Tag: Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – PayMate, a business-to-business (B2B) payment solutions provider, has forged a strategic partnership with De’Xandra, a Malaysian perfume brand. The partnership aims to transform B2B payment processes and boost the growth of Malaysian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

De’Xandra will use PayMate’s platform to streamline its payment management. It will allow the perfume brand to collect payments from its over 6000 distributors while ensuring timely and reliable payments to its suppliers. 

The partnership also contributes to PayMate as it strengthens its presence in Malaysia’s SME sector. 

PayMate’s platform allows SMEs in Malaysia to use commercial cards with an interest-free period of up to 55 days. This offer makes their B2B payments efficient and secure, eliminating operational difficulties.

“At PayMate, we believe that the backbone of Malaysia’s economy lies in its SMEs, and our mission is to empower these businesses with the tools they need to thrive. We are here to support every small business in Malaysia providing them with innovative payment solutions so that they may overcome working capital challenges, grow confidently and drive the nation’s prosperity,” Amirreza Sawal, general manager of PayMate Asia Pacific, said.

Ernayanee Nur, chairman of Blyon Group Berhad and Oshien2u SDN BHD, commented, “Collaborating with PayMate marks a new era for De’Xandra. With their payment solutions and support for accessing crucial capital, we are confident that our operational efficiency will significantly improve enabling us to better serve our customers and expand our footprint across Malaysia.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Malaysian WiFi service CONNECTme has launched a new campaign promoting accessible and affordable connectivity for all. The campaign produced with FCB SHOUT reflects the company’s commitment to providing connectivity even for Malaysians living in remote areas. 

The ‘CONNECTme to a Bigger World and a Brighter Future’ campaign is founded on a film about a Bornean boy discovering new things in the digital world. The film shows how his entire village benefits from the CONNECTme broadband service.

The film campaign is a sequel to the brand’s campaign last year. Both were launched in time for Malaysia Day. 

CONNECTme uses the Malaysia East Asia Satellite’s (MEASAT) satellite broadband system to provide connectivity throughout Malaysia. 

“This campaign is the ideal springboard for us, as Malaysia’s rural satellite broadband service provider, to reinforce our commitment to connecting more Malaysians to a bigger world and a brighter future, regardless of their location. As highlighted in our latest brand film, CONNECTme is driving progress across various sectors, including telehealth, defense, education and e-commerce. This Malaysia Day, we are proud to reflect on our contributions toward advancing the country’s digital landscape and empowering more Malaysians with equitable access to a world of greater opportunities,” Ganendra Selvaraj, chief commercial officer of MEASAT, said.

Syahriza Badron, general manager of FCB SHOUT, commented, “This campaign marks our second year working with MEASAT and CONNECTme and we are very pleased that we have gradually but surely developed a profound and unique narrative for the brand. As the nation’s satellite communications provider, CONNECTme deserves to be celebrated for giving Malaysians the opportunity to better their lives regardless of their stature, race, religion or even locality, and there’s no better time to spotlight the endeavours of the brand than during Malaysia Day. Lastly, a huge appreciation goes out to our production partners at KDCo, Max Fx Studio and Crosstown Connection for bringing the film to life.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Ogilvy Malaysia has been appointed by Lactalis, the French dairy giant, to lead the brand revitalisation of its iconic dairy brand, Lactel. The partnership will commence in mid-August and involves an integrated brand campaign aimed at re-establishing these beloved brands in the Malaysian market. 

Following the acquisition of Bliss and the whole range of drinking and spoonable yoghurt, Lactalis currently faces the challenge of becoming a top-of-mind brand in the highly competitive yoghurt category. 

Despite introducing innovative products, driving penetration remains a hurdle due to insufficient brand awareness. Hence, it is crucial for Lactalis to not only continue its innovation streak but also generate significant excitement around these new introductions. By doing so, the aim is to enhance their brand visibility, establish a strong market presence.

Moreover, the win showcases Ogilvy’s strengths in understanding Malaysian culture and consumers, as well as its proven ability to build brands that stand the test of time. This partnership is a testament to Ogilvy’s creative excellence in delivering breakthrough solutions that resonate with Malaysian audiences. 

Lactalis’ decision to partner with Ogilvy comes at a time when the dairy category in Malaysia is brimming with untapped potential. As a market leader, Ogilvy sees this as an opportunity to not only drive brand success but to help Lactalis navigate this new chapter. 

