Page 1 - 8.pdf - Brand Equity Magazine

IN
particular, Proton
invited Malaysians
to name the
product in a
contest that was
held nationwide;
the call went digital.
The company received a whopping
251,763 entries; 210,724 online
submissions and 41,039 SMS entries
between September and November
2008.
It explains in part why the new brand
had an enviable rate of adoption. And
in time, the paired words ‘No Stock’
glared at anxious consumers!
The brand ‘Exora’ could not cope
with rising demand. Delivery took a
brief pause, and bookings in early
November last year hit the roof at
16,000.
The ‘No Stock’ situation still shows
up at times, heightening potential
customer anxiety. And there is talk
that owners are pleased with its
performance to date. The 7-seater
Exora is giving Proton that much
needed chance to redeem itself, and
to tweak the public’s perception in its
favor.
Granted, their pricing structure
continues to deliver value. But they
have to be alert, given the presence of
closer non-national auto brands, and
pockets of still cynical customers.
But there are lessons to be learnt
here. Brands that receive any form of
inequitable advantage will eventually
get into troubled waters. Brand
builders must have the opportunity to
compete so they can constantly shift
the goalpost in the space of product
design, quality assurance, supply chain
management and CRM.
And the key message that spotlighted
the principal advantage of Exora
was inspired by an expression used
persistently by Proton’s Managing
Director whilst giving the folks of
Huang Ean Hwa
McCann Worldgroup a sneak preview.
McCann is the brand communications
agency that partnered with Proton to
unveil Exora to the Malaysian public.
“The expression
was ‘You’ll Be
Amazed’,” reveals
Huang Ean
Hwa, McCann’s
Deputy Chairman
and Executive
Creative Director
Brand Equity Volume 1, 2010 5