Contents

p1
Presidentʼs Messagep2
Editorial Directorʼs Message
p3-4.
Cover Story
p5-6
Research Opinion
p7-8
News Across
p9-14
Spotlight
p15-16The STAR Article
p17
Industry Updates
p18
MRSM Events/ On the Move

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Presidentʼs Message

W

elcome to first edition of MRSM-Whiz! You are now
reading the first edition of MRSMʼs very own e-bulletin.

I sincerely hope you enjoy MRSM-Whizʼs and find it a useful partof your working life. The e-bulletin is designed to offer an updateon the latest happening in our industry, especially in the rapidly changing world of
today. It is also a good way to stay in touch with what we have in store, especially if
you havenʼt touched base with us for a while.
I would also like to take this opportunity to wish everyone Happy New Year! Itʼsbeen a fairly interesting ride for most of us over the last couple of years against the
backdrop of the global recession. Iʼm pleased to see that against all odds, we as anindustry, is slowly gaining our growth traction again. I am very much looking forward
to a good year for all of us.
I whole-heartedly thank those who have been instrumental in putting this newsletter
together. Their dedication and efforts were exemplary of the spirit that we want toinstill in the industry.
The plan is to come up with this bulletin every four months. Since this is our firstattempt at this, all comments and feedbacks via our website are strongly encouraged.
Yes, the MRSM website is alive and kicking. Check it out.
Enjoy!
Yours sincerely,
Yazid Jamian
President, MRSM

p1

Editorial Directorʼs Message

W

elcome to the inaugural issue of MRSM-Whiz, our veryown bulletin; intended to engage with not just ourmembers but also, prospective members. In this 1st issue,
our cover story is on “Innovations in the Market Research Industry”. Hear what Kow ( MD of Nielsen), Ben (MD of Synovate)
and Kar Im (Marketing Planning Manager of BAT), have to say about the exciting
stuff, or lack of, in our industry.
Also in this issue, weʼve featured two of the most respected pioneers in our industry,
John Smurthwaite, Chairman of TNS Mʼsia and our first MRSM President, Ken
Ponder. Learn about their interesting tales on how they landed up in Malaysia andtheir insights into the market research industry, under the Spotlight section.
Read about our Presidentʼs views on research innovation under the Research Opnion
section.
Pick-up whatʼs going on in our industry from News Across and Industry Updates.
Find out whoʼs going where in On-The-Move and check out our activities under
MRSM Events.
I would like to acknowledge and express my appreciation to all members of the
Editorial team: Yazid, Rozina, Kala, Megan, Poh Chun and LiLi, for volunteering
to take up the ʻcontent providerʼ role. Without their effort, MRSM-Whiz would justremain on the discussion table.
We welcome your feedback and comments, to help us improve from this inauguralissue. Please write to : enquiries@mrsm.org.my
Finally, I would like to seek your support in raising the profile of MRSM. How?
Start by sharing MRSM-Whiz bulletin with your colleagues and business associates.
Yours sincerely,
Barry Ooi
Editorial Director, MRSM-Whizp2

Cover Story(Written by Barry Ooi)

Innovations in Market Research
It is widely recognised that companies
do not stay ahead by standing still.
Companies need to innovate in order
to meet the ever changing needs ofconsumers and customers. Whilst mostcompanies are doing so, innovation isrisky and expensive. Furthermore, not
all new products are deemed new in its
entirety. It is estimated that only 10 per
cent of new products are major new
innovations.

What then is innovation?

According to Ben Llewellyn, MD of
Synovate, Malaysia, innovation canhappen at every stage of the marketing
research process; from the way data is
being collected to data processing, todata analysis and its deliverables. He
further adds that technology will
provide the biggest leap in market
research innovation. He firmly
believes that technology will allow
real-time delivery of data and theapplication of web portals will provide
greater access to respondents and offer
enhanced experiences.
At Nielsen, innovation is being
adopted across all its major businessareas; product development, operational efficiency, management discipline and strategic focus, as explainedby Kow Kuan Hua, MD of Nielsen,
Malaysia. He emphasises that innovation at Nielsen is about challenging thestatus quo and doing things differently
in meeting clientsʼ market demands.
Ng Kar Im, Marketing PlanningManager at BAT is of the opinion that
innovation is about “conversion ofideas into cash”. “I tend to think that

innovation by service industry differsfrom innovation in manufacturingindustry,” Kar Im adds. “Service
industries do not generally produce
technologically advanced artifacts,
therefore, innovation in services brings
to the front "softer" aspects of innovation, based on the skills of the workforce and inter-organisational cooperation practices.”
The ultimate goalof innovation
extends beyond
doing things
creatively anddifferently. “Itsgoal is to deliver
more value toclients”, adds Ben.
Ben Llewellyn,
MD of Synovate, Malaysia.

Innovation is notjust confined to new product development and the way research is being
implemented, but it is extended to howclients are being served. The usual
practice, where a research project ends
once the findings have been presented
is no longer tenable. The new model
which is being used by research
agencies is On-Site servicing, whichcalls for greater involvement by its
client service associates. Ben states,“our client servicing executives are
expected to get more involved with ourclients, spending more time in theiroffice and working with them on
strategy development”.
Kow, on the other hand, points outthat as part of Nielsenʼs strategic
innovation initiative; effective client
servicing is about helping clients tocome out with winning strategies. Thisrequires a shift from regular servicing
to one that is orientated towards
consulting in nature.

Real innovations or mereenhancements?

There are many instances where
innovation is already taking shape in
the research world. At Synovate, its
specialist unit, Brand Lab, dedicates its
time and effort into exploring new
tools of measuring a brand. Its young
team based in South Africa, hasproduced an innovative tool called
Brand Value Creator (BVC), a tool tomeasure a brandʼs success. What BVC
does is it estimates which brand will
get the business. It quantifies thatamount of business that gets lost andallows marketers to look at eachbarrier and compare the value of thebusiness that they are losing with thecost of removing these obstacles. Thisis certainly not the typical market
research study, which weʼre allfamiliar with and this innovation has
provided Synovate with the opportunity to delve into the consulting space.
Another innovative research tool is
BuzzMetrics developed by Nielsen.
Leveraging on innovative technology,itʼs a service that gathers and integrates
data from nearly 100
million blogs, social
networks and any
consumer generated
media (CGM). “Itʼsa tool that allows
you to listen to
Kow Kuan Hua,
MD of Nielsen, Malaysia.

p3

Cover Story(Written by Barry Ooi)

unaided consumers conversation
online,” Kow divulges. “This is aninvaluable tool, to understand yourconsumers, monitor and analyse what
consumers are saying about your brandand gain an unfiltered view into what
consumers really think.”

Are boutique agencies
more innovative?

