Interesting read.
Malaysia brands itself to the world
By Ioannis Gatsiounis
Asia Times 16 December 2004
KUALA LUMPUR - When US-based architect
Cesar Pelli was brainstorming his plans for what would become Malaysia's most recognizable landmark, the towering twin Petronas Towers, then-Malaysian despot
Mahathir Mohamad required one thing of him: that the building be Malaysian.
"What do you mean by Malaysian?" Pelli reportedly asked. "We don't know," was the reply.
What resulted, a shimmering polygonal pattern based on Islamic design, hardly captures the essence of multi-ethnic Malaysia. But then, contrary to Mahathir's request, what really mattered is that the design wowed the world. Over the past decade, until Mahathir's retirement last year, wowing became Malaysia's raison d'etre, with eye-catching, high-tech-themed megaprojects sprouting almost as fast as banana trees do here.
The logic: that the push would define Malaysia. But under the more reflective leadership of
Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, there's a growing consensus that those projects didn't so much define Malaysia as momentarily divert attention from the country's less flattering realities.
Now Malaysia is joining a number of countries, from the United Kingdom to South Korea, New Zealand and Canada, seeking to brand themselves to the world in name of foreign direct investment and in an effort to increase their lobbying power.
Branding differs from marketing in that marketing is specific to certain areas, such as tourism. "Branding a country must emphasize the collective identity of every component of that society," said
Michael Kor, creative director of Dentsu advertising in Malaysia. In a word, it's about selling a personality.
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, whose office is overseeing the drive, has been slipping the issue into his speeches, asking audiences to think about what Malaysia's unique selling point might be. A national brand council is being organized that will include big names from top local advertising agencies, universities and airlines. Government agents are trekking the globe for insight and inspiration.
"We need to put our house in order," said
W T Seah, chief executive officer of
Asia Pacific Brands Foundation (APBF), a non-profit organization established in part to assist the government in its pursuit of a clearer, more attractive identity. "There's no use in having good infrastructures and nice skyscrapers if the human element isn't there to promote it."
Seah elaborated, "We can talk about Malaysia being modern and friendly, but when someone gets a rude immigration officer or must wait a long time to get something simple done, that throws him off balance."
Added
David Mitchel, group brand manager of
Leo Burnett Advertising, "Successful branding can't be too far from the truth." People catch on.
Malaysia is a case in point. The government has peddled Malaysia as a "model Islamic democracy", "where different races, cultures and religions live in perfect harmony". But most visitors who have spent any length of time in Malaysia opine that something closer to the opposite is true. They complain of inefficiency, corruption, arrogance, indifference, aversion to risk and, increasingly, a creeping fundamentalism among its Muslim majority. Some argue that Malaysia has invested more in appearances than substance.
The new administration under Abdullah is trying to address these points, first and foremost by distancing itself from the truculence that clouded perceptions of Malaysia under Mahathir's 22-year rule, which ended when the iron-fisted leader retiring last year. But it will take more than just a softer, gentler approach to brand Malaysia.
"It must be channeled through all sectors of society," said Seah. He cited Malaysia's arch rival, neighboring Singapore, as having achieved this. "It may be seen as clinical and cold but it's clean, efficient, and business-friendly. These attributes stick in everyone's mind, because it's a concerted effort, from immigration to taxi drivers to government ministries."
Of course, the top brand among nations is widely thought to be the United States, having "long been associated with a progressive, dynamic and hip lifestyle ... and quality and excellence", as a local newspaper here recently described the country.
There are other success stories as well.
Italy is associated with romance and verve, Germany with engineering excellence, Switzerland with fine craftsmanship, Japan with cutting-edge design and reliability.
Branding is harder for emerging markets, said
Charles Cadell, managing director of
Leo Burnett Advertising; unlike most European nations, they often lack a widespread preconceived notion of personality resulting from history and culture. Some say Malaysia has the added burden of being a
multicultural society - how to define such a nation? But the United States' success contradicts this claim.
The truth is, even monocultural societies find it hard to get everyone to fix on one facet and stand behind it, and that's the key, said Cadell, who recently presented a paper to the Malaysian government on branding.
"It's a huge task. You need a consistent, dedicated group working on a 10-year plan," he said. Even then, "at the end of the day, communication [and in turn, branding] is driven by individuals, consumerism, and brand contact points, like the back of a can". More to the point, grand government plans to amend perceptions tend to get overwhelmed by other factors influencing those perceptions.
A few years ago, for instance, British Prime Minister
Tony Blair saw the need to brand the
United Kingdom, for the same reason that countries such as Malaysia want to brand themselves:
to attract foreign direct investment and either maintain or improve their lobbying power. His plan, channeled through the catchphrase
"Cool Britannia", was to shed the UK's stuffy, aristocratic image for a hipper, edgier one. The plan failed.
The lesson suggests that branding must have an organic element, something that the people not only endorse but relate to - and thrive at. Malaysia knows this all too well. White elephants, pie-in-the-sky, throwing money at something and hoping it will grow - this is how some of Malaysia's megaprojects have come to be described.
