Posted on by Nathalie Tay
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University Students Steal the Show at inaugural MAA TRAILBLAZERS
27 May
University students took centre stage at the inaugural MAA TRAILBLAZERS: The Ad-venture Challenge, powered by BillUps and hosted by the Malaysian Advertisers Association (MAA), sweeping two of the top three spots, including the coveted champion’s title.
The fast-paced, “Amazing Race”-style marketing competition saw Malaysia’s brightest young marketers – many still in university – outshine agency pros and industry veterans as they raced from challenge to challenge, putting their creativity and teamwork to the test.
The champion team, ‘AiScReam’ comprising students from Sunway University, captured the judges’ attention with their inventive strategies, quick thinking, and infectious team spirit – that bold ideas and fresh perspectives can take on the best in the business. Hot on their heels was ‘Team TD’ – another outstanding student team from Taylor’s University, claiming second place after a fierce, day-long contest.
Rounding out the top three was the team from Heineken Malaysia, demonstrating that industry professionals were also very much in the running amid the fresh energy and bold ideas brought by student teams.
“Seeing not one, but two university student teams take the top spots at MAA TRAILBLAZERS was a nice twist to the day. It sends a clear message about the bright future of our industry. But what brought a smile to me was seeing the full spectrum of the industry, young and senior, running around excitedly having fun, with energy and ideas, away from the confines of the walls and boundaries that often keep us apart,” said Claudian Navin Stanislaus, President of MAA.
The first place winning team – (from left) Cheah Renee, Alycia Yap Kay Lynn and Wong Zi En – celebrating their win with (from right) MAA President Claudian Navin Stanislaus, MAA Vice President and MAA TRAILBLAZERS Organising Chair Foong Ai Peng, and Angie Cutter, Managing Director of Southeast Asia, Billups at the inaugural MAA TRAILBLAZERS: The Ad-venture Challenge.
But the win was just part of the story. MAA TRAILBLAZERS was designed to mimic the real pace and pressure of life in the marketing industry — from rapid-fire ideation to juggling competing tasks and delivering ideas under client-like scrutiny, even to knowing the regulations that govern it. While the competition was fierce, the day was essentially about having fun, learning new skills, but more importantly building connections.
For participants, the real adventure began the moment they piled into their assigned cars – maps in hand, clues on their phones, laughter and nerves mingling as they sped off to secret locations across town. Each pit stop brought a creative challenge, testing teamwork and improvisation at every turn.
“Being in the top three, the most challenging part was the pitch presentation, especially handling the judges’ questions which really kept us on our toes. What also stood out was how our team played to each other’s strengths and became even closer through the experience. Coming from a tough market in the alcohol industry, I found it eye-opening to hear new perspectives from so many marketers and professionals today,” said Daryl Cheong, Junior Brand Manager, Heineken Malaysia.
“We started the day a bit overconfident, taking our time on the first challenge but then realized how quickly things can change! Seeing our students overcome those same challenges and making it into the top three was an incredible moment of pride. The experience really showed me that theory and industry experience matter, but it’s teamwork and putting knowledge into practice that make all the difference” reflected Fahizah Shamsuddin, Academic, Sunway University.
“So many moments were unforgettable, but the real challenge was coming up with a campaign idea in such a short time. We were lucky to have Head of Brand and Marketing Services, Chan May Ling with us as a mentor, and that made it really fun,” shared Iva Wong, Student, Taylor’s University. “The biggest takeaway? Be brave, have fun, and live in the moment – just enjoy the whole experience and learn as you go.”
“The biggest challenge was definitely cracking the clues and racing to find the right locations. Teamwork was key, so we split up tasks and worked together to keep things moving fast. More than just a game, the whole experience was about team spirit, collaboration, and thinking outside the box,” said Elaine Choo, Senior Marketing Manager, KL Wellness City.
“The first mission, where we had to talk to strangers, really stood out as it pushed my team and I out of our comfort zones and took real courage. Collaborating while on the run and racing against time made us realize how important teamwork and quick thinking are. I’m also reminded of just how much you can achieve when you adapt and support each other,” recalled Benjamin Lee, Account Manager, Innity.