It is not just the big research companies that are paving the way on
research innovation but smaller
agencies too. But are boutique agencies more innovative? Kar Im explainsthat the measure of performance forinnovation is quite subjective. Perhaps
the boutique agencies are by nature
more flexible in meeting clientsʼ
needs. For example, some of themtook on contest management, telemarketing, CRM management,
amongst others, upon clientʼs request,
knowing that these areas are not theirʻcore competenciesʼ.
If it works well, it becomes a successful case study of an administrative/
organisational innovation!
Kow maintains that boutique agencies
tend to specialised in an area ofexpertise eg. qualitative research, newproduct development, shopper
research, etc. “This does not mean thatthey are more innovative, theyʼrejust more specialised”. Ben shares asimilar viewpoint, “More focus does
not mean being more innovative andadopting best practices is not the sameas innovate.”
Kir Im states that she has not personally experienced any radical changes

in the industry but there are many
examples of incremental change within
the industry. Some specific examples
are, in the 80s to the 90s, the IT tools(such as Nielsenʼs InFact & pricing
simulators in the market) werearguably, innovations then. Today, theoffers tend to be more ʻbusinesssolutionʼ oriented (e.g. the recent ʻTrue
Customer Viewʼ by Synovate, was anenhancement from its ʻBrand Value
Creatorʼ product).

Malaysia lags behind in theinnovation curve

Generally, Malaysia is not an innovative country. “We readily embrace newtools and methodologies, but this is not
the same as creating them; stresses
Ben. Synovate Mʼsia has been successful in introducing its numerous new
research tools to its clients in
Malaysia. The openness of Malaysiancompanies to new ideas and methodologies is very conducive for innovative practices.
Kow observes that Malaysian companies have started to adopt new tools
and techniques. “Theyʼve seen how
other countries have benefited fromusing them where thereʼs a lot of newlearning”.

also require innovative techniques in
the online forum space.
Another major area of innovation will
be in the social media space. “Usingsocial networking tools to track the
daily activities of the consumer vsdiary research,”adds Kar Im.
But are major market research innovations going to come mainly from theinternet and technology applications?
Kow maintains that for Nielsen, majorinnovation is possible across all
disciplines; operational efficiency,
product innovation, management
practice and strategic innovation.
Kar Im shares a similar view statingthat market research practice need not
purely focus on tools and techniques
but in the ability of research agencies
to effectively address clientsʼ businessissues, and this
could include its
servicing skills.
“Any ideas that theagency could
introduce thatwould enhance its
ability to deliver
value would be agreat opportunity.” Ng Kar Im,

Marketing Planning Manager,
BAT

Where are high innovations
occurring?

The highest level of innovation isgoing to come from techniques andtools which leverages into the internet.
Ben foresees that the deployment of
C-panels will be a major research tool.
The requirement by clients for fasterfeedback to their new product introductions and marketing activities willp4

Research Opinion(Written by Yazid Jamian)nnovation or“Whatʼs that?” I asked my golfing
buddy during one of the mornings I
get to go out and enjoy a round of golf.
With pride in his voice, he replied,“Oh, this is the new R9 driver. It
allows you to adjust the loft and lie ofthe club to help you shape your shots.
I can adjust the club myself, and nolonger have to depend on the club
fitter to do this for me.”“Whatʼs that?” I asked a friend of mineover coffee a couple of months back.
With pride in his voice, he replied,“Itʼs an iPad. Itʼs the latest thing… I
asked my friend in the US to buy thisfor me. Itʼs so cool. Let me show you
what it can do…”
I remember years ago before I finallybought an iPod, I tapped a friendʼsshoulder to get his attention. After
pulling out an ear piece from his ear, I
asked, “Whatʼs that?”
With a condescending smile, hereplied, “Itʼs an MP3 player.”This is the question that I often findmyself asking nowadays. In this day
and age when one expects that everything that a man can possibly invent
has already been invented, lo andbehold, we have a new gadget introduced in the market. This holds truein all aspects of our daily lives. I
recently found myself asking a bankofficer the same question after seeing a
big red poster depicting the bankʼslatest saving/current account offer.

enovation?

How do these guys do it? How docompanies, big and small, are able tofind new ideas and new products toappease us consumers?
Maybe a better question is “why?”
The answer lies in the way Microsoft
has remained successful all theseyears.
Everyday we say, “How can we keep
this customer happy? How can we
get ahead in innovation by doing this,because if we donʼt, somebody else
will?” Bill Gates.
Innovation and new product development appear to consistently remain a
top priority for successful companies.
Even in the aftermath of the global
recession, companies nowadays aresaying that innovation is a priority,especially to take advantage of theeconomic recovery. The lesson is
crystal clear for companies like
Google, Ford, and Apple: innovation
remains important for any business tosurvive and grow.
Not unlike our close neighbors in the
Asia Pacific region, we are still reelingfrom the impact of the global financial
crisis. With the worst of the crisis
behind us, consumer confidence ishoped to slowly recover to its all-timehigh of only a few years ago. But letʼsface the fact – it is still a challenging
economic environment for our marketers to consider innovation projects.
The good news is that our consumers
are still open to innovation – it isbelieved that two-thirds of ourconsumers are open to buying new
products, even at current times.
But letʼs not kid ourselves. The
innovation journey is hard. While
successful innovation helps companies
stand out from the crowd and stayahead in the market, the road toinnovation is littered with failure. It isthought that for every 10 new productor service launches, 8 or 9 of them aredoomed for failure. Usually suchcostly failures are due to companies
not having a thorough understandingof the fundamental needs driving
consumer choice and the factors thatpredict new product success.
An associate of mine recently said thatthe days of true innovation is over.
Renovation is the way to go now. I
must say that we had a lively, andanimated, debate for the next hour or
so. Who came out the winner? No
one… but both of us certainly cameout smarter.
Innovate or renovate? – Thatʼs thequestion. I donʼt pretend to be able toexhaustively cover all aspects of thisdebate, but would certainly like toshare a point of view.
Since the start of the global recession,
we have seen a trend towards line
extensions accelerating rapidly. Ray
Crook, the Innovation and ProductDevelopment Regional Director for
TNS based in Australia, cited that
testing of new brands has slumped
dramatically with only 1% of the ideas
and products tested since the middle of2008 being new brands. Line extensionp5

Research Opinion(Written by Yazid Jamian)work has increased 95% within thesame period.

products tested reached the marketplace.

of looking at innovation versus
renovation.

I share Rayʼs sentiment that we should
challenge this prevailing trend towards
line extension. There is opportunity
for marketers to be brave and take therisk to achieve profits from new brandinnovation. We should stand up andtell them that line extensions within acategory carry a greater risk of cannibalization within the portfolio thanfrom new brands. New brand innovation is better at generating uniquenessthan line extensions. New brandinnovation is also more likely to be
seen as more premium as they donʼthave the often more mainstream parent
brand baggage that line extensions do.

