Nation Building

Anugerah Kreativiti & Inovasi

Addressed by Tan Sri Lim at Anugerah Kreativiti & Inovasi
12 February 2004

I am delighted to welcome the Minister of International Trade and Industry to the launch of Malaysia Branding for the World publication and the Award Presentation Ceremony of Anugerah Kreativiti & Inovasi. We postponed this event from 11 December 2003 because we wanted so much to have her presence.

On behalf of all, I would like to thank her for being with us despite her busy schedule.

To be sure, we value greatly her presence. She brings with her vast experience gained from years of illustrious service in the Government, and as our Minister for International Trade and Industry.

To many around the world she is the voice and face of Malaysian trade.

Any talks on product branding or country branding would be lacking if not for her presence.

I shall invite her to address us shortly. Let me now take a few minutes to share with you some of my own concerns, and thoughts while reflecting on the theme – Creative People, Innovative Nation.

As we know it, the world′s most advanced nations are also the world′s most inventive, most innovative. To be sure, they are also the world′s richest. These are countries with well developed creative industries which provide effective on-going research and development support to their industries.

All, with no exception, consider design and creativity a strategic propeller of their national competitiveness.

All, with not exception, own internationally known brands of products and services that are perceived to be the best in the world.

All, with no exception, are driven by innovation.

These are countries whose Governments and companies have aggressively invested in global marketing and brand-building for a hundred years or more.

Their Governments have built economic infrastructure that encourages creativity and innovation.

Their people are highly educated, highly skilled, highly competitive. They are trained and encouraged to be innovative in whatever they do or produce – be it the music they compose, the shoes they design, the cars they make, even the fast food they sell.

These countries generate immense wealth from the products they have created, and the brands they have promoted right around the world.

These countries produce goods that are perceived to be the best in the world, everywhere in the world.

Resulting from this, brands and products from these countries are able to gain worldwide acceptance quickly, and command premium pricing invariably.

And resulting from that, these countries themselves have become synonymous with quality, and enjoy the most positive image in the minds of people right around the world. And this, in turn, reinforces the perception that whatever they produce must be the world′s best.

When you think of the United States, you think of cutting-edge information technology. Germany exemplifies precision engineering, high performance cars. Italy stands out for lifestyle. France the world′s most expensive perfumes and Switzerland the world′s best watches.

In Asia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong stand out as the most successful in the competition for a share of the global market.

It is no surprise that all four are ranked among the top 25 technology-innovating economies in the World Economic Forum report.

To achieve the goals set for Vision 2020, Malaysia must become much more innovative in the way we build our business; much more creative in the way we build our brands.

We must succeed in creating more products the world wants to use and more brands the world wants to own.

To succeed, we must be prepared to compete with the best in the world, and that means we must become one ourselves.

We are fortunate that we have a forward thinking Government that is working closely with the private sector to promote innovation and brand-building. This is clearly demonstrated by the range of support services provided by MITI and MATRADE and other agencies.

The Brand Development Grant scheme is further demonstration of the Government′s commitment to ensuring greater success in global marketing for Malaysian companies.

We are very fortunate that we have in Dato′ Seri Rafidah a Minister who stops at nothing – in her relentless drive to push Malaysia forward!

I have been with her on several trips abroad, so I know well how very hard she drives herself. And that she has been doing consistently for the past 16 years.

How else do you think that we have become one of the top twenty exporting nations in the world today?

She has spoken up for Malaysia more forcefully than anyone else I know I countless forums to ensure a place for Malaysia and products made in Malaysia.

Today we officially launch the Malaysia Branding for the World publication, which has actually been published some months ago.

This is a joint endeavour undertaken by MATRADE and MDTC to help promote Malaysians brands to a global audience.

Apart from that, we are also to kick-start another campaign which I hope will gather the necessary momentum to build a nationwide consciousness of the importance of creativity and innovation.

Going forward, as a people, as a nation, we must accept that we must be more creative, more innovative, more imaginative in the way we think, if we were to compete successfully in a highly competitive globalised environment.

Anugerah Kreativiti & Inovasi is one of several initiatives undertaken by MDTC to help raise the standards and standing of Malaysian brands.

Thirty eight companies will be recognised today. They have been selected by an Award Selection Panel chaired by YBhg Dato′ Mustafa Mansur, President of FMM and co-chaired by YBhg Dato′ L. Krishnan, a veteran in image-building and Vice President of the Malaysian Institute of Directors. Other panel members include Encik Shahar Noor, President of Malaysian Advertisers Association, Puan Shameen Jalil, President of the Institute of Public Relations and Mr Paul Loosley, an award-winning creative director and Council Member of Malaysian Association of Advertising Film Makers.

The companies and brands being recognized today are easily the most obvious ones.

These are companies that are outstanding in their commitment to brand-building, and whose use of innovative thinking in the building process is obvious.

Their efforts have resulted in their names becoming household names, and their brands market leaders in their business sector or product category.

Most, if not all, have established their brand presence internationally.

These are pioneer Malaysian brand builders whose efforts have contributed to the favourable perception of Malaysia as a country that produces quality products and reliable services.

As this is an annual event, more of the other well known brands will be recognised as we move along.

We hope the award symbol that comes with the recognition will help to further enhance the popularity of these brands.

MDTC of Malaysia Design Technology Centre is a joint initiative undertaken by the Government and the private sector. The building to house it is being built in Cyberjaya.

If all goes well, it will be officially opened by the Prime Minister in the middle of this year.

MDTC sees itself as an essential catalyst to move business forward.

We see as our primary role the quickening of development pace of our design industry, connecting more effectively our creative and content creation industries to facilitating agencies; brand building and brand management; and the introduction of more innovative business modeling and more imaginative marketing.

Our core intention, of course, is to raise the benchmark for quality through better understanding, better exposure and better cooperation.

To conclude, let me leave you with this simple observation:

The most powerful economies in the world are those that are highly creative and innovative.

The most powerful businesses in the world are those that are highly creative and innovative.

The most powerful people in the world are those that are highly creative and innovative.

Please join me now in welcoming our Guest-of-Honour, the dynamic, incomparable Dato′ Seri Rafidah Aziz to the rostrum.