I'm extremely compelled to elaborate further on my earlier posting today. I was talking to another friend who was down in the slump in his relationship (well, I suspect the gf is cheating on him with another while still stringing him along). Anyways, it just suddenly occur to me the similarity of how if one is going seeking for employment (while still under the employment of another) is the same as someone being in a relationship, but seeking a potential new relationship at the same time). In both situation, it is called cheating or some people like to call it - stepping on two boats.
I can't help but to wonder if that is the case for most people. When someone is not happy in a relationship or not happy in their job, they tend to look for greener pasture (i.e. better partner to date, better job ; so it seems) - but in the meantime, they will not let go of their current attachment. They will string it along until the better someone or better job comes along. Then they will kiss the old partner or old job - adios! Without the slightest feeling of remorse.
So will you cheat on your partner ? If you won't cheat on your partner, so why would you cheat on your employer ? Don't forget employers can cheat on you too - employers will string employee along until they find a better employee and then they just kiss off. Because a wise man once told me, "no one is indispensable". And I had to agree.
Friday, March 19, 2010
employee vs. employer
Looking back at those years when I was working a 5 day, 9-6 job - I can't help but to wonder how laid-back and easy life was back then. I never had to worry about the business (cos I don't own it - it's not mine). My job description are in black and white, so quite simply, all I need to do is do what I'm paid to do. I took leave when I want to, without worrying about affecting company's productivity - or quite simply, when I feel lazy or when the "I don't feel like going to work today" feeling creeps in. Even better, when you start to get bored with your job - you start job-hunting while holding on to your current job. You still collect money from your current employer and get paid for job surfing and attend interviews on a working-day ! And you call in one day to request for a "emergency leave" with excuses like period cramp, feeling under the weather or something more severe- family matters to attend to. (cos you know employers can't be unsympathetic about this). I then welcomed each public holiday with elation and loud proclamation of how wonderful it was that its going to be a long weekend ! And there were those days when my bosses came in with sombre expression and called for a meeting that raised issues such as sales etc etc. At that point of time, I seriously don't think I care so much as whether sales is good or bad - because it was quite simply not what I'm paid to do - and once again, it is not my company. As long as they continue to pay me, I'm happy.
As an employer myself, I now see the frustration my employers were going through then. I can even relate to what crossed their mind when I pull in that sickie or sudden application of leave. Employer's need is never aligned with employee's need. The latter serves to work for an employer that can help her reach their life goals (i.e. make money or a stepping stone to something better and greater). The former on the other hand, can help solve employee's problems (by paying them salary and they get money!). But how often it is when employee can see your company objectives and work relentlessly to help you(employer) to reach your goals (i.e. make more money, increase market share, increase sales etc). My point is if employee works for an employer because he/she needs money - shouldn't they realise that without them doing their job properly, the company (i.e. employer) will be unproductive because the employer has to waste time worrying about the employee rather than focusing on the business.
Writing this blog makes me think back of my first job after my graduation. I was attached to the company for a good 3 years before we go our separate ways. Towards the end of my 3rd year, I was head hunted by another company and they offered me a good position with a better income. Obviously, since my objective (as an employee) is to get more pay, I accepted the offer. I was disappointed that my employers didn't took it well. (Duh!) My boss was upset with my decision - as later I found out he has so much trust and hope in me. How was I to know all these when I'm obviously more obsessed with more money - and yes, I thought the grasses were greener over the other side. It took me 5 years down the road to understand why he was upset that I left - his hopes were pinned on me and I disappointed him. No wonder he never wished me well when I packed my stuff and left the building.
And just yesterday, the board of directors were just discussing about promoting an employee (i.e raise of salary) when that particular employee had to do something that revokes his/her right to that promotion. That leads me to believe that it is not always the employer's fault (as employees always rants on that) - it is in fact your (employee) actions and doings that determines it.
As an employer myself, I now see the frustration my employers were going through then. I can even relate to what crossed their mind when I pull in that sickie or sudden application of leave. Employer's need is never aligned with employee's need. The latter serves to work for an employer that can help her reach their life goals (i.e. make money or a stepping stone to something better and greater). The former on the other hand, can help solve employee's problems (by paying them salary and they get money!). But how often it is when employee can see your company objectives and work relentlessly to help you(employer) to reach your goals (i.e. make more money, increase market share, increase sales etc). My point is if employee works for an employer because he/she needs money - shouldn't they realise that without them doing their job properly, the company (i.e. employer) will be unproductive because the employer has to waste time worrying about the employee rather than focusing on the business.