However, the story is rather different
for line extensions. For line extensions
into the same category, the differencein scores for those chosen to launch vs.
those not launched is only 3%. Clearly
the potential lower risk of line extensions is blinding marketers into
launching too many products which
are fundamentally not good enough.

Innovation, he says "starts with what
you can make and see if you can sellit." Conversely, "renovation", he says
"starts with what you can sell and see
if you can make it."

Based on his experience, Ray citedthat new brands often achieve higher
value for money, priced purchaseintention and liking scores versus line
extensions. At the risk of being
provocative, this is probably due to agreater focus and effort on generating
and building great ideas for new
brands innovation versus, too
frequently, a more laid back and
expedient approach to line extension
innovations.

Sergio Zyman, in his book Renovate
Before You Innovate, presented acompelling case for renovation. He isof the opinion that there is nothing
wrong with both innovation andrenovation – done the correct way.
Often companies made the mistake ofbeing too hung up on their corecompetencies, and innovate aroundthem. He is a big proponent ofinnovating around core essence. He
cited how Coke once went into theshrimp business to take advantage of
their core competencies in purchasing,
distribution, sales, logistics and global
operational capabilities. Shrimp
farming was not a core essence ofCoke. Consumers simply couldnʼtmake a connection between shrimp
and Coke. Coke failed to understandwhy consumers are willing to buy
from them. They now understand,more than many companies, what coreessence is and the value that consumers place on it.

There is a perceived lower risk
involved with line extensions. This
may lead to bad ideas being launched.
Ray agreed with this by citing thefollowing:
Companies are more willing to launchline extensions regardless of research
recommendations. In our database forpurchase intention scores obtained for
products that were launched following
our simulated test markets comparedto those that were not launched. The
results are very interesting, if a little
alarming. The purchase intention for
new brands that were chosen forlaunch was 30% higher than those new
brands that were not taken forward,
suggesting that only the best of these

Implications: What other opportunities
are being sacrificed? What are theconsumers now thinking about themother brand after poor line extension
launches? How will the retailers react
to the brandʼs next launch?

Sergio went on saying that “itʼs easy todevelop new competencies, but it ismuch harder to develop new coreessence.”
He has a simple, but yet effective, way

Innovation is also much more expensive and risky than renovation because
it often requires you to build new
assets/infrastructures and competencies and to source new customers andconsumers. Remember, securing a newcustomer often costs six times morethan retaining a current one
As MR practitioners, we have to workwith our clients and do our homework– be more selective in the innovations
we take to market, otherwise failures
will be queuing up at the door.
Be it innovation or renovation, it isabout creating new value.
The challenge now is on us, thepractitioners. We have to excite ourclients by providing our own point ofview about innovation. We should be
able to combine our qualitative andquantitative methods to help ourclients in their innovation journeyfrom start to finish. I am a firm
believer that innovation success comesfrom knowing WHAT to look for in
winning ideas, WHERE to look forwinning opportunities, and ALWAYS
maintain the level of excitement
inherent in every winning idea
throughout its journey to market.
Many of the research tools used today
to determine innovation success were
designed many years ago. Today a
combination of fragmenting markets, adiverse range of media and targetedmarketing, rather than mass marketing,all mean that businesses need a more
tailored and integrated approach toresearching their innovation process.
p6

News Across(Contributed by: Megan Kuek)

INDUSTRY NEWS
Reaching out to Indonesia’s affluent
and lucrative consumer segment(Source – Nielsen Wire)

Different strokes for different folks
APAC – Asia-Pacific’s social media
market is diverse and evolving rapidly
with its own unique social network
services, with local sites thriving on
highly profitable business models.

MR revenues declined in 2009 - evenin AsiaPac
Global – ESOMAR has released its
annual report on the global market
research industry, painting a sobering
picture of the first decline in MR
turnover since it began measuring in
1988, but nevertheless striking a
positive note.
(Source – MrWeb)(Source – ZDNetAsia.com)

Food flavours go local in Asia Pacificand beyond(Source – Market Research World, written byEuromonitor International)

MR navigates Tesco growth in Asia
Global – UK based supermarket,
Tesco is Thailand’s biggest grocery
chain and is now one of four companies bidding for the Thai assets ofCarrefour, after the French giant took
the tough decision to pull out of anumber of Asian markets. In part,
Tesco’s success is a victory for market
research, pushing it as a front runner.
(Source – MrWeb)

Digital liberty: Shopping at a pushof a button(Source – Adoimagazine.com)

TNS Responds to Clients by Restructuring Asia Pacific Region
APAC – TNS, the world’s largest
custom research company, hasannounced the new structure of TNS
operations in Asia Pacific (APAC),
with Singapore becoming the APAC
regional headquarters.
(Source – PressReleasePoint)

RESEARCH FINDINGS
Shopping binge may slow downsays Nielsen
APAC – Nine of the top 10 mostconfident countries in the world hailfrom the Asia region, but researchshows spending patterns are likely toslow down.

What do young Asian office workers
eat for breakfast and lunch?
(Source – Advertising Age)Internet yet to trump traditional media
Singapore – Internet remains small as
nine out of 10 Singaporeans still turnto either newspapers or TV for information, news and entertainment, The
Nielsen Company in its latest annual
media index concluded.
(Source – Marketing-Interactive.com)

Opinion leaders set the stage forbrandsGlobal – Opinion leading social media
users are found to be more engaged
with mainstream media brands as
expected, a study by BBC Worldwide,
Carat and The Future Foundation
revealed.
(Source – Marketing-Interactive.com)

Local brands struggle for a piece of theloyalty pie
Hong Kong – More than half of Hong
Kong consumers would not repurchasegoods and services from the samebrand, a customer experience survey
from Epsilon has found.
(Source – Marketing-Interactive.com)(Source – Marketing-Interactive.com)

p7

News Across(Contributed by: Megan Kuek)

INDUSTRY EVENTSACROSS ASIA PACIFIC

Malaysians have mostFacebook friends
Malaysia – According to a survey
conducted by international firm TNS, a
Malaysian has an average of 233
friends in their social network,
followed by 231 in Brazil and 217 in
Norway. Japanese users had the least
number of friends, averaging 29.

Largest ever digital research project
reveals major changes in online
behaviour around the world

Regional media rule among Asia's elite
APAC – A combination of regional
media is one of the best ways forhigh-end brands to reach Asia's
affluent consumers, Synovate's latest
PAX found.

(Source – Marketing-Interactive.com)(Source : The Star Online)(Source – Marketing-Interactive.com)

Shared news matters more
Global – Brands that advertise aroundnews stories shared in social media
have a better chance to engage with
consumers, a global research by CNN
found.
(Source – Marketing-Interactive.com)(Source – Market Research World, written by
TNS)

A 17 per cent rise on mobile
advertising
Global – BuzzCity's Global Mobile
Advertising Index for Q3 2010, hasrevealed a worldwide growth of 17 percent in mobile advertising.

