Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Cuti-Cuti or Curi-Curi 1Malaysia?

RM1.8 million Facebook. When a reporter asked me yesterday about the Tourism Ministry's RM1.8 million Facebook called Cuti-Cuti 1Malaysia, I immediately opened the page. My initial response was, "Looks like any Facebook page .. doesn't feel like RM1.8 million to me". Then I noticed the apps and asked her to call me back in 10 minutes so I could fool around with the apps. Half an hour later, I told her the page still looked like any Facebook page but the apps, which not revolutionary, are quite fun. Simple but OK. "But is it worth RM1.8 million?", she asked me. I said if it brings in tourists, it may be worth millions -- even billions -- of ringgit. Tourism brought in over RM50 billion in receipts for the Malaysian economy every year.

I have written about Curi-Curi Malaysia: The Most Expensive Website In the Worldi with regards to another initiative during the tenure of another minister in-charge of our tourism. The posting was made in September 2008 and the initiative was supposed to cost RM36 million. In the case of the RM1.8 million Facebook apps project, it seems too small an investment in the social media. The ministry spends millions and millions on ads and promo campaigns using traditional media -- newspapers, tv, billboards, the London bus, etc. It should be putting its money in the new/social media, not just Facebook apps but also Twitter, blogs, credible news portals like The Malaysian Insider, etc.

A more holistic approach means bigger spending but also better returns. And as long as the returns are good and the processes above board, it will not matter if the Ministry spends RM18 million or RM80 million. I asked the reporter it would be good if her article can compare the Facebook investment with how much other countries are doing and how much they are spending on the Social Media to promote tourism.

I have not see a copy of today's The Malaysian Reserve so I have not read her article, but I've managed to come up with some interesting facts:

1. Click H E R E on Australian government's heavy use of Social Media. They have set aside a budget of A$150 million over the next three years to manage a social media campaign to attract tourism to Australia. That's a lot of ringgit and should excite our big spending minister, Yen Yen, but YB please don't get over-excited, eh.

2.  Our poorer neighbor the Philippines, which has drawn many Malaysian tourists especially the men, spends 100 million pesos or about RM7 million on social media to promote tourism, including attracting more Malaysian men to cum instead of going to Jakarta, Medan or Bangkok.

3. Pepsi is spending RM20 million on Social Media to rejuvenate. The campaign is called The Pepsi Refresh Project. 

Additional reading: The Rise of the Social ad Spending, click HERE and HERE.

p.s If some links don't work, please Google. To paraphrase Anthony Loke (DAP-Rasah), even a 6-year old can Google it. 


Anonymous said...

Did I read you wrongly?... "credible news portals like The Malaysian Insider, etc.".....


Buah Ciku said...

Your point: Spend RM1.8 million and get over RM50 billion from Tourism. Reasonable, Justifiable!

Question: Would it be better to spend say RM100k on the 'simple' FB page and get back the same RM50 billion from Tourism?

Anonymous said...

Just get yen yen to pay RM0.10 per click via Adsense or the like and I am sure Malaysian bloggers will do their part in Promoting MALAYSIA.

Go to some blogs, I have seen alluring and beautiful articles complete with exceptional fotos, food, activities, cultural happenings etc.

Even teenagers are doing this in their facebooks promoting places amongst their classmates.


Anonymous said...

has anyone visited the 1pengguna website. oh my - najeeb better find a hole to hide his head. honestly I think high school dropouts can do a better job!

bru said...

haha, wak,, lu cekap! gua ingat orang tak perasan ...

Utusan Mak Siat said...

Duit Rakyat 1Malaysia didahulukan!

Anonymous said...

Rocky , a new Facebook page was created by a Facebook user last night after the ministry’s announcement called “Curi-curi 1Malaysia.”

“In less than 18 hours, the page has 11,380 likes, 50 per cent of the Tourism Ministry Facebook page .

DJ Bujai

Orang Ketiga said...

Can someone tell me how much should it really cost? A friend told me that the charges for campaigns via social media is expensive and can range from RM1 millon to RM3 million for 30 working days. Wow, who says spending on on-line is cheap?!

Anonymous said...

its okla for the benefit of our economy. The return will multiply. But PR state use 15 million per year for their media covarage just to stay in power.

Anonymous said...

You wrong. Social media campaign in Australia, etc is complete CRM package very different fm yr favourite touristic minister's upload & be done FB thingy.

Anonymous said...

Hey Latuk, the RM 1.8 million went to a company called Impact Creations, owned by Wanita MCA activist June Ewe. That's how they got the Asia-Oceania part of the Malaysia Truly Asia contract.

Shameful lah, MCA. I mean if you awarded a 30 million contract to your buddy, surely that buddy must be able to do a facebook thingy for now the money goes to finance some MCA person's trips ?


Anonymous said...

anak aku yang tadika tu pun tau nak manage akaun fb

Keith said...

The price of the facebook page shouldn't be tied to the benefits it brings but rather the amount of effort it took to create it. IT companies charge based on man hours, certain companies have more experience than others, and thus charge more, but overall they never charge based on benefit, but rather effort.