Writing this blog makes me think back of my first job after my graduation. I was attached to the company for a good 3 years before we go our separate ways. Towards the end of my 3rd year, I was head hunted by another company and they offered me a good position with a better income. Obviously, since my objective (as an employee) is to get more pay, I accepted the offer. I was disappointed that my employers didn't took it well. (Duh!) My boss was upset with my decision - as later I found out he has so much trust and hope in me. How was I to know all these when I'm obviously more obsessed with more money - and yes, I thought the grasses were greener over the other side. It took me 5 years down the road to understand why he was upset that I left - his hopes were pinned on me and I disappointed him. No wonder he never wished me well when I packed my stuff and left the building.
And just yesterday, the board of directors were just discussing about promoting an employee (i.e raise of salary) when that particular employee had to do something that revokes his/her right to that promotion. That leads me to believe that it is not always the employer's fault (as employees always rants on that) - it is in fact your (employee) actions and doings that determines it.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
a journey with many ups and downs
Being an entrepreneur may sound very exciting and glamorous to some. Before I took on the challenge of having RedRibbon Days, I have always look on the positive side of things - very seldom I will think of the risks and the negative aspects of it. Having the courage to start your own business is simply not enough to make a business work. There are so many ups and downs, challenges, and setbacks that will crunch you. Speaking from my own personal experience, RedRibbon Days is coming to 2 years of age and I am proud of where she stands today. But I have also faced many rejections, sneers and discouragement not only from people whom you want to work with but also from your closest friends and even family members. I survived from all these attacks and brace forward. I continue to put my head high and to each rejection - I swallowed it and took it as a valuable lesson to improve myself and how we convey ourselves better.
When sales are slow, it will push you to the edge as well. You will start wondering if you are doing the right thing and if you should continue running the show. And when the business grow, you will need to think of hiring people to work for you - and saying so, this is the most daunting task ever! Getting the right people to fulfil a role is the hardest job of all. The numerous interviews, trainings and if you are lucky - you will find the right person without much difficulties. I remembered when we first put up ad to hire an administrative staff with an online recruitment company - that charges you a good RM400 for one position ; and your ad for this position runs for a month. Over the course of the next 2 weeks, be prepared to get all sort of resumes - from all sort of applicants. And what amazed me was some resumes that was forwarded to our HR department was completely not relevant to the position that we advertised for. You would be lucky to get at least 2 or 3 suitable candidates. So I've learnt from this and never advertised with an online recruitment company ever again. I put up my advertisement in Facebook which was free of charge - and I found myself a fabulous staff !
2 years down the road, the journey has been fulfilling though not completely rewarding - yet. I believe there are plenty of room to grow for RedRibbon Days and the journey ahead of me is getting harder, and not easier. Over the course of time, the dynamics of the business will change, and so will the direction of the company. At present, I'm faced with the challenge of educating Malaysians about experiential gifting and of course- the importance of giving a memorable gift. Yes, two years down the road- and I'm still on the course of doing so. The journey of an entrepreneur is of one that is always about learning new things, experience new things, you may fall, you may fly - but the result of this will make you stronger and wiser.
I do get bogged down relatively quickly - whether it is from an unhappy customer or a sale that did not go through. This I have learnt to take it as it comes. The most important I've learnt so far is to learn to know how to stand up when you had a bad fall and continue to walk to your destination. Picking up yourself after a fall is never easy - it may take you just couple of minutes to see the positive side of things, it may take you days or weeks. But most important thing of all , never stop what you are doing and continue the journey even if you have to limp. What lies ahead may be blurry, but your destination could be just a limp away. And remember, tears will flow and they should not be spared - but you must know when to stop.
When sales are slow, it will push you to the edge as well. You will start wondering if you are doing the right thing and if you should continue running the show. And when the business grow, you will need to think of hiring people to work for you - and saying so, this is the most daunting task ever! Getting the right people to fulfil a role is the hardest job of all. The numerous interviews, trainings and if you are lucky - you will find the right person without much difficulties. I remembered when we first put up ad to hire an administrative staff with an online recruitment company - that charges you a good RM400 for one position ; and your ad for this position runs for a month. Over the course of the next 2 weeks, be prepared to get all sort of resumes - from all sort of applicants. And what amazed me was some resumes that was forwarded to our HR department was completely not relevant to the position that we advertised for. You would be lucky to get at least 2 or 3 suitable candidates. So I've learnt from this and never advertised with an online recruitment company ever again. I put up my advertisement in Facebook which was free of charge - and I found myself a fabulous staff !
