MALAYSIA’s AN INSIGHT INTO MALAYSIA’S STRONGEST BRANDS Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, The Baltic States, The Netherlands, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Vietnam
SUPERBRANDS MALAYSIA VOLUME XIV AN INSIGHT INTO MALAYSIA’S STRONGEST BRANDS Chief Executive, Superbrands Malaysia Mike English Brand Liaison Director Shirley Wong Tel. +6012 214 1032 E-mail shirley.wong@superbrands.com Brand Liaison Managers Cleone Lim Tel. +6012 867 7338 E-mail cleone.lim@superbrands.com Marcus Kong Tel. +6016 233 5216 E-mail ks.kong@superbrands.com Design Jacinta Johnson Printed by Jetprint Published by Superbrands 35, Ballards Lane London N13 1XW E-mail mike@superbrandsmena.com All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, digital, or mechanical, including scanning, photocopying, recording or any information storageand retrieval system relating to all or part of the text, photographs, logotypes without first obtaining permission in writing from the publisher of the book together with the copyright owners as featured. The trademark of SUPERBRANDS is a trademark of Superbrands Limited. The logo is the subject of copyright of Superbrands Limited © Superbrands Limited 2013. All of the companies who own the Superbrands featured in this publication have given their consent for the use of the brand name, logo and photographs shown. Any enquiry regarding a specific Superbrand should be made to the relevant company. ISBN 0-233927694-1
VOLUME XIV www.superbrands.com
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M A L A Y S I A ’ S S T R O N G E S T B R A N D S | 5 Foreword The Superbrands Organisation Superbrands TV Agmo Holdings AGRICORE CS apacs Blank Malaysia Camel Power Carya Cosmetics Catalyst Education DIREACH Dzi Kingdom HASNURI HEADMISTRESS My Ballerine NATURE CARE NUETRAA Phiten Malaysia QWARE Respack reTouch The Olive Tree Group THE SKIN LOVERS TODAK TST Tin’Secret Urban Spice & Seasonings Verdure Healthcare VitaHealth Wooot Carpenter X.ONE 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 Contents
6 | S U P E R B R A N D S V O L U M E X I V Photo credit: www.flickr.com/photos/naimfadil/10121316715
M A L A Y S I A ’ S S T R O N G E S T B R A N D S | 7 Foreword The brand conversation grows larger and more complicated with every passing day in our modern, ever-connected world. It’s not just branding anymore. It’s corporate branding, product branding, service branding, and even personal branding. Whether you’re a business leader, a marketing professional, or just a regular chap buying a cup of coffee before a long day in the actual salt mines, branding is woven throughout every aspect of our lives. Whether you’re aware of them or not, every company and every product already has a brand. The work of understanding, defining, and shaping these brands, however, is an ongoing process. The organisations that invest in building strong brands are investing in a powerful competitive advantage. We all know why brand matters to consumer giants like Apple, Coca-Cola, and Nike. They’ve reached the pinnacle of brand equity. Their brands do the selling and consumers are willing to buy because of how they perceive the brand. But brand can work just as hard for small and mid-sized enterprises and business-to-business organisations as it does for these corporates giants. Especially in this day and age of niche marketing. Even B2B brands that tend to fly under the radar outside of their own industries have found success with strong brands. Traditionally, the data protection space is not focused on brand. The concept of brand was once very simple. The term itself comes from the Norse word “brandr” which means “to burn.” The modern definition began to take shape as early as the 1500s when it was used to define the mark ranchers burned on their cattle. During this time the brand mark became synonymous with ownership. By the 1800s, brand symbols began to represent not ownership, but quality. This shift was, in large part, due to a practice started by wine distributors. They would burn their brand marks into crates of their product to make sure they didn’t get mixed in with their competitor’s product. By 1870, the practice of branding product became so ubiquitous, companies could now trademark their brand marks to prevent competitors from falsely representing their products. Mike English CEO Superbrands Malaysia That’s how it all began, but what does brand mean now? To answer this, we have to define both “brand” and “branding.” Many use the terms interchangeably, but the fact is the two have separate, but intertwined, definitions. Brand is a perception in the mind of your audiences. It’s an idea. It’s what people think and feel when they consider your product, your mission, your customer experience - all the components that make up your company or organisation. Branding is the ongoing effort to shape your audiences’ (customers, clients, employees, etc.) perceptions. It is a process and strategy that encompasses the steps you take to give meaning to your product and organisation. Branding aims to establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market that attracts and retains loyal customers. There are a few other terms that often come up in the greater brand conversation as well:- Brand Experience is the sensations, feelings, and thoughts evoked by your brand identity. It’s the space between your branding and your brand. Brand Equity is the commercial value of your brand. It’s based on what customers are willing to pay for your name rather than the product or service itself. Brand strategy is your plan that takes into consideration your audiences, position in the marketplace, and goals as you establish your brand. Brands succeed by:- • Providing clarity of thought and action across their entire operation. • Helping their company and products stand out and above the competition. • Generating new customers while maintaining relationships with existing customers. • Shaping perceptions and earning recognition, trust, and loyalty. • Elevating perceived value while lowering barriers for marketing and sales efforts. • Strengthening employee recruitment and retention efforts. • Protecting against negative market and public relations events. All of these factors work together to build brand equity. With strategic investment in your own branding efforts, your brand will start to work even harder to influence buyers.
