Editor’s Note – April 2016

[Editor’s Note]

It’s already April and the year seems to be flying by. Guess time goes faster when you’re having fun but I did notice that lately brands are being less active and running less marketing activations especially on-ground ones. That’s a sure sign that brands are preferring to hold on to their budgets in lieu of the current market situation.

Apart from the very soft market situation which has affected many brands and companies in the Malaysian market, the lack of confidence in the leadership has also added to the situation with foreign companies retrenching and withdrawing from Malaysia. Definitely not a good sign.

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Maxis Oh Maxis…

It all started with a little thread in the Lowyat.net forum complaining about the Maxis plans in East Malaysia which happened to incense the Maxis customers in West Malaysia – https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/3890167

And so it is that the power of digital media was displayed yet again and it didn’t take long for the post to go viral, shared thousands of times in Facebook. Many customers were quite unhappy with the situation and made their views known.

At this point, it wasn’t really a big issue to me as I was pretty satisfied with my two (2) Maxis plans and home broadband so I pretty much ignored the whole incident.

However Maxis then decided to make the statement below to address the issue at which point I took a greater interest.

I really have a thing against arrogant people and good grief – here was one (!) of the country’s leading telcos making an arrogant statement! After the whole Paradigm Mall incident and other social media mishaps, you’d think that social media managers in Malaysia would be more careful when making statements on their brand’s official social media page.

All it succeeded in doing was to add fuel to the flames with a statement that many regarded as being very arrogant. Of course, almost immediately people began bombarding this statement with very negative comments.

After almost six (6) days of endless bombardments, and what I also suspect is many people porting out from the telco (my Facebook newsfeed was full of updates of my friends saying they have switched and showing off their new non-Maxis SIM cards), Maxis CEO Morten and Head of Consumer Business Dushyan went on Facebook live to deliver this address.

But they seem to have missed the point entirely. It’s not that we customers want more data at the same price. We want better plans at a lower price and with more data, especially these days where the economy is bad, and with everyone trying to tighten their belts.

Looking at the new plans, I really don’t see any reason for staying any longer with Maxis. Why should I pay so much to get less data than what the other telcos are offering? Doesn’t make sense at all and there are no other significant benefits to make me stay. Sure years ago Maxis used to give me a new phone every two (2) years but that stopped in recent years.

As luck would have it – my contract with Maxis ends this month so I’m free to port out without having to pay any penalties! A real pity because I’ve been a loyal Maxis customer for so long but this is the last straw. I cannot in good conscience support an arrogant brand. Guess everything must come to an end eventually. Well that’s life right?

Häagen-Dazs Launches A New Flavour – Royal Milk Tea

The nice folks over at Häagen-Dazs Malaysia generously sent over three (3) pints of their new spring collection of flavours featuring the new Royal Milk Tea along with Coffee and Green Tea. Like all Häagen-Dazs flavours, the process of making the ice cream starts with French cream and milk from farms close to the factory, free-range eggs and sugar.

The Royal Milk Tea is billed as the “perfect blend of premium fresh and sweet Darjeeling tea and strong, malty and honey-like Assam tea to deliver the most delicate yet intense floral flavours”.

Ethan Lim, Marketing Director Southeast Asia at General Mills, stated, “Our tea leaves are handpicked throughout the summer months. The farmers growing and handling them have been doing so for many generations, bringing their expertise, experience and passion to deliver the finest blend every year. We treat our exceptional leaves gently, drying them carefully to preserve all of their qualities. From this, we blend our exceptional ice cream.”

Coffee is one of the first three (3) flavours that was debuted in 1961. The coffee which is sourced from Brazil, delivers delicate yet bold and earthy notes that Brazilian coffee beans are known for. The coffee hails from the low-lying areas of Espírito Santo and Rondônia from small family farms that cultivate coffee utilizing simple methods passed down over generations.

The Green Tea flavour made with the softest Matcha tea leaves handpicked from the South of Japan and grounded by stone mills. Häagen-Dazs incorporated the Way of Tea; an exquisite art form that involves the preparation, serving and drinking of tea in Japan, into the Green Tea ice cream to ensure that the intense and fragrant flavour of the green tea is tastefully infused into the ice-cream.

Personally I found the Royal Milk Tea a bit too sweet for my liking but then again I don’t really eat many sweet desserts. However I thought the Coffee was just lovely (I’m a coffee addict) while my partner in crime enjoyed the Green Tea (she’s also not a sweet tooth).

Stores across the country will be serving creations showcasing these three (3) flavours including; Banoffee Royale which serves layers of crunchy waffle cone pieces, fresh bananas, caramel sauce and the new Royal Milk Tea ice-cream, while the Chocolate Delight features a chocolate lava cake with Green Tea and Royal Milk Tea ice cream. Banofee Royale is also available as a take-away option.

12976718_10154691374335278_7065169572819025510_o — CROISSANT SANDWICH – RM20 – Warm butter croissant filled with Haagen Daz Coffee and Vanilla ice creams, chocolate sauce and fresh strawberries

11147574_10154691373535278_886332998250666274_o — CHOCOLATE DELIGHT – RM33 – Decadent chocolate lava cake accompanied with Haagen Daz Royal Milk Tea and Green Tea ice cream.

12967266_10154691374010278_2487041893601635958_o — COFFEE FLOAT – RM19 – Iced latte made from premium illy coffee and topped with Haagen Daz Coffee ice cream

12998230_10154691374830278_4782109033484412214_o — MATCHA FLOAT – RM19 – A mix of Haagen Daz Green Tea ice cream and Sprite

12977077_10154691373225278_2424388306065872650_o — CHAI TEA FRAPPE – RM19 – A blend of new Haagen Daz Royal Milk Tea ice cream and aromatic chai spices

12998152_10154691374425278_8828819994030447664_o — BANOFFEE ROYALE – RM26 – Layers of crunchy waffle cone pieces, fresh bananas, caramel sauce and new Haagen Daz Royal Milk Tea ice cream

For more information, head over to www.facebook.com/HaagenDazs.Malaysia

Relaunch of Hide at The Roof

HIDE at The Roof Bandar Utama had its relaunch party on 8 and 9 April 2016 and I headed over to check out the new concept on Saturday, 9 April 2016. The interior is the same as before (with the “Avatar” tree still being the centrepiece) however instead of a gentlemen’s lounge concept it now features a live band which plays on the stage above the bar.

The live band was pretty good and played songs from the 90’s all the way up to the current hits. As opposed to the very open design of the bar/ lounge during its Signature by The Hill days, HIDE feels more cosy and feels more private. I like this new concept but only time will tell if the clientèle accepts it.