Welcome 2018! New hope, new Stories to tell

Marketing had a trailblazing year, wishes to thank its readers 
As we say our adieus to 2017, and preen ourselves to welcome the spanking new 2018, we at MARKETING magazine, Malaysia are poised for a flight.

And this flight is one that will land us in a bolder, innovative and challenging space of a large-sized magazine, to be published fortnightly, beginning January 2018.

We’ll offer a brim-full of thoughtful, interesting and sharp stories, and opinions from the captains of our advertising and marketing industry. And even as we write this, we do not know which way our digital lives will flow and what transformations will await us.

So, expect the unexpected from us; to tell you first. The team will put its thinking cap on and get you jet-setting to exciting destinations of the advertising and marketing industry.

So while we are primed for 2018, we also want to pause and look back at some of the creative and original ideas that guided MARKETING Magazine, Malaysia, in 2017.

2017 was a milestone for MARKETING magazine as we celebrated the 20th year of our existence.

And we reached this juncture in our journey because of you: our loyal readers and supporters. It has been remarkable and exciting as we had you all rooting for us, all the way.

Another thing remarkable about this journey is the man who has steered it; unparalleled in his passion to keep doing it- better, swifter. Prof Ham (called thus because he also wears this hat at the UPSI for authoring its Bachelor’s Degree in Social Communications syllabus), won the ‘Outstanding SME Award 2017’ in recognition of his honest efforts in keeping his company alive & kicking, its vibrancy intact.

Humbly, as always, Prof Ham attributed this accolade to his team. “This ‘Outstanding SME Award 2017’ is not about me, but about the people in the company. They are outstanding; I am merely standing outside, looking in,” he said in an interview to his own reporter.

With such a leadership and mentoring, the team at MARKETING got inspiration to raise the bar of creativity, leading to riveting and compelling events, conferences and stories.

One such stir was created by the ‘personalised cover idea.’
It was the anniversaries of two brands, Etika Holdings, and MARKETING Magazine. Together both brands created publishing history which bridged the divide between digital and print recently.

It came about with a brave poser from Etika, “What if we could wake-up the industry by creating something that has never been attempted before, the world’s first personalised cover delivered to 3,000 of the movers and shakers in Malaysia’s advertising and marketing ecosystem?”

This transformative marketing idea, the first-ever in the publishing world, was executed by MARKETING, magazine and supported by Etika’s agency ENTROPIA.

It took us more than 3 months and a dedicated team of 15 experts working almost 24/7 to create this unprecedented record. And yes, this would not have been possible without Etika’s quest for excellence.

Yet another highlight in 2017, was the 7th edition of ‘The Best of Global Digital Marketing’ (#MYBGDM2017). This event highlighted the best content marketing strategies across the globe, with content marketing veteran Hando Sinisalu, reputable marketing journalist, researcher and founder and CEO of Best Marketing International, sharing his ground-breaking ideas with the audience.

Then, in 2017, we had our Dragons of Malaysia awards where the biscuit campaign proved a tasty treat for Geometry Global Malaysia, winning double Category Gold in the 2017 Dragons of Malaysia, as well as Category Gold Dragon and the Best Campaign in Malaysia Blue Dragon in the 2017 Dragons of Asia!

As we continue to applaud the best and the brightest in our industry, while keeping our heads on our shoulders and feet to the ground, we at MARKETING, reaffirm our commitment to keep working with enthusiasm while quietly pushing the envelope, in creativity.

And yes, as we wish you all a very happy 2018, an interesting tidbit–
Just in case, if you happen to suddenly see Prof Ham smiling down at you from various billboards in KL, don’t be surprised. Prof Ham, is always immersed in work; it is some friends from the industry have decided to show their appreciation for the ‘Man of two decades’ by displaying him on few strategic Megalite boards in the CBT area.

The Malaysian Media Conference 2018 is INTERACTIVE
The Malaysian Media Conference is about Conversations.
Conversations before, during and after the Conference.
The best way to learn is when someone answers what you want to know.
With 15 speakers and moderators, the event will cover everything that is important for Media, Marketing and Digital moving forward.
Date: 8 February, 2018
Time: 8.30am – 6.00pm
Venue: The Grand Ballroom, Sime Darby Convention Centre, Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur.
PDF: http://marketingmagazine.com.my/pdf/MMC2018-Prog.pdf
www.marketingmagazine.com/mmc2018