8 | S U P E R B R A N D S V O L U M E X I V The Superbrands Organisation
M A L A Y S I A ’ S S T R O N G E S T B R A N D S | 9 A Mark Of Excellence From its conception in 1993 and UK launch in 1994, Superbrands has grown into a global organisation and today operates in more that 92 countries around the world and across five continents – which makes “Superbrands” a truly global brand. Superbrands History The Superbrands concept originated in the United Kingdom in 1993 after its founder, Marcel Knobil, an advertising executive lost a two-way pitch for lack of client information (The business was retained by the clients’ existing agency). Frustrated by the fact that an otherwise outstanding presentation came to naught he launched Superbrands. Superbrands began life in 1994 as a radio show on GLR (now BBC London 94.9). This broadcast aimed to give ordinary consumers an insight into the significant brands that touched upon their lives. After the success of the show the Superbrands organisation was founded in 1995. Its mandate focused on promoting the discipline of branding and identifying and paying tribute to exceptional brands. At the time it was not imagined that within only a few years the organisation could have achieved such phenomenal success – or be the global authority that it is today. The first Superbrands reference book published in the UK contained brands ranging from international icons such as American Express and Coca-Cola to UK favourites like British Airways and Cadbury. The trend of mixing international and local brands highly rated by the relevant national selection process continues today. Sixteen percent of the brands from that first publication qualified and were featured in the tenth anniversary edition of Superbrands UK, published in 2005. Thirty-eight percent of those brands continue to be members internationally. Two further UK editions, each increasing in size and stature, were completed in 1996 and 1997. This paved the way for the first international Superbrands programme to be launched in Australia. Its publisher was Stephen P. Smith who created the Superbrands concept and founded the international organisation. In 2000, a sustained period of international growth ensued with Denmark, France, Hong Kong, Spain, Sweden and the USA beginning programmes. More recently, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Japan and South Africa have joined the international network. Exceptional growth has occurred in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Today, Superbrands is the world’s leading brand recognition platform and is established in more than 92 countries around the world. International operations are run on a license basis whereby local rights are awarded to experienced and highly qualified individuals. Each operational head forms part of the international editorial board acting as gate keepers to the Superbrands accolade and responsible for the integrity of the programme. Superbrands presents expert and consumer opinion on branding. The organisation promotes the discipline of branding and recognises the exceptional and most valued brands. THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT SUPERBRANDS Superbrands started life as a radio talk show broadcast on Greater London Radio (now BBC Radio London) in the UK. Superbrands launched in 1994 and the first book was published in London in 1995. Today, Superbrands operates in more than 92 countries worldwide, across five continents. Superbrands has published more than 15,000 brand case histories for over 4,500 of the worlds biggest and most valuable brands. Brands participating in more than 20 editions of Superbrands include international icons such as American Express, Avis, Coca-Cola, DHL, Gillette, McDonalds, Nokia, Philips and Sony. Coca-Cola has participated in over 50 Superbrands programmes around the world. The iconic Superbrands logo is widely recognised by consumers as a mark of brand excellence and distinction. On average, 70% of Asian consumers say that they are more likely to consider buying a brand they see associated with the Superbrands logo. Asian consumers also say that they consider brands displaying the Superbrands logo to be more trustworthy and of higher quality than other brands. • • • • • • • • •
10 | S U P E R B R A N D S V O L U M E X I V Creative Marketing Superior Products Exceptional Brands
M A L A Y S I A ’ S S T R O N G E S T B R A N D S | 11 Superbrands Television The SBTV video productions mirror the text and images from the brand presentations in the Superbrands books. This is the most effective way to showcase the brands strengths and Superbrands Status through an important new digital delivery platform. SBTV creates high quality video footage for our Superbrands clients. Brands can use this footage to promote their brand stories of successes to their clients, shareholders, investors, staff, customers and within the brands supply chains. This video can be used on Social Media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube, etc. to create the viral effect. In addition, the QR codes for SBTV videos can also be used across brands’ above-the-line marketing channels, e.g. television, print, any out-of-home media as well as the TVs at the office reception areas, at conferences, seminars, road shows or conventions. We have also created a SuperbrandsTV site on YouTube where all the brand videos from around the world are posted. To-date, the site has received almost 5,000,000 views and has more than 12,000 subscribers. Suggested ways to use SBTV videos SBTV clients can incorporate a QR Code on their existing print advertisements which will allow consumers with Smartphones the ability to scan the QR Code from the print advertisement providing a direct link to the brand’s SBTV video. Consumers will then be able to learn more about the brand and its achievements through scanning the QR Code and receiving the SBTV brand video on their Smartphones. SBTV videos are perfect for brands to run on their company websites and social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Google+, YouTube and web sites generally. SBTV is a wonderful and long lasting presentation about the brand for your most important customers and suppliers. SBTVcanbepresented toyour directors, seniormanagement and key executives nationally and internationally. SBTV can be used as an excellent promotional video for visiting dignitaries, senior personnel and other guests. SBTV is a perfect video to run on TV’s in reception areas. SBTV can be used to reinforce your brands’ great achievements and successes