James Selva - Brand Equity Magazine

Contents
MPH Amplifies the
Brand Experience
AMP: Flanking Strategy
on the Cover
Malaysian Tourism
Gets a Boost Online
A Clever Way to
Break the Competition
Barack Obama & the
Power of Mobile
Word of Mouth: A
Primer from Vocanic
Shoppers Switch to
Cost-Saving Mode
A Good Show
from Radio
Made to Delight
Branded Tiles
Synovate Tracks
Affluent Malaysians
Malaysian Consumers
& the Economy
Brand Ambassador on
the Go
Sports Sponsorship
for Recognition
Mainstream Media
Leads Again
Brands ARE Playing
with Our Minds
02
06
11
14
16
20
24
26
30
34
36
39
42
44
47
Editor’s Note
This is not something we would like to hear, but proof
points supporting the belief that many of our habits have
been manufactured by companies and marketers are in.
That chilling revelation and many more details are contained
in Martin Lindstrom’s latest book Buyology: Truth and Lies
About Why We Buy. We believe every brand builder must
devour the contents; and we’re not harboring any intention
to ‘manufacture’ reading habits here.
This issue features Malaysia’s leading player in the radio
sector. AMP is on the cover and the biography demonstrates
how strategic flanking and consistent innovation can
sustain competitive advantage.
Whilst Malaysian’s are concerned about the economy,
they can’t resist the temptation to shop. These and other
interesting nuances have been revealed by Synovate
Malaysia.
Despite the free-for-all, radio adex has moved-up. The
Nielsen Company reveals interesting facts & figures about
the sector’s performance. And Internet penetration has
doubled in five years; but traditional media continues to
dominate the Malaysian media scene, reveals The Nielsen
Company.
So Barack Obama can thank mobile marketing for getting
him elected. His decisive win is a lesson for brand marketers
about how a well-planned and executed mobile campaign
can change a brand’s fortunes.
Brand Builders, be inspired – there are always innovative
ways to change your brand’s destiny.
Mindset check! Are you willing to change?
Publisher : James Selva Executive Publisher : RT Selvii Publishing Director : RS Kumar
Group Editor : CGN Raghunath (email:brandman@tm.net.my) Staff Writer : Chris Krishna
Contributors : Martin Lindstrom, Mickey Alam Khan, Venkat
Marketing Manager : R Selvan, Anenda Sharma Graphic Designer : VA Kanmani, AV Shantini
Dtp Artist : S Savithri IT Executive : Vani Sri Administration : Kavitha
Printed By :Sampoorna Printers Sdn Bhd. No1, Jalan TIB 1/19 Taman Industri
Published by:
perception
media
Bolton 68100 Batu Caves, Selangor.
PP11255/4/2008
Perception Media Sdn Bhd
3-3, Jalan 11/48A, Sentul Raya Boulevard,
51000 Kuala Lumpur
Tel : 03 4043 0500 Fax : 03 4043 7648
www.brandequity.com.my
A Member Of:
1

Retail Experience
Like to be assured? While books may
seem to be at the center of MPH’s
retailing universe, the brand has tweaked
its retail mix to include features that
reflect its commitment toward amplifying
the customer’s experience.
Among others, a quaint in-house deli
fittingly branded ‘Book Café’ has become
2
The
Experience
Matters,
Always!
MPH no longer retails
books; in a manner of
speaking that is!
By Venkat
a standard fixture at key MPH branches.
And MPH has come of age, with a firm
grip on changes that are impacting their
customer’s lives.
Built on the back of a solid heritage
that almost hits a century, the 1st retail
outlet of the then Methodist Publishing
House opened doors in Stamford Road,
Donald Kee
Enrichment Beyond Knowledge

Children can indulge in an environment
that encourages them to read, participate
in activities or simply hang out.
Singapore. That was in 1908. The business
went public in 1927, and subsequently
morphed into the chain that it is today.
Over time, a makeover in identity gave
birth to ‘Malaysia Publishing House’; and
the iconic ‘MPH’ is now a 28-strong retail
network in Malaysia, with 4 in Singapore
as well.
Value Proposition
‘What differentiates our brand from the
typical bookshop is that we sell a total
experience instead of books. The key is
to ensure that our customer can enhance
his or her quality of life through the MPH
brand. And that by itself goes beyond
books. Our key value proposition to
our customers is that we aim to deliver
enrichment beyond knowledge,’ says its
chief operating officer Donald Kee.
The retail chain now boasts the inclusion
of megastores in three locations. ‘These
pioneering lifestyle branches has helped
transform our brand proposition into
reality for all of our customers,’ adds
Donald.
And given the target profile, MPH is
operating in a customer space that can
offer considerable challenges. ‘Our brand
appeals to the 25 to 35 year olds and
predominantly young families as well.
They are educated, overseas traveled and
committed to their children’s education.
In addition, most of our customers belong
to the middle to higher income bracket,’
says Donald.
The MPH Brand Experience
Among others, a members-only lounge
accords the kind of privilege that
customers expect these days. A time-off
at the Book Café is offered as a welcome
feature of the total brand experience.
And there’s more. Launching a
compendium of recipes? Amplify the
experience with the inclusion of a Chef
who can whip-up a delectable variety
in the megastore’s very own and wellendowed
kitchen.
‘We do, on occasion engage the right
people to take the lead in story telling
sessions, and speak their mind on
specific topics. This helps our customers
to relish the store experience and enrich
themselves in the process,’ says Donald.
And in the Kidz Zone, children can function
in an environment that encourages them
to read, participate in activities or simply
hang out. Their experience is peppered
with value discounts, newsletters, special
offers and regularly planned activities.
Customer Retention Strategy
As always, the intent must be to convert
customers into brand advocates. Retention
initiatives at MPH are channeled through
3

