Made In Malaysia With A Difference

Can you imagine Germany without its automotive excellence?
What about France without its haute couture?
Or Japan without its sophisticated consumer electronics?

These are perceptions created over the years to position a country, and perceptions of a particular country can influence our decisions on investment, tourism, education, lifestyle or the purchase of its products and services. Even Malaysia is encouraging its local brands to be equipped for the global market challenge.

Malaysia’s differentiation is diversity – in its culture, people and resources. With its rich heritage and the nation’s Vision 2020, Malaysia is set to level among developed nations through constant developments and improvements. Within just 50 years of independence, Malaysia has given the world celebrated brands of personality, product, service, structure, culture and the list goes on. We are also capable of creating differentiated brands for the world by adding quality, excellence, design and innovation in the roots of ‘Made in Malaysia’ labels.

One of the most celebrated ‘Made in Malaysia’ personality is Nicol David. She became the first Asian woman to be ranked World Number 1 in women’s squash (http://www.wispa.net/view_ranki
ngs.asp). She differentiated herself from others in sports with the power of determination and consistency… to win. In December 2005, she won the Hong Kong World Open to become the youngest world champion and even defended her World Open title in the following year. Determined as she is, Nicol sets world records to be the first Malaysian to win the coveted world championship for two consecutive years, and the fourth person in history to retain the world championship (www.womensworldopen.com/today2006.htm).
Certainly, Nicol has risen in name while placing Malaysia on the world map of sports.

Beyond promoting Malaysia in the global arena, the renowned Perodua is generating great Return On Investments (ROI) for the country through the exports of Perodua cars to countries including Singapore, Brunei Darussalam and as far as the United Kingdom. In 1994, when most car manufacturers were focusing on medium to high powered cars, Perodua differentiated itself by introducing smaller, economical cars to the untapped market. Giving credits to its remarkable commitment to quality, design and innovation,

Perodua saw an all-time high booking of 20,000 units in December 2007 alone, and closed the year with sales of more than 160,000 units (http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/
2008/1/4/business/19912742&sec=business).

If you speak to a cab driver in Kuala Lumpur, he would tell you that the first place most international visitors want to visit is the Petronas Twin Towers. It is clear that the world equates Malaysia with the monumental stature. When the Petronas Twin Towers was completed in 1998, they were the tallest buildings in the world. Today, the buildings have passed on their ‘tallest’ title and yet, the structures have remained firmly rooted as the nation’s truly iconic and distinctive symbol.

Another architectural wonder among tourists is the avant-garde Kuala Lumpur International Airport, fondly known as the KLIA. Costing to approximately US$3.5 million, the design was constructed with a differentiated “airport in the forest and forest in the airport” concept, surrounded by green space. With the co-operation of the Forest Institute of Malaysia, a section of rain forest was transplanted from the jungle and placed in the satellite building. Since its inception, the KLIA has become one of Southeast Asia’s major aviation hubs. Adding to its accolades, the structure of the nation’s pride was voted World’s Best Airport for two consecutive years in 2005 and 2006 (www.klia.com.my).

With impressive products and structures that brand the nation, culture is the essence that shapes the nation. Malaysia has a unique culture that sets the country apart with its multi-cultural and multi-racial society. Cultural celebrations are shared among all ethnic groups, which strengthen the unity ties and promote harmony among its people. When cultural festivals happen together or a few days apart, this gives rise to the joint celebrations of Kongsi-Raya and Deepa-Raya. These celebrations truly define Malaysia’s distinctive culture that bonds its people together.

Malaysia is creating brands parallel to international standards – from personalities, products, services, structures and cultures – each with its unique brand differentiation. It is a clear proof that Malaysians can compete among international competitors on a global forefront. The challenge is to continue maintaining its difference to attract more mind share in order to capture greater market share. Why? Because differentiation makes a product branded… and branded means wanted.

To create a wanted brand with a difference, talk2us@peopalove.com or call
+604-2288 696.