at seminars, conventions, trade shows and conferences. SBTV is an ideal video medium to support your investor relations programmes. It will provide the investment community with a better understanding of your brand’s positioning, strengths and value within the market. SBTV is a useful medium for all Human Resources and Staff Development programmes. SBTV can play an important part in your briefings to journalists, researchers, academics and students, and it will underline your strengths and points of difference. SBTV will prove to be an excellent communicator of information about the brand with advertising agency executives, as well as those involved with public relations and corporate communications. For more information visit www.superbrandstv.com & YouTube channel www.youtube. com/user/superbrandstv/videos SuperbrandsTV (SBTV) is a new service offered exclusively to clients of Superbrands. Through our production team in New York, brands which have attained the prestigious ‘Superbrands Status’ can now bring their presentations in the Superbrands books to life through video animation. • • • • • • • • • •
or Extended Reality to provide users with experience in real / physical and virtual combined environment etc, which are incorporated in their development of mobile and web applications when required. Provision of digital platform-based services Provided through mobile or web applications developed and owned by Agmo Group intended for their customers (i.e. businesses and companies) to perform different tasks, including:- Vote2U - A remote participating and voting platform developed using blockchain technology to facilitate the organisation of virtual AGMs and EGMs of public listed companies in Malaysia. Vote2U is developed with various key functions and features covering online voting, livestreaming, security, and authentication features including e-KYC registration, records of depositors (ROD) integration, and blockchain audit trail, among others. The platform has hosted more than 200 events to-date since its launch in May 2020. Agmo Health - An online health consultation and prescription application where users (i.e patients) are able to access into Agmo Health to connect with licensed medical practitioners (i.e. doctors or health professionals) for virtual medical consultation. Medical practitioners may then issue electronic prescriptions to the users using the integrated electronic prescribing system in Agmo Health. Customers include major supermarket and pharmacy chain players in Malaysia. Provision of subscription, hosting, technical support and maintenance services Subscription and hosting Agmo Group works with world-renowned third-party cloud computing platforms/cloud hosting service providers, i.e Microsoft Azure (with a Microsoft Gold Partner status), Amazon Web Services and Huawei Cloud to provide subscription and hosting services to their customers’ mobile and web applications. Technical support and maintenance Their technical support services comprise troubleshooting and rectification of faults and issues faced by users on the applications. Their maintenance services comprise adaptive maintenance, corrective maintenance, and preventive maintenance on the applications. ACHIEVEMENTS • • 2012 - Winner Award of Best of Media and Entertainment (for application named Masatu) from MSC Malaysia APICTA Awards. • • 2012 - Silver Award of Digital Content Category from ASEAN ICT Awards. • • 2014 - Merit Award of Best Startup Companies from MSC Malaysia APICTA Awards • • 2017 - Winner Award of Best E-inclusion and E-community (for application named Syok Driver) from MSC Malaysia APICTA Awards. • • 2017 – Certificate of Merit (for application named Syok Driver) from Asia Smart App Awards. • • 2019 - Gold Award of Mobile App Category from The Institution of Engineering and Technology Malaysia Industry Excellence Award. MARKET Agmo Holdings Berhad Group (“Agmo Group”) is principally involved in the provision of digital solutions and application development services. Since the commencement of their business in 2012, they have developed over 100 mobile and web applications for notable customers including public listed companies, large enterprises, government-linked companies, multinational corporations and small and medium enterprises. The customers under their portfolio spread across various industries/sectors including healthcare, logistics, oil and gas, automotive, financial services and government agencies. While Agmo Group’s operations are based in Malaysia, they serve clients from different regions, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, China, UK, Germany, and Sri Lanka. Development of mobile and web applications The mobile and web applications developed for businesses and companies comprise commercial applications that are made available to their customers, suppliers and / or business associates; as well as consumer mobile applications which are made available to the public whereby users can download these mobile applications from online app stores. They also develop enterprise mobile applications which are for their customers’ employees internal use. Agmo Group’s expertise ranges from design and development to deployment. They have a proprietary development framework, namely Agmo Genesis, which enhances their efficiency in application development. They are also a strong advocate for emerging technologies such as blockchain for tamper-proof storage of data, data analytics to analyse users’ behavioural data while using the mobile and web applications
M A L A Y S I A ’ S S T R O N G E S T B R A N D S | 13 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT AGMO GROUP • • The word Agmo comes from the combination of “agile” and “mobile” which represents the Group’s core values and strength to succeed in the rapidly changing tech environment. • • Agmo Group has a team of more than 130 technical professionals, dedicated to serving their clients through offering digital solutions and application development. • • Agmo Group has developed and published more than 100 apps on various mobile platforms. • • Agmo Group is one of the pioneers of blockchain/ cryptocurrency development in Malaysia, since 2017. • • 2020 - Winner Award of Community Services (for application named Vote2U) from MSC Malaysia APICTA Awards. • • 2020 – Certificate of Merit (for application named DOC2US) from Asia Smart App Awards. HISTORY Agmo Group’s history can be traced back to 2011when their founders successfully secured an investment of RM300,000 through participation in a start-up investment programme, namely ‘Make the Pitch’. In 2012, they launched their maiden consumer mobile application, namely ‘Masatu’, a social networking and photo-sharing application based on a time capsule concept whereby the idea was initiated by their founders for the ‘Make the Pitch’ programme. In the same year, its subsidiary, Agmo Studio Sdn Bhd was awarded the MSC Malaysia Status and was granted Pioneer Status. Since then, Agmo Group has assisted a wide range of businesses and companies in their digital transformation journey. In 2021, they were also appointed as Project Manager for the first blockchain supernode in Malaysia by Zetrix Sdn. Bhd. In August 2022, Agmo Group was successfully listed on the ACE Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad, a mere decade after the journey started. PROMOTION Agmo Group promotes its brand by securing referrals from past and existing customers, investee companies, and technology partners - due to their proven track record and quality delivery. Other promotional avenues are:- Online Marketing Agmo Group leverages on social media platforms to increase its exposure and market their offerings through Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube publishing articles with their latest achievements / new offerings or trending topics as well as engaging in online media interviews. TV and Radio The Group CEO has appeared in numerous media programmes eg. Money Matters (8TV), SME Great Helper (Astro AEC), and radio interview by BFM and 988. Digital Advertising Participation in conferences, exhibitions, seminars, and webinars relating to the development of new technologies, latest technology trends, and business digitalisation and actively participate as guest speakers in talent development programmes, lecture classes, seminars, and training organised by universities. Seminars/conferences conducted include:- • • BIT’s Business Matching Expo with the topic of “Big Data – A new World of Opportunities” • • REHDA Institute Real Estate Digital Summit with the topic of “Disrupt: Blockchain?” • • Schroders Malaysia Investment Conference with the topic of “Shaping the future with Blockchain” • • Affin Hwang Investment Bank’s Digital Banking and Blockchain Webinar with the topic of “Blockchain Technology” BRAND VALUES Agmo Group believes in the simple idea of using technology to make lives better. They aim to assist businesses to undertake or accelerate their digitalisation efforts to ensure sustainability in the rapidly changing business environment and continuous technological advancement. Agmo Group strives to be at the forefront of emerging technologies by investing in research and development efforts catered for continuous enhancement of digital solutions and application development as well as the development of new digital solutions that are in line with the latest market demand. Agmo Group aims to cultivate tech talents in the country through their upcoming initiative i.e to establish a training and development centre known as Agmo Academy to offer training courses on subjects comprising artificial intelligence, blockchain, chatbot, mobile programming, and web programming, or any syllabuses which have commercial and practical relevance in the digital solution industry. www.agmo.group
14 | S U P E R B R A N D S V O L U M E X I V MARKET Established in 2009, Agricore CS Sdn. Bhd. is a fast-growing trading company involved in the sale and distribution of all kinds of premium quality food ingredients which include soybeans, starch and flour, beans and peas, modified starch and glutinous rice flour. Agricore started its operation in a rented shop lot but five years later in 2014, it has moved into its own 2.7 acres premise with specialized cold room facilities for storage. With the significant growth within 10 years, Agricore has successfully transformed being a grocery trader into a premium quality food ingredients provider having its own registered trade mark and brand name under POKOK AGRICORE, SunRise, POKOK-POKOK and BAPAS. Agricore’s main source of customers range from food manufacturers to grocery stores and hypermarkets. Their customers base have grown to more than 1,000 active accounts throughout Malaysia and ASEAN countries. They are proud to be associated with many renowned food manufacturers in Malaysia. Agricore is not solely a food ingredients trading company, but also one-stop food solution provider. Their global connection with prestigious suppliers coupled with strong inhouse expertise in food technology has enabled Agricore to deliver wide range of products and consultancy to their customers in selecting the right food ingredients for cost effectiveness, higher production yield and better quality in term of texture, taste, appearance and longer shelf life of the finished products. The products that Agricore sells are considered an essential food ingredients to the food processors and end consumers. More than 90% of the sales generated by the top end market of food processors and manufacturers and the target market has contributed with an exceeding RM100.4million to the company’s annual turnover for the last cycle of financial year. Agricore has been achieving double digits growth continuously every year for the past twelve years in terms of the group revenue. They are very confident to maintain the positive growth annually. ACHIEVEMENTS Agricore has been recognized by many professional bodies over the years. Amongst these accolades are:- • • Awarded with SME100 awards in 2015 as a fast moving company • • Awarded with Penang Top Achievers in 2019 as industry excellence in raw food trading • • Awarded Super Golden Bull in 2021 Agricore achieved RM100 million in sales in 2021 compared to RM11.0 million in 2009. Agricore is accredited with ISO 9001:2015 and their products are certified with HALAL and MeSTI certifications. Agricore implemented a strict quality control system to ensure satisfaction of all their customers. They are adhere to their SOP making sure Agricore products are completed with traceability and quality control throughout the manufacturing process and supply chain. HISTORY Agricore has a humble beginning started with a rented shop lot in 2009 at Bukit Mertajam and continue its expansion to own a 2.7 acres premises with built-in cold room facilities, in 2014. The company has grown from merely 2 workers to more than 70 employees over the years. It was very challenging in the early days of the business. They encountered strong competition from their competitors, while surviving with limited funds. With the determined hard work and strategic planning ahead, they manage to improve on their bargaining and Oon Boon Khong, Managing Director
M A L A Y S I A ’ S S T R O N G E S T B R A N D S | 15 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT AGRICORE • • Agricore is not solely a food trading company, but also one-stop food solution provider. • • Its global connection with prestigious suppliers coupled with strong inhouse expertise in food technology has enabled Agricore to offer a wide range of products and consultancy to their customers to select the right food ingredient for cost effectiveness, higher production yield and better quality in terms of texture, taste, appearance and shelf life of the finished products. purchasing power, progressively built up their relationships with customers, and eventually grew to today’s achievement. With the trust of repeating and new customers, Agricore has achieved remarkable as well as consistent growth every year. Agricore has successfully transformed from a grocery trader to be the premium quality food ingredients provider. PRODUCTS “You are what you eat”. Agricore strongly believes that the quality of food ingredients is essential to human’s health. It is their vision and responsible to provide reliable, sustainable, superior quality of food ingredients to their target customers and end users of their products. Green color and transparent packaging are widely used in their product packaging. This is their coding to associate their products with the natural, healthy, integrity and company emphasis on environment, social and governance (ESG) initiative. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS Armed with their expertise and experience in food ingredients, Agricore has eventually ventured into the functional food ingredient segment. This initiative is currently undertaken by their subsidiary, namely Bapas Food Products Sdn. Bhd. Agricore believes that these new products will spearhead their next business growth in the near future. PROMOTION Agricore has been running their promotional campaigns in conjunction with Hypermarkets such as Mydin, Giant and Econsave. They are managing their own social media page actively on Facebook, promoting their products by sharing promotion campaigns from time to time. For example, they are encouraging customers to share their product photos or positive reveiws on Facebook Page with free gifts. Agricore has appointed the Celebrity Chef Dato’ Fazley Yaakob as their Brand’s Celebrity Ambassador. His image is widely being used on their consumer products packaging. He has been very supportive by promoting Agricore’s products on his personal social media such as instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Agricore also collaborated with popular Youtubers like KL Liew, where they share Agricore’s products on their Youtube Cooking Channel. Agricore has also actively promoted their brands on radio stations via Era FM and Zayan FM from 2018-2019. BRAND VALUES Agricore’s Vision To be a reliable, sustainable and customers’ first choice of food ingredients supplier. Agricore’s Mission Providing quality products and excellent service is a promise to their valuable customers. Food Quality and Safety. Agricore‘s production sites consistently carry out highly rigorous checks throughout the production chain from raw materials to final product. These are essential steps to ensure the products safety, quality and traceability before arriving at their consumers hands. “You are what you eat”. Agricore is fully committed to continuously provide the best quality of food ingredients to the nation and global community’s needs. Trees, leaves and sun are found in Agricore’s brand logo. The logo is associated with their vision and mission to provide sustainable products which are healthy and natural to their customers. As a premium quality food ingredients provider, Agricore implemented a strict quality control system to ensure satisfaction of their customers. Agricore is accredited with ISO 9001:2015 and all of their products are certified with HALAL and MeSTI certifications. In addition, Agricore emphasizes on the reliability of the source of supply. They are committed to source only from reliable and trusted suppliers and this is one of their strengths of being able to establish a strong connection with the worldwide renowned premier food ingredient suppliers. www.agricore.com.my
16 | S U P E R B R A N D S V O L U M E X I V of recognition awarded in year 2010 to 2013 for their badminton netting (BN-001), as well as 2011 and 2012 for badminton 5.0mm (AP204F) oor mats, these recognitions have further affirmed Apacs’ excellency in badminton product standards and quality assurance. Apacs Sports (M) Sdn. Bhd. has won ‘Product of The Year’ at the fourth Business of The Year Award in 2009 and was honoured as the Crystal Winner of the ‘2nd Global Award 2010’. Apacs was also awarded Quality Product at the International Standard Quality Awards (ISQ) in 2011 and 2012. The company has pioneered and introduced numerous innovations to help improve accuracy and power in a player’s game. Some of its first-in-the-market innovations include the ‘Hexagon Throat’ joint; the ‘BuiltIn Graphite T-throat’ joint; ‘Chrome Braided’ graphite; ‘Plated Jacquard’ graphite; ‘Scale Netting’ graphite; ‘Inner Tapered Shafts; ‘Slimmest 6.0mm’ shafts; ‘Vacuum Intensive’ racquets; ‘DoubleShaft’ racquets; ‘ArrowTapered Fins Shaft’ racquets; dual-material processed grommets; the ultra-light 55g racquet with a 30 lbs maximum tension strength (compared to other brands maximum tension strength of 25 lbs); professional racquets with 45 lbs maximum tension strength (compared to 35 lbs offered by other brands); and the lowest shaft torsion tilt in the market at four degrees (compared to the six degrees found in other brands. In 2009, Apacs added yet another feather in its cap as the biggest rubber mat supplier in Malaysia, with a total of 120 varieties. HISTORY Anthony Lim and Jebbery Lim founded Apacs in 2002 with the aim of promoting and distributing high quality sports equipment in the local and international marketplace. The dynamic duo created top quality products using the artful combination of technology and craftsmanship. PRODUCTS Apacs Sports features a wide selection of badminton racquets created for different levels of players. For example, Fantala Pro 101 is used by Olympics silver medalist Tan Wee Kiong. Innovative racquets such as Asgardia, which is lightweight but can handle high tension are enjoyed by intermediate players. Apacs’ accesible assortment of entry level models such as NFS722 are beloved by not just Malaysians but the international markets as well. Apart from badminton racquets, Apacs has developed a range of footwears to meet the different needs of athletes. For instance, PRO shoes are the best choice for professional players. Professional players acknowledge the benefits of narrow-shaped outsoles and thick cushioning for the heel and toes that were designed to minimise injuries, such as heel pain that are caused by landing hard on the floor following a jump smash. Apacs apparel features an extensive variety of sportswear and accesories. The brand’s Dry-Fast t-shirts and shorts are made with heat reflective, sweat absorbent, lightweight, MARKET Apacs Sports was established in 2002 to provide high quality sporting equipment such as racquets, sportswear, footwear, and accessories for the local and international badminton, squash, and tennis markets. They have not only products that are specialised for professional athletes, and also options for casual players. The brand has thoughtfully covered the full market spectrum from entry level to high-end. To date, the company has developed its wholesale distribution network across Malaysia, with more than 700 sporting goods dealers and retail stores. They have also developed their wholesale distribution network in more than 50 countries across several regions including the Middle East, South Africa, Europe, North America, South America and Southeast Asia. Apacs Sports is proud to declare that they are among the top three market share holders in Malaysia’s graphite badminton product segment. Their company’s annual growth in sales is estimated at 32%. ACHIEVEMENTS One of Apacs’ highest achievements was the recognition of its Aero-Flight 700 shuttlecock for international level play, awarded in year 2007 by the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the global governing body for the sport of badminton. Aero-Flight 700 earned the same approval in each of the subsequent years from 2008 to 2013 and 2018 to 2019. Additionally, together with another international level certi cate
M A L A Y S I A ’ S S T R O N G E S T B R A N D S | 17 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT APACS • • Apacs has been awarded as Superbrands Malaysia for thirteen years (13) and is top three in terms of product ranking. • • Apacs sells more than 900 racquets daily. • • Apacs’ innovative world’s lightest racquet with only 55g, which is roughly the weight of a bar of soap. • • Apacs created a unique twelvesteps technology process for testing racquets to ensure compliance with the highest quality. high elasticity, quick dry and anti-UV ray fabric. Other accessories offered include bags, grips, grip powder, strings, shuttlecocks, nylon shuttles, and much more. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS Apacs’ Woven Racquet is built to bring better structural strength and reinforcement with striking power, air resistance, responsiveness and vibration absorption compared to the common racquet. The latest Nano Sponge Carbon (NSC) material has improved the quality of high-end racquets and enabled these racquets to be much more stronger structually. Other advancements in technology include the built-in T-Graphite Throat, Hexagon Throats, Slim shafts, Titanium shafts, Plated Jacquard, Extreme Power Tech frames, Muscle Wave Heavy Impact frames, in addition to High-Speed Muscle frames, Power frames, and Wide frames. The built-in T-Graphite Throat stabilises the racquet joint between the frame and the shaft. It helps minimise racquet torsion, maximise accuracy of shuttlecock direction, and expand the sweet spot. The unique hexagon throat boosts the function of built-in T-Graphite Throat by up to two times and reduces air resistance to provide consistent and stable shots. The Slim 6.0mm shaft is the thinnest in the badminton market with its low wind resistance offering comfort and stability. The Super Slim 6.0mm shaft-maintained racquet stiffness and offers low torsion, as well as higher smashing power and shuttlecock velocity. The Compact High Speed series frame have been developed for swift doubles games. It generates swing speeds and shortens the contact time between racquet and shuttlecock. Latest released version of Plated Jacquard and Scale Netting are advanced technology solutions designed to reduce vibration, stabilise frames and strengthen frame structures. Apacs Sports’ had recently launched their latest innovative racquet series such as Fantala 6.0 with the world’s slimmest shaft 6.0mm; Duplex 78 with the high-performance dual carbon-wood reinforced handle; and Feather Weight 55 with world’s lightest racket. The company has endorsed world class professional players from different countries such as Lee Hyun Il from Korea, Cheah Liek Hou and Tan Wee Kiong from Malaysia, Tommy Sugiarto and Subhankar Dey from Indonesia, and many others from countries such as Argentina, USA, Sweden, France, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, England. Cheah Liek Hou’s incredible journey to becoming the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games Champion supported by Apacs Sports is truly inspiring. Although Cheah’s training and progress was severely hindered by Covid-19 lockdowns, he remained disciplined and formulated his own workout programs at home, keeping himself fit and ready to fight. Cheah showed everyone the results of his relentless determination when he returned to international tournaments 1 year later where he went on a streak of outstanding performances around the world. After months of preparation and hard work, Cheah was up on the Tokyo Paralympics 2020 world stage, and he was determined to be the first ever Malaysian to obtain a Gold in the Paralympic Games badminton event. Apacs sports is proud to be Cheah Liek Hou’s partner and sponsor in his journey. PROMOTION Apacs Sports firmly believes in product research development for all its target markets, enabling the brand to continue advancing in its prioritized product segments. To support its branding and sales efforts, Apacs has created a range of point-of-sale materials including product stand banners, posters, as well as light boxes that carry the company logo. Its products are highlighted in catalogues and flyers and making sure its brand is actively seen in national newspapers such as The Star, Berita Harian, Sin Chew Daily. Apacs has also launched its online marketing such as Facebook, Google search engine advertising, as well as e-catalogue distribution. BRAND VALUES Apacs Sports promises quality control, testing and BWF approval for all its products. It remains committed to standards of high durability and high usability for players across all products. Apacs values and supports initiatives in educating and inspiring Malaysian youth in the sport of badminton. www.apacssports.com
