Where The Truth Needs Advertising…

Just saw a new thetruthaboutprepaid.com ad in the papers today. It’s a site where you can check out all the dirt on the prepaid packages offered by the 3 local mobile operators. While it’s managed by Digi, you won’t explicitly see their logo and association there. The street launch for the site some months back was quite fun too: getting groupies to walk all over town chanting and holding posters like they were in some kind of demonstration…

Since Digi is the smallest of the 3 players, they have nothing to lose by being the first guys to throw rates, etc. Their game is to dictate the pace / rates of the industry, always pushing for that first mover advantage to stay ahead. These guys have done it long enough for the public to buy into their big idea, i.e., that they’re always innovative / first.

But competition isn’t taking it lightly though, Maxis / Hotlink is fighting back with their new “telco talk” segments in the radio, countering / bettering the deals offered by Digi as well as continuing to go all out pushing their mega budgets for that aspirational / lifestyle marketing front with music / concert tie-ups etc. Not that it’s bad or anything but to me it just seems that it’s not a sustainable approach.

Marketing shouldn’t be about just throwing in big bucks. It should be about being smart. Some very big brands didn't even need to use big A&P budgets to get where they are. All they had is really “the big idea”.

“The big idea” as described by Robert Jones, a director of Wolff Olins, is that soul and essence of the company that transcends advertising and marketing. For Virgin, it’s iconoclasm; Southwest, irreverence; and Microsoft, ubiquity.

Somehow, I don’t think many Malaysian brands will get this even though they may try very hard. As soon as Digi’s competitors figure their 'big idea' and get it right, the rules of engagement will change and thetruthaboutprepaid.com won’t even be relevant. Because consumers will not be buying solely on price anymore - they will be buying into the idea, whatever that is.

At BonusLink, the big idea I wanted to communicate was: 'free doesn’t equal cheap'. Even though the card is free and the redemption stuff are at great value, I didn’t want people to misconstrue that the program is cheap and for cheapskates, but rather it’s for the educated and (budget) savvy. True enough, eventually two thirds of the urban population of the country became fans, include many dignified datuks and prominent professionals / business men. The idea evolved and was eventually epitomized in the line “Everyday’s a Bonus”, which conveyed a sense of appreciation for the meaningful extras that we so welcome in our life. With this, the brand distanced itself from all the other loyalty programs, which seemed me-too and mechanical. The big idea is not just about hard selling. In some ways it’s about philosophy and character. “Everyday’s a Bonus” has the legs and potential to go very far in terms of execution and dimension to further strengthen the brand’s proposition. And we really did seize those opportunities with very positive results (over RM40Billion sales through the partners, over 70% active membership base, etc).

Good marketing is never about the size of A&P budgets. It’s all about passion and the people behind the brand.

P.S. If you’re wondering what Celcom did when the Digi site first launched, they actually launched a counter site called thetruthaboutprepaid.com.my (The diff is the <.my> bit! WTF?! Haha)! The site was eventually closed and they have since focused on their Power of X and movie tie-up thingy.