Business Innovation

Developing An Image Identity: Key Considerations And Issues

Addressed by Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Lim Kok Wing at Forum for ASEAN Co-operation National Conference on Developing World-Class Malaysian Brands
27 May 1996

The idea of developing Malaysian brands to be accepted and recognised in every corner of the globe, is most challenging and visionary. A logical next step in the country′s economic evolution.

I welcome this conference which brings together a wide segment of personalities and authorities. An ideal opportunity to present our views on this topic. A chance to examine the issues that lie before us as the country embarks on such an ambitious and strategic venture.

I will address the issue of image and identity. A major concern for any product that is marketed worldwide.

But before I present my views I would like to digress a little and dwell awhile on what we mean by Images and their association.

The Power of Images

Even as I speak I know I am painting images in your mind. Language, pictures, gestures. They all communicate images we have come to understand and accept to mean certain things.

If I say Langkawi - each of you will conjure up different visuals representing our beautiful island in the north. And if I should show you an image of the Statue of Liberty the immediate association is America.

Since the days when cavemen began painting on the walls, images stir us as nothing else does. There is always something behind an image. Images encapsulate visually a nation, a culture, a philosophy, status, power and prestige through a variety of ways like flags, emblems, logos, crests, hieroglyphics. Pictoral representations that evoke a response in your mind.

Why are images so powerful?

All the religions of the world possess images that strike a chord in our psyche. They represent some deep intuitive wisdom that defies expression.

But it is not the images that are so powerful. It is what the images represent. The power behind the image. The idea behind the image. The personage behind the crest. The nation behind the flag. The philosophy. The culture.

And thus I come to our topic for today. Developing image identity or as I prefer to call it developing a brand identity.

First Things First

A brand doesn′t happen overnight. A brand doesn′t make a product acceptable in the market. A brand doesn′t make a product famous.

It is the quality and superiority of a product that makes a brand famous.

It was the music of the Beatles that made them a worldwide sensation.

It was the copiers that made Xerox world famous. Likewise, it was computers that made IBM famous. Colgate is toothpaste. Nike is sports shoes. I could go on.

In all these world famous brands the quality of the product stands out clearly. It′s the first step in securing a market. A market that will stay loyal so long as the product says quality.

Corporations in the developed world have had a headstart. Many have built empires with strong foundations nurtured over decades and their products represented in every nation. Most of these multinationals have kept their branding unchanged, wisely capitalising on the traditional association with quality that their products have built up over the years.

Into this world we, Malaysians, are planning to make our presence felt. But before we begin our assault there is much we need to understand and more that we need to accomplish.

Behind Every Success

Earlier I mentioned that behind the brand is the product. A quality and well-manufactured product will have a quality image. And thus we come to another key consideration. What lies behind the product?

The company of course.

A quality company produces a quality product which has a quality image. Yes, it is that simple.

A product reveals the sincerity, the integrity, and the commitment of a corporate culture to good quality. A culture that permeates the whole set-up of an organisation and constantly manufactures products that respect the user.

Let me illustrate with an example. Let us first look at a product. A Mercedes Benz car, for example. A well-known brand, widely respected for its quality and superiority of manufacturing. We pay a bigger premium for it than other cars. In using this product we gain from the association of this quality image exuded by this product. The brand adds to our own image.

This quality image has not been earned from nothing. It has not been gained purely through advertising or clever marketing of a brand.

Let us take a closer look at the Mercedes Benz car. Every Mercedes Benz car, in every facet of its manufacture reveals the inventiveness, care and professionalism of the manufacturer. As you use this product you appreciate the lengths the manufacturer has gone to make it comfortable for you and you enjoy the ease of usage.

Now let us look at the company itself. True they have been involved in manufacturing for so many years. But over the years they have built a reputation for manufacturing quality cars. Public perception of the Mercedes is that it is a car of higher quality than others in the market. Over decades they have changed and adopted more contemporary styles of managing their business, upgrading their image without compromising on quality.

As you walk into their office, factory or showroom in any part of the world you can feel the corporate culture, the pride in the company from the way the offices are designed, how the receptionist talks to you, how the guard is attired, the posters on the walls, the rugs on the floor, the uniform of the technicians, the literature they provide you.

Whole process of management, design, marketing, and public relations is imbued with a clear definition of who they are and what they do and how they do it.

This is true of every famous brand or logo that you see out there in the market. Nike, Siemens, IBM, the United Nations, the Smithsonian Institute, National Geographic.

Siemens, for example, is very clear in its message - hi-tech and high quality - consistently applied and engineered. Its whole product range has a unified look that influences public perception to think hi-tech and high quality.