18 | S U P E R B R A N D S V O L U M E X I V the field of technology, the term “metaverse” has become quite popular. The introduction of fragrance into the metaverse, on the other hand, would be something fresh to hear. HISTORY In 2020 the COVID pandemic began, and every nation was ordered to go into lockdown for many months. Many companies were forced to close owing to a lack of sales or a decrease in revenues, and many people were laid off as a result of the high percentage of company bankruptcies. The majority of people were at home, thinking of new ways to make money. Mr. Woi and Mrs. Woi established Blank Malaysia in 2020, during the first lockdown that was taking place in Malaysia. The business was founded by just these two individuals, and it was headquartered in Kelantan, Malaysia, which was Mr. Woi’s home town. There is no company that functions without challenges, and a strong company is characterised by its ability to meet and overcome the challenges it faces. This brand, like many others, had a few difficulties during its early stages, including shipping issues, packing issues, and a lack of inventory to hold the first batch of products. The growth of Blank Malaysia has been impressive in comparison to other start-up companies. Because of its high quality and low cost, the product has attracted wide attention, resulting in increased sales of the product as well as brand expansion. The brand offers a huge thank you to the Blank marketing team, social media influencers who have done an excellent job of promoting the brand, and finally, a huge thank you to the brand fans who have been supporting the brand while also providing positive feedback. PRODUCTS After several sessions of research and development (R&D) into the design of Blank Malaysia, they have now discovered a sophisticated design that allows them to reach their aim in the branding of their product. Blank Malaysia was created with the goal of making a pleasant first impression inside a vehicle while not being a distraction or unpleasant throughout a journey. In order to identify the innovations in Blank Malaysia, their creative team has been working really hard. Recently, the creative team discovered a revolutionary package design that has the potential to prevent product damage MARKET Blank Malaysia is a premium fragrance company based in Malaysia that is dedicated to making the greatest car fresheners available in the nation. Blank Malaysia’s target market consists of everyone who owns an automobile. For 2021, Blank generated a total revenue of RM 1,280,000 owing to its high-quality scent and a marketing team that was successful in increasing the number of sales. The targeted market includes both the bottom and top ends of the income scale because of the affordability and quality of the product. However, when the company calculates the proportion of sales from each income category, the results show that 59% of purchasers come from the medium income category, followed by 23% from the low income category, and finally 18% from the high income category. Blank Malaysia has been influenced by three modern retailing trends, which have had an effect on turnover, demand for goods and delivery. A higher conversion rate achieved via online marketing has resulted in an increase in sales for Blank Malaysia, resulting in higher turnover. Blank Malaysia has made the product accessible on all online platforms in order to meet the high demand for the goods from customers (Shopee, Lazada, etc.). Blank Malaysia has teamed up with J & T Express in order to provide a safe delivery option, and J & T will be responsible for the safe handling of each and every delivery. Blank Malaysia expects a 30% increase in turnover and a 50% increase in market share in the next five to ten years, based on the current economic situation. ACHIEVEMENTS Blank Malaysia garnered an award that might be considered a milestone or a set of accomplishments to be proud of. This recognition for Blank Malaysia was given in 2021 for the most natural health vehicle fragrance. This recognition was given because of the natural nature of the product, which was created without the use of chemicals to guarantee that the customer inhales a healthy aroma. Blank’s team, like other companies, has a high aim to reach which is quite unique from the others. They want to be the first car fragrance brand in the world to make an appearance in the metaverse, and they hope to do it soon. In
M A L A Y S I A ’ S S T R O N G E S T B R A N D S | 19 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT BLANK • • Blank Malaysia was established in 2021. • • Blank Malaysia helped a lot of people to make income or side income during the pandemic. by as much as 80% during shipment and when the product is used by the consumer. Not only that, but the team has also been working very hard on quality control (QC) prior to the release of the final product in order to guarantee that the product reaches clients in excellent condition and that the standards of the final product are maintained as precisely as possible. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS The brand has recently introduced a new product which is Blank room fragrance which is the only natural-based, high-quality scent that will guarantee you a pleasant night’s sleep. Unfortunately, Blank Malaysia has not yet established its own manufacturing facility. Currently, they are concentrating on extending their product line and improving their sales before moving into manufacturing on their own. They do, however, have a manufacturing team that will ensure that their production is as high-quality as possible while sticking to the requirements that they need from them. To date Blank Malaysia has not cooperated with any businesses or signed any agreements of collaboration with any of them. Blank Malaysia is now concentrating on brand development before committing to a contract. Blank Malaysia, on the other hand, has a goal of partnering with a small number of organisations in order to grow the brand in the future. PROMOTION BlankMalaysia has used a number of marketing techniques. The majority of the marketing is carried out by the Blank Malaysia marketing team. Currently the brand is concentrating on social media advertising, such as Instagram advertisements, Facebook advertisements, and other social media advertisements. It is owing to the fact