As we start to travel, Tourism Malaysia shelves ad plans

Advertising and media pitches for the Tourism Malaysia business are nothing short of dramatic…if not of the suspicious kind.

I have come to regard the shenanigans that go with their processes to be “business as usual”. You can read my past writings about their fascinating ways here.

But check out their latest earth-shattering move….

After hunting and reviewing agencies to manage media and PR duties for its domestic account, they have closed the case with “TIADA LANTIKAN UNTUK TENDER INI”.

In other words, all that work came to nought, no further action! The whole tender exercise for agencies to handle the 12-months domestic tourism business (apparently, the budget for the ad part was RM6 million and half a million for PR) is now non-existent.

Tourism Malaysia reported over 70% of negative growth due to COVID-19 in December last year, so this new development adds another mystery to their amazing ways in promoting our country to fellow Malaysians.

I spoke to two agency heads to get their reactions…

“Sheer incompetent nonsense or, as others suspect, just more rasuah,” said a multinational agency head whose agency was in the running.

Another local agency owner lamented, “Doesn’t the Minister realise how bizarre this situation is, first the PR pitch, then the domestic ad pitch and then out of nowhere a separate music pitch, which should already be part of the domestic pitch (but has now been given to a separate bidder for around only RM70K). More loss of money to all the bidders at a time when every agency’s already in pain…”

In the meantime, it seems the job to promote travel and tourism will be left to the professional acumen of the airlines, hotels and MATTA to shoulder.

No surprises here.

This piece is the Editor’s Note from MARKETING Weekender Issue 308

APPIES Asia Pacific is an annual event that presents a rare opportunity for creative, media, digital and marketing agencies or brands to present their best campaigns to the industry.