Companies struggle to keep social
media content on-message
Global – Nearly three-quarters of blog
posts don’t reflect corporate messaging(Source – eMarketer)

Malaysians feel safer
Malaysia – The world’s largest custom
market research specialist TNS
Research International (TNS) recently
released a survey showing that Malaysians feel safer.
(Source : The Star Online)

Australia
AMSRS Conference 2010 Melbourne– Eyes Wide Open
9 – 10 September 2010
(Source – AMSRS)ESOMAR Asia Pacific 2011,
Melbourne
Increasing Value Through Simplicity
20 – 22 March 2011
(Source – ESOMAR)

China
The 3rd APRC Conference 2011
Xian –15 October 2011
(Source – APRC / JMRA / CMRA)Japan
The 2010 APRC Conference Tokyo –Passion for the Next
25 – 26 November 2010
(Source – JMRA)

India
20th Annual Market Research Seminar
11 – 12 November 2010
(Source – MRSI)SingaporeMarket Intelligence & Consumer
Insights
22 – 23 November 2010
(Source – MRSS)

Future Fundamentals – The
Transformation of Market Research
6 – 7 April 2011
(Source – MRSS)

ThailandBrainology and Advance Consumer
Insight 2010, Bangkok
3 – 5 November 2010
(Source – TMRS)

p8

Spotlight

Issue: Dec 2010

(Contributed by: Kalavalli Sethu)

MRSM: What lead you to Malaysia
and decide to practice market researchhere?
Ken Ponder: First of all, thank youvery much for the honour of being thefirst in your series of interviews for the
MRSM Bulletin.
My first introduction to Malaysia
occurred a very long time ago, shortly
after I first graduated. I was posted to
Kota Bharu, Kelantan for over two
years, under the British Volunteer
Programme. I was teaching HSC levelin Pure Mathematics, Statistics andEconomics.
During this time, I first came across
SRM (Survey Research Malaysia) andtheir Field Office in Jalan Chempedak.
About 10 years later, in 1977, I
returned to Malaysia and lectured in
Maths, Statistics, but mainly Survey
Research Methods and Marketing
Research to ITM students for internaland external professional courses. I set
up the marketing research programme
as part of the external Institute of
Statisticiansʼ examinations, and thisled me to meet most of the key
personnel in the Marketing Researchindustry. Quite a number of thesepeople are still active in the profession
today.
Well, in the late 1970ʼs, one of thepeople I met was John Smurthwaite,
and over the years, though I had
returned to the UK, I had kept in touchwith him, and occasionally met withhim. In 1996, I was offered a position
with FSA, as it was known, and took
the opportunity to return to Malaysia.
Up until then, my career background
had always been research-oriented in
the fields of education, manpower, andtransportation and pharmaceutical, formany years.

Name:

KEN PONDER

Company name:Research & Information Solutions Sdn Bhd

Nationality:

BritishTitle in company:

Director

Title/role in MRSM:(unofficial)(1) Chairman, Pro-tem Committee(2) President

Duration held title:(1) Mar 2006 - Jan 2008
(2) Jan 2008 – Mar 2010

MRSM: What has been the mosthilarious and memorable moment asa research practitioner in Malaysia?
KP: I am not sure what would beclassified as the most humourous
event in my time, but one event readilysprings to mind. Early in my Malaysian research career, we had theopportunity to pitch for a very substantial six-figure project for a major
concern in Singapore. We were thelast to present our proposal. The client
was very interested in the packagepresented. After due deliberation andprice haggling to get the figure
reduced to an acceptable level (byabout 10 per cent), contracts wereprepared, only to find that theclient had agreed to the project costs in
Singapore Dollars, when the original
was quoted in Malaysian Ringgit!
Some profit margin!
MRSM: What were the challenges
you faced in Malaysia as a researcher?
KP: There were many challenges. As
I had already lived and worked in
Malaysia previously, adjusting to theclimate, the food and general way oflife were not difficult. Indeed, I had
found interacting with colleagues andstudents previously something I
enjoyed, if not relished. However, thekey difference for me, as a researcher,working in the Malaysian private
sector, was getting to grips with thecommercial environment (and the way
business appeared to be done).

Another difference was the nature ofthe ʻresearch problemʼ that clients thenpresented with (the focus being on
gaining reliable estimates of market
size and market share), and the lack ofaccessible sampling frames to facilitate
this. These challenges were very
different from my experiences in the
UK and Europe.
MRSM: Where is Malaysia now interms of maturity vs other countries in
the region?
KP: In terms of image, Malaysiaʼsmaturity in marketing research is notwhat it should be. Historically,
Malaysia was the hub of activity in theembryonic and development days ofmarketing research. In the industryʼs
early days in the 1970ʼs, the two key
agencies, Survey Research Group(now known as The Nielsen Group),
and Frank Small & Associates, now
known as TNS, had Malaysia as its
flagship country. But, over the years
since then, the dominant position that
Malaysia once held within the AsiaPacific region is no longer the case.
This is sadly confirmed when one
considers the presence of national
professional societies. Malaysiaʼsprofessional society, the MRSM, wasset up only two years ago;countries such as Singapore, thePhilippines & Thailand had alreadyestablished societies.
p9

Spotlight(Contributed by: Kalavalli Sethu)

MRSM: How can we make theindustry more attractive to young
talents?

MRSM: As the 1st president of
MRSM, can you tell us how did it get
started?

KP: I think this is an area which the
MRSM can constructively look at.
First there is the issue of developing
and progressing the existing young
talent within the industry, from bothsides of the agency-client divide.

KP: I can remember asking John
Smurthwaite way back in 1996/97 why
there was not a professional Marketing
Research Society in Malaysia. Basically, he said that the timing was not
right. I later discovered that manyorganisations feared its introduction,seeing the society as a potential threat,because of the dangers of losing clientsand the dangers of losing staff.

The set-up of a ʻYoung ResearchersʼSpecial Interest Group, organised andmanaged by some of our young
talents, under the watchful eye anddirection of an MRSM Committee
Member plus any other appropriate
persons.
Second, there is the promotion andappeal of the marketing researchprofession to the tertiary education
scene, especially the private sector –industry open days when students are
considering their employment options
are one such avenue of opportunity
which should be regularly offering
Universities.
Linked with this is the developmentof close links with academia in bothgovernment and private sectors topromote the Society, the profession
and the industry. This needs to be an
integral part of MRSM on-goingpolicy. I had started this process witha number of our local universities.
Issues such as the development of
academic/professional training
programmes can be discussed andbuilt upon, as well as seeking out
ways for joint collaborative efforts.

