Rising stars of branding fraternity shine bright

Big Pharmacy group CEO Lee Meng Chuan (in grey suit) and Caring Pharmacy managing director YS Chong (right of Lee) and their teams after winning silver and gold, respectively.

IT was a dazzling spectacle of who’s who as top brands from various industries come together at the Imperial Ballroom of One World Hotel, Petaling Jaya to commemorate the Putra Aria Brand Awards (Paba) 2023.

An offshoot of the Putra Brand Awards (PBA), Paba aims to serve the marketing fraternity by highlighting branding efforts across segments.

With the theme that called for brands to “Transform”, the awards honoured 150 for finding ways to keep themselves relevant in across 24 broad categories.

Among these brands, 40 bagged gold, while 50 won silver and 60 received bronze.

The event was graced by Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) strategic planning division senior director Raja Badrulnizam Raja Kamalzaman, who said the brands “have effectively showcased Malaysia to the world and will hopefully encourage many others to follow in their footsteps.”

Event organiser and the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Malaysia (4As) acting president Ryusuke Oda said: “Modern branding goes beyond just communicating with consumers, it’s about giving consumers a reason to engage with and appreciate your brand every day, all year round.”

Award organising chairman Datuk Johnny Mun pointed out that “transformation means we may need to be bold enough to tread uncharted paths and take some calculated risks.”

Paba did not require any submission or entry fees for 360 brands to be included in the survey. Instead, they were selected based on their investment levels in brand building.

Over 11,000 consumer responses were captured, conducted directly by global market researcher Ipsos in an eight-week survey period from September to October 2023 across 62 media channels throughout Malaysia.

The respondents would rate the brands based on a number of criteria, such as familiarity, experience, impression, intent to purchase, forced choice of brand and the brands they would recommend to their loved ones.

These were then collated by Ipsos, compiled and presented to the board of governors consisting of the Matrade chief executive officer, the 4As honorary life president, heads of various media groups, and advertiser associations.

They were apparel and accessories; automotive; automotive fuel, lubricants and accessories; banking, investment and insurance; alcoholic beverages; non-alcoholic beverages; dairy beverages; cameras, IT and office equipment; communication devices; communication networks; education and learning; foodstuff; health; household products; home improvement products and stores; media and networks; entertainment; personal, household and outdoor appliances; personal care; property; retail; restaurants and fast food; transportation, travel and tourism; and ecommerce.

Paba was endorsed by Matrade as the Brand Champion Partner and supported by the Malaysian Advertisers Association, Media Specialists Association and Malaysian Digital Association.