The corporate cultures of these organisations are well imbued, well-structured, their philosophy clearly in place and flexible enough to recognise and adapt to changes of time.

The brand or logo they are associated with can withstand the assault of competition at any time, anywhere because their strengths lie in their corporate philosophy which has adopted a quality way of life.

Managing Success

The corporate culture of a well-oiled organisation will most definitely have a fleet of marketing personnel who will work with product designers to ensure the marketability and competitiveness of their investment, an advertising and promotions unit will look into branding details for the product. There are also other important departments including public relations.

All these departments converge, putting their skills together developing and managing an image identity for the product. This includes meticulous attention to the design of the brand - the typeface used, the colours, the size, the graphics. All communicate a certain identity. And if successful the styling remains with the product forever.

However managing the brand and its styling does not mean that the brand cannot be modified. Some of the famous brands like Coca-cola and Shell have very cleverly adjusted their brand styling to change with the times and tastes. They have done so in a very unobtrusive way, keeping the same look but upgrading the image to fit in with contemporary style.

Drastic changes, are not advisable as they could affect perception of product quality and damage market loyalty.

A Brand Is A Property

A brand is a property of the company. It is the company′s most valuable intangible asset. It must be managed to ensure continuity. Proper management will protect the identity of the brand.

In the Olympic Games or even the Commonwealth Games, venues change periodically. The host cities who have developed a brand image, protect and guard the usage of the brand. Regulations, restrictions and specifications are drawn up to control the usage.

This brings to my mind a strategy used by the Canadians as they made preparations to host the 15th Commonwealth Games in Victoria. They appointed one officer whose main task was to guard their logo and crack down misuse. This officer′s designation was classified as "Logo Cop".

In learning from successful companies who have skillfully marketed their brands Malaysians while picking up good examples to follow they must not overlook mistakes made by others so we can avoid them too.

We have learnt that the company comes first. Its culture. Who you are. What you are. Your corporate philosophy will decide how you wish to project your company. This sense of professionalism will influence the process of product manufacture, product marketing and other aspects of management. Your product will invite loyalty. Your product will reflect your corporate culture. Your product will reveal your corporate sincerity.

If more Malaysians invest in quality management there will be more quality products in the global market. If there are more Malaysian quality products in the world, the country gains. We will possess an image that says we are producers of quality products.

The Question of Identity

The next step after we have developed our quality product is to consider the question of identity. In a global market inundated with products from every corner of the world how do we set ourselves apart?

Often we hear of local manufacturers who adopt foreign Sounding names when marketing their products. They do it for strategic reasons. They wish to capitalise on the image the other country has established in the market.

It is an easy way out which, in the long run, won′t last. Today′s consumers are very discerning and will soon find out that they are not getting the real McCoy. They will simply switch brands.

It is time we took pride in being Malaysians and invests our efforts and funds in developing our own identity. If we promote an image that belongs to us, unique to Malaysia, reflecting our culture then we have something that no other country can claim. In time we will build the image that will cut across and benefit every product that Malaysia exports.

We should learn from the Japanese. They kept their names. They kept their identity. They built their reputation with quality products.

Today they enjoy the premium. It is now globally accepted that the Japanese products are quality products.We have to change our traditional trading methods. Many of our manufacturers are caught in a trade trap where their products and services are treated by buyers as no more than industrial commodities, with little perceived difference in quality and value from similar competitors in Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Foreign investors use Malaysia as a manufacturing base and many Made in Malaysia products are sold to the world on the strength of foreign brands.

It is time Malaysians wake up to the fact that the extra effort and commitment in creating our own brands will help the country build up a strong international reputation for quality. If we already have the quality, why let others earn from it?

We can learn from success stories of established brands that have managed to cross-geographical, cultural and economic borders.

We are becoming more global in approach. We are becoming aware of the strength of identity. We are beginning to see a change of mindset among Malaysians for better quality and identity. Because of this global approach we will adopt a more global perspective and understand our market needs. We will intensify our Research & Development as we plan our production to cater to a more global consumer.

Malaysian products could have been marketed overseas many years ago if we had set our sights on globalising.

We could have, for example, marketed P. Ramlee′s music overseas. If from the outset we had wanted to export. We would have designed our product and marketed it accordingly.

Basically it is the sincerity and commitment of the Malaysian manufacturer to nurture quality and pursue it relentlessly that will bring its own success.

He must have the means, the power, the patience and the conviction to travel the distance that an image requires to be developed over time.

And in time the name of the product will be respected.
The symbol of the company will be respected.
Anything the company manufactures will be respected.

Let me leave you with these words.

• Building a quality image
• Takes Time
• Takes Effort
• Takes Patience
• Takes Commitment
• Takes Conviction.