2 years down the road, the journey has been fulfilling though not completely rewarding - yet. I believe there are plenty of room to grow for RedRibbon Days and the journey ahead of me is getting harder, and not easier. Over the course of time, the dynamics of the business will change, and so will the direction of the company. At present, I'm faced with the challenge of educating Malaysians about experiential gifting and of course- the importance of giving a memorable gift. Yes, two years down the road- and I'm still on the course of doing so. The journey of an entrepreneur is of one that is always about learning new things, experience new things, you may fall, you may fly - but the result of this will make you stronger and wiser.
I do get bogged down relatively quickly - whether it is from an unhappy customer or a sale that did not go through. This I have learnt to take it as it comes. The most important I've learnt so far is to learn to know how to stand up when you had a bad fall and continue to walk to your destination. Picking up yourself after a fall is never easy - it may take you just couple of minutes to see the positive side of things, it may take you days or weeks. But most important thing of all , never stop what you are doing and continue the journey even if you have to limp. What lies ahead may be blurry, but your destination could be just a limp away. And remember, tears will flow and they should not be spared - but you must know when to stop.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Payment Gateways in Malaysia
On some days, I absolutely adore my job and on some like today, I loathe it. I loathe it because I'm faced with problems which are beyond my control. When these "beyond my control" problems clogged up, I wish and wish that our business is not based in a country like this. For those that own an online business, you are well aware of the need of having a 3rd-party payment gateway in order for your online business to accept credit card payment. And these payment gateway will then impose a transaction fees on each sale transacted through their gateway. And these transaction fees are shockingly high, mind you. Some payment gateways imposed a 4% transaction fee and some as high as close to 5%. And yes, RedRibbon Days happens to use the provider that charges a 4% transaction fee for each transaction.
So for a 3rd party that impose such "high-fees" on your business, you would expect them to provide the best customer service and be professional in their area of work. Shockingly, this is not the case. Our provider (whose name I had chose not to disclose yet at this point of time) had the audacity to not bear any responsibility for a technical glitch that happened earlier today. Many phone calls and emails were exchange between us today and after a heated 8 hours of "ping-pong-ball" communication, there is still no solution to the problem. We have proved on our end that there was completely nothing wrong on our end , and it is obvious that the problem is on their end - yet they have decided to sit on the fence and deny all responsibilities and adamant that they are not at fault. How can they not be at fault when they have clearly chose to perform a system upgrade on their end without notifying us in the first place? They even admitted in their email that it is their fault for not informing us of their upgrade, hence the error - yet they are not going to be liable for the problems caused. (i.e. disburse on any discrepancies)
It almost drive you nuts when you are liaising with people like that. They are almost impossible and preposterously hard to work with. This really makes me wonder about the quality of customer service in Malaysia. Are they purely "lip-service" and when it comes to crunch time to deliver the so called "after sale service" - it is simply not in within their job scope anymore?
I'm appalled with this type of customer service and makes me wonder if it is worth to continue using their services especially when you have to pay give them a 4% of each transaction made.
So for a 3rd party that impose such "high-fees" on your business, you would expect them to provide the best customer service and be professional in their area of work. Shockingly, this is not the case. Our provider (whose name I had chose not to disclose yet at this point of time) had the audacity to not bear any responsibility for a technical glitch that happened earlier today. Many phone calls and emails were exchange between us today and after a heated 8 hours of "ping-pong-ball" communication, there is still no solution to the problem. We have proved on our end that there was completely nothing wrong on our end , and it is obvious that the problem is on their end - yet they have decided to sit on the fence and deny all responsibilities and adamant that they are not at fault. How can they not be at fault when they have clearly chose to perform a system upgrade on their end without notifying us in the first place? They even admitted in their email that it is their fault for not informing us of their upgrade, hence the error - yet they are not going to be liable for the problems caused. (i.e. disburse on any discrepancies)
It almost drive you nuts when you are liaising with people like that. They are almost impossible and preposterously hard to work with. This really makes me wonder about the quality of customer service in Malaysia. Are they purely "lip-service" and when it comes to crunch time to deliver the so called "after sale service" - it is simply not in within their job scope anymore?