Consider 2 examples:

I'm sick and dying of a disease that can be cured by buying RM100 worth of antibiotics. Now the benefit of me living is obviously unlimited (to me), and thus I'm willing to pay my entire savings into the medication. But if I pay more than the market price of Rm100, say I pay Rm1000 that's 10X more than the medication is worth and I got cheated. TO me it's nothing, but if the government is spending Rm1.8 million for a page that can be built for Rm180,000 then obviously we got cheated.

2nd example:

AirAsia decides to spend 10 million on it's new IT infrastructure. Now it does this based on the premise that better IT infrastructure can secure more business. Even though it can bring in 100's of millions of dollars worth of business, it's still going to pay the market rate for it's infrastructure (not a penny more) and the market rate is based on the effort.

So in short paying Rm1.8million is too much for a simple facebook page.

Guy Kawasaki manage to build truemors for less than RM50k, and most websites cost less than RM100k. Facebook pages should not cost millions of ringgit, that's just ridiculous.

Anonymous said...

We Malaysian did not said cannot spend.. but spend on those useful thing. OMG! is only a facebook page...spend 1.8MIL. If own web pages will worth RM180MIL. Is not about bring in how many return, is about how you spend and spend wisely. If you can use .10 to bring 50 BILLION income than we're really proud of you.

Anonymous said...

Rocky, apa mahu kecoh? RM1.8 juta sahaja, banyak sikit wo. Najib dan Rosmah pergi US tengok anak graduate dan Kazakhstan jumpa bakal besan lagi banyak pakai duit rakyat. Apa mahu risau, Malaysia adalah negara yang kaya. Kalau duit tak ada, minta Petronas atau KWSP bagi sumbangan ikhlas. Kira semua beres!

Anonymous said...

There is more credibility in msian insider then there is in the entire umno blogger wannabe bunch of wankers.

vinnan said...

Apa salah anjing UMNO curi? Bagilah anjing kamu makan sikitlah kalau tak nanti mati kebuluran.

Ibnu Sina said...

Just let these arrogant people in DAP do what they do best, putting foot in their mouth. Lama-lama org tau juga la Penipu Rakyat ni...

Anonymous said...

Ng Yen Yen is going to tell you: why are you complaining so much ? UMNO sudah makan berbillion, kenapa MCA tak boleh makan sikit-sikit ? UMNO boleh bagi kontrak kepada kroni, gua tak boleh bagi kontrak kepada kroni gua kah ?


Anonymous said...

"attracting more Malaysian men to cum instead of going to Jakarta, Medan or Bangkok."

'cum' instead of 'come'

You dawg... hehehe

-Pak Kasim

Buah Ciku said...

Btw, it seems that u were not happy about 'expensive' websites 3 years ago. U flip-flop?

jebat said...

Salam, Dato,

An old stories which is not and will never inproved.



E L E C T I O N.

Freddie Kevin said...

Salam Datuk,

The face book you refer could you confirm the official link is this

There are a few FB Cuti2 1Malaysia. Curi2 kot.

Coincidently, a topic with me cousin last Saturday was about prospective partners for a fantasy game portal.

The web design cost to the owner developer was rm few hundred thou.

Rm1.8 mil is a lot.

FB is free is it not and how did the cost come about?

Malaysian Insider..gua pun terkejut!

Thank you and regards

Anonymous said...

>>> including attracting more Malaysian men to cum instead of going to Jakarta, Medan or Bangkok >> HAHAHA good one dato!


Anonymous said...



bru said...


Betul tu.

DAP pun sama saja. The Ali-Baba ventures with Class F contractors in Selangor, which were exposed during the Teoh Beng Hock inquiry, are an example of how sama they are.

Power corrupts.

Anonymous said...

Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

That's the lesson for the day.


Anonymous said...

I think we should see what happens in another 1,2 years to know whether this campaign is a successful one, no?

Having said that, I think PERWIRA's suggestion is a very good one


Anonymous said...

lynch the bitch. she's been stealing from day 1

monsterball said...

hi Rocky..Corruptions is all over the world.
What is this DAP Ali-Baba stuff you are talkng about in S'gore?
If it is such as big ca be your life...Najib will yell like hell. It should win votes for
We are talking of billions sapu by UMNO B...on each deal Mahathir RM1.2billion from EPF to save his all tenders that are grossly overpriced.
Come so call corrupted deal by justify it to same UMNO B and DAP are the same?....all are corrupted politicians?
Where have your sense or proportions gone to?....or is it the are you learn from Mahathir.... to talk like this.
Just a job at Malay ampu Najib so much?
How long as CEO?...FOREVER?

Skilgannon1066 said...

monsterball 12:52 AM

How about the bailout of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) when u-know-who was bought out by the government?

Some other bloggers have taken up cudgels on behalf of u-know-who.

Why now?

ritche said...

Two things...

One, I agree with you. Social media campaigns are expensive. It's not just a matter of putting up a customized FB page,Twitter account, Youtube channel, etc., you have to manage all of these and this requires trained personnel and resources.

Two, I take exception to this statement:


Are you trying to say the Philippine government is spending P100 Million on social media to attract Malaysian men for sex tourism by using the slang word "cum"?

Please clarify. Was pun intended or not intended with the statement...or was it just an innocent typo?

When you put the words 'attract' "mainly men" and the word "cum" instead of 'come' in the same sentence it gives readers who weren't born yesterday a different message.