For the agency, the opportunity to work with Lactalis, a company that has a purpose for ‘nurturing the future’ and shares their commitment to innovation and quality, has brought a renewed sense of excitement and to the team.

Joselynn Lim, marketing and innovation manager at Lactalis, said, “We are thrilled to be partnering with Ogilvy, an agency that shares our commitment to innovation and understands the Malaysian market. We look forward to working together to re-establish Lactel and create space for the dairy products as we expand in to the dairy segment in Malaysia.”

Meanwhile, Michelle Ong, executive group director at Ogilvy Malaysia, said, “Malaysia is on a health transformation journey, and we at Ogilvy are beyond excited to partner with Lactalis. With their wide range of products, an exciting innovation pipeline, and a deep commitment to Malaysia, we have all the ingredients to lead this transformation together.”

Many recent technology developments such as generative AI and enhanced customer engagement strategies. are greatly improving the marketing and advertising environment and providing several advantages in a variety of fields. For instance, businesses are analysing customer data in a new way thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, which allows for accurate targeting and personalised content distribution. 

With the use of these technologies, marketers can better target their ads to specific audiences, anticipate their behaviour, and increase engagement and conversion rates. Large data sets must be swiftly processed and interpreted in order for marketing tactics to be both more successful and flexible enough to respond to shifting consumer patterns.

Moreover, as these technologies develop further, they give marketers strong tools to design dynamic, captivating, and tailored campaigns that increase consumer loyalty to brands and broaden their consumer base. In the future, incorporating these state-of-the-art technologies is expected to further enhance the efficacy and originality of marketing campaigns, establishing new benchmarks for success in the sector.

To further explore more industry insights on the future of marketing and advertising this 2024 and beyond, MARKETECH APAC has announced new updates to its industry-leading What’s NEXT series, with more expanded plans targeted to reach more marketers in the Asia-Pacific region, giving industry leaders a platform to highlight their insights and advice on the latest trends in marketing and advertising.

What’s NEXT in Marketing: Indonesia 2024

Kicking off this year’s instalment is MARKETECH APAC’s debut conference in Indonesia with its What’s NEXT in Marketing: Indonesia 2024 which will be held on November 7 at Pullman Jakarta Indonesia. This inaugural flagship event will offer industry leaders with a platform to exchange experiences, knowledge, and foresights that will shape the future of marketing in Indonesia.

Our initial roster of speakers include:

  • Bharat Buxani, Senior Vice President, Marketing at 99 Group Indonesia
  • Kelvin Hong, Director of Brand Marketing at A&W Restaurants Inc
  • Gita Rostika, Group Head of Marketing at bank bjb
  • Mediko Azwar, Chief Marketing Officer at Blue Bird Group
  • Ilham Pratama, Head of Marketing at Chery Motor
  • Irfansyah Kurnia Putra, Country Head of Marketing at IKEA
  • Rajesh Grover, Group VP – Digital and Omnichannel at Kanmo Group
  • Yosua Tanuwiria, VP of Marketing at Pluang
  • Ryan Dawa, Head of Marketing at Reku
  • Asnawi Jufrie, VP & GM of Southeast Asia at SleekFlow

What’s NEXT in Marketing: Malaysia 2024

Later this year, What’s NEXT in Marketing: Malaysia 2024 will also kick-off on December 3-4 at Sheraton Petaling Jaya. This conference is the second time a What’s NEXT conference has been held in Malaysia following the successful launch of the 2023 conference back in December 5, 2023.

Our initial roster of speakers for this 2024 conference includes:

  • Andrea Chuang, Campaign Marketing Head at AirAsia MOVE
  • Huey Ying Leong, Head of Marketing at Burger King
  • Xing Jun Khoo, Head of Digital, Media & Insights at Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad
  • Evelyn Lee, Head of Marketing at Secret Recipe Cakes & Cafe
  • Asnawi Jufrie, VP and GM of Southeast Asia at SleekFlow 
  • Mun Yee Lau, Head of Branded Content and Social at TIME dotCom
  • Jason Yong, CEO and Founder of Unicom Marketing
  • Alyaa Ramlan, Head of Social at Unifi

What’s NEXT in Marketing: Singapore 2025

Kicking off in 2025 as well is our What’s NEXT in Marketing: Singapore 2025 which will be held from February 19-20. This is the second What’s NEXT conference in Singapore following the 2024 edition on March 7 and saw an attendance of 150 delegates.

