Background Research:Advertising in Malaysia

Background research for a podcast episode on advertising in Malaysia with Ming-Ti Chan.

Proposed Structure

Start with my story and experience in Advertising
Then go into some industry and Malaysia specific questions
End with some predictions of how the advertising scene will develop in the future

Question Bank

What is advertising? What is strategy?
What makes a good strategist?
Moving up the strategist ladder? Intern - Junior - Senior - Manager - Director - CSO
How has advertising changed in your career?
What was your biggest mistake in your career?
What assumptions do juniors have that you find yourself having to talk through?
What are network agencies? What strengths do they have over local ones?
Rise of independent planners, is that gonna take off in Asia / Malaysia?

Expats, do they understand Malaysia? Why, why not?
What i hate most about being a strategist?
Why should people think about becoming strategists? the benefits within the industry to even jumping to another industry.
How has not speaking Mandarin or BM held you back? If at all?
Whats is it like working on APAC wide campaigns or global accounts?
What difficulties have you had coming back from overseas?
“What’s your process for deciding what not to say in a brief?”
“Do you think strategy is more about simplification or provocation?”
“How do you balance gut instinct with research findings?”

What are some taboos in Malaysia?
Why is Malaysia behind Thailand in terms of creativity?
What’s one advertising myth about Malaysian consumers you wish you could permanently dispel?
“How do international companies insert themselves into a country’s mythos: Malaysia, Milo and Nestle”
“Does ensuring representation hold Malaysia back? Why always have a chinese indian and malay?”
“Advertising is about aspirations. What do Malaysians aspire to?”
“How do you handle different languages and the cultural contexts that each require?”
Yasmin Ahmad’s legacy – revisit her Petronas ads not just emotionally, but strategically—what insight was at play?
“Is there such a thing as a truly Malaysian brand voice? How do you define it?”

“New Asian Advertising” by Yvonne Yam and Joy Sng – covers a range of work across SEA, including Malaysia.
The Kantar Malaysia / Nielsen Reports – market insights, media habits, cultural trends.
The MDA (Malaysian Digital Association) and MDEC often publish digital economy and consumer studies.
WARC APAC / Campaign Asia – has Malaysian case studies, award-winning APAC work with commentary.
Effie Awards Malaysia Case Studies – if you can find them, these are golden for understanding real commercial strategy.
Awards, check out last years
“Branding Southeast Asia” by Melissa Aronczyk (academic) – goes deeper into the national brand identities of countries like Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia.