Reflections - University Assignment

MALAYSIA & SINGAPORE ISSUE FROM 20.6 4.7

KFC MALAYSIA

MARKETING

PHOTOGRAPHS

highs and lows of the intense twoweek sprint

LEARNINGS FROM AGENCY VISITS AND OBSERVATIONs

Iconic and not so iconic moments from the trip

Reflections Singapore and Malaysia recounted by a fool u3160402

Contents Welcome!

Riches to Religion

Yasmin Ahmad

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Take Me With You When You Go

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Off-topic thoughts from the work process

Hey thanks for picking me up!

Whether you have this because you're marking it, curious as to what this is about, or I've shoved it in your hands against your will, thanks for having a look! I hope you find some value in it!

Keep in mind this is for an uni reflection. The preachyness is to show that something actually got into my thick skull.

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It’s more often that the people we meet and interact with are the ones we remember the most from our travels.

This was especially true during my trip to Singapore and Malaysia as a part of the ‘UC Study Abroad’ Marketing program. Organised stops, impromptu late night dinners, and even silences helped to broaden my perspective on the role marketing plays worldwide and on a personal scale.

Riches to ReligioN Where society and beliefs intertwine

Words and Photos by Kevin Diep 2

Religion is at the forefront of society in Malaysia and Singapore.

It incorporates itself into many facets of life.

Examples of this could be found from the very first moments we landed in Singapore.   The group that took the recommended flight decided to pass the time before everyone convened by visiting a Chinese temple right

across the road.

The Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho temple had a lot of open space and was inviting to onlookers and devotees alike.

The boundaries between race and religion were further blurred as a Chinese lady approached our group while we looked into the Hindu temple.

This lady seemed to be selling goods just outside the temple and taught us about the history of the temple.

She offered to take us inside on a mini-tour and I immediately

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thought it was a scam. I refused to enter as she took the willing three inside.    I thought that this was some ruse to steal our shoes or rob us.

As time passed and nothing happened, I stood outside feeling pretty stupid about the whole thing. Though I was glad to be proven wrong, it made me think of why I thought that way and how Singapore had subverted that.

My parents taught me to be cautious while travelling, especially around Cambodia and Vietnam. You're always

taught to keep your belongings close, not to talk to strangers and to never stray too far.

What I forgot was that people don't disrespect religion. Religion unites people across all socioeconomic statuses. It wouldn't matter where you're from, no one would dare to commit a crime in their holy place.

Another surprise came in the form of the stores that often surrounded mosque's and churches.

If you needed an iPhone cable, you could go to the nearby mosque and buy one. Then you could go to the food court underneath in case you felt hungry but didn't know what to eat. Fundraising has always been a pain point for religions, but I've never seen such modern methods. The juxtaposition between modern and traditional is surreal.

Leo Burnett Malaysia was where Yasmin worked her magic.

When we visited though it felt like the workplace was a hollow shell of its former self. Yasmin’s office was preserved and we were even given a presentation that ran overtime about herwork, philosophy, and adverts. Yasmin’s greatest asset seemed to be the ability to take a step back and observe.

She was able to take in the best of everything, not put in her own biases, and synthesize it. Universal truths such as friendship, family, and lover were trademarks of her ads.

Malaysia's Shining Star What we can learn from Yasmin Ahmad's unique take on advertising 1958 - 2009 4

Yasmin Ahmad was a striking figure whose story told the best and worst of Malaysia’s multi-cultural population. Yasmin was subject to death threats, malicious text messages, and censorship for her efforts in progressing outdated practices in each culture.

Being open minded and considering all angles to a problem is a crucial skill when researching consumers and finding valuable insights. When I rush into a project I can often forget to have an open mind and make it harder for myself to create effective work.

This is a philosophy that should be applied to life.

topic thoughts from the work process

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Working on the KFC brief provided me greater understanding of the pitch process, how a campaign comes together, how to build off consumer insights, and where I want to go in my career. Having clear objectives and deadlines to work towards are very important.

the target audience well. Upon entering focus group interviews, I expected some stilted conversations due to language barriers. I was surprised to find that they showed similar beliefs, attitudes, behaviours, pop culture interest to us. They were just like us!