What’s NEXT in Marketing: Philippines 2025

For 2025, MARKETECH APAC kicks off its first What’s NEXT conference of that year with What’s NEXT in Marketing: Philippines 2025 which will be held on March 26 to 27, 2025 at Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria. This is the third time What’s NEXT will cater to the Philippine market following huge success on its first instalment of the conference in 2023 with more than 200 in-person attendees, while the second one earlier this year had 219 in-person attendees.

What’s NEXT in Marketing: Hong Kong 2025

For the first time ever, MARKETECH APAC will also be bringing the What’s NEXT conference in Hong Kong with its What’s NEXT in Marketing: Hong Kong 2025 happening in April 24, 2025. More details will be announced.

Joven Barceñas, founder and CEO of MARKETECH APAC, said, “Since its launch, What’s NEXT has always set its vision to ignite powerful conversations that will shape the future of marketing in Asia-Pacific. From emerging technologies to shifting consumer behaviours, What’s NEXT is where industry leaders, visionaries, and trendsetters will come together to explore new frontiers, redefine strategies, and inspire groundbreaking ideas. These conferences are more than just events—they are catalysts for change, empowering us to stay ahead of the curve, anticipate trends, and lead the charge in transforming the way we connect with consumers. We are thrilled that this year’s series, we are expanding the conversations in Indonesia and Hong Kong.”

For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Joven Barceñas at [email protected].

For speaking opportunities for these conferences, contact Katherine Sy at [email protected]; and for registrations, reach out to Hans Policarpio at [email protected].

Malaysia – PUMA has launched a flagship store at Sunway Pyramid in Malaysia, its largest in Southeast Asia. The activation aims to strengthen the brand’s commitment to the fashion and sports industry in the country.

Coinciding with this launch is the PUMAthon activation, a running track within the store open to all guests.

Each time guests complete 100-meter runs, PUMA donates RM10 to Care2Run, a non-profit organization seeking to improve the lives of differently-abled youth through sports programs in Malaysia. The initiative aims to promote inclusivity, reflecting PUMA’s ‘Forever Bersama’ campaign.

Within the 12,000-square-foot store, various immersive in-store experiences await customers. 

Besides offering exclusive items and collections, PUMA Malaysia also reveals a customisation area, interactive displays, and personalised experiences to guests. The store also introduced the three-dimensional foot scanner, which analyses a customer’s foot before suggesting a sneaker style through the power of artificial intelligence.

“‘Forever Bersama’ means ‘Forever Together,’ and this campaign truly embodies that sentiment. By participating in this activation, Malaysians engage in a fun and active experience while contributing to a larger purpose. Each run adds to our collective contribution, highlighting the impact of coming together for a common cause,” Steven Tan, country manager for PUMA Malaysia, said. 

Customers can take part in the PUMAthon throughout the month of September. 

PUMA ambassadors Metawin “Win” Opas-iamkajorn, Tontawan “Tu” Tantivejakul, Meerqeen and Priscilla Abby also made an appearance during the opening celebration of the store.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – ZUS Coffee, a Malaysian coffee shop chain, celebrates its local roots in its ‘Made in Malaysia’ campaign, made in collaboration with advertising agency Fishermen Integrated. 

While honouring its heritage, ZUS Coffee’s campaign encourages other homegrown brands to be proud of being made in Malaysia. Its mission is to elevate the profiles of locally-made brands. 

With a new ‘Made in Malaysia’ logo that is available for free use, the company urges other local brands to wear the mark of their roots with pride. The logo features elements that speak of the country’s identity while being touched by the humorous description of Malaysia, which is “Below Thailand, Above Singapore, Not Indonesia.”

ZUS Coffee also released ‘Made In Malaysia, Dicintai Dunia,’ a five-minute film that embodies the campaign’s mission. The company stays true to its aim to elevate other local brands by featuring them, including Inside Scoop, Spritzer, Munchy’s, BananaBro, Pestle & Mortar Clothing, HYGR, and Pos Malaysia. Malaysian personalities are also featured in the film.