I'm appalled with this type of customer service and makes me wonder if it is worth to continue using their services especially when you have to pay give them a 4% of each transaction made.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Christmas Dinner @ Carcosa Seri Negara
It is way past Christmas - and I apologise for the long delay in posting this entry. It was in fact an entry that I've been meaning to write and share with you all, but kept forgetting about it until the good news came just couple weeks ago. For those who follow closely on our RedRibbon Days' blogs, you would be aware of the reopening of our favourite Carcosa Seri Negara hotel.
It was Friday, 24th Dec 2009. Our dinner started at approximately 7.00pm and we turned up gleefully excited and famished. Carcosa Seri Negara stood majestically handsome amidst the lush greenery surrounding it. It was supposed to be the last two night before it was closed down indefinitely for a major renovation. We were greeted and welcomed by the hotel manager, Ms. Caroline. Within minutes, we were ushered to our reserved table and we quietly and politely assume our seats. The restaurant was already packed by now - everyone seems merry and happily chatting away. The place was filled with merriment and laughter.
I suddenly realised that I am way under-dressed for the occasion (I couldn't be bothered to change into something "christmas-ty" as I had to rush there straight from work). I could only pretend to be immaculately dressed and hope someone will come in inadequately attired like me. Who was I kidding? The next group of people that walk in was dressed to the nines. They were all glowing from head to toe - with glittering dresses, accessories and gorgeous looking high-heels. My feet responded fast to that, and immediately, I pulled my dull looking black working heels underneath the table, hoping no one would spot the worn out shoes.
Drinks were served and I immediately gulped down half a glass of white wine - in hoping, it would numb my conscious state of mind. What was I thinking ? It was a french dining experience - and of course,everyone would be dressed up for it! D'oh!
Amuse bouche was served quickly - I peeked into the menu and it read "Fine de claire oyster, shallot of vinaigrette ad pumpernickel clive. (I may misspelt something here - as I have scribbled it down on a piece of used paper in a hurry).
I am always a big fan of oyster, so without much delay, I quickly slurp down the oyster on my plate. Yummy! (could be better if I have a glass of champagne!). The oyster was very fresh, and so smooth that without much chewing, I just had to swallow it.
Fine de claire oyster, shallot of vinaigrette ad pumpernickel clive
I would wish for more oyster, but it was a pre-set 5 course dinner, which means, it would make me seem like a glutton to order another serving of oyster. Our plates were quickly taken away, and within the next few minutes or so, our next course was served.
Foie gras terrine with glazed figs, brioche
The verdict ? I love my foie gras - and though this may not be the best foie gras I have ever eaten, it was actually not that bad. I'm very particular about foie gras and more often than not, they turned out to be too gamey for my liking. This was actually not too bad, especially when it is being accompanied by figs. The latter happen to be one of my favourite fruits - so anything that could go with it, wouldn't be that bad. I did not finish the foie gras. I would normally have more than what was served - but that night I've decided against it.
By now, I no longer care about what I was wearing and beginning to enjoy the night. It was getting merry, pianist was playing Christmas songs and yes, I had about two glass of wine and by now, I'm jolly and care less about what other people think, or what I really think. The wine served was a Sauvignon Blanc - something very light and a good match to what we were eating (considering we were eating everything sea-food-ish up to this point). Or perhaps it wasn't a fantastic wine, but I had to numb my senses at the start of the night - so even mediocre wine will be consumed without much hesitation.
Cream of Jerusalem artichoke with turnip and mussels
Ah ! Artichoke - another one of my favourite. Cook it the right way, it is absolutely divine. When the dish was brought to me, I was hoping that it will not disappoint me. I picked up my spoon and took a sip of the creamy broth. I can hear yummm and mmmm from the others, and indeed, I had to join in and mutter the soft yumm and mmm. The broth texture was smooth, and wasn't creamy ( I have no tolerance for creamy, buttery liquid). This was perfect, and the mussels made the broth sweet and the combination of artichoke and mussels was just mind-blowing. I wish I could slurp my plate, but it would seem rather inappropriate to do so in such fine restaurant. Well, I did not even spare a drop. We took the bread and salvage each drop. The plate was as good as unused.
