridge the gap between your 

brand and its customers 

Innovative yes; but adoption by 

local marketers is another matter 

altogether Did the journey 

present challenges? ‘We 

commenced operations in July 

and were one of few offering 

mobile marketing solutions 

Marketers had a tough time 

understanding the possibilities and 

benefits offered by the mobile 

marketing environment 

Regretably SMS was alluded to 

spamming In addition marketers 

did not see the benefit even 

though SMS was more cost 

effective than email marketing or 

banner advertisements’ said 

Jasmine Lee founder and CEO of 

MNC Wireless 

That view coming from a veteran 

bears considerable merit Jasmine 

then a pioneer played a pivotal 

role in shaping the industry’s 

growth Within a short period of 

time she has acquired the support 

of large clients such as TV Pan 

Malaysian Pools Motorola 

Unilever BonusLink as well as 

ntv 

‘We hit upon the idea that 

developing and marketing 

softwarebased tools as the engine 

for managing the customerbrand 

connection within the mobile 

marketing environment was the 

right business to be in’ she added 

And times have changed; the 

marketer’s adoption of SMS and 

mobile marketing is at an all time 

high with room to develop and 

MNC is on track 

According to Jasmine MNC 

Wireless is well on its way to 

becoming the Microsoft of the 

mobile marketing domain ‘We 

have built standard platforms for 

brand builders and marketing 

companies to enable customer 

communications within the 

mobile domain and to date they 

have delivered’ she explained 

Much of what their platforms can 

do is about empowering brand 

builders to take charge and 

communicate with their 

customers at any time and at their 

own pace 

In the earlier days clients had to 

direct MNC to create and send 

messages The process was 

considerably lengthy and client 

servicing called for backnforth 

communications before messages 

could be sent to customers 

Empowerment and responsibility 

have their say in corporate 

structures; befitting MNC’s mobile 

solutions proposition 

So you’d like to harnass the power 

of mobile communications or 

specifically SMS marketing Call 

MNC and are likely to do a need 

analysis to help you get underway 

You can get some advice on the 

specifics of database 

management including data 

cleaning and updating 

It’s like plugnplay and very DIY 

MNC moves their software into 

your system builds an Internet 

interface and all you have to do is 

open the system with a password 


23

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