two distinct clubs – MPH Reader’s Circle
and MPH Kid’s club. And members are
constantly engaged through attractive
deals, events, newsletters, email alerts
and other pertinent activities.
Book Hive, a quarterly magazine for
children offers sneak previews of books
due on shelves and information about
activities for members. The store’s indoor
4
‘We are mindful of the change that
is taking place, particularly in the
digital space.’
or outdoor programs (held at times
in places such as Bird’s Park) help to
generate interest in books and inculcate
the reading habit in children from a young
age.
In addition to such initiatives, special
rebates are offered when customers
purchase books at any of their stores.
The 51st Merdeka special promotion was
a case in point.
Brand Communications
And brand communications is no longer
confined to traditional media. ‘We employ
a mix that reflects our customer’s living
nuances,’ says Donald.
While press advertising is somewhat of a
given, SMS and email advertising is fast
becoming the norm for MPH. Monthly
newsletters are circulated to members.
Co-branding and sponsorships for
relevant events have become an indelible
part of the MPHs’ brand communications
strategy.
And mphonline is in operation. Whilst
Donald concedes that revenue from the
format will be subdued for the moment,
he believes that the investment will
deliver high ROI in the long run.
‘We are mindful of the change that is
taking place, particularly in the digital
space. Getting customers to source for
and order through PDAs and mobile
phones would be something to consider.
It delivers that much needed value while
enhancing their purchase experience as
well,’ says Donald.

ad for bq.indd 7 12/9/08 9:25:16 AM

Cover Story
Unapologetically
Different?
Riding the streets
6
Lite FM gives to kids
Why Not?
By Raghunath
When successful corporations express
their confidence, many may allude to the
choice of words as defiantly reeking of
corporate arrogance.
But we live in times when people can spot
and pooh-pooh any sort of spin; whilst
in-your-face comebacks are becoming
more acceptable. But at times, you’ve
got to take a stand. So let’s shove the
cynic aside, and you can hear hordes of
supporters urging, ‘Say it with panache
Bro...!’
When Airtime Management &
Programming (AMP) declares ‘The AMP
Advantage, Unapologetically Different’…
for sure it expresses their self-belief, and
unbridled confidence.
Perhaps ‘unapologetic’ because they’ve
secured the ears of 11 million listeners
nationwide; and each week some six out
of ten listeners tune in to any of their
eight radio stations.
What’s up with the ‘different’ part?
Well, they seem to churn out innovative
solutions that engage listeners and
advertisers as well.

AMP was the first to take to the streets with
attractive vehicles. The aim is to interact with
radio listeners on the street and to act as a
sampling arm to distribute products free!
In the Beginning & Line-Up
Time for that backgrounder. For the
uninitiated, AMP is a subsidiary of ASTRO,
and the corporate facade of eight popular
FM radio stations (see profile, last page
this story). And the first station took to
the air in 1997.
Fact is; AMP was the first to introduce
format programming. The stations
broadcast every possible genre in all
popular languages, granting it the benefit
of engaging every sizable demographic
and psychographic target in Malaysia.
Fun with mix.fm
It’s a line-up that demonstrates how the
power of flanking executed by a market
leader can deliver strategic advantages.
If there is a listener gap, chances are
that AMP has plugged it. But will that
guarantee a tenable advantage? That
depends!
These guys are not only up against
formidable direct competitors, but have
to deal with shifting technological and
cultural dynamics, and the persistent
push by indirect competitors to grab
more advertising dollars.
Lions in the Arena
Despite the stacked-up advantage, AMP
is up against formidable competition. The
intimidating line-up includes a strong
Media Prima (a media conglomerate that
has its tentacles in print, TV, outdoor,
events and radio), over 30 governmentowned
national as well as regional radio
channels, and boutique stations such
as Capital FM, Bernama’s Radio 24 and
among others, Manis FM.
Pointedly, Media Prima has made striking
gains in the radio arena; its Hot FM is hot
on the heels of ERA, while Fly FM tries to
play catch-up with hitz.fm.
And lately, RTM refreshed their lineup;
while new stations got into the fray.
Innovation at AMP
Radio is no longer a ‘just
switch-on, spin-it and broadcast
medium’. On-air and off-air
activities have become equally
vital, and complement oneanother
to intensify as well
as expand the experience for
listeners.
And the mix has to be very ‘multi’
– multi-platform, multi-media,
multi-activity to deliver that great
brand experience.
So what does the ‘brand
experience’ include? The
audience listens, and gets the
opportunity to call in. They can
express their views, call-in to
inform happenings or participate
in a contest. And there’s always
the interactive platform of station
websites, mobile, on-ground
activities and other events to
hold their attention.
AMP was the first to take to the
streets with attractive vehicles.
The aim is to interact with radio
listeners on the street and to act
as a sampling arm to distribute
products free! To date, AMP
has eight different vehicles
supporting the seven main FM
networks.
And advertisers would love to
maximize reach, touch and
impact. Like others, AMP offers
advertisers solutions that bundle
on-air, online, mobile and onground
products. The media
owner claims leadership in media
bundling opportunities.
7