In early 2006, I was beginning to thinkthat things had moved on since mydiscussions with John, and that thetime was ripe for action. At that time,
my business partner, Kow Kuan Huaand I felt we need to make a move totest the waters and see whether theindustry mood for the establishment ofa professional society had changed. In
March, we invited a selection ofresearch agencies to attend a meeting
to explore the issue of forming asociety. Representatives from thelarger (international) agencies, somemedium-sized (mainly regional) andsome small (local) agencies were
present. In total, 25 people attended,
representing 14 agencies.
At the meeting, there was a unanimous
vote for the formation of a society anda Pro-tem committee was establishedto put together a working documentthat defined its terms of reference – its
principal objectives, membership, anda draft constitution, as all non-profit
making societies need to be registeredwith the regulatory authorities.
The committee reported back in
September to a larger assembly of
Malaysia-based researchers/organisations with draft objectives
and constitution, seeking possible
amendments and approval to proceed
to register the Society – 31 people
attended from 21 organisations.
It was not until October of the following year (2007) that formal recognition
from the Registrar of Societies wasgiven. The Societyʼs Inaugural AGM
was held in January 2008 and the firstcommittee was formally elected andapproved by the Meeting.
MRSM: What were the challenges you
had faced in setting up the Society?
KP: It was very frustrating to maintainthe momentum of the first few months
in the development stages of theConstitution, to then to wait over a
year for formal approval from theregulatory body.
However, the biggest challenge faced,and one that successive committees
will continue to face - at least until
there is a guaranteed income to afford
a Secretariat that will undertake toeffect all marketing and administrative
functions - is that the committee ismade up of volunteers. All are usually
established researchers in a very senior
position within their organisation. To
be able to devote some significant timeoutside of their own sizeable work
responsibilities is not always possible,
especially during a tough business year
such as 2009.
It had not been easy during 2009.
There were abortive efforts made andpoor turn-outs for some planned
events. I was very conscious of theneed to ensure that Membersʼ needs
were being met. I really felt that thecommittee had not delivered in a
number of areas.

p10

Spotlight

Issue: Dec 2010

(Contributed by: Kalavalli Sethu)

MRSM: Why do you think this is so?
KP: To some extent, Malaysiaʼsprogress in marketing research
matches its economic, educational,social and political progress over theyears. An examination of trends here
reveal certain insights into how things
have developed as they have. But thatis another story.
MRSM: How do you see thingschanging in Malaysia?
KP: Well, Malaysia does have alonger history of marketing research(than most other Asia-Pacific countries), and the needs of its principal
proponents (mainly MNCʼs) havegrown and become more sophisticatedwith it. Clients have also become
more demanding and more marketingsavvy too.
In old times, apart from Unilever anda few others, just about the only
marketing research professionals camefrom research agencies. Now we seea very different picture. The marketing research function is well established in many MNCʼs and a numberof the larger more enlightened local
companies.
There is also a fundamental shift
occurring in the way marketing
research is viewed. I look at marketing research as a generic term torefer to ways in which marketing (andbusiness) intelligence is gathered,analysed and disseminated to assist
organisations in the decision-making
processes for the betterment of theirimage, their revenue (sales & profit),
their market impact, their productperformance, their customer base, etc.

All the above needs to be assessed in
the ever-changing technological world
we are living in today, to keep abreastof the impact and influences of thesocial media, not only as a means tocollect information but also in theways the media itself shapes theopinion and views of the audiences
it attempts to influence.
MRSM: Is marketing researchkeeping pace with all these changes?
KP: The functions of marketing
research have now many sub-areas.
People used to think of quantitativeand qualitative research, but now wethink in terms of business intelligence,
information analysis, insight groups,
sales forecasting, product planning,and many more.
So, what ʻextrasʼ does the marketing
research provide the clients. With
many clients developing its own
internal marketing and businessresources, some clients want ʻlessʼ,
saying ʻgive me the data and I will do
the restʼ, whereas others want the
detached impartial yet market-savvy
external experienced researcher toprovide the much-needed ʻvalueaddedʼ extra, the business insights,
which are not available elsewhere.
Are we simply data providers or
consultants with market and businessinsights which the client needs topossess for its own to gain commercial
advantage over the competition?
There is a need for both, obviously.
However, we do need to get to know
our clients better, to get to understandtheir commercial contexts. This is afunction of respect that is earned overtime through demonstration of insightful experience and personable interactive skills.

Marketing researchers often provide
insights to their clients on how best to
promote their products or business, but
often do a poor job in promoting itself.
The term ʻagencyʼ is, in my view, an
outdated term, positioning the profession to a position below what it shouldbe. A re-think is necessary, especiallyin this time of rapid technologicalchange.
Marketing research, as the generic as
I have described it, is an essential yet
dynamic professional skill that allorganisations need, at least on a parwith our advertising colleagues. As
yet, our voice has not been loudenough and not convincing enough.
Maybe, this is an activity which the
MRSM might be willing to embrace?!
MRSM: How can we best position
ourselves to propel forward?
KP: We are fortunate in Malaysia tohave many, many very capable andexperienced researchers. Not only are
they genuine researchers, but they
have the marketing and businessinsight and the know-how to positively
interact with clients to yield excellent
results.
We have many stalwarts in theprofession. But we need new blood –Malaysian new blood! Recruitment of
talented fresh graduates is one very
necessary way. Another way is torecruit experienced successful marketers from industry (commercial &non-commercial) – those who havebusiness industry insights and anunderstanding of how to apply marketing good practice.

p11

Spotlight

Issue: Dec 2010

(Contributed by: Kalavalli Sethu)

MRSM: What are the greatest
achievements during your time as thepresident?
KP: This is a very difficult question
to answer. Two matters come to mind.
I feel my greatest achievement was toactually mobilise and coordinate
efforts to get the society established.
In doing so, we actually got 100
Members signed up just prior tostarting the Inaugural AGM.
The second principal achievement
was to see the successful transition of
authority from the first committee tothe current committee at this yearʼs
AGM held in March.
MRSM: Where do you think we are inachieving the mission and vision and
MRSM in Malaysia?
KP: We still have a long way to go.
We are officially less than 3 years old.
I am not sure what the committee isinvolved in at the moment. So I
cannot really comment with any
certainty.
There is much within the societyʼs key
objectives that has not yet been
seriously touched. But the immediate
is to ensure members are satisfied withwhat is being provided in the way ofactivities and events – training,socialising and networking.
In addition, it is necessary to ensurethat two-way communication lines areformally established through theweb-site, through on-line forums andsurveys, through blog-spots, etc.
The extension of membership to reachout to our clients needs to be a priority
too. This will not only provide a touchof realism into the industry and thesociety. It will, in addition, of course,
provide a much needed source offunds!
MRSM: Going forward, how can we
make MRSM more successful,especially the low-hanging fruits?
KP: Making MRSM more successful
will, in my view, depend on two
things: the willingness & commitment
of individuals (not necessarily committee members) to undergo and complete
specific projects for the betterment of
the society; and the injection offinances, maybe through sponsorships,
appropriately targeted training courses
or increased memberships.
The not-so-low hanging fruits cannot
and should not be ignored, Many ofthese ʻfruitsʼ need a longer lead-in timewith a little tweaking and pruning now,
(and not put off until later because it isdeemed a little difficult), then later you
will suddenly see that the fruits areworth tackling. I am thinking of issues
here relating to interviewer training/certification/ standards/ errancy, codesof conduct, links with government,stronger ties with academia, setting-up
of special interest groups.

