INVESTMENT IN PEOPLE ALSO CRUCIAL FOR BRAND BUILDING, SAYS RAJA NAZRIN

KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 (Bernama) -- Investments made, not only in research
and development and product innovation but in the right people are key factors
in building a good brand, says the Crown Prince of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah.

He says turning brands into corporate wealth requires considerable
investment and persistent efforts and these were things best driven by
passion born of higher-order purpose and principles.

"The best brands are the result of a great many inter-related factors, the
most important of which has to do with people. Invest in great people and we can
expect great products and brands to follow," he said in his address at the
Branding Entrepreneurs Conference here Thursday.

Citing Konosuke Matsushita, Raja Nazrin said the declaration of the founder
of Matsushita Electric Industrial Company (now known as Panasonic), that his
company "manufactures people, and also electrical appliances and various other
products", was a famous example of corporate vision.

"What I think Mr.Matsushita meant was that people must always come first.
It is people who are the real brand builders and the rest are consequences of
this."

He also said brand building can only be successful when companies, that is,
their owners, managers and workers have a strong sense of purpose and a clear
set of values.

"As I see it, brands therefore originate from the vision that management has
for the company and the success it has in translating that vision into mission,
and that mission into accomplishment.

Raja Nazrin also pointed out there were already a number of brands in
Malaysia that were making inroads into the global and regional marketplace.

"Petronas, Air Asia, CIMB, among others, are ones that we can be justly
proud of.

"I am confident we will see more global Malaysian brands in the years
ahead," he said.

--BERNAMA