30 theSun | WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 17 2008

media & marketing

(From left)
Shazalli,

Cheaper calls
Indonesian
credit of RM2, with two days
ambassador
validity when out of credit; and
to Malaysia
an SMS Reverse Charge, where
Tan Sri Dai
customers can at any time pay for
Bachtiar and
text messages they receive.
XL director
Customers can also access a
of corporate
range of Indonesian content like

to Indonesia services Joris

by Angela Sargunan
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
INDONESIAN migrant workers
are in for a good deal with the
launch of Celcom’s Prabayar
Celcom Sukses, a prepaid starter
pack offering the lowest SMS rates
and IDD calls to Indonesia.
“Prabayar Celcom Sukses is part
of our continued efforts to remain
segment focused when it comes
to developing new products and
services,” Celcom (M) Bhd CEO
Datuk Seri Shazalli Ramly said.
“After extensive research
on the mobile behaviour of the
Indonesian migrant market, we are
able to understand and determine
what they look for in a prepaid
service,” he said.
The new plan was designed
in partnership with Celcom
sister company PT Excelcomindo
Pratama Tbk (XL).
Its special features
and benefits include
Teman 20, which allows
customers special rates
for calls to 20 family
members and friends.
Users can also add up
to five XL numbers in
Indonesia under this
feature. Calls and text messages
to these numbers and to Celcom
and TM friends in Malaysia will
cost 35 sen per minute and 1 sen
respectively.
Celcom Sukses customers can
make a call of up to 28 minutes to
Indonesia for only RM10 at the rate
stated.
Other special offerings include
“Tempoh Kredit Satu dan Dua
Tahun”, a service that allows
customers to keep their number
active for up to two years without
having
to monitor their account.
To get one or two years validity,
customers need only pay RM30
and RM50 respectively, but reload
a minimum of RM30 (minimum of
RM5 X six months) for the first six
months upon signing up.
In addition, the plan comes with
an exclusive rewards programme
called Bonus Sukses which
includes:
» Bonus Banyak Guna
– customers get a bonus every time
they reach a RM50 usage value,
as well as free airtime, SMS and
de Fretes at
the launch.
content based on
accumulated usage;
» Bonus Setia – free credit
depending on length of stay
(minimum reload of RM10);
» Bonus Hari Jadi – customers
get RM10 worth of airtime
automatically on their birthday
(minimum reload of RM10).
Upon activation, users will also
receive free content such as Solat
Alert (for life), Indonesian news
(for life) and free Call Me Tones
with one Indonesian song (for a
month).
Other features are a credit
advance which allows advance
sports updates and downloads.
The Sukses plan is priced at
RM8.50 and comes preloaded with
RM5 airtime.
Celcom has also set up a careline
for Sukses customers – 1-300-133
162 or 14162 – to be accessed
through their Celcom line.
“The company is working with
the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) by
offering a KBRI Helpline, a channel
for customers to reach out to the
embassy in the event that they
require it. Just text complaints to
21945 and these will be answered
by KBRI staff in Bahasa Indonesia.
IDD calls are estimated to total
around RM2 billion a year, out of
which Celcom records the lowest
market share of below 20% for its
Indonesian segment.
Shazalli said the company aims
to increase this significantly with
the new plan.
Celcom marketing senior
vice-president Zalman Aefendy said
that as a marketing effort to reach
out to Indonesians, the company
has selected the popular Indonesian
band Dewa 19 as an official brand
icon.

Rear centre lap seat belts for free t h e r i g h t p i t c h

PROTON Holdings Berhad has
initiated a nationwide prog-
ramme to retrofit rear centre lap
seat belts in 225,930 cars fitted
with only two, for free.
Models not fitted with centre
seat belts are the earlier Proton
Saga manufactured between
2004 and 2008 (144,000 units),
and the Gen 2 manufactured
between 2004 and June 2008
(81,930 units).
At a recent press confer-
ence, Proton chairman Datuk
Mohamad Azlan Hashim said
the programme is part of its
corporate social responsibility
effort.
He said Proton expects to
spend about RM7 million on
retrofitting the said models over
the next 13 months.
For an appointment to have
your car retrofitted with the
belt, call toll free number 1300-
880-888, or register at www.
proton-edar.com.my, after which
personnel from the nearest
service outlet will contact you
to confirm an appointment date
and time. The retrofit will take
about 20 minutes.
You are also advised to note
your car chassis number and
existing seat belt colour before
making an appointment.
Think short term
by Abhinav Sharma
DECEMBER is typically the
month when agencies and
clients start finalising brand
plans for the year that follows.
It’s a time of introspection,
strategic debates, competitive
and market analysis and some
creative forward thinking.
Needless to say, 2009 is
going to be a lot tougher to
plan for than any year in the
last decade. In Malaysia, the
effects of the global slowdown
have yet to be fully felt. While
many economists anticipate a
hit by the middle of next year,
it won’t really happen until it
happens.
But the weather next
year isn’t all gloomy. While
there is cause for concern,
the economy is unlikely to be
without its silver lining.
The big debate that sur-
rounds brand planning is the
perennial conflict between
building long-term brand value
and creating short-term brand
share. In a typical year of
promising growth, the former
has more points in its favour.
Too many successful brands
support the long-term brand
theory for it to be a myth.
But in times of financial
turmoil, the needle needs to
shift a little in favour of the
latter. That is not to say that
brands should give up their
long term initiatives – far from
it. But a brand’s long-term
vision will need a little outside
support in 2009.
As the future becomes less
predictable, brands will need
to start paying more attention
to their micro-environments.
They will need to exploit every
possible tactical initiative to
retain existing customers and
invite new ones. In other words,
brands will need to demonstrate
tangible value to consum-
ers, because consumers are
going to move down the value
chain as the financial crisis
contagion spreads east.
As economies slow and
inflationary pressure mounts,
what was once premium will
start looking expensive and
indulgent. And what you earlier
thought was cheap will begin
to be seen as inexpensive and
affordable. This temporary shift
in the mindset of consumers
epitomises the short-term
thinking they will adopt as
they postpone big purchases
and downtrade others.
The question brands will
need to ask in 2009 is: “How
do I deliver more value to my
customer?” Effective brand
plans will need to identify
tactics that gain instant favour
with consumers; the mantra
will be added value.
This is the time for innova-
tion; explore new methods of
distribution, find new media to
communicate through, bundle
connected products that en-
hance benefits, have competi-
tive pricing, strategic tie-ups
and engaging promotions;
and, of course, a reminder
of the larger value the brand
stands for.
Now the movement of
consumers through the value
chain creates a kind of flow.
Understanding this flow will
become key for brands next
year. This flow means that
brands need to prepare them-
selves for two occurrences
– manage incoming consum-
ers from competitive brands
and retain their own from
flowing in to other brands.
And this is precisely the
tightrope that will need to be
walked – acquire and retain.
This sense of immediacy or
short-term orientation will
push brands to step out of
their comfort zones.
And that means risks will
need to be taken. Brands will
need to explore untested
waters for their marketing mix.
The more fresh and unique the
ideas, the more the brands
stand to gain.
The thing to remember is
that it’s not going to be about
doing a hundred tried things
but the 10 unique, untried ones
that will make the difference.
If you’re in the middle
income housing business for
example, you will most prob-
ably feel the pinch before it
reaches others. How do you
add value to an apartment?
Consider providing free crea-
tive advice from interior deco-
rators as part of the deal.
Sweeten the offer further,
tie up with a bank and provide
affordable personal finance
for soft furnishings. Throw in
free Astro and internet access
for a year, a short holiday for
two in Tioman; and a simple
house begins to deliver on
more value.
The appurtenances may be
minor but they do add tremen-
dously to the perceived value
of the basic offering.
Unfortunately though, an
over-reliance on ROI during
trying times can sometimes
curb your appetite for risk
rather than feed it. Without
full accountability and meas-
urability, untried initiatives are
often carelessly cast aside as
being too risky or too removed
from brand values.
The funny thing is that
consumers aren’t questioning
the values of a brand. Their be-
haviour is driven by necessity.
It, therefore, becomes
imperative that brands go
beyond what they know and
do to reinforce their position in
consumers’ lives. Consumers
are looking for reasons to stay
loyal. Keep in mind that brands
offer them a sense of comfort.
Brands simplify the
decision-making process to
purchase. We just need to
sweeten the deal.
Abhinav Sharma is head of
strategic planning at Mc-
Cann Worldgroup. He can be
reached at Abhinav.Sharma@
ap.mccann.com