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04 March 2005
Kuching is owned by Maxis, DiGi and Celcom
Maxis, DiGi and Celcom banners are everywhere in the streets of Kuching
I was just driving around Kuching today, trying to re-acquaint myself with my hometown, when I noticed a rather disturbing trend. It seems as if no matter where I travel in Kuching, I am bound to encounter some form of promotional material by Maxis, Digi and Celcom - the 3 major mobile phone carriers in Malaysia.
Bahhh... Siti Nurhaliza!
I can't go shopping without walking past a life-size cardboard cutouts of Siti-freakin'-Nurhaliza promoting Maxis. Lamp posts that were previously just lamp posts, are now adorned with banners advertising DiGi's 1c SMS promotion. Overhead briges that used to be in plain cream colour now bear the logos of Celcom instead. In fact, I couldn't drive 5 minutes in metropolitan Kuching without encountering any one of those ads.
Telco ads are everywhere. EVERYWHERE!!! ARrgghhhh
Its terrible. I had expected Kuching to be that laid-back, relaxing little city that I grew up in - not some over-commercialised town who happened to have sold its soul to the highest bidding corporate company.
Some people may say, "Its not that bad whattt... just some posters here and there. At least we don't have to pay so much taxes!" Well of course, extra money is always good. But as an example of how too much of something is a bad thing, see Kuala Lumpur.
During my last trip to Kuala Lumpur, I had the experience of taking the new KL Monorail (which finally re-opened after one of its wheel fell off). The experience was great. But to my horror, I noticed that the naming rights of almost all the monorail stations are owned by major corporate companies.
Excuse me, its not Bukit Bintang Station. Its COCA-COLA Bukit Bintang Station!
Bukit Bintang Station became Coca-Cola Bukit Bintang Station. Imbi Station became Maxis Hotlink Imbi Station. Even our national telco company joined in on the action - Titiwangsa Station became Telekom Malaysia Titiwangsa Station. Bloody ridiculous!
I don't know, I'm just very much against selling the naming rights of our public properties to private corporate companies. Unfortuantely, almost every single government entity is privatised these days.
Why stop there? Why not sell the naming rights of, say, our police stations to Celcom?
Celcom Sarawak Police Station
Maybe we should increase the Sarawak General Hospital's funding by selling advertisement space to Maxis?
Maxis Sarawak General Hospital
How much is too much? Who knows, maybe one day this website will be big enough to be able to afford purchasing the naming rights to the Sarawak state.
Welcome to kennysia.com Sarawak!
Maybe. Just maybe! ;)
:: Posted by Kenny at 2:47 AM | Link | Facebook It
:: Categorised as 'Distinctively Kuching'
14 Comments:
What you said is very true...but i guess i am too used to it until i dont notice those advertisements anymore.
Posted by: meigie at 04 March 2005 9:20 PM | Link to comment
The thing is that not only in Sarawak, but at each corner of KL, we are bombarded by all kind of advertisment all day long.
Posted by: mrkiasu at 04 March 2005 10:37 PM | Link to comment
it's not just happening in big towns. i live at limbang and recently, being "conquered" by DiGi. didn't notice it much after the aftershock. sort of like the Adsense thing, i never click on it after i get used to it. the advertisement is not working for me.
Posted by: H4RRY at 05 March 2005 12:25 AM | Link to comment
Oi. u do know tht wad u said might possibly be seditious and one fine morning men in dark suits will go up to ur room and drag u to prison.
HEHE.
i see the pics, and first thing tht comes to mind is not where is tht or those banners tht u're ranting abt but mbks hall - ANG TAO PENG! police station - OPEN AIR MARKET!
Posted by: kimm at 05 March 2005 4:20 AM | Link to comment
ahahah a bit more photoshop work and those pics will turn out real :) i'm a supporter of maxis btw :P
Posted by: MunKit at 05 March 2005 11:42 AM | Link to comment
hmmm.... if you're popular enough Maxis may buy you over and name you Kenny Maxis
Posted by: killarkai at 05 March 2005 4:29 PM | Link to comment
meigie - Maybe so. For me, returning from a different country, I tend to notice changes like that.
mrkiasu - Haha! I guess with KL at least there's a bit of variety. In Kuching its Maxis, Digi and Celcom everyyyywhereeeeee
H4RRY - Adsense does nothing for you? Hmmm.... Fine. But you should click on *my* ads to the right you know? *grins*
Kimm - Kenny being seditious? How could I? Nahhhh... I love the Sarawak government. *pfft!*
MunKit - No need to photoshop it lah. It'll turn out real pretty soon. :) I'm saving money to buy naming rights to Sarawak now.
killerkai - Heh. Then next time you walk around in shopping malls you'd see me promoting Maxis instead of Siti bloody Nurhaliza.
Posted by: Kenny Sia at 05 March 2005 10:48 PM | Link to comment
Its pretty sad innit?
Posted by: Jon Choo at 22 March 2005 9:38 AM | Link to comment
well...
if you don't dare to dream !
Then there wont be a dream for you
TO ACHIEVE !
Posted by: benjamin and yus at 29 June 2006 6:18 PM | Link to comment
I totally agree. I've been ranting about this issue for a pretty long time. I abhor how handphone advertisements in Malaysia literally tell you that buying this brand of handphone will make your life better.
Furthermore, because of advertising and the imbalance of media power in Malaysia I really don't like that West Malaysian culture is brooding over to East Malaysia like wildfire thanks to mutual interests (or utter crap) like Akademi Fantasia. Give East Malaysia a voice, please someone! Give the people a voice and not one to chat on the phone for the same national call rate. Maybe then people would start voicing on issues of more importance.
Posted by: Nadira at 15 August 2006 10:11 AM | Link to comment
it's annoying to see all these telco ads conquering malaysia ads.before i went to west malaysia to work,i remember to work in a supermarket where the whole shoplot have this telco ads.
Posted by: Jason at 01 September 2006 1:06 PM | Link to comment
ya lor, ads like that everywhere in kuching.
Posted by: I'm A Chicken With No Name. BWAK BWAK BWAK! at 08 January 2007 5:05 PM | Link to comment
But I find the ads with the 'yellow man' very hilarious...can' stop smiling whenever its aired
Posted by: aida Jailani at 17 April 2007 9:57 PM | Link to comment
The truth about prepaid is WAR!!!! checkout yellowman being killed by....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MdjvW4khZQ&NR=1
Posted by: Jaafar at 01 June 2007 4:20 PM | Link to comment
com
