Huawei localises brand engagement with Media Prima Television Networks

The partnership is aimed at changing the way Huawei is seen today, from a global Chinese company to a brand that Malaysians can truly identify with. 

Through this collaboration, Huawei has kicked off a new brand campaign, ‘Huawei Best Wei’, playing on a commonly-used local expression.

Danny Chin, marketing director of the consumer business group for Huawei Technologies Malaysia, said in a press statement that the market is an important one for the technology giant.

The brand’s first step in engaging the local market is to target the Malay community via this campaign with Media Prima.

“Huawei is a brand not just for one market segment but for individuals from each and every segment,” added Chin. “With our content partners, Media Prima Television Network, we found that a localisation strategy was truly an effective way to leave a mark and build a strong association with the Malay audience.”

Conceived by Media Prima, the campaign integrates an array of creative content, local talents, media platforms and touchpoints to strengthen Huawei’s local association and engagement with the target audiences.

Ahmad Izham Omar, chief executive officer of television networks with Media Prima Berhad, said global brands are investing in localisation to maximise revenues across markets.

A successful strategy largely depends on how well companies understand the local audiences, and subsequently how relatable is the adaptation and integration,” he added.

“It is a clever move on Huawei’s part as the collaboration immediately allows them to tap on Media Prima Television Networks’ years of Malay market leadership and insights for effective localisation,” said Izham.

From sponsorship to creative capsules to story-driven television commercials, Media Prima developed a series of original content elements to ensure the outcome is consistent with Huawei’s image as a global brand.

The content has the potential to reach over 5 million TV viewers and up to 4 million online users, according to statistics provided by Media Prima.

Huawei took its first exposure by supporting the drama categories during the Anugerah Skrin 2015 broadcast on TV3 recently, which recorded over 5 million viewers, according to Media Prima.

This provided Huawei with the needed exposure, but also set the pace for the brand’s upcoming engagements.

Most recently, Media Prima and Huawei released a heart-warming commercial for Huawei ‘Mate S’ smartphone, featuring Malay celebrities Siti Saleha and Syarul Ridzwan.

The story-driven commercial is inspired by drama, love and anticipation over the newly launched device. 

A series of branded capsules titled ‘Huawei Best Wei’, which borrowed familiar instances and expressions of Malaysians, also aired across TV3, TV9 and social-media channels.

To engage millennials, a music video with a catchy jingle featuring popular rock band Bunkface, was also produced.

“Not only are we excited to see how the collaboration will contribute to the broader aspects of Huawei’s business in Malaysia, but we are also hoping that it will set the benchmark for companies looking to achieve a similar goal,” added Izham. “‘Malaysianising’ brands can no longer be generic. We have the insights, resources and platforms to make it easier and tailored.”

Wong Siew Wai, CEO, Vizeum Malaysia said reaching out to the right Malay audience may not be difficult, but for a brand to mean something to the audience and be relevant is. 

“It requires good insights and hard work to ensure the proposed localised content strikes the right chord with our intended audience,” he added. “We applaud Huawei for taking this step and Media Prima for moving mountains to make this happen.”