“There is greatness made in Malaysia every day. But we realised most homegrown brands seem reluctant to display the ‘Made in Malaysia’ label prominently. It is usually found near disclaimers at the bottom, or tucked away at a corner in small print. This trend contrasts sharply with other places such as Europe, where ‘Made in France’, ‘Made in Germany’ or ‘Made in the United Kingdom’ are displayed with pride. We saw an opportunity for ZUS Coffee — a proudly Made-in-Malaysia brand — to take the lead and help correct this,” Fishermen creative director, Andrew Perera, said

“The goal was simple: to create a mark that Malaysian products can proudly showcase. ZUS Coffee has made the logo available for all to download, share and use for free. This will hopefully start the transformation of ‘Made in Malaysia’ from a footnote into a brand of its own, and build a newfound sense of pride in being ‘Made in Malaysia’ among local businesses,” Perera added.

“The campaign just launched and we are already receiving so many positive responses. It’s one big ‘Buatan Malaysia’ family coming together for a common cause — celebrating and inspiring pride in Made-in-Malaysia businesses. As another homegrown brand, we are humbled to be part of this initiative that showcases the incredible local brands that make Malaysia unique,” Fishermen co-founder and managing director, Mark Darren Lee, said.

“A special shoutout to our Fishermen team for creating something that feels more than just an ad. What makes this Malaysia Day film truly remarkable is how each brand embraces its identity while contributing to something bigger. Seeing multiple brands united for a good cause is what makes this campaign so meaningful,” Lee added.

Meanwhile,  ZUS Coffee Creative Director Shafiqah Othman commented, “The most exciting part of this journey is collaborating with incredible partners and brands, bringing them all together under one roof like a family reunion. We believe that businesses should uplift one another while also providing platforms for local artists and talents to shine. We take immense pride in the talent, creativity and innovation that Malaysia nurtures, and it fills us with purpose to share this with the world. Our campaign video, released in conjunction with Malaysia Day, is a heartfelt tribute to the spirit of excellence that unites us as Malaysians. Working with Fishermen Integrated to bring this vision to life has been a beautiful part of this journey. We are incredibly excited to continue championing Malaysian greatness, now and always.” 

‘Made in Malaysia’ is an addition to ZUS Coffee’s ‘Buatan Malaysia’ campaign in 2023. This year, it will run until Nov. 2, ZUS Coffee’s fifth anniversary, and conclude with the music festival, ‘Made in Malaysia: Lokal Kasi Vokal.’

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – SIRIM QAS International–a testing, inspection and certification body–has teamed up with M&C Saatchi to release a short film, titled ‘Harmoni Sebuah Memori’. The film was created in honour of Malaysia’s 67th Hari Merdeka and celebrates how kindness unites us all. 

In line with this year’s Malaysia Madani: Jiwa Merdeka theme, the film conveys the heartwarming story of how Cikgu Yam’s simple acts of kindness and generosity over the years are still remembered by those around her. The film was directed by Wayang Works, with Nadiah Hamzah as the director. 

For someone living with dementia, Cikgu Yam is still capable of spreading warmth through her simple and kind gestures, while receiving the understanding of the people around her. 

En Aminudin Abd Aziz, senior general manager at SIRIM QAS International, said, “This film is more than just a tribute, it is also a reflection of our group’s values, namely unity. As diverse as Malaysians are, our ability to relate and understand each other is what unites us as one. As we celebrate this year’s Merdeka theme, Malaysia Madani: Jiwa Merdeka, let’s find inspiration from the values shared through Cikgu Yam’s story and do our part in bringing positive changes within our immediate communities.” 

Meanwhile, Marzuki Maani, executive creative director at M&C Saatchi Kuala Lumpur, commented, “The film visibly depicts all of Cikgu Yam’s good values that inspire Malaysia’s future generations, and also the importance of such values in the development of a progressive and inclusive tomorrow.”

Malaysia – Fraser & Neave (F&N) Group in Malaysia has appointed dentsu Malaysia as its new media agency of record, following a highly competitive pitch. 

The partnership, set to begin in October 2024, will see dentsu take charge of media strategy, planning, and buying across F&N’s beverage and dairy portfolios in Malaysia. This includes categories such as isotonic drinks, carbonated soft drinks, water, wellness beverages, liquid milk, and canned milk.

Leong Wai Yin, marketing director at F&N Beverages Marketing, commented, “Our decision to partner with dentsu Malaysia was driven by their exceptional media strategy and innovative planning capabilities that will drive not just media effectiveness but overall efficiencies for us as we grow our portfolio brands. This is a power-packed team that has a deep understanding of our business, our products, and our consumers. We are excited to embark on this new journey with dentsu in this new phase.”

