Why Branding Is So Important

Last beautiful Saturday morning we were at client's Zumba event in Taman Metropolitan Kepong for photoshoot session for a write-up in local newspaper. Event Zumba tersebut dihadiri oleh bukan calang-calang instructor tetapi  instructor - instructor top Zumba di Malaysia seperti Instructor May Wong, Instructor Gilbert, Instructor Khalid, Instructor Samantha dan Instructor Zarif.

I was quite surprised with the crowd yang hadir pada hari tu. I actually interviewed some of them. Bukan saja pengunjung-pengunjung taman tasik tersebut yang turut serta dengan program Zumba ni tapi ada yang datang dari all over KLsejauh Sungai Buloh, Sungai Long dan oh yes even Melaka ! They have this Zumba community and always in the loop kalau ada Zumba event macam ni around Klang Valley. No wonder la crowd memang ramai sangat.

Admission was free, Semua orang boleh join. Dari baby yang baru belajar berjalan sampai la uncle-uncle and aunty-aunty yang excercise tai chi kat area taman tasik tu pon joined kitaorang berzumba. Bila music on je, apa lagi everybody was so into their Zumba. Happening OK !

All I have to say here is I'm impressed with my client's effort to organize this kind of event. Jarang kita dengar produk-produk owner tempatan lain ingin menganjurkan event-event kesihatan begini for branding. Selalunya only the big brands like Milo, Nescafe, Coca Cola or McDonald's. Kalau sponsorhip macam event-event yang berkaitan hiburan selalu kita dengar ditaja oleh jenama jenama produk kosmetik atau produk kesihatan tempatan. Tapi kalau event sports or kesihatan memang jarang.

Obviously it was a good effort and the most important thing is the branding client has created. Nak create branding bukan senang yea. Milo took a long way, years since we were small. Sponsoring sporting events, or relating their brands with Gaya Hidup Sihat.

Kesimpulannya, everybody had so much fun during the Zumba event. Best jugak sekali sekala menari Zumba right in the middle of the park ramai-ramai instead macam selalu menari dalam studio. No wonder la nowadays ramai kawan-kawan I joined Zumba class ni. Regret betul tak bawak my sport shoes that day. Next time wajib join. 

Our client had a small booth, selling their milk, coffee and chocolate drinks and ramai sangat yang beli. Sale memang best la kan ! And my client planned to organize this event at least sebulan sekali. Bravo I said ! My client ni antara client-client yang memang berfikiran jauh. I really like the way she thinks. A very smart lady and I really really respect her.

Klien-klien lain jom kita buat event macam ni jugak? Remember branding is so important. But u need to start now.

When People Stop Buying, Double Up Your Advertising

Few days ago, I saw this new book about the famous Mr Tony Fernandes, the founder of Tune Group, the chairman of Queen Park Rangers Football Club, the first Malaysian who introduced the first budget airlines in Malaysia with their famous tagline " Now Everyone Can Fly" and turned Air Asia into the most successful budget airlines in Asia. I guess he needs no introduction among us Malaysians.

So I took the book off from the shelf and immediately flipped my fingers to the middle page of his book.

The first sentence, his sentence that I saw is about SARS. It was in 2009, the SARS pandemic really hit Malaysia badly, especially economy, people were afraid to go out. Shopping malls tenants saw decreasing in their sales. People were afraid to travel abroad even to travel locally. It really gave a very big impact on the tourism industry. Advertisers started to pull off their advertising campaigns, all of them except for one person, Tan Sri Tony fernandes. He set up a meeting with his marketing team to double up their advertising. WHAT???

At that time people would think it was a very bad idea. But the great Mr Tony here think otherwise. With RM 40 one way trip to Miri dont you think it is a very good bargain? It is so cheap ! Who cares about dying !

I was shocked. I was impressed. He is so damn good. No wonder he is who he is now. I would not think that way. To that level but. HE IS RIGHT! As a result, Air Asia Airlines managed to get a very high sale on their airlines tickets. It was a very good strategy.

WHEN PEOPLE STOP BUYING, DOUBLE UP YOUR ADVERTISING !

Nak Jadi Kaya Macam Dato Seri Vida

Nak Jadi Kaya Macam Dato' Seri Vida ?

Siapa tak nak? I tengok dia shopping spree dekat LV boutique mcm Michael Jackson .

" I want this.. I want this.. I want this...