Butter poached lobster, la ratte potato and white chocolate
What can I say ? This dish was even better than the previous ones! The lobster was fresh, and the potatoes and white chocolate was a good match. I had to admit, I was getting very full - and we are not even on our main course yet!
Turkey fillet baked in ginger bread - dark cherry & winter vegetables.
I had to admit - I can't say much for this dish as I was too full from all the other courses. I took a bite of the turkey though and it was indeed very tasty. Certainly something that I would devour if not for my already near-exploding stomach. Perfectly wrapped in the ginger bread, this dish looks absolutely pretty. The others devoured everything - and I only had space left for more wine.
Dessert was next and this time round, I managed to scoff down a few spoonfuls down my throat.
I was full and tipsy by now that I have completely forgotten to write down the name of this dessert. But I remembered clearly how indulging and divine it was when I ate the meringue and chocolate cake. I did not try the fruit cake (which was served with rum, if I'm not mistaken) but the others complimented it well.
After a satisfying meal (by now we are all very happy and full), we bid our farewell to Carcosa for the last time and I could almost remember ranting to the others about my unhappiness and discontentment on why such a beautiful building had to go through the whole renovation/ redevelopment crap. Blame it on the alcohol or the gastronomic meal that I just had - I thought to myself then, what a pity it would be to close it down and the Malaysia government should start preserving colonial buildings with historical value and this is definitely one of it.
Verdict : 7.5 stars out of 10
Now that Carcosa Seri Negara is back in business, I would have no qualms about getting this experience as a gift for Christmas this year!
It was Friday, 24th Dec 2009. Our dinner started at approximately 7.00pm and we turned up gleefully excited and famished. Carcosa Seri Negara stood majestically handsome amidst the lush greenery surrounding it. It was supposed to be the last two night before it was closed down indefinitely for a major renovation. We were greeted and welcomed by the hotel manager, Ms. Caroline. Within minutes, we were ushered to our reserved table and we quietly and politely assume our seats. The restaurant was already packed by now - everyone seems merry and happily chatting away. The place was filled with merriment and laughter.
I suddenly realised that I am way under-dressed for the occasion (I couldn't be bothered to change into something "christmas-ty" as I had to rush there straight from work). I could only pretend to be immaculately dressed and hope someone will come in inadequately attired like me. Who was I kidding? The next group of people that walk in was dressed to the nines. They were all glowing from head to toe - with glittering dresses, accessories and gorgeous looking high-heels. My feet responded fast to that, and immediately, I pulled my dull looking black working heels underneath the table, hoping no one would spot the worn out shoes.
Drinks were served and I immediately gulped down half a glass of white wine - in hoping, it would numb my conscious state of mind. What was I thinking ? It was a french dining experience - and of course,everyone would be dressed up for it! D'oh!
Amuse bouche was served quickly - I peeked into the menu and it read "Fine de claire oyster, shallot of vinaigrette ad pumpernickel clive. (I may misspelt something here - as I have scribbled it down on a piece of used paper in a hurry).
I am always a big fan of oyster, so without much delay, I quickly slurp down the oyster on my plate. Yummy! (could be better if I have a glass of champagne!). The oyster was very fresh, and so smooth that without much chewing, I just had to swallow it.
I would wish for more oyster, but it was a pre-set 5 course dinner, which means, it would make me seem like a glutton to order another serving of oyster. Our plates were quickly taken away, and within the next few minutes or so, our next course was served.
The verdict ? I love my foie gras - and though this may not be the best foie gras I have ever eaten, it was actually not that bad. I'm very particular about foie gras and more often than not, they turned out to be too gamey for my liking. This was actually not too bad, especially when it is being accompanied by figs. The latter happen to be one of my favourite fruits - so anything that could go with it, wouldn't be that bad. I did not finish the foie gras. I would normally have more than what was served - but that night I've decided against it.
By now, I no longer care about what I was wearing and beginning to enjoy the night. It was getting merry, pianist was playing Christmas songs and yes, I had about two glass of wine and by now, I'm jolly and care less about what other people think, or what I really think. The wine served was a Sauvignon Blanc - something very light and a good match to what we were eating (considering we were eating everything sea-food-ish up to this point). Or perhaps it wasn't a fantastic wine, but I had to numb my senses at the start of the night - so even mediocre wine will be consumed without much hesitation.