MRSM: Any special message thatyou have for the new committee inparticular and the society in general?
KP: As far as the new committee inconcerned, this is not for me to say, but
for the current President and VicePresident. Of course, I have ideas andsuggestions as has any other member.
I am ever willing to be of whateverassistance I can to the society.
MRSM: Are there any other points
you would like to raise?
KP: Well, I am in the process ofdownsizing my personal library.
Within it, I have a sizeable marketing
research/statistics section which I was
thinking of donating to a noble cause.
Various university libraries might want
to utilise it. But I thought it might be
an idea to develop an MRSM library,
available to members. The problem
here is where to locate it. It may bepossible to utilise space in one of
KL/PJʼs universities, where not only
do university students gain access but
also MRSM members, if that can be
negotiated. Anyone interested infollowing up on this? If so, please letme know.
MRSM: Finally, now that you have
stepped down as President, what doyou do in the extra hours?
KP: Catching up on the work I shouldhave done whilst President!

I am sure that there is more that I canadd. But this is what comes to mind at
the moment.

p12

Spotlight(Contributed by: Kalavalli Sethu)

Name:

JOHN SMURTHWAITE

Company name:TNS MALAYSIA

Nationality:

Australian

Designation

Chairman

Title/role In Mrsm

TrusteeDuration Held Title

Since Establishment Of MRSM

Career History

39 Years With TNS-which Was Previously
FRANK SMALL & ASSOCIATES

Marital Status

Married To A Malaysian With 4 Children

Hobby Or Pastime

Some Sailing, Some Golf

MRSM: Your name is synonymouswith the market research industry in
Malaysia. What lead you to Malaysia
and decide to practice market research
here?

some stories that would embarrass ourclients

John Smurthwaite: I knew that I was
destined to come to Malaysia when I
was at boarding school. I had many
Malaysian friends at the school andthey used to tell wonderful stories
about bomohs, ghosts and otherspiritual happenings, which of course
was really very intriguing! I was also
an avid stamp collector and had awonderful collection of Malaysian
stamps which also fascinated me and I
vowed to come to Malaysia to see theanimals and birds for myself. So, itwasnʼt a difficult decision for me toapply for the post of managing director
when it became available in 1977.

JS: There were many challenges
facing any market researcher in
Malaysia but of course additional ones
facing a foreigner. The biggest issue in
Malaysia is to understand thecomplexity of the country. Every partof the country is different with different ethnic groups, languages andbeliefs. There are huge differences
between urban and rural communities,
and between the Peninsular and thestates of Sabah and Sarawak. Comingfrom Australia where the population ismore homogeneous despite significant
immigrant populations, it was a hugechallenge for me.

MRSM: What has been the mosthilarious and memorable moment as a
research practitioner in Malaysia?

Another big problem which existed up
until about 1990 was that population
maps were not available to the public
or even market research companies.
This was due to an old regulation
going back to the days of the Emergency when the Government wasconcerned about such maps falling
into the hands of the communists.

JS: I am not sure that we have many
hilarious moments in market research
but we have plenty of strange moments
and odd happenings. I canʼt tell of

MRSM: What were the challenges
you faced in Malaysia as a researcher?

MRSM: Trend wise, what changes
have you seen in the market researchcommunity in Malaysia during theyears you have worked here?
JS: For all the challenges faced in
Malaysia there were many morepositives. The availability of English
speakers made it easy for the big
market research companies likeNielsen (SRM) and TNS (Frank Small& Associates) to manage their Asia
Region out of Malaysia in the earlydays. Both these companies and others
were able to import their techniques
into Malaysia quite easily and thesewere then exported to other countries
in Asia.
The trend then was for thesetechniques to come here first and thenbe adapted for local use and for Asia.
The use of these techniques has
significantly helped in understanding
the complexity of the Malaysian.

p13

Spotlight(Contributed by: Kalavalli Sethu)

consumer. The other big trend has
been the change from most of the MR
business being from the MNCs like
Unilever to a large proportion comingfrom Malaysian companies such as
Petronas or Maxis. There are of course
many other trends such as the change
in the way MR data is collected.
Previously, virtually all data wascollected via home interviews but thishas moved to telephone and now,
online methods.
MRSM: Another trend question: How
have the clients changed over theyears? Do you see any difference
between the local and MNC clients?
JS: There is a big difference between
MNCs and local clients. MNC clientstend to be quite rigid in their requests,
while local clients tend to be more
open to suggestions about how their
MR should be conducted. Local clientsare also less concerned about the costs
while MNC clients tend to have aprocurement officer looking very
closely at MR costs. The latter trend
has been significant and causes
considerable stress among MR companies without necessarily improving
quality.
MRSM: Where is Malaysia now interms of maturity vs other countries in
the region? How can we best position
ourselves to propel forward?
JS: The market is smaller than manyother countries and Malaysia needs tofind ways to compensate. There arestill many opportunities available incompeting for high-end outsourced
work from high cost countries which
could help compensate.

them. TNS has introduced a training
for young people called Knowledge
Box— around 90 young people fromcountries across the region are brought
together for an intensive 6-day coursewith a follow up for another 6 months,
to obtain a UK MRS qualification.
This has had a big impact on ourcompany.
MRSM: Letʼs now talk about MRSM
which is Market Research Society
Malaysia. Can you tell us your role inthe development of this society?
JS: I tried to get the society moving
many years ago but without success.
This time I have played a minor role
behind the scenes in encouraging
companies to participate and helping
to raise the initial money for thelaunch.
MRSM: Where do you think MRSM
is now, in terms of achieving its
mission and vision within Malaysia?
JS: Societies such as this take time todevelop and the MRSM is only in its
infancy but is gradually strengthening.
It does have the major MR companies
on board but probably now needs tolook to the client side for support. I
think that it is very hard for any MR
Society to be successful but if MRSM
can offer training that will lead to aqualification then this will make itvery attractive. I would suggest thatMRSM works with the MRS of the
UK to have young researchers take the
UK MRS exams. The training leading
up to the exams can be done via
MRSM. ESOMAR can also provide
assistance to MRSM in such training.

MRSM: How can we make theindustry more attractive to young
talents?

MRSM: How would you rate thequality of the market research practicein Malaysia vis-à-vis other countries
and regions?

JS: Of course training is key but
introducing the young people to theclient at an early stage is exciting for

JS: Because MR was established earlyin Malaysia compared to many other
Asian countries and because Nielsen

and TNS had their early offices in
Malaysia the practice here has always
been of a high standard. However
other countries now have much bigger
MR businesses because of their size
and now tend to be leaders in newpractices but not necessarily quality.
The very complex mix of the society
also meant that there was morepressure brought to bear on the
Malaysian MR companies that wasnʼt
so intense in more homogeneous
markets.
MRSM: Going forward, how can we
make MRSM more successful,especially the low-hanging fruits?
JS: While we donʼt want to see thebig companies dominating the MRSM,
it is vital that they are all represented
especially on the Committee and toassist financially so that the society
can hold functions and trainings. MDsof the MR companies need to ensurethat their committee members get time
off to attend MRSM meetings.
MRSM: Any special message that you
have for the new committee in particular and the society in general?
JS: I know that this requires considerable work for which there is little
thanks but I would like to thank thecommittee for being hard working.
When they get the time, I suggest thatthe committee looks into my suggestion about working closely withESOMAR and taking a step towards
offering qualifications by working
with the MRS of the UK.
MRSM: How do you think the society
will benefit new members who comefrom the provider (agency) and user(client)?
JS: If the society can conduct moretraining programs and possibly offer acertificate through the UK MRS, thennew members will have plenty to gain.
p14

The STAR Article(Contributed By: M. HAFIDZ MAHPAR)
hafidz@thestar.com.my

Safeguarding The Industry Standards
MALAYSIA is a Johnny-come-lately
in terms of having a body representing
the marketing research profession.
Most countries in South-East Asia andmany countries across the globe
already had a market research societyby the time the Marketing ResearchSociety of Malaysia (MRSM) made its
debut three years ago.

companies have their own
infrastructure, support network fortraining, systems and processes sothere was really no strong need thenfor them to become a part of thesociety,” he tells StarBizWeek in his
first media interview as president.

But better late than never. It has astrong role to play now due to recentchanges in the industry such as the
emergence of smaller market researchcompanies that are seeking training
and guidance.
Yazid Jamian, who was electedpresident for a two-year term in
January, says the initial discussions to
set up a society in Malaysia happenedback in 1997-98.
In 2006-2007 a few individuals, out of
their own initiative and goodwill,
wanted to give back to the industry
and enthusiastically pushed for theformation of MRSM.

Yazid Jamian (left) and Barry Ooi. MRSM will also
conduct seminars that would appeal to the non-agent
research people.

“But with time, a lot of other players
coming in, from one-man companies
to a medium-sized companies, that
may not have the backing of a global
or regional network. And they wereasking about what sort of training wasavailable to tell them of the latest
trends in research.”

They included Research & Information
Solutions Sdn Bhd owner Ken Ponder,
who later became the MRSMʼs firstpresident, and TNS Malaysia managing director John Smurthwaite.

MRSM has conducted various education and training-related activities. It
has organised seminars on topics suchas ethnography, applied marketing
research and fundamentals of market
research.

Yazid, who also heads TNS ResearchInternational Malaysia, says theindustry has changed much in the last
10 to 12 years.

Yazid estimates that there are about 35
market research players doing work in
Malaysia (inclusive of the few comingin from overseas).

“Initially, you could count the big boys
with one hand. Most of these global

The big three – Nielsen, Synovate and
TNS – control more than half of themarket, believed to be worth about
RM300mil annually.
“Itʼs a relatively small industry with 35
to 36 players all clamouring for thesame pie. The only way that people
can come out ahead would be todifferentiate themselves in various
ways and manners. However, thefundamentals are there; itʼs all verymuch facts-based consultancy, andthereʼs still some market research
involved. So we feel that if we were toadvance ourselves as an industry, wemust get the fundamentals right,”
Yazid says.
“In the absence of any other governingor policing body, we take it uponourselves to make that happen. Itʼsreally about conducting training.
Maybe one day weʼll come up withsome form of standardisation or
accreditation for someone to practicemarket research in Malaysia, butthatʼs the long-term plan. So itʼs reallyabout safeguarding the standards.”
He notes that clients are also moresophisticated and are demanding forservices such as analytic modellingthat they have heard about.
“So weʼve come to a stage where wehave to grow up very fast to meet theirdemands. Itʼs less of an issue with thebigger research companies because
they have the network and resources;itʼs the remaining 30-odd companies
which the society would really helpup,” he says.

p15

Safeguarding The Industry Standards(Contributed By: M. HAFIDZ MAHPAR)
hafidz@thestar.com.my

MRSM vice-president Barry Ooi, who
is also present at the interview, says
there has been good response frommarket research practitioners to belong
to the society, whose individual andcorporate members now total morethan 70.
Corporate members can be either
market research agencies or theirclients, while individual members can
include students, who are encouraged
to join to get knowledge of real market
research practice.
Yazid says the MRSM has threepriorities this year: to drive membership (getting people together to have aplatform where people can share), givelife to its website (to ensure it can beused as a portal where people canshare knowledge and ideas) and line
up a calendar of events, such as
seminars and conferences, over the
next 12 months to excite the members.
MRSM will also conduct seminars
that would appeal to the non-agency
research people too.
“MRSM has a high number of themarket research practitioners as
members so our next goal is to encourage the non-research organisations tojoin as members,” Ooi explains.
The seminars will cover topics related
to business, marketing/ branding andleadership issues, not confined topurely market research.
Yazid says one issue faced by theindustry is the shallow and shrinking
talent pool. “I think the society at large
does not see market research as a sexyindustry. So one of the challenges for

us is how do we go to the universities
and colleges and tell the students there
is a future in market research.”
MRSM is considering some roadshows,which involve the societyʼs members
going to institutions of higher learningand talking about the industry.
There is also a demand from members
for MRSM to look into the issue of
professionalism of field enumerators,
as the industry relies more and more
on freelancers. (Malaysia relies
heavily on the face-to-face interviews
while in markets like Australia and theUnited States, most data collection isdone online.)“In Malaysia itʼs very difficult for
us to get full-time interviewers so
thereʼs a higher tendency to rely on
freelancers,” Yazid says.
“Whatʼs hurting the industry are those
who come in and take fraudulent waysof doing things; they may take shortcuts. The industry as a whole is taking
a very serious view on this. We
encourage people to undertake a more
rigorous quality management
programme within their companies.
Thus we try to minimise the impact ofthese rogue interviewers on the qualityof our deliverables.”MRSM plans to tackle theproblem via education and training,teaching interviewers on interviewing
techniques and maintaining
confidentiality, among others.