Meanwhile, Winnie Chen-Head, managing director of media at dentsu Malaysia, shared, “As part of a dentsu cluster that has our heart in Southeast Asia, we appreciate F&N’s ASEAN ambitions and bring our unique Malaysian perspective to support F&N’s growth in the market. We are therefore thrilled to be chosen to drive ambitious growth of its brands with our deep expertise in media effectiveness and ability to drive innovative solutions that go beyond the usual in this exciting new chapter.” 

She added, “We had a blast working with the team so far, with opportunities to really connect with F&N’s well-loved and iconic brands such as 100PLUS, F&N CSD, Seasons, Oyoshi, Magnolia, FarmHouse, F&N Canned Milk, Teapot, and many more. We cannot wait to reach new heights together with F&N with this mandate!”

Dentsu has also been serving as F&N’s media agency of record in Singapore since 2019.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has released an online statement to address recent concerns and misconceptions surrounding their ongoing efforts to regulate internet traffic through Domain Name Service (DNS) Management.

This follows after public outcry on MCMC’s initiative to restrict certain internet access, calling it ‘draconian’. For MCMC, they reiterated that Malaysia’s implementation of such measures is for the protection of vulnerable groups from harmful online content.

“An inaccurate claim also suggests a so-called blanket ban, with some suggesting that legitimate websites have been made inaccessible because of DNS redirection. Websites are only blocked when they are found to host malicious or unlawful content, such as online gambling, pornography, copyright infringements, scam, phishing, and etc. Legitimate websites remain accessible as usual, and DNS redirection ensures that harmful websites are blocked while legitimate websites remain reachable without noticeable disruption,” the commission stated.

MCMC has stated that it has issued instructions to ISPs to redirect DNS traffic towards third-party DNS servers back to their own DNS servers. This is to ensure that users continue to benefit from the protection provided by local ISP’s DNS servers and ensuring that malicious websites are inaccessible by Malaysians.

It also stated that some users choose to use third-party DNS servers like Google DNS or Cloudflare, and is said to be offering various benefits such as faster speeds. However, they might not have the same level of protection for harmful content particularly in the local context, compared to local ISP’s DNS servers.

For context, DNS is a system designed to turn website addresses into numeric IP addresses to locate websites on the internet. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) typically operate their own DNS servers and these servers can be configured to block access to certain websites or domains based on their content. This is a common method used to protect users from harmful content.

Following said measures, MCMC said that between 2018 and 1 August 2024, the commission has blocked a total of 24,277 websites, classified into various categories: online gambling (39%), pornography/obscene content (31%), copyright infringement (14%), other harmful sites which include the sale of unregistered products, unregistered money lending activity, disclosure/sale of personal data (12%), prostitution (2%), and unlawful investments/scams (2%).

“MCMC remains committed to maintaining a safe and secure online environment in Malaysia, balancing the protection of internet users with the need for seamless access to legitimate online content,” they said.

Malaysia – Prudential Malaysia has introduced the ‘PRUMillion Med Active’, a medical plan that provides Malaysians with more control of their medical insurance through the ‘Be In Control’ campaign created with advertising agency Naga DDB Tribal. 

The campaign details the benefits of the new medical plan, which allows people to pay less for insurance when claiming less while ensuring that medical coverage is not affected.

Using dance to express self-control in the campaign, Be In Control conveys the medical plan’s active-pricing element. Beginning with a 15% instant discount on medical insurance charges, they can continue to enjoy an annual discount when they maintain good health and make no claims. 

“We wanted to create a visually stunning campaign that truly captures the innovation of the medical plan. After exploring various ways to convey the concept of ‘control,’ we found that ballet and breakdancing perfectly embodied the essence of ultimate control in movement,” Alicia Hew, creative director at Naga DDB Tribal, said

“Our focus group uncovered that people have very little knowledge, which hinders their ability to make better healthcare, insurance, and medical claims decisions. But what remained true across all respondents was that they wanted to become more discerning and well-informed consumers to offset the rising cost of living. So our strategy was clear: To empower them with the confidence to make equally informed decisions when it came to insurance – which we knew would position PRUMillion Med Active in the best possible light” Mark Siew, associate director of strategic planning at Naga DDB Tribal, said.

The campaign also includes a series of content informing Malaysians on claim-based pricing plans.