Ah ! Artichoke - another one of my favourite. Cook it the right way, it is absolutely divine. When the dish was brought to me, I was hoping that it will not disappoint me. I picked up my spoon and took a sip of the creamy broth. I can hear yummm and mmmm from the others, and indeed, I had to join in and mutter the soft yumm and mmm. The broth texture was smooth, and wasn't creamy ( I have no tolerance for creamy, buttery liquid). This was perfect, and the mussels made the broth sweet and the combination of artichoke and mussels was just mind-blowing. I wish I could slurp my plate, but it would seem rather inappropriate to do so in such fine restaurant. Well, I did not even spare a drop. We took the bread and salvage each drop. The plate was as good as unused.
What can I say ? This dish was even better than the previous ones! The lobster was fresh, and the potatoes and white chocolate was a good match. I had to admit, I was getting very full - and we are not even on our main course yet!
I had to admit - I can't say much for this dish as I was too full from all the other courses. I took a bite of the turkey though and it was indeed very tasty. Certainly something that I would devour if not for my already near-exploding stomach. Perfectly wrapped in the ginger bread, this dish looks absolutely pretty. The others devoured everything - and I only had space left for more wine.
Dessert was next and this time round, I managed to scoff down a few spoonfuls down my throat.
I was full and tipsy by now that I have completely forgotten to write down the name of this dessert. But I remembered clearly how indulging and divine it was when I ate the meringue and chocolate cake. I did not try the fruit cake (which was served with rum, if I'm not mistaken) but the others complimented it well.
After a satisfying meal (by now we are all very happy and full), we bid our farewell to Carcosa for the last time and I could almost remember ranting to the others about my unhappiness and discontentment on why such a beautiful building had to go through the whole renovation/ redevelopment crap. Blame it on the alcohol or the gastronomic meal that I just had - I thought to myself then, what a pity it would be to close it down and the Malaysia government should start preserving colonial buildings with historical value and this is definitely one of it.
Verdict : 7.5 stars out of 10
Now that Carcosa Seri Negara is back in business, I would have no qualms about getting this experience as a gift for Christmas this year!
Friday, February 19, 2010
social media and Malaysia
Of late, I've been reading a lot of SEO related articles and how social media is the new phenomenon of the internet. Every article I read seems to imply that old marketing (newspaper, billboards, radio ad etc) is now outdated and doesn't work anymore. Businesses (smaller organisations) could spent up to ten over thousands of dollars for such advertising gimmick but the ROI is certainly (in my point of view) not measurable.
The hype now is on social media such as twitter, facebook, blogs, online forums and so on and so forth. I have no qualms on following this trend - as it is much cheaper as opposed to traditional advertising. And the beauty of social media is like a virus, they spread very fast and they can be contagious. Social media is indeed in new way for businesses to advertise and be out there, especially if you are looking for prominent branding on the web. But I'm having doubts if it can really boost local business based in Malaysia (a developing country that is crawling behind not only in terms of technology but also many other things). Are malaysians ( and I'm not referring to ALL malaysians, of course) that savvy to at the forefront with the advancement of social media ? My point is there are in fact many big organisations out there ( even those of Fortune 500 companies) are still not social media conscious.
I read a book recently titled "The New Rules of Marketing & PR" and there was one particular sentence that makes me wonder - should a business like RedRibbon Days ignored all traditional marketing rules and focus on social media ? If Malaysians can't embrace the concept fully, and still inclined to traditional marketing rules ( I do have my point for saying so), how can a young fledging company like RedRibbon Days turn a blind eye to the old marketing rules?
As I mentioned before, traditional marketing is still very prominent in country like Malaysia. Our national newspaper (The Star) is as thick as a book, and every page you flip - you are bombarded with advertisement after advertisement. Billboards stretches along the highway - and you can practically see billboards no matter which direction you are coming from! Still on the same note, it will cost advertisers at least 20k (if not more) for a full-colored page advertisement in the national newspaper - yet businesses are still throwing money in the name of traditional AMP.
Unless you are a MNC or own a multi-billion organisation, then such money spent is certainly of no pinch to you, but for newly start up small-medium organisation - who wants to play the rules of AMP right, but do not have the money to do so, can we really afford to ignore traditional marketing and focus totally on social media?
