Last week we lost a project to build a corporate website to a freelancer who quoted 5% of our figure. How can we compete with that? On the face of it we can’t. Freelancers are popular because they are cheap. But as I was reminded while discussing this loss, last year we bailed out three … Continue reading →
Marcus Osborne
This morning, I read with interest Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah’s comments about the price of pepper. You can read the full article here but the crux of it is that he’s talking about the dramatic price drop and appears upset (rightly so) that the solution offered by the Primary Industries Ministry … Continue reading →
In the mid 1980s, I was working in the Middle East and when it came to taking leave, we had 2 travel options. Head West for Europe or East for Asia. Whichever direction, the airline recommendations were always the same – try to fly on Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific or Malaysia Airlines. Why, because those … Continue reading →
Taxis are ubiquitous in Kuala Lumpur, just as they are in most cities in around the world. Unfortunately, years of poor public transport, viable alternatives, ineffective regulation and little or no oversight has created an industry that is a Frankenstein monster that has lost sight of it’s actual purpose. In other words, it has grown … Continue reading →
A Q&A with Marcus Osborne, our CEO & author of ‘Stop Advertising, Start Branding‘ Q. THE BARISAN NASIONAL INVESTED HEAVILY IN TRADITIONAL COMMUNICATIONS BEFORE & DURING THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN. WAS THAT THE RIGHT WAY FOR TODAY’S BRANDING ENVIRONMENT? A: As the dust settles on the extraordinary 14th General Election, the well known brand guru who … Continue reading →
Everyone at Fusionbrand is convinced that 90% of advertising is a complete waste of money. And in Asia it’s not helped by the fact that most CEOs think they are creative directors and most agencies won’t bother challenging CEOs in case they lose the business that they won because invariably, they were the cheapest. And … Continue reading →
We had a great time today with creative writing, advertising and journalism students at the International Islamic University Malaysia. The discussion revolved around “Branding in the era of industry 4.0” and we talked about what Malaysian brands must do to to thrive in new economy and more relevant perhaps to these guys, how the advertising … Continue reading →
Overtourism is putting immense pressure on destinations around the world. From Bali to Phuket and from Venice to New Orleans and Ibiza, popular places are creaking under the weight of millions of visitors. 28 million people visited Venice last year, swamping (excuse the pun) the local population of 55,000. Venice has for years considered limiting … Continue reading →
Founded in 1905, the University of Malaya is Malaysia’s oldest university. It has 27,000 students attending 12 faculties, 2 academies and 3 Centres at the sprawling campus on the outskirts of KL. I was invited to be a guest speaker at the Graduate School of Business, Faculty of Business and Accountancy. It was a great … Continue reading →
There’s a thought provoking piece in the business section of freemalaysiatoday.com that reports more Malaysians buying Chinese made goods ‘out of economic necessity’. The article says that Malaysians look past the stigma of Chinese products even though there are concerns that they of inferior quality and possibly even dangerous compared to products from other countries. … Continue reading →