SPEECHES:

Press Conference
Welcome speech by
Tony Savarimuthu, Vice President of 4As
Friday November 16, 2007

YBHg Datuk Vincent Lee, President of the 4As
Mr Jez Frampton, Interbrand Global CEO,

Distinguished CEOs and Management Members of Malaysia’s Most Valuable Brands.

Council Members and CEOs of 4As member agencies.
Friends from the Media, Ladies and Gentlemen.

Today is an auspicious day for the leaders and staff of Malaysia’s Top 30 Brands. Great Corporations are led by leaders with forsight – men and women who possess vision and leadership. Great Brands however are led by people with great insight – the power to see into the hearts, desires and ambition of the common man - and forge an emotional connection based on trust and respect.

Therein Lies a brand’s wealth – hidden assets valued for their human understanding and their ability to offer something more by being something more. And offering more than just utility or functionality.

The list of Malaysia Top 30 Most Valuable Brands will surely provoke debate and discussion. It is meant do to so. It will provoke a debate on brand value and also a brand’s value. Whether true wealth lies in the hands of those companies who manufacture products or in the hands of those who create, design and market brands and add value to it

 And what truly is the worth of a strong brand idea.

 Ladies and gentlemen we’ll let you be the judge of that today and in the coming weeks. The top thirty list is not an end in itself. The project is meant to create greater awarenesss of the value and competitive advantage of branding through greater media advocacy and educational programmes and the disciplines involved in building and marketing brands.

I wish to thank our media partners who have supported this project and all members of the 4As who voted to underwrite this project. Without the voice of the media – there will be no brands and no marketing or advertising agencies. Without brands and the ability, creativity and ideas of brand marketing and advertising agencies there will be no media. The 4As is the official representative of an industry with a measured annual expenditure of RM 4.6 billion with a membership of over 100 multinational and local organizations. It celebrates, encourages and fosters creativity and brand building ideas to drive growth and value generation for brands.

I wish to congratulate the CEOs, Management and staff, business and marketing partners of Malaysia’s Most Valuable Brands. Today’s Press conference and the evening event is about them and the brands they have built. We are very privileged to have some of our top brand’s CEOs and leaders present here today

It is our fervent hope that one day Malaysian brands will make the List of the Top 100 brands in the world and be desired and sighted the world over. We celebrate the top thirty brands not just because the companies alone are rich or the shareholders are rich. We celebrate the top thirty brands because we are rich. The brands we create, embrace and build are a reflection of our own developing economy, our rising aspirations and our widening horizons. Our best brands have grown in value because we have grown in stature as a society and advanced both our financial ability and our imaginative capacity to support them.

Ladies and gentlemen of the media – thank you for your presence and the support you’ve given this project.