The hype now is on social media such as twitter, facebook, blogs, online forums and so on and so forth. I have no qualms on following this trend - as it is much cheaper as opposed to traditional advertising. And the beauty of social media is like a virus, they spread very fast and they can be contagious. Social media is indeed in new way for businesses to advertise and be out there, especially if you are looking for prominent branding on the web. But I'm having doubts if it can really boost local business based in Malaysia (a developing country that is crawling behind not only in terms of technology but also many other things). Are malaysians ( and I'm not referring to ALL malaysians, of course) that savvy to at the forefront with the advancement of social media ? My point is there are in fact many big organisations out there ( even those of Fortune 500 companies) are still not social media conscious.
I read a book recently titled "The New Rules of Marketing & PR" and there was one particular sentence that makes me wonder - should a business like RedRibbon Days ignored all traditional marketing rules and focus on social media ? If Malaysians can't embrace the concept fully, and still inclined to traditional marketing rules ( I do have my point for saying so), how can a young fledging company like RedRibbon Days turn a blind eye to the old marketing rules?
As I mentioned before, traditional marketing is still very prominent in country like Malaysia. Our national newspaper (The Star) is as thick as a book, and every page you flip - you are bombarded with advertisement after advertisement. Billboards stretches along the highway - and you can practically see billboards no matter which direction you are coming from! Still on the same note, it will cost advertisers at least 20k (if not more) for a full-colored page advertisement in the national newspaper - yet businesses are still throwing money in the name of traditional AMP.
Unless you are a MNC or own a multi-billion organisation, then such money spent is certainly of no pinch to you, but for newly start up small-medium organisation - who wants to play the rules of AMP right, but do not have the money to do so, can we really afford to ignore traditional marketing and focus totally on social media?
Thursday, February 18, 2010
time flies ?
Couple of weeks ago, I had some friends over at my place and we were whiling time away, talking about everything from alcohol, work to age. Some agreed that at my age, I can still check the early 30s box while some insisted it is about right to check on the mid 30s box.
At that point of time, my life flashed past my mind like a projector running a slideshow. I can see me as a kindergarden school girl with two pony tail, running around the school with friends - playing and quite frankly speaking, studying wasn't exactly my cup of tea. I was playful and mischievous. More often than not, teachers will complain to my parents that I am such a chatterbox and I do not pay attention in class. And of course, when I got home, I will get a good lashing from my parents - which of course fell on deaf ears.
Secondary school came and went. It was the best years of my life, I had to say. I was never the popular girl in my school - well, I don't give much thoughts to looks anyway at that point of time. I was in the best class (science stream) though I'm certainly not the brainiest! In fact, I consider myself lucky to be stream into the best science class. I was very active curricular wise, I was the president of the Geography club, committee member of few student clubs, recreation officer for Interact Club and of course, I'm still proud to be the school badminton player! Those are memories of my secondary days - etched deeply in me today. I believe, these involvement have somehow shape my confidence and decision making skills.
I left high school after graduation and the rest (college and university) - they are simply history.
Looking back, I've come such long way to where I am today. But the road ahead of me is now even further. So I was thinking to myself, time did not fly as fast as I thought - it still allows me to sit down and ponder about my past, my present and my future. Well, at least it is giving me the time to sit down here today, experience life and blog about my journey, my life.
At that point of time, my life flashed past my mind like a projector running a slideshow. I can see me as a kindergarden school girl with two pony tail, running around the school with friends - playing and quite frankly speaking, studying wasn't exactly my cup of tea. I was playful and mischievous. More often than not, teachers will complain to my parents that I am such a chatterbox and I do not pay attention in class. And of course, when I got home, I will get a good lashing from my parents - which of course fell on deaf ears.
Secondary school came and went. It was the best years of my life, I had to say. I was never the popular girl in my school - well, I don't give much thoughts to looks anyway at that point of time. I was in the best class (science stream) though I'm certainly not the brainiest! In fact, I consider myself lucky to be stream into the best science class. I was very active curricular wise, I was the president of the Geography club, committee member of few student clubs, recreation officer for Interact Club and of course, I'm still proud to be the school badminton player! Those are memories of my secondary days - etched deeply in me today. I believe, these involvement have somehow shape my confidence and decision making skills.
I left high school after graduation and the rest (college and university) - they are simply history.
Looking back, I've come such long way to where I am today. But the road ahead of me is now even further. So I was thinking to myself, time did not fly as fast as I thought - it still allows me to sit down and ponder about my past, my present and my future. Well, at least it is giving me the time to sit down here today, experience life and blog about my journey, my life.
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