Put it all together and you are treated to
audience fragmentation; thus amplifying
the urgency for managing listener
attrition and loyalty.
There’s more – include the plans of
media owners outside the radio space.
The Outdoor Boys will swear by their
medium. Or just ask print and TV media
owners and they will list their unequivocal
advantages over every other medium;
and of course, insist that your media ROI
will ascend with them. It’s vicious.
And let’s not forget the Telcos for
instance. Expect radio listeners’ to shift
in droves if they decide to channel more
juicy content to subscribers in a pact
with an appropriate partner. And young
listeners are a vulnerable lot.
It doesn’t look nice! Still, it heightens
the need for more and more innovation if
media owners such as AMP like to holdon
to listeners; exactly what they’ve been
up to.
Off-Key Solutions for Advertisers
Its fair to suggest that vanishing gradually
are days when a brand can get loud with
a mere jingle over the radio. Sic! Selected
AMP cases-in-point follow.
Maxis Communications, the leading
Telco operator wanted to promote
Barclays Premier League (BPL), and
deliver the ultimate football experience.
A partnership was struck with AMP’s
ERA and hitz.fm to organize the Maxis
Football Speedmaster Challenge.
8
The traffic team headed by Priscilla Patrick
Maxis, the official Broadcast Sponsor of
BPL together with AMP sent 10 lucky
winners to watch the game’s finals in
London. The entire activity involved the
use of radio, mobile, internet, and onground
activities.
Perodua wanted to celebrate 50 years of
independence with the community and
promote the Perodua brand as well as
the new Perodua Viva.
Indie Band Funk Face
The solution: Perodua partnered with
AMP’s ERA, reached out to 50,000
listeners all around Malaysia, and spread
joy and patriotic spirit. It was done in
style – ERA’s breakfast crew traveled all
around peninsular Malaysia in a Perodua
Viva each, making their way to high
traffic areas. The team distributed 50,000
limited edition ‘ERA 50,000 Mission,
Powered by Perodua Viva’ postcards.
The postcards enabled the listeners to
call in every morning, for the chance to
win RM300. And to top that, one lucky
winner won the grand prize of RM3000,
courtesy of Perodua of course.
Magnum Corporation and AMP’s THR
Raaga held the Magnum THR Raaga
Charity Concert 2008 at Penang
International Sports Arena with a strong
audience of over 9,000!
The audience, sponsors and media
helped collect a total of RM 49,247.70 for
two orphanages in Penang.
AMP’s Internal Advances
Amidst everything, the media owner has
been paying attention to its own brand
repertoire, refreshing the stable when
AMP Consulting is charged with
developing short term tactical campaigns,
or cost-effective long term brand-building
campaigns for clients.
necessary. And there have been other
allied internal innovations as well.
Xfresh kicked-off as a teen community in
2001, the initiative became a radio brand
by 2004; and a magnet for local talent,
giving them the kind of exposure they
need to take-off and succeed.
While hitz.fm rebranded to become

Malaysia’s 1st interactive radio station in
2001, Lite & Easy made way for LiteFM
in 2006.
Heard about AMP Consulting? Its charged
with developing among others, short
term tactical campaigns, or cost-effective
long term brand-building campaigns for
clients.
And AMP’s state-of-the-art studios,
completed in 2006 have 3 webcams
each to provide content over the ASTRO
channels if they so wish, as well as
webcasts.
And a secure facility contains servers
that holds a library of over 50,000 songs.
The internal archive is a step in the right
direction because most old music in
Malaysia, recorded between the 40s and
70s are yet to be archived.
The Jakeman Spins
MY FM announcers in costume
In 2007 AMP became the first radio
company in Malaysia to broadcast
crawlers and clients’ messages to
listeners FM car stereos via Dynamic
RDS (radio data system); a move that
secured the interest of competitors.
What the Future Holds
Despite all the talk about a burgeoning
digital domain, radio ad revenues have
been ascending.
According to The Nielsen Company, a
total of 15 million people tune-in weekly
to the radio, representing 92 percent of
the total population of people aged 10
years and above in Peninsular.
Granted, radio has mass appeal and
seems to be resilient in an environment
replete with hordes of media options
for advertisers.
And for those in radio broadcasting
– must ‘radio’ remain their core
business? ‘Somewhat’ is better than
an accentuated ‘Yes’.
Dump ‘Yes’ because that takes a myopic
view of the entire business when nontraditional
competitors can flash their
deadly fangs (even an escalator in a
high-traffic property has become an
advertising medium of sorts).
And bear in mind that a sizable young
population in Malaysia is a gold mine
waiting to be engaged. Their reading,
viewing and listening habits have
changed given their association with
the ubiquitous mobile phone.
Point is – what does that mean for
AMP? Well, they have been innovative
thus far. The challenge lies in ensuring
that consistent innovation remains at
the center of everything they decisively
do for listeners and advertisers.
9

