Understanding the Three Ms of Brand Success In the New Year

KUALA LUMPUR, 31 January 2022 – TEAM LEWIS, the global marketing agency, launched its latest trends guide in partnership with market research firm GWI today.

The report dives into how today’s multi-moment audience is evolving and the changes the pandemic has brought about in today’s marketing multiverse.

Markets covered in the report include Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, UK and US.

“Digital fatigue has hit an all-time high and with the expansion of marketing channels and technology, consumers’ expectations of brands are changing,” says Ann Chong, Managing Director, TEAM LEWIS Malaysia.

“In order to combat the state of marketing immunity that consumers are in today, brands must look towards creativity and innovative delivery. As marketers, we need to ensure we’re presenting the right message at the right moment through the right channels – therefore insight into what truly resonates with your audience is paramount to success.” 

With a rise in screen time and device ownership, unrestrained social media usage and growing concerns surrounding privacy, today’s audiences have an increased desire to impact the world around them. These shifts point to three key themes covered in the report – ending monotony to avoid marketing immunity, understanding how mood can impact an audience, and tapping into key motivators to foster more meaningful connections. 

Privacy and devices use 

• Screen time
  • Screen time continues to grow in most countries, with Malaysia reporting the highest screen time across mobile, laptops and tablets. 

• Device ownership
  • Malaysians on average own fewer than three devices but spend the most time on the internet globally. The US, UK, Germany and Italy are above the global average when it comes to device ownership.   
• Social Media usage
  • Malaysians report using more than four social channels daily. While social media usage remains high, 41% Malaysians are concerned about hours spent on their smartphones and high consumption of content on social media. 
• Attitudes towards privacy
  • Globally, the top concern amongst consumers is how companies use their personal data online (39%) followed by a preference to maintain anonymity online (34%). The same trend can be observed in Malaysia where many consumers are switching to private browsing (43%) and declining of cookies on a website (40%) in a bid to keep their online presence anonymous. 

Websites rule, video catching up

• Leading channels
  • The website reigns supreme with more than half of Malaysians (54%) visiting a brand’s website in the last month.
  • Other top forms of interactions Malaysian consumers have with brands include watching branded content (31%), following its social channels (25%) and staying up-to-date through email newsletters (22%).
• Expectations of consumers
  • Malaysians want brands that are reliable, authentic, innovative, trendy and exclusive. 
• The rise of livestream and audio marketing
  • In the last three years, consumption of music streaming services and podcasts in Malaysia has increased, opening new avenues for brands to interact with their consumers.
  • Malaysian consumers record the highest consumption for livestreams (32%), substantially higher than the global average of 23%.
• Scepticism with social media
  • Malaysians are the most positive about social media, with 40% seeing it as a force for good. This is also substantially higher than the sentiment recorded globally (23%). 

Download the Marketing in 2022: Multi-Moment Audience report here.