It’s a key investment
MOST VALUABLE ASSET: Efforts spent on building a brand never go to waste, says NSTP CEO
TIME spent on defining and building a company’s brand to get customers’ recognition and loyalty will never go to waste.
Such efforts are part and parcel of marketing strategies that can bring any company’s products and services to greater heights.
Companies should look at brand as an investment and they must utilise this into their budget, said The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Bhd chief executive officer Mohammad Azlan Abdullah.
“I believe a brand is the company’s most valuable asset and that CEOs should be personally involved in understanding what it stands for and also be its custodian,” he said in an interview here on Wednesday.
Azlan said brands have to make it conducive for consumers to participate in shaping their grammar and relevance.
“Today, many marketing and advertising professionals are cognisant of the changing dynamics, but the fear of losing control is real. The consumer is taking control faster than we can fathom… so the need to reach consumers is very crucial,” he said.
Azlan said brands need to go beyond the mainstream and it is not just the consumers that companies need to interact with.
It is with this in mind that Media Prima, an all-in-one media powerhouse itself is participating in a strategic branding initiative, Malaysia Most Valuable Brand (MMVB) 2012 where it hopes as its media partner, it can enhance a positive brand image and high visibility of the most valuable brands in Malaysia.
“We hope through MMVB, the brand custodians will see the importance of growing the brand with the consumers,” he said.
MMVB is a major strategic branding initiative by the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents (4As) in collaboration with Interbrand, who pioneered and still globally dominates the established methodology of brand valuation.
Azlan said Media Prima is already a strong brand itself and it is only apt and relevant that it becomes the partner of MMVB to promote branding activities in the country.
“We would like to be seen as part of the brand promoter not just for ourselves, but for the industry at large,” he said, adding that only a strong brand can reach the target consumers efficiently and effectively not just in the local market but also globally.
“Media Prima has all the platforms that not only will promote the MMVB as an event, but we want to show Malaysia that we are able to provide a total complete solution, a one-stop centre in terms of media platform.
“That is why we are partnering with MMVB to show this strength, so that the brand owners out there know the importance of utilising us as the provider of a multi-integrated approach in media platform,” he said.
Azlan said having such an initiative like MMVB, both the brand owners and consumers benefit greatly from it.
“Brand owners are independently measured and they get testimonials to their brand, while consumers have better products and services and assurances from these brands,” he said, adding that MMVB and Media Prima are the facilitators to emphasise the importance of brands.
He said those who are in the top list of being one of Malaysia’s most valuable brands will always be challenged to work harder to retain their respective rankings, while those who are not in that league will be inspired to develop their brands and be ranked in the top list one day.
Azlan said it is Media Prima’s hope that its collaboration with MMVB will show brand owners that it is not just a media provider, but also a brand supporter.
“We want to ensure our clients will have sustainable brands and be more aggressive in their branding campaigns,” he said.
Source : New Straits Times
Date : 5 October 2012
Today's Pick (10/10/12/179/874)
No comments:
Post a Comment