AMP’s Repertoire: A Snapshot
Radio Station Brand
10
www.hitz.fm www.mix.fm www.litefm.com.my www.era.fm
Target Audience 10 to 29 years old 25 to 39 years old 35 – 49 years old 18 to 34 years old
Positioning
Statement
A Word from Those in
Charge
Radio Station Brand
Target Audience
Positioning
Statement
A Word from Those
in Charge
Malaysia’s #1
Hit Station
Program Manager
Brian Vinesh Veeriah
says, ‘This is the station
for all the hits and
you must check out the
new hitz.fm morning
crew, now with
JJ and Ean. They are
like Mexican jumping
beans fully fuelled with
coffee. Cool, and Trend
setting, playing all the
hitz.’
‘Mornings are whacked
out with the morning
crew kick starting your
day like a slingshot to
the other side of the
moon,’ says Music
Executive Uno.
Malaysia’s Best
Variety
‘We are contemporary
and bubbly.
MIX fm reaches out
to a sophisticated
fan base with an
eclectic mix of radio
personalities, playing
your favourite music
from the 80s to
today,’ says Program
Manager Anushia.
Famous For The 80’s
‘Nostalgia lives on
LiteFM now with the
best songs from the
80s. And when you
think reminiscing
about the yesteryears
is good enough,
LiteFM gives current
information and
tips, so even when
the music is backdated,
LiteFM keeps
you updated,’says
Program Manager
Ramesh Mark Sankey.
TM
Rentak Muzik Terkini
(Latest Music Trends)
Says Program Manager
Nazri Noran,
‘ERA is the pioneer
of Bahasa Malaysia
format radio for 10
years. Championing
local music and
entertainment, with
a mixture of Indonesian,
international
music, and the latest
trends.’
www.my.com.my www.sinar.fm www.xfresh.com www.thr.fm
18 to 34 years old 35 to 49 years old 10 to 24 years old 18 to 39 years old
(Raaga)
20 to 39 years old
(Gegar / Hindi
Power)
Great Music,
Great Company
Senior Program Manager
Roland Lee says
that the station offers
fresh and entertaining
Chinese adult contemporary
music with
friendly announcers on
air always. ‘We often
bring the hottest Asian
acts to town,’ he adds.
Muzik Retro Terbaik
(The Best of Retro
Music)
‘SINAR experienced a
solid growth in 2008.
It can only be attributed
to the brilliance
of SINAR pagi team,
our established lineup
of announcers,
and of course, the
music that we play.
The best of retro music
from the 70’s and
80’s in English and
Malay’, says Program
Manager Rostam
Zulkhairi Said.
Kami tak hot, kami
cool!
‘We broadcast 100%
new sounding Malaysian
Music. Fresh,
new, kick a@$! young
Malaysians rock it
with XFM, the only
station that plays
100% Malaysian
music. XFM turns
down the temperature,
and keeps it
cool. That’s why,
‘Kami tak hot, kami
cool!’ says Program
Manager Adly Syairi
Ramli.
THR Raaga:
Aaha...Sirantha Isai
THR Gegar:
Permata Pantai
Timur
THR Raaga’s
Program Manager
Ramesh Periasamy
says, ‘Raaga offers
a selection of Tamil
music that includes
urban, pop, folk and
semi classical from
80’s, 90’s and now.’
Azaari Atan, THR
Gegar’s Program
Manager says,
‘THR Gegar plays
adult contemporary
and traditional
music. Gegar also
strives to inculcate
values identified
closely with Malay
cultural nuances.
Gegar’s Hindi Power
segment is popular
amongst Malay
listeners.’

e-Marketing
Of late, travelling has been facilitated
by the proliferation of a myriad of
e-portals. The problem is that those
that need relevant information must
spend considerable time browsing the
online environment.
Often, a red flag pops-up when
reliability is in doubt. Among others,
a portal may need the backing of a
Tourism
Malaysia
and the
e-Platform
A Technology Company is Harnessing the
Power of the Domain to Support Malaysia’s
Travel and Tourism Indistry
By Venkat
reliable supporter in order to prop-up its
own credibility.
Let’s train the spotlight on 2 portals –
Virtual Malaysia, a home-grown tourism
portal for avid travelers worldwide,
and myTOURS, a consolidated tourism
e-business portal that unites government
agencies, various sectors of the travel
industry, and consumers.
Rohizam Md Yusoff
11

‘We are currently riding on the back
of an increase in demand for onlinetriggered
travel from consumers from
all over the world.’
‘We have, over the past decade deployed
a mix of technology and industry
experience to operate a one-stop portal
for all stakeholders operating within the
tourism and travel sector,’ said Rohizam
Md Yusoff, the CEO of Creative Advances
Technology (CAT), and the inspiration
behind Virtual Malaysia and myTOURS.
The Model
Whilst virtualmalaysia.com is the official
e-tourism portal for the Ministry of
Tourism, Malaysia, mytours.com.my
brings together several stakeholders
under one platform – travel agents,
airlines, hotels and travel suppliers.
‘We are currently riding on the back of an
increase in demand for online- triggered
12
travel from consumers from all over
the world,’ said Rohizam. He added that
the success of myTOURS relies on its
three ‘Cs’ – Commerce, Content, and
Community.
‘Commerce helps travel agents and
travel suppliers connect with each other
whether they are inside or outside of
Malaysia and spur the travel industry to
grow faster than ever,’ said Rohizam.
‘Content is a centralised data warehouse
which provides extensive travel destination
information, event coverage, travel
planner to all myTOURS subscribers.
This is the ‘sticky’ side of our website.’
‘Community is riding on the growing trend
of user-generated content in the Web 2.0
boom. Users are able to comment and
share about their experiences on travel
products or services and even advice
other travellers on places that they have
visited,’ he added.
And the intent of Virtual Malaysia and
myTOURS? To deliver maximum visibility
for Malaysia worldwide.
Branding and Promotions
Whilst myTOURS remains at best a recent
entrant, its associate Virtual Malaysia has
made considerable inroads into the minds
of consumers worldwide.
‘We have benefitted considerably as
Tourism Malaysia’s exclusive official
information hub. Our brand identity is
featured prominently in every campaign
undertaken by the Ministry of Tourism,’
said Rohizam.
And 30 million monthly hits is offered
by Rohizam as a credible proof point
to confirm Virtual Malaysia’s global
recognition. ‘The exclusivity of our portal