I want that...I want that...I want that..."

I still remember we all dulu when we had our company's euro trip, masuk je any luxury designer boutiques, SA-SA ( sales assistant ) mesti happy je dengan kedatangan we all. Mana tak, diaorang buat sale adalah dalam 30 handbags in just less than an hour we all dalam boutique tu.

OK. Back to the topic. Siapa tak nak kaya macam Dato' Vida... Pernah tak tertanya, macammana dia ni kaya? Im sure all of us tau macammana. Shes selling her health and beauty products yang membuatkan dia kaya.

So what now? Jual beauty product? Jual health product. Having our own brand? Or be as brave as DSV promoting our brand?

OK OK. So U pergi kilang OEM, buat strategies, spent weeks or months of R&D, brainstorming on the perfect packaging and design of the bottles and logo. Product u siap. Yeayyyy !!!

NOW have your own product. Lepas tu? What next?

Let it sit in your store room, kasi sedara mara, kawan-kawan test... ( in hoping they all suka and words of mouth works usually) or share dalam whatsapp group kawan-kawan sekolah ?

Masa berlalu.... every single day u are watching on instagram or TV looking at DSV, Vivy Yusof, Aliff Syukri promoting themselves or their businesses. Tidak terdetik langsung pada kita why are they doing what they are doing?

U think packaging penting? Yes of course penting.

U are spending so much time to create your logo penting? Yes. Of course !

U think your product can cure all the skin problems or your product memang mengancam sangat sampai kawan-kawan and sedara mara will support you and make your product popular by telling their friends, families and colleague? Ermmmm.... Maybe.

I pernah jumpa one of product owner. I rasa product dia very impressive. I will not tell here what is the product. But the product itself, the packaging, the logo, semua bombastic la I can say. But why tak jalan jalan? WHY? Because NO PROMOTION. NO ADVERTISING. NO BRANDING. So rasanya siapa nak beli kalau tak tau.

Sedara  mara and friends? I wish U all the best.

"Takpe Zeti, nanti i dah banyak duit I buat advertising".

But they have money to make more products. They keep on adding stocks. Matematik kononnya lagi banyak stok buat lagi banyak untung nanti. Stok semakin berlonggok dalam stor. Tapi takde yang keluar-keluar / terjual.

Matematik sale ni sebenarnya, u tak boleh simpan banyak stok. Kalau stok u tak jual-jual makna nya something wrong with your direction.

Conclusion here, sebelum nak jadi kaya macam Dato Vida... sebelum ada produk sendiri... belajar promosi. MACAMMANA ? Promote diri sendiri dulu, belajar la aktif kan diri on social media, facebook, instagram, blogging or maybe youtube. Buatlah OOTD ke, post naik gambar makan ke? Lepas tu, belajar ilmu advertising macammna and apa produk-produk owner ni buat untuk branding produk diaorang.

Nak Jadi Kaya Macam Dato Vida? Buat apa DSV buat? Betul tak? LOL.

Ok. I never have a picture with DSV. But this one with my favourite girl Vivy Yusof.

Why Do We Need to Advertise ?

WHY DO WE NEED TO ADVERTISE ?

We are on federal highway. The busiest highway in Klang Valley. It is the busiest highway connecting all the major cities of Klang Valley like Petaling Jaya, Subang Jaya, Bangsar, all the way to Shah Alam and Klang.

What will you see?

I see billboards. Hundreds of them. Billboards of big major brands and companies like McDonalds, Nescafe, Milo, Coca Cola, Toyota, Honda, Burger King, Starbucks, KFC and all the famous international brands.

Have we ever wonder why these brands still need to advertise? They are already famous around the world. They need no introduction to the consumers. They are even the brands sitting in most of  the houses in the world. Why are they wasting money on media advertising and spend a very big percentage of their annual budget for advertising?

They need it. They have to.

Ever wonder why they are the main player in fast food industry? Why they remain the first brand that is on our mind if we want to drink coffee or chocolate drinks? Have u ever wonder why people think they are the best brands than the rest of the local brands or the less popular brands.

Because of the their advertising campaigns. On tv, radio, newspaper, magazine, billboards that runs daily. They make sure they will be on our mind everyday in a year 365 days , 24 hours per day,  by stannding on the right locations. They make sure, we will only think of them not their competitors.

Isnt that obvious why they are still the most popular?