The hangover of GE 14

By the time you read this piece, the 14th Malaysian General Election will have been over and you will be back at work as usual or would have just finished enjoying a special two-day public holiday. As I can’t predict what the future is at the time of writing, I am going to stick to what has already happened. This GE witnessed the largest media investment ever on a public campaign in the country.
Thanks to Barisan Nasional.
And it is now left to be seen how this will show up on the adex radar soon. As evidenced on all platforms, the media blitzkrieg has been nothing short of total domination. From print and outdoor to online and social. From influencer marketing to recycled videos and fake news. Many pundits debated the wastage in placing messages alongside opposing stories or of negative publicity to the advertiser but fret not, brand safety flew out the window this time. As Trump’s political adviser Roger Stone says, “All publicity is good publicity.”
But then, he also said, “The general election is not an organizational exercise – it’s a mass media exercise.” My Roger Stone favourite is, “There is something urbane, stylish, and worldly about owning a cocktail shaker.”
Personally, I believe this is a “WhatsApp” election with the continuous barrage of messages, pix and videos bombarded through that platform.
We also asked Oliver Woods, Director of Red2 Digital and keen observer of the Malaysian elections for this thoughts: “Facebook Live and Instagram Stories drove the main social content strategies. Tun Mahathir and Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal individually, plus ‘Parti Oren’ (Amanah) and ‘Parti Bunga’ (Bersatu) have been leaders in pushing their content Live consistently.”
“UMNO leaders have also skilfully used Twitter: the timelines of Khairy Jamaluddin and Dato’ Abdul Rahman Dahlan can teach you a lot about how to approach the platform you may have thought was ‘dead’.”
“Facebook is the de facto blogging platform in Southeast Asia. The platform’s historic advice to keep posts short has been ignored, and leaders on both sides (Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, Datuk Eric See-To) have written blog-length posts that have been shared many thousands of times. Who says you can’t write long posts on FB anymore?”
I will leave you with one thought, breaking through the clutter of the election’s media blitz, one billboard along the highways stood out and should be given a special award for visibility….. have a Nexcious day.
By The Turbanned Stranger 

On 19th of July, MARKETING will be organising a conference on Customer-Centric Digital Transformation (#DTCX2018) to help you answer that question. The conference will be driven by Paul Stewart who authored the best-seller ‘Branded Customer Service’ and currently is the Special Advisor, Strategy & Transformation for TMI Malaysia. Drawing from his 25 years of diverse experience as a Chief Economist, CEO and consulting in organisational change, transformation and innovation Paul will be sharing his learnings and current trends in this realm.
He will be joined by key thought leaders in the areas of transformation, data analytics, customer service, branding, marketing, digital, human resources and more! Some of the key names who will be joining us include:
* Imran Kunalan Abdullah, Advisor/Principal Consultant – Digital Talent Development & Leadership and People Analytics
* George Aveling, CEO, TMI Malaysia
* Laurence Smith, Head, Asia Region, SmartUP
* Falko Leonhardt, Principal Consultant Transformation Strategy and Change, TMI
and MORE!
Get ready to be inspired by case studies on transformation, honest conversations on driving change and actionable insights you can take back to implement in your organisation.
For more information on DTCX 2018 contact Amira today at [email protected] or Book your spot early to avoid disappointment!

19th July 2018
Sime Darby Convention Center, Bukit Kiara