A newsletter enables subscribers to keep abreast
of happenings besides helping to advertise and
promote their services
is maintained by carrying only tourismrelated
information,’ he added.
‘Almost 80% of our traffic comes through
search engines. We consistently harness
the power of search marketing for
directing traffic to us,’ said Rohizam.
Interesting Nuances
Rohizam said that the behavior of
consumers online helps enhance content
and configuration from time to time. In
addition, participating stakeholders are
also supplied with vital information they
can take advantage of.
Some known nuances include:
Taking note of miss-spelt keywords helps
direct traffic. Often, Singaporeans missspell
Cameron Highlands as ‘Cameroon’.
Targeting this miss-spelt keyword can
direct Singaporeans to Malaysia.
Search patterns of visitors can vary from
season to season. Australians typically
search for beach holiday destinations in
Malaysia but opt for Batu Caves early in
any given year.
Visitors spend on average 8 weeks to buy
a travel plan. And it is done in a phased
manner.
‘Knowing such timelines allows smart
marketers to dovetail their messages into
the buying process at the right time,’ said
Rohizam.
The trade has to be managed as well. A
newsletter enables subscribers to keep
abreast of happenings besides helping to
advertise and promote their services.
And last year during an e-marketing
conference for industry players,
representatives from Google were
invited to share their views about taking
advantage of the online environment
for generating more travel and tourism
business.
Moving Forward
In Malaysia, CAT had signed-up 50
inbound travel operators, airlines, hotels
and travel suppliers for the myTOURS
platform.
With the success of myTOURS in
Malaysia, CAT has introduced the portal
to prominent outbound travel operators
in Singapore and other countries to
enhance trade relations with Malaysian
inbound travel operators’ products and
promotions.
‘In time we will expand our footprint to
include several countries in the Middle
East and Europe,’ said Rohizam.
13

Rip the Competition
Some years ago, an Australian takeout
Pizza Place used the Internet in an
attempt to boost sales. Traffic was slow.
Hardly anyone visited the site. The need
for an increase in traffic was urgent.
If traditional online media planning had
been used, banners and links would have
been purchased and the URL added to
the shop’s phone-book entry. It might
even have invested in some traditional
ads.
14
How to
Rip the
Competition
in One Go
By Martin Lindstrom
The Pizza Place went a different route.
Instead of spreading money between
off- and online ads, it spent the entire
budget on radio. The spots were simple
but extremely effective. So effective, the
restaurant’s increased business caused
most of the local competition to shut
down.
How’d it do it?
Instead of offering discounts or merely
promoting its URL, the Pizza Place’s
Quarter of the
world’s brands have
not incorporated
their URLs into the
message customers
hear on the phone
while on hold.

More than half of today’s brands have yet
to optimize the way search engines secure
consumer awareness of their existence.
radio ads asked listeners to tear out all
the pizza-restaurant pages from their
yellow pages and bring them in. In return
for the pages, customers received a free
pizza of their choice and a sticker with the
restaurant’s URL.
Very clever!
Because the contact information for all
the other pizza joints in town disappeared
from customers’ primary reference
source, only one set of contact details
was left in households that complied: the
URL for the restaurant that dreamed up
the promotion. That single outlet is now
a franchise.
Creating traffic is not necessarily a matter
of buying ads or taking a traditional
approach. Of course, there’s always room
for traditional thinking. It works and
always will. But if you really want to build
effective traffic and branding, go one step
further. That is, unless you’re a Microsoft
with an almost unlimited marketing
budget.
Generating traffic combines traditional
thinking with three idea-based elements.
The idea is crucial. First, create the idea
as the local Pizza Place did. Develop an
idea that not only generates attention
but also generates appropriate attention
- attention that enables people to
remember the information that engaged
them and to act on it.
You’ll never forget the pizza story, right?
The idea (removing the pizza pages
from the yellow pages) is simple, clever,
cheap, and audacious.
Second, promote the idea via traditional
off- and online channels and via new
channels. The effectiveness of every
piece of your communication is increased
tenfold if each promotes that pivotal
idea rather than simply touting some
special offer, new taste sensation, or new
product.
Third, optimize any channel you use
and ensure the message points in your
direction.
I don’t need to remind you more than half
of today’s brands have yet to optimize the
way search engines secure consumer
awareness of their existence.
A quarter of the world’s brands have not
incorporated their URLs into the message
customers hear on the phone while on
hold. Nor have they added standard
signature lines to emails that include the
company URL. These details amount to
free branding.
What’s more important?
The chicken or the egg? Both. Far too
many brand builders believe traffic is
secondary to site development.
Wrong.
Unless you have an unlimited budget, you
can’t afford not to think creatively. You
risk ending up like all those vanquished
pizza competitors.
Martin Lindstrom is the author of Buyology –
Truth and Lies About Why We Buy, BRAND
sense and BRANDchild and an advisor to global
brands including McDonald’s Corporation,
Procter & Gamble, Nestlé, Microsoft, The Walt
Disney Company and GlaxoSmithKline. Visit
MartinLindstrom.com.
15

Mobile Strategy
How much satisfaction should mobile
marketers have today that the man
elected to become the 44th president of
the United States proved beyond doubt
the ability of mobile marketing to effect
sweeping change?
For when President-elect Barack Obama
takes the oath of office on that cold
January morning, he will have proved
to the nation and the world that the
combination of mobile and the Internet
with door-to-door canvassing can elect
16
A Victory
for Obama,
a Victory for
Mobile
By Mickey Alam Khan
an intelligent person to the highest office
without regard to color, experience or
heritage.
All it required was hope and optimism in
the face of daunting challenges ahead,
and a willingness to take risk – with an
atypical message and powerful platforms
such as mobile and the Internet.
Marketers have a lot to learn from the way
the young senator’s campaign harnessed
the imagination and stirred the emotions
The Obama
campaign sits
on millions of
names in its
opted-in mobile
database.