There was a misconception that we had to write a detailed report and it made us focus on the wrong areas for a long time. This could have been fixed had we outlined our objectives first. We spent less time on topics that mattered such as the mockups and presentation visuals compared to the egregious amount of time spent in the brand and company audit. Research into all areas is important but for a pitch it’s not as necessary. In this situation, I felt that the target market research was the most important area to develop. We have to know who we are selling this product to and we did not know

Singapore teaches English as its first language which leads them to consume the same media we do, building the same preferences we have.

Even creates an aged care problem as the older generation speak Mandarin or Cantonese.

It’s the natural result of the many international powers looking to take advantage of Singapore’s status as the leading force of innovation in the South East Asian region.

There was a joke during the industry panel at the hotel where Christie Herman joked 'Singapore has no culture!'. Looks like there's a bit more to that joke than a easy jab.

Anachronism popped up everywhere we went. We could be sitting in Accenture boardrooms discussing the fluidity of branding, the ethics of data collection, and robotics, while a few kilometres away from the office, average Malaysians are working equally, if not harder, to make ends meets for their large families who may have never stepped foot overseas. It sticks out like a sore thumb and makes me think of how lucky I am to have been brought up in Canberra. It’s why I felt good about implementing a CSR initiative into our proposal. One area we fell short was that KFC is a commercial company and that it’s always looking for quick short term ROI. They did appreciate our CSR effort though, and the project helped give me a sense of purpose. It has pushed me towards seeking and developing more work that empowers people through any means.

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MALAYSIA & SINGAPORE ISSUE FROM 20.6 4.7

KFC MALAYSIA

MARKETING

PHOTOGRAPHS

highs and lows of the intense twoweek sprint

LEARNINGS FROM AGENCY VISITS AND OBSERVATIONs

Iconic and not so iconic moments from the trip

Reflections Pt.2 Singapore and Malaysia recounted by a fool u3160402

Take me with you when you go

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From group video chats with freaky face filters to heated assignment discussions I was able to observe 19 of the best and brightest and learn a few things from them.

Honesty is still the number one way to convey yourself. Conversations and relationships are easier as honesty is an act of revealing yourself. You show your unique values, beliefs, and attitudes which is important in our highly competitive industry. It’s important to make yourself stand out and be heard without speaking over the voices of others. The ‘Honey Cheese Crunch’ and ‘Eat Chicken, Differently’ proposals from the KFC pitch day were excellent examples of this. Both teams stood out by showing confidence in their idea and opened themselves up to the panel, which in turn open themselves up to them. Honesty and oversharing are two different concepts though and a situation must be assessed to determine what is appropriate. From John Mayer to Oreo discussions, I thank Lil for helping me see

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this as well.

To that point, communication must be clear within a team environment. If an idea isn’t sitting well with a single member, their concern must be addressed together, solved together, so that you can continue operating together. There were many times where I could sometimes find myself conflicted with my group’s ideas and suggestions and they would feel the same towards me.

Suppressing your thoughts isn't productive though.

Being able to respectfully question yourself or others with proper reason and evidence is essential for building bullet-proof solutions. Much to my disappointment, at one moment our group decided to discard plans to expand the group participation aspect of our proposal due to complexities. I thought it was a core part of our project but after discussion and debate it was found that the technicalities confused the group, myself, and because of that, we wouldn’t be able to convey it properly to the judges.

I was able to see their

perspective and agreed to continue with the stronger aspects of our campaign. To this, I thank Sarah R, Sophie C, and Alana.

Special thanks to Sarah N, Sophie M, Oliver, Robbie, Indigo, Hayden, Lily, Emma, Jackie, Kat, Jasmine, Sasha, and Mary. There's only so much I can fit on one page, sorry guys!

Last, but not least, how could I forget Sean and Marwan! Giving up their time, energy, and resources to ensure that we had the best connections, experiences and mentoring.

Each proposal was given their full attention and enthusiasm. When I would discuss how the assignment was going with other students, all they could say was that Sean and Marwan had cleared their path and saved their proposals. Their names became synonymous with care and wisdom. I couldn’t have asked for better leaders to take us on this trip and thank them once again for dealing with the ups and downs of our group.

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