“I wouldnʼt say itʼs very rampant, but
itʼs making the life of our enumerators
more difficult. Itʼs already difficult forpeople to open their doors to interviewers,” Yazid says.
On the industryʼs financial performance, he says that for 10 years up to2008, the industry had been growing
by double digits. Even during the
Asian financial crisis, it did not stop
growing.
But last year the brakes were slammed
due to the global crisis, and there waseither a flat growth or a low singledigit contraction.
However, the industry has bounced
back this year. “In the first half of thisyear there has been tremendous
growth. There may be a slowdown
towards the end of the year as people
are still cautious going into 2011, but
we project a 5% to 7% growth thisyear,” Yazid says.
On where he wants to take MRSM by
the end of his two-year term, Yazid
says he would like members to feelthat theyʼre part of a very active
society.
“People are given a chance to giveback to the industry and being able tobenefit from it in terms of upgrading
their skill sets. And of course, being
self-sustaining and having a large
number of members.”

The other issue, he adds, is that there
are companies that try to do sales
using the pretext of doing a survey.

p16

Industry Updates(Contributed by: Rozina Mat Rawi)

MRSM adopts ESOMAR codes
As of September 2010, Market
Research Society Malaysia (MRSM)
has successfully adopted ESOMAR/ICC (European Society of Opinion
and Market Research/
International Chamber ofCommerce) International
Code on Market andSocial Research.
The codeʼs objectives are as follows:• To set out ethical rules whichmarket researchers shall follow.
• To enhance the publicʼs confidence
in market research by safeguarding
their rights for which they areentitled under this code.
• To emphasise the need to practise a
special code of ethics and engage
responsibly when seeking theopinions of children and young
people.
• To safeguard freedom for market
researchers to seek, receive andimpart information (as embodied inarticle 19 of the United Nations
International Covenantnd Political
Rights).
• To minimise the need for governmental and/or intergovernmental
legislation or regulation.
With this, MRSM members are
obliged to follow the key fundamentals
in conducting marketing and social
research in Malaysia.
The key fundamentals of the code areas follows:
1. Market researchers shall conformto all relevant national andinternational laws.

2. Market researchers shall behave
ethically and shall not do anythingwhich might damage thereputation of market research.
3. Market researchers shall takespecial care when carrying out
research among children andyoung people.

8. Market researchers shall conformto the accepted principles of faircompetition.
Therefore, MRSM has officially joined
more than 50 associations worldwide
that have adopted ICC/ESOMAR
International Code of Market andSocial Research. For more details of
the code, please go www.mrsm.org.my

4. Respondentsʼ cooperation are voluntary andmust be based on adequate, and not
The Asian Consumer Confidence
misleading, information about the
Index
general purpose and nature of the
project when their agreement to
Insight Asia in their quarterly publicaparticipate is being obtained and alltion of Asian Consumer Confidence
such statements shall be honoured.
Index reported that in Q2 2010,
5. The rights of respondents as private
consumer confidence has decreased inindividuals shall be respected by
China and South East Asia by 11 andmarket researchers and they shall
15 points respectively from Q1 2010.
not be harmed or adversely affected
Consumer confidence is still strong inas the direct result of cooperating insome markets, but consumers havea market research project.
lowered their expectations somewhat.
6. Market researchers shall neverZooming into Malaysia, it registeredallow personal data they collect inlower consumer confidence than in thea market research project to beprevious quarter after the economic
used for any purpose other thangrowth had slowed down. The index
market research.
dropped from 125 to 118.
7. Market researchers shall ensurethat projects and activities aredesigned, carried out,reported and
Ipsos making inroads
documented
accurately,in Malaysia
transparently
Ipsos, the top 5 Market Research Company inandtheworld is in the process of opening an office inobjectively.
Kuala Lumpur. The company in Malaysia is led bycountry manager, Steve Murphy, Synovate Malaysiaʼsformer managing director. The office in Kuala Lumpur
is at A-38-11 & A-39-11, Level 38 & 39, Menara UOABangsar, No. 5, Jalan Bangsar Utama 1, 59000 Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia and will be fully operational by
2011. Malaysia welcomes another formidable
player in measuring public opinion trends andperceptions, bridging the gap between
clients and theircustomers.

p17

MRSM Events(Contributed by: Chan Li-Li)

Quarter
Q4, 2010

Q1, 2011

Q2, 2011

Q3, 2011

Q4, 2011

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Month

Date

Events

Venue/ Location

Nov-1025th, 26th

APRC Seminar in Tokyo, JapanTokyo, Japan

Dec-10--First publication of MRSM-Whiz-

Jan-11

13 Janʼ11

New Year high tea withguest speakers

Borneo Rainforest
Cafe @ Sunway

Jan-1121 Janʼ11

Seminar on Consumer
Segmentation

Petaling
Jaya

Feb-11-Mar-11-MRSM Sports events - Bowling

TBC

TBC

First MRSM Conference

TBC

Apr-11

TBC

Executive Training Programme– Introduction to Marketing Research

TBC

May-11TBC

Treasure Hunt

TBC

Jun-11TBC

2nd Publication of MRSM-Whiz

TBC

Jul-11

TBC

Seminar (topic yet to be determined)

TBC

Aug-11

TBC

Networking event

TBC

Sep-11

TBC

-

TBC

Oct-11

TBC

Executive Training Programme

TBC

Nov-11

TBC

-

TBC

Dec-11TBC

Christmas party

TBC

On
The
Move

Ben Llewellyn is promoted to Managing Director of Synovate Malaysia.
Steve Murphy is appointed Managing Director for Ipsos Malaysia.
LiLi Chan has moved from Metrix Research to Synovate Mʼsia as Project Director.
Nestle has appointed Siew Yin Heng as the Consumer Insights Manager replacing Rumaizon Malik.
Nielsen has appointed Mukund Tripathi as Director of its retail measurement services division.
MC Lai is appointed Regional Director, Head of Qualitative for Ipsos Malaysia.
Sita Subramony joins Sunway Holdings Berhad, as General Manager - Strategic
Corporate Marketing and Branding.
8. Geraldine Song is appointed Consumer Insights Manager at F&N Malaysia.
9. Chia Ying Sun has joined Synovate as Project Director from Nielsen.
10. Lim Keat Long has joined Synovate as Project Director from TNS-RI
11. Malaysia Airlines has named YM Raja Zamilia Raja Dato' Seri Mansur to the role of executive
Vice President of communications to handle all PR duties, branding, advertising & promotions for MAS.
12. Karen Sandhu joins AMP as General Manager of marketing.
(Contributed by: Lee Poh Chun)
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