The SMS texts proved that the Obama
campaign didn’t take the candidate’s
growing popularity for granted.
of millions of Americans through mobile.
They should study how this campaign
aroused passion and anticipation through
160 characters sent at the right time to
the right audience.
Voters young and old willingly donated
small and not-so-small sums via the
Internet to fuel the movement for change
and willingly parted with their mobile
phone numbers as a show-of-hands for
the grassroots effort that the ‘Yes, We
Can’ movement required.
Textbook campaign
Mobile Marketer regularly followed the
Obama campaign’s use of mobile. For
those who signed up, the text alerts from
short code 62262 (OBAMA) were friendly
and earnest. It didn’t look like a senator
was messaging from on up high, but
someone that you would know sending
a friendly message asking for your
support.
The SMS texts proved that the Obama
campaign didn’t take the candidate’s
growing popularity for granted. Every
opted-in mobile consumer counted, every
text endeared with an appealing call to
action.
The texts came with familiar
regularity...
...Just before a local appearance, before
the debates, before the final primary
contest between Senators Hillary Clinton
and Obama.
In what will be remembered as a turning
point in mobile marketing history – and it
is marketing, because that is what politics
is, the marketing of ideals personified by
the candidate – the announcement of
Senator Joe Biden as Mr. Obama’s vice
presidential pick set the standard for
the excitement that a text message can
create.
More than 2.9 million text messages
were said to have been sent out on
that particular occasion. The Obama
campaign has never really released the
size of its mobile database, but the Biden
announcement goes down in history as
the largest mobile marketing push by
text, at least to date.
The Obama campaign sits on millions of
names in its opted-in mobile database.
Many more names lie in its Internet
database, accounting for a large chunk
of the $650 million in funds that the
campaign raised to elect an eloquent and
inspiring man to the White House.
Know the code
This acticle does not lean Democratic or
Republican. It leans ethical marketing
and mobile. The praise for Presidentelect
Obama comes not from a plank, but
for his understanding that consumers –
voters, in this case – want to be part of
the story. Mobile is their lifeline to the
outside world.
The Republican campaign, for some
strange reason, didn’t get that. The
Republican Party is known for its
grassroots efforts. Its strategists are
adept at mining the electoral database
to a point of perfection. But they failed
to enlist the enthusiasm of consumers
through the most powerful medium of
communication today – mobile.
In fact, when penning stories on the
Obama mobile efforts, we tried each time
to be fair and see if the McCain campaign
changed its attitude to mobile marketing.
It never happened. For example, the
McCain short code for SMS signups was
hard to find on johnmccain.com.
The world only became aware of
the McCain short code at the party’s
convention in St. Paul, MN. And that SMS
appeal was directed to donating to the
American Red Cross via text for victims
of the hurricanes brewing in the South.
Even the Obama campaign pitched the
same $5 text donations to the Red Cross,
so there wasn’t a point of differentiation.
Take the run-up to the elections. Here’s
what short code 62262 had to say in a
text message at 2:53 p.m. EDT on Oct. 30:
‘Less than a week until Election Day on
Nov. 4th! Barack needs your help. REPLY
to this msg with your 5 digit ZIP CODE for
local Obama news and voting info.’
Four days later, this writer received
another text message at 3:15 p.m. EDT
on Nov. 3 from short code 46708: ‘Put
your country first and vote on Tuesday! To
find your polling location visit Gop.com/
ElectionDay. Forward to your friends.’
17

Mr. Obama’s election should inspire
marketers to take risks and include
mobile and the Internet in their media
and marketing plans.
That message didn’t even mention
the Republican presidential candidate
John McCain by name. Where was the
emotional appeal? Why wasn’t there a
stronger call-to-action?
Exactly 24 hours later, another text
message pops into the box, this time
from short code 62262 on Nov. 4 at 3:28
p.m.: ‘People who love their country can
change it! Make sure everyone you know
votes for Barack today. For voting info call
877-874-6226 or VoteForChange.com.’
Bite the bullet
Long story short, there is a lesson here in
the Obama victory for marketers gun-shy
of using mobile for customer outreach.
Yes, the economy is slowing. Yes, budgets
need to be cut.
Yes, Wall Street’s demands for sterling
quarterly performance have to be met.
But you don’t walk away from the future.
You don’t trade tomorrow for yesterday.
And mobile is the future, and the future
is here.
The enthusiasm for mobile was palpable
Nov. 3-4 at the ad:tech New York
conference for interactive marketing
technology professionals. The GoMobile!
Zone was busy on both days. Visitors were
researching the many ways they could
include mobile in their multichannel
plans.
They sought advice from the pavilion’s
16 exhibitors – those smart souls who
evangelized mobile to an audience of
online and brand marketers because
they saw the connection between the
many interactive channels.
18
Many exhibitors plan to return to the next
ad:tech in San Francisco. Why? They see
the value in being spokespeople for an
industry whose time has come, slowing
economy or not. Consumers have spoken
for mobile, just as they have for the first
mobile president of the United States.
Inspiring by example
The Obama victory must inspire not just
the African-Americans or minorities, but
people of all backgrounds. People indeed
have high expectations of Mr. Obama and
here’s hoping he lives up to them.
Mr. Obama’s election should inspire
marketers to take risks and include
mobile and the Internet in their media
and marketing plans.
There is absolutely no reason why
the Fortune 500 brands or even small
business should not embrace mobile
advertising and marketing, text
messaging and the mobile Internet.
The numbers of mobile subscribers
is growing nationwide and across
the world. Mobile phones are getting
more sophisticated. Data plans are
more consumer-friendly. Above all,
the consumer is ready to dialogue on
mobile.
An opted-in mobile database of
consumers is gold for marketers and can
do for them what it did for a bold man
seeking to solve this nation’s problems.
At 12:16 a.m. EDT this morning, a text
message popped into this writer’s inbox.
The sender was short code 62262. ‘We
just made history. All of this happened
because you gave your time, talent
and passion to this campaign. All of
this happened because of you.Thanks,
Barack.’
Mickey Alam Khan (mickey@mobilemarketer.
com) is Editor in Chief of Mobile Marketer
(www.mobilemarketer.com), a leading news
publication covering mobile marketing, media
and commerce. Its goal is to help readers
and marketers understand how the mobile
channel can be used alone or in conjunction
with other channels for branding and customer
acquisition and retention purposes.

ad for bq.indd 2 12/9/08 9:24:58 AM

Word of Mouth
Well, let’s start with what Word of Mouth
(WOM) is. It’s the natural process
of people sharing their opinions and
recommendations about the brands
that surround their life. This sharing
happens in all the ways that we use to
communicate with each other.
WOM is a pre-existing phenomenon that
marketers are only now learning how
20
Word of
Mouth
Marketing
101
By Ian McKee
to harness, amplify, and improve. WOM
marketing isn’t about creating WOM - it’s
learning how to make it work within a
marketing objective.
And research shows that 60% of our
conversations are about the brands that
matter to our life.
Interestingly though, WOM marketing
empowers people to share their

A happy customer is the greatest
endorsement...
experiences. It harnesses the voice
of the customer for the good of the
brand. And WOM can’t be faked or
invented. Legitimate WOM marketing
acknowledges consumers’ intelligence -
it never attempts to fool them.
WOM Marketing’s Key Tenets:
• Recognizing that a happy customer is
the greatest endorsement
• Giving customers a voice
• Listening to consumers
• Engaging the community
Common Types of WOM Marketing
Buzz Marketing: Using high-profile
entertainment, events or news to get
people to talk about your brand.
Viral Marketing: Creating entertaining or
informative messages that are designed
to be passed along in an exponential
fashion, often electronically or by email.
Community Marketing: Forming or
supporting niche communities that
are likely to share interests about the
brand (such as user groups, fan clubs,
and discussion forums); providing tools,
content, and information to support those
communities.
Grassroots Marketing: Organizing and
motivating volunteers to engage in
personal or local outreach.
Evangelist Marketing: Cultivating
evangelists, advocates, or volunteers who
are encouraged to take a leadership role
in actively spreading the word on your
behalf.
Product Seeding: Placing the right
product into the right hands at the right
time, providing information or samples to
influential individuals.
Influencer Marketing: Identifying key
communities and opinion leaders who are
likely to talk about products and have the
ability to influence the opinions of others.
Brand Blogging: Creating blogs and
participating in the blogosphere,
in the spirit of open, transparent
communications; sharing information of
value that the blog community may talk
about.
Referral Programs: Creating tools that
enable satisfied customers to refer their
friends.
Organic vs. Amplified WOM
Organic WOM…occurs naturally when
people become advocates because they
are happy with a product and have a
natural desire to share their support
and enthusiasm. Practices that enhance
Organic WOM activity include:
• Focusing on customer satisfaction
• Improving product quality and usability
• Responding to customer concerns and
criticism
• Opening a dialog and listening to people
• Earning customer loyalty
Amplified WOM… simply occurs when
marketers launch campaigns designed to
encourage or accelerate WOM in existing
or new communities. Practices that
amplify WOM activity include:
• Creating communities
• Developing tools that enable people to
share their opinions
• Motivating advocates and evangelists to
actively promote a product
• Giving advocates information that they
can share
• Using advertising or publicity designed
to create buzz or start a conversation
• Identifying and reaching out to influential
individuals and communities
• Researching and tracking online
conversations
How do I ‘do’ WOM Marketing?
Here are some of the techniques &
activities that you should consider.
1. Encouraging communication
• Developing tools to make telling a friend
easier
• Creating forums and feedback tools
• Working with social networks
2. Giving people something to talk about
• Information that can be shared or
forwarded
• Advertising, stunts, and other publicity
that encourages conversation
• Building WOM-worthy elements into
products
3. Creating communities & connecting
people
• Creating user groups and fan clubs
• Supporting independent groups that
form around your product
• Hosting discussions and message
boards about your products
• Enabling grassroots organization such
as local meetings and other real-world
participation
4. Working with influencers
• Finding people who are advocates of
your brand and are influencers
• Engaging these individuals in a deeper
relationship with the brand
• Good-faith efforts to support issues
21