that it has a larger market and more focused customers. Additionally, they pay a select group of top influencers and celebrities to promote the product on their social media platforms. Finally, as a means of promotion, their items are accessible on all e-commerce platforms (Lazada, Shopee, and so on). The company offers customers unique promotions on a regular basis. They run a lucky draw campaign for a minimum of two months in which clients must make a minimum purchase in order to be eligible to participate in the lucky draw; the more purchases they make, the greater their chances of winning the prize. This promotion was successful and their major supporters were able to win large prizes in the lucky draw, and Blank Malaysia was able to generate double the amount of money it had previously raised each month. Blank Malaysia is well-known for its natural freshness, which can be found across the nation. During a drive, it provides the most refreshing moments possible. As a result, the term “moment of freshness” has had a significant influence on the product’s sales. The slogan was very popular until people began to know the company only on the basis of the slogan. Blank Malaysia employs social media marketing to promote its products, such as paid advertisements on Facebook and Instagram, among other things. Furthermore, they distribute printed fliers to all of their clients, as well as to strangers who express an interest in their products. Finally, Blank Malaysia’s most recent marketing tool is the use of big billboards in the best places. BRAND VALUES Blank Malaysia’s promises to clients include the delivery of the highest-quality goods as well as a natural, healthy-based experience. Additionally, the air freshener is assured to be dependable and will make for a nice trip while using it. The brand is dedicated to becoming the number one natural-based healthy freshener available in Southeast Asia. All of their teams are working really hard to achieve this goal, and they are also focusing on growing their product into neighbouring nations. The logo of the brand plays a significant part in creating first impressions in the minds of consumers. As a result, Blank Malaysia is currently developing a new logo to provide customers with a strong and premium identity and first impressions, respectively. Despite the fact that they do not have their own manufacturer, they prepare a quality control team in their production site to ensure that every product is made with the best resources from Japan and, as previously stated, every product goes through a detailed quality control process. Not only that, but they also make sure that the product gets to its customer in a safe and perfect condition. www.blankhq.com.my
20 | S U P E R B R A N D S V O L U M E X I V MARKET In 2018, Camel Power was established in Malaysia as a local company. As a starting point, the largest automotive battery manufacturing plant of SouthEast Asia was built locally in Kuantan. Originating in China over 40 years ago, the team started as an ordinary street electronics workshop and successfully became among the largest battery manufacturers in Asia. Today, Camel batteries can be found in over 40 countries worldwide. Their main products are automotive lead-acid batteries. For lead-acid batteries, Premium Plus series targets high-end users with premium quality and top specification; Standard Plus series targets mid-top end for its best price performance; DF and Hitec series targets value brand buyers that provides an accessible and affordable price for good quality car batteries. Just recently, they released their new Lithiumion series that provides energy efficient and eco-friendly alternatives to traditional lead-acid automotive batteries that can be used on cars and trucks. Camel Power also cooperates with the Carput mobile app team on online services including emergency breakdown services, delivery and installation. Since 2018, Camel Power’s market share in Malaysia has risen to 10%. This has resulted in an annual turnover exceeding 31 million Ringgit. Camel Power’s China OEM market share has hit over 35% and aftermarket share reaches more than 25%. Looking to the future, Camel Power has set their goal to become a world leading Lithiumion battery supplier and become a publicly listed corporation in the next five years. In ten years, Camel Power plans to be among the largest battery brands in Malaysia with a market share approaching around 40% and become the largest energy provider in the world. ACHIEVEMENTS Amongst the many awards Camel Power has received are:- HISTORY The company was started in the 1970s as a local electronics repair workshop on the street in Wuhan, China. • • In 1979, the company transformed itself into Gucheng Automotive Battery Factory. • • In 1981, the Camel trademark was registered and the company began exporting their products to other countries, including the Soviet Union and Uzbekistan. • • In 1997, Camel achieved their first OEM project with DongFeng Automobile. • • In 2011, they successfully listed on Shanghai Stock Exchange. • • In 2012, they acquired Guangxi Swan and established Camel Group Hua’nan Storage Battery Co., Ltd. • • In 2013, Ranked Top 500 Private Enterprises in China. • • In 2017, Camel Power Malaysia was established and started Kuantan manufacturing plant construction. One year later, Camel Power Malaysia Kuantan Plant started production as the largest automotive battery manufacturing plant in South East Asia. • • In 2019, Camel Power Malaysia received their first OEM project in Malaysia with Proton for their X70 model. • • In 2022, Camel Power was awarded the Consumer’s Choice Award by Majlis Tindakan Pengguna Negara (MTPN Malaysia). PRODUCTS Camel Power products are designed to be environmentally friendly and they allow users to enjoy premium quality at an affordable and accessible price. In order to reflect the mission and vision of the company, the packaging of all Camel products feature modernism and globalism concepts. To maintain the consistency of quality in the brand’s massive production, they built a highly automated manufacturing plant with the top tier machinery in the industry, including the TBS Automated assembly line from the UK, BM enveloping machine from Austria, HADI aftertreatment line from Germany and Nanjing Nova stereoscopic warehouse. Camel Power also ensures their warehouses and their business partners are strictly implementing FIFO inventory management to maximise their assurance of delivery efficiency and product quality.
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