“The most unforgettable moment was the first challenge where we had to identify shopping mall tenants based on clues provided to us – we managed to pull together all five tenants on the spot!” said Wai Kin Ng, Head of AV, McCann. “We were just focused on having fun, taking risks, and connecting with people from all kinds of backgrounds. What I learned is not to take things too seriously—just enjoy the moment and get to know each other.”
Teams worked together on the fly, pushing creative boundaries as they moved from challenge to challenge—fighting their way up the leaderboard, mirroring the high-energy atmosphere of the industry.
The competition also saw lucky teams draw a mentor each, as Abdul Sani bin Abdul Murad (RHB Banking Group), Chan May Ling (CelcomDigi), Hassan Alsagoff (Grab), and Schrene Goh (MRT Corp), who provided guidance, encouragement, and were active members of the team.
The top three teams on the leaderboard were sent into the dark room without prior notice, to face an iconic panel of judges, comprising of Professor Harmandar Singh, Founder and Editor in Chief, Marketing Magazine, Bharat Avalani, Founder and CEO, Connecting The Dots & MAA Past Master, Chanchal Chakrabarty, Seasoned Media Expert, Chan Woei Hern, Head of Creative, VaynerMedia APAC, and Dato’ Sri Vincent Tiew, Executive Director, KL Wellness City.
They were required to present their Co-Lab Challenge to the judges, in a truly improv ‘elevator pitch’ not only evaluated for their creativity, impact, and clarity, but also their ability to wing it on the fly. For many, it was a rare opportunity to not just get up close with Malaysia’s marketing movers, shakers, icons and bosses, but to see them in a different light — as colleagues and friends — without boundaries of hierarchy or domain.
The event wrapped with an awards ceremony that celebrated not just the winning team, but all the MAA TRAILBLAZERS who stepped up and gave their all.
MAA TRAILBLAZERS: The Ad-venture Challenge 2025 Winners:
1st Place: AiScReam
Alycia Yap Kay Lynn
Cheah Renee
Wong Zi En
2nd Place: Team TD
Abdul Hafidz Bin Abdul Halim
Nik Farra Arisha Binti Shaharin
Safiyya Binti Sheriza
3rd Place: Heineken Malaysia
Daryl Cheong
Jasmine Reynell
Melanie Woo
The MAA TRAILBLAZERS judging panel: (from left) Dato’ Sri Vincent Tiew (Executive Director, KL Wellness City), Chanchal Chakrabarty (Seasoned Media Expert), Professor Harmandar Singh (Founder & Editor in Chief, Marketing Magazine), Bharat Avalani (Founder & CEO, Connecting The Dots; MAA Past Master), and Chan Woei Hern (Head of Creative, VaynerMedia APAC).
Every participant walked away with not just a bagful of goodies from the sponsors, they left with memories and new connections, which was the objective of this event. MAA TRAILBLAZERS: The Ad-venture Challenge reflects MAA’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of marketers, encouraging creativity, and building future-ready advertising talent.
The event was made possible thanks to the support of title sponsor BillUps. The world’s largest independent OOH agency, saw the value in building something new that brings the people in the industry back together. It was its first-of-its-kind format and its people-focused objective that appealed to the other sponsors like AEON, Coca-Cola, Grab, Heineken Malaysia Berhad, Nestle, Spectrum Outdoor and KL Wellness City too.
Together they helped make the event not just an unforgettable experience, but a great start of something new. Building on this momentum, MAA looks forward to welcoming even more young marketers and creative thinkers to participate in defining the industry into one that evolves and resonates with them – and not be held back by doing the same old things just because that’s how it’s always been done!
The APPIES 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.
This is the only event where Live Presentations meets Live Judging.
Similar to TED Talks, The APPIES is the chance for great presenters with outstanding work to show it off to some of the industry’s most important industry leaders.
This year’s winners will receive Gold, Silver or Bronze trophies for 21 categories, and 6 special Best of Best categories (red trophies) that require no submissions!
Campaign entries must have run between June 2024 to May 2025