Given how effective WOM Marketing is, it
is very tempting for marketers (and often
traditional agencies) to look for shortcuts.
and causes that are important to these
individuals
5. Creating evangelist or advocate
programs
• Providing recognition and tools to active
advocates
• Recruiting new advocates, teaching
them about the benefits of your products,
and encouraging them to talk about them
6. Creating programs specifically for
listening to customer feedback
• Giving people a specific destination
where they can give you their suggestions
and feedback – and you respond
• Tracking online and offline conversations
by advocates, detractors, and neutral
• Listening and responding to both
positive and negative conversations
7. Engaging in transparent conversation
• Encouraging two-way conversations
with interested parties
• Creating blogs and other tools to share
information
• Participating openly on online blogs and
discussions
8. Co-creation and information sharing
• Involving consumers in marketing and
creative (feedback on creative campaigns,
allowing them to create commercials,
etc.)
• Letting customers ‘behind the curtain’
to have first access to information and
content
Absolutely No Shortcuts
Given how effective WOM Marketing is, it
is very tempting for marketers (and often
traditional agencies) to look for shortcuts.
22
These tend to be high risk, and could lead
to a negative backlash against your brand
if they don’t work.
Planning a WOM campaign? Say ‘No’ to:
1.Stealth Marketing: Any practice
designed to deceive people about
the involvement of marketers in a
communication.
2.Shilling: Paying people to talk about
(or promote) a product without disclosing
that they are working for the company;
impersonating a customer.
3.Infiltration: Using fake identities in an
online discussion to promote a product;
taking over a web site, conversation, or
live event against the wishes or rules set
by the proprietor.
4.Comment Spam: Using automated
software (‘bots’) to post unrelated or
inappropriate comments to blogs or other
online communities.
5.Defacement: Vandalizing or damaging
property to promote a product.
6.Spam: Sending bulk or unsolicited
email or other messages without clear,
voluntary permission.
7.Falsification: Knowingly disseminating
false or misleading information.
A Simple Rule of Thumb
Use the ‘The Honesty ROI’ to gauge if your
WOM campaign is credible. Checklist your
campaign against the following:
Honesty of Relationship: The participants
in your campaign should openly disclose
their relationship with the brand.
Honesty of Opinion: The opinions they
express should be truthfully what they
believe.
Honesty of Identity: Never ask people to
pretend to be someone they are not.
As the trust in advertising goes down and
the cost of media goes up it makes more
and more sense to devote part of your
marketing budget to WOM.
The media is free, and very powerful
(Nielsen rates it as the most powerful
when it comes to affecting people’s
purchasing behaviour), but deploying it
absolutely requires a change in mindset
from the marketer.
And take note: Good WOM marketing
strategies involve finding ways to support
satisfied customers and making it easier
for them to talk to their friends.
Vocanic is Asia’s leading WOM marketing
agency. Vocanic provides the strategy and
planning needed to design successful WOM
campaigns, the technology platforms needed
and the experience to saleable and effective
programs.
Ian McKee can be reached at imckee@vocanic.
com.
Disclaimer: Parts of this piece are derived from
work done by the WOM Marketing Association of
which Vocanic is a charter member.

ad for bq.indd 4 12/9/08 9:25:06 AM

Shopper Trends
Rising Costs Pave
Way for Private
Label Sales in
Malaysia
The rising cost of living is proving a boon
to Private Label or Store Brand sales in
Malaysia, as shoppers switch into costsaving
mode to stretch their household
budgets, according to latest insights
from The Nielsen Company.
Private label of store brand refers to a
product or variety of products offered
by a retailer under their own name in
competition with branded goods. Private
label products, like non-branded goods,
are normally cheaper than branded
items.
According to the Nielsen Retail Audit
which tracks 68 grocery categories in
modern trade channels (hypermarket,
supermarket, pharmacy and convenience
stores) in Peninsula Malaysia, prices of
some grocery segments have jumped as
much as 20 percent year-to-date, with
food items rising by an average of 15
percent.
“Inflationary pressures are forcing costconscious
consumers in Malaysia to
adapt their grocery shopping habits and
switch to cheaper alternatives, notably,
24
Private Label options,” observed Maria
Öijer Retailer Services Director, South
East Asia, The Nielsen Company.
The Private Label market in Malaysia was
worth RM240 million as at September
2008, translating to over 30 percent yearon-year
growth. “It is early days yet for
Private Label in the Malaysia market,
but we have seen a sharp spike in sales
momentum over the last year, fuelled
by rising commodity prices,” observed
Öijer.
While Private Label is still in its infancy
in Malaysia, the sector is slated for
stronger growth against a backdrop of
inflation and consumers seeking out
the best bargains. This development is
substantiated by the strong growth of
Private Label as compared to branded
manufacturers in the modern trade
channel. From February to September
2008, sales value of Private Label grew
32 percent, far ahead of the 15 percent
growth in branded goods compared to
the corresponding period last year.
“With Private Label shares on the
increase, branded manufacturers
would be wise to pay close attention
and aggressively protect their brands’
equity through targeted advertising
and promotion strategies,” commented
Oijer.
Private Label thrives in “lowinvolvement”
categories where the
products meet shoppers’ more basic and
functional needs. Leading Private Label
categories include paper, basic non-food
and commodity foods with low emotional
brand values.
In modern trade channels, the top three
product categories with the highest
penetration of Private Label in terms
of value share are bottled water (51%),
sweetener (42%) and cooking oil (24%).
In terms of growth in value share, bottled
water has increased by 12 percent,
Öijer pointed out that Private Label products have
most success where manufacturers have lost the
edge in creating real or perceived added value,
price is the only differentiator, true innovation is
scarce and there is plenty of production capacity.