Service, First, Last & Foremost

Quality service is first and foremost at EPAPR, and that means striving always to deliver more than is expected by our clients. Quality, plus service, equal results. The following case-histories reflect this EPAPR commitment.

A euphoric Tan Sri Elyas Omar, president of the Badminton Association of Malaysia, holds the coveted Thomas Cup aloft after Malaysia’s dramatic victory over Indonesia in the 1992 final. Elyas publicly acknowledged Marlboro’s instrumental role in the Malaysian team’s victory through its sponsorship of the Project ‘88-’90 training programme.	How did the Marlboro Man become a badminton star to increase brand awareness in Malaysia? EPAPR strategised a concept to convince a sceptical local brand development hierarchy that identifying Marlboro with badminton and the regaining of international badminton’s premier prize, the Thomas Cup, would yield huge benefits. EPAPR’s strategy persuaded the client that linking the Marlboro Man with badminton stars and a winning team in the Thomas Cup competition - as a potent local supplement to the global cowboy and FI themes - would work best in a Malaysian marketing context. The plan called for Marlboro’s multi-million-ringgit sponsorship of a five-year training programme for Malaysia’s Thomas Cup squad under an agreement with the Badminton Association of Malaysia. The programme contributed to Malaysia’s regaining of the Thomas Cup in 1992. The highly successful campaign earned saturation publicity, popular goodwill and increased sales for the brand in badminton-crazy Malaysia.
His Majesty Tuanku Ja’affar, then King of Malaysia, performing the official opening ceremony of World Cricket Super 8s. The world premiere was held in Kuala Lumpur and Carlsberg was a major sponsor. EPAPR and MatchPlan managed and promoted the event.	How do you make a Danish beer more popular with Malaysian cricketers? Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Berhad had long dominated domestic beer sales and held an enviable market share of 63 per cent. However one small but influential group of Malaysia’s beer-consuming sportsmen - the cricket fraternity - was stubbornly wedded to an opposition beer. After accepting a strategy for the long-term sponsorship of the national Carlsberg League cricket competition in 1992, the Danish brewer was delighted to see regular sports media exposure for the brand name and a reversal of the position with cricketers. The strategy was jointly proposed by EPAPR and its sports event marketing associate, MatchPlan Malaysia Sdn Bhd. Kuala Lumpur’s venerable Royal Selangor Club, ancestral home of Malaysian cricket and host to many prestigious international matches over the past century, went further than most. Patrons of its famed Long Bar - one of the country’s biggest single beer outlets - reversed the 70-30 ratio in favour of opposition beers to a 70-30 favouring of Carlsberg! EPAPR and MatchPlan also managed and promoted their client’s sponsorship in Kuala Lumpur in 1997 of the Carlsberg-lCC Trophy - the world’s largest cricket tournament. The event attracted massive media coverage for the drink of the Long Cool Dane in Malaysia and throughout the world.
This model of the Petronas Twin Towers, the world’s tallest buildings, was assembled from Coca-Cola cans. During Operation Red Storm the striking display was a major crowd-stopper at the Kuala Lumpur City Centre, site of the famous Towers.	How to motivate a regional sales force to improve an already stunning 62 per cent market share? That was the challenge shared with EPAPR by the management of long-time client, F&N Coca- Cola, Malaysia’s and the region’s leading soft drinks company. EPAPR collaborated with our client to promote Operation Red Storm - the Red symbolising Coca-Cola - a massive national merchandising campaign conducted on simulated military lines. F&N “troops” enlisted “reinforce-ments” from the Coca-Cola System’s Asia Pacific “allies”. The 500-person force mounted lightning “attacks” on merchandising “targets” throughout Peninsula Malaysia over the 16-day campaign. The jungle green-clad F&N Coca-Cola “troopers” swept through villages, townships and cities to conduct full-scale merchandising in sales outlets ranging from rustic roadside stalls to coffee shops, to gleaming city supermarkets. It was the most intensive merchandising campaign ever conducted in Malaysia. EPAPR supported the “military” operation with an all-out “propaganda” campaign that enlisted print and electronic media to proclaim campaign “victories”. “Troops” were kept informed via a daily, edition of Operation Red Storm News, a newspaper specially produced by EPAPR journalists for the duration of the exercise.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Dato’ Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, is presented with a souvenir by the chairman of AdAsia ‘90, Dato’ Jaafar bin Mohd Ali. Looking on is the co-chairman, Michael Tang.	How does a Malaysian Advertising Congress attract record international interest and attendance? In 1990 Malaysia hosted the regional advertising industry’s most important Ad Asia '90 advertising congress event. EPAPR was appointed to help plan, manage and promote the most prestigious advertising conference ever staged in Malaysia. EPAPR’s strategy included identifying and securing as forceful speakers some of the world’s foremost advertising practitioners and personalities. It also included road shows and a world-wide publicity campaign to attract national delegations that ultimately made Ad Asia ’90 the largest and most successful Asian advertising congress ever held. The audience of more than 1000 international delegates was rewarded with a spectacular official opening ceremony featuring colourful cultural performances at Kuala Lumpur’s Putra World Trade Centre. Ad Asia '90 was officially opened by His Majesty Sultan Azlan Shah, then King of Malaysia, and the keynote address given by the Prime Minister, The Right Honorable Dato’ Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamed.