Petaling Jaya, 22nd April 2016: The Malaysian Advertisers Association recently concluded its Annual General at the Eastin Hotel in Petaling Jaya. The AGM provided updates on the current activities of the association and undertook the elections of members to the Council.
Margaret Au-Yong and Chan May Ling were returned as President and Vice-President respectively for another term (2016-2018). The new Council comprises representatives from the following MAA members:-
- Andaman Property Management Sdn Bhd
- Baba Products (M) Sdn Bhd
- Coca Cola Far East Ltd
- Heineken Marketing Malaysia Sdn Bhd
- L’Oreal Malaysia Sdn Bhd
- Maxis Mobile Services Berhad
- Mondelez Malaysia Sales Sdn Bhd
- Nestle Products Sdn Bhd
- Unilever (M) Holdings Sdn Bhd
Incoming MAA President, Margaret Au-Yong said, “For 2016, the Malaysian Advertisers Association is looking at solidifying existing partnerships, forging new collaborations, and expanding our horizons into the global arena. We have detailed our objectives for this year to include four vital and necessary elements.”
The first objective is to reinforce collaboration with the digital media, which we believe continues to accomplish outstanding growth due to the effectiveness of the medium. As such, MAA is exploring more collaborative programs with the Malaysian Digital Association to enable our members to be on par and in tune with the expectations of a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
The MAA would like to work on collaborative initiatives to design industry standards in digital media buying. This is to ensure a more transparent metric as it builds industry benchmarks to aid advertisers with more insights for better planning.
In line with this, the MAA has revamped its website to ensure a fast and efficient digital platform as a conduit to communicate with Members. The website represents the first point of contact for all matters under the Association and maintains a treasure trove of information on the industry.
The MAA has also forged new collaborations with the Malaysia Retail Chain Association (MRCA), who were installed as the Association’s first Affiliate Member in September, 2015. MAA’s latest Affiliate Member is Business Network International (BNI), and these two associations have affiliations with more than 800 SMEs.
President Margaret adds, “We see the membership affiliation as a positive step, as each association is able to tap into their respective strengths and provide an excellent avenue to enhance collaboration through the exchange of marketing, branding and e-commerce ideas, experiences and knowledge. This cooperation will enable MAA members to emerge as a stronger force in the face of continuous global challenges.”
In view of global challenges, the MAA has also strongly aligned itself with the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA). After the successful Global Marketer Conference in Kuala Lumpur recently, which featured an impressive global line-up of marketers and thought-leaders, the MAA believes a continuous exchange of ideas, strategies and concepts will truly benefit its members.
In the WFA alignment, MAA members are able to learn from regional best practices especially from mature markets when it comes to consumer shifts, deeper digital media understanding and also new agency frameworks that will be beneficial to its members for future planning.
The MAA with almost 1,000 members represent the interest of advertisers in all areas of commercial communications. The objectives of the association is to promote the importance of advertising in driving competition in the economy, promote self-regulation and work with government, media owners and advertising agencies in ensuring an environment conducive to the growth of the industry.
The MAA sees itself as a Regulatory Committee, and industry self-regulation is a matter that the Council continues to address, for it believes the industry must establish a set of ethics that will guide the industry and encourage best practices at every step of the way.
Advertising in Asia is estimated to maintain its growth of between 5% and 6% this year, according to a February 2016 report by industry analysts Media Partners Asia (MPA), with China spearheading the progression.
Margaret says, “2016 is set to be a challenging year for the Malaysian industries but we believe that our focus on 4 key areas; digital media, new collaborations (MRCA and BNI), global engagement and self-regulation will ensure that the industry is directed into the right path for success.”
She concludes, “At the MAA, our dictum of Efficiency, Effectiveness, Ethics and Excellence exemplifies the Council’s philosophy in serving the Members and the industry while propelling the Association forward.”
