Pi Interactive and BRANDLAH Aim to Help Struggling SMEs

PETALING JAYA,  30 APRIL 2020 – Location-based media specialist agency Pí Interactive and its low-cost SME advertising subsidiary BRANDLAH, has launched an advertising fund to offer support to Malaysian SMEs most severely affected by the Covid-19 crisis by offering free advertising on Out-of-Home (OOH) digital screens within Klang Valley, to be used once Movement Control Order (MCO) is lifted. The fund with a media value of RM3.1 million aims to help support and stimulate businesses, jobs and the local economy. 

The SME OOH support fund (deemed to be the first and largest fund of its kind) is the result of a strategic collaboration with key business partners such as Spectrum Outdoor, Labelz, SkyBlue Media, Lantern Media, Icandy Ads, Out-of-Home Media and Laguna De Bay. The fund consists of more than 400 digital screen panels located at 77 high traffic locations within Klang Valley to ensure that SMEs get the best awareness and audience reach that they need to rebuild their businesses. The fund will benefit a minimum of 70 shortlisted SMEs with an average advertising media value of RM 30,000 each.

The Movement Control Order (MCO) restrictions have impacted many businesses significantly forcing businesses to pivot their business plans immediately for survival during the crisis. However, previous crisis’s have seen a reasonably rapid return to ‘normality’ for strong brands with Kantar’s research illustrating that stronger brands recover nine times faster.

“We strongly believe that SMEs need all the support they can to survive and rebuild themselves. The SME community has been instrumental to our rapid growth, and this is our turn to give back.” said Alex Goh, Managing Director of Pí Interactive & BRANDLAH.

“Most SMEs are currently on business survival mode, with revenue streams and operating cost under tremendous strain. By collaborating in this advertising fund, we hope to relieve some of stress to help businesses and economies afloat by driving consumer demand.” said Kevin Poo, Vice President Out-of-Home of SkyBlue Media.

The OOH industry is relatively optimistic given that Malaysians have always been very mobile by nature and tend to spend a lot of time outdoors be it for work or for leisure. This demonstrates the huge opportunity for SME brands when restrictions are lifted, and the OOH support fund will be here to take lead by helping businesses to boost their awareness and inspire their consumers in Q3 and Q4 of the year especially with year-end festive shopping leading up to Chinese New Year next year.

Pí Interactive & BRANDLAH Marketing Director, Lim Ching Wah added, “We believe that Malaysians will come out in droves once this MCO is lifted and the pandemic tapers off. There’s a lot of pent-up frustration and huge demand for getting back to “being normal” again prior to the virus outbreak and this is exactly the best time for SME brands to stand out through OOH campaigns.”

The SME OOH support fund is open for small to medium size businesses. Participants need to be open for business. The digital out-of-home campaigns will commence based on availability between the months from June to August 2020 subject to the MCO restriction status. SMEs can register their interest for the fund at https://www.brandlah.com/sme-advertising-fund