Read issue 453 now! Web: https://weekender.com.my/issue453 PDF: https://hams.top/453w You can also receive your very own free copy of MARKETING WEEKENDER every Friday. Save +60122052588 under the name HAM in your phone and WhatsApp the word “WANT”. Read what you have missed so far in previous Weekender issues.
By Dr Rais Hussin Malaysia’s 5G debate has now crossed a threshold where consequences are no longer abstract or deferrable. The recent twin developments in Malaysia’s 5G saga—the stark revelation of plummeting network speeds and the Ministry of Finance’s (MoF) financial exit—are not mere coincidences. They are structurally linked, direct,
For four decades, Malaysia’s automotive story was a respectable one — steady, cautious, occasionally ambitious, but largely reactive. We assembled. We imported. We consumed. The Proton Saga gave us pride, but not quite propulsion. Then 2025 happened. This was the year the Malaysian car industry quietly stopped asking, “What’s coming
As the 33rd Southeast Asian Games unfolds across Thailand from December 9 to 20, 2025, one platform has emerged as a quiet but decisive force shaping how the Games are being experienced across the region. TikTok is not merely amplifying highlights; it is actively re-engineering the sports narrative — turning
There is no screech of tyres. No slow-motion shattering glass. No swelling soundtrack telling you when to feel sad. Instead, Toyota’s latest Thai road-safety film opens with something far more uncomfortable: certainty. Aerial, clinical, almost God’s-eye in its detachment, the camera hovers over a quiet stretch of road. It looks
San Francisco has done something that will make brand managers, lawyers, and marketers equally uncomfortable — it has sued the food industry for doing its job too well. In early December, the city filed a sweeping lawsuit against some of America’s biggest food manufacturers—names that dominate supermarket aisles and advertising
For a decade, marketers worshipped dashboards. Trend lines became truth. Sentiment scores replaced understanding. Mountains of social data were mistaken for insight. But according to iWISERS Founder and CEO Dr Shakthi DC, that myth is about to collapse. In 2026, she argues, data-heavy brands will lose to culture-smart ones. In
Brands that truly resonate with consumers possess more than aesthetic appeal. They embody values, foster emotional connections, and provide consistent, meaningful experiences. In Malaysia and the broader APAC region, these brands utilise in-depth insights from social listening and data analytics to closely align their narratives with local culture, consumer needs,
In a move that would have been unthinkable even a decade ago, the Academy Awards will stream exclusively on YouTube from 2029, ending its long-standing broadcast partnership with ABC. More than a distribution shift, the decision marks a symbolic handover: from traditional television to platform-led culture, from appointment viewing to
Kraft Heinz’s decision to appoint Steve Cahillane as its new CEO is not merely a leadership change. It is a strategic signal to investors, potential buyers and the wider consumer industry that the company is preparing for a far more consequential reset — one that goes beyond splitting its business
