Held at hip coffee café Bean Brothers located in Sunway Damansara, the brand re-launch event was held in conjunction with Buzzme’s 3 rd anniversary celebration, and included in attendance members of the media, brand partners, social and business influencers, and guests. Spearheading the team were Mr. Loke Yee Siong (Buzzme's Chief Executive Officer), Mr. Kewell Yap (Buzzme's Chief Business Controller), and Mr. Andrew Kok (Buzzme's Head of Consumer Marketing), who via a sharing session revealed Buzzme’s comprehensive update and refresh exercise including user plans, reward programmes and brand expansion objectives so as to rejuvenate the entire business portfolio.
As an in-house brand of MVNA (Mobile Virtual Network Aggregator) pioneer in Malaysia and ASEAN, Enabling Asia Tech Sdn Bhd (known for partnering U Mobile), these updates come at a time when Buzzme is re-identifying its core values and position in the telco market that is increasingly competitive. In order to stay relevant in the telecommunication industry, the team at Buzzme acknowledge the need for better products, plans, promos and rewards, and researched into both the Malaysian and regional MVNO market in ASEAN.
Mr. Loke Yee Siong, CEO of Enabling Asia Sdn. Bhd. & Buzzme giving addressing the crowd and giving his opening remarks.
Mr. Kewell Yap explaining the new Buzzme logo and tagline: "Beyond mobile, enriching life".
The redesigned website exemplifies Buzzme’s new identity, with vibrant colors, a clean layout, and a focus on customer friendliness. Re-launched in June 2016, www.buzzme.com.my is key to Buzzme’s new marketing and distribution strategy of shifting the focus from traditional channels to a digital one, allowing its smaller team to extensively reach a segmented audience in an effective and efficient manner.
Buzzme prides itself for providing customers with a rewarding experience. For example, Buzzme is the first in Malaysia to provide 20% credit back whenever a customer consumes data, voice and SMS traffic at a pay-per- use rate. This credit is given in the form of reward points, which can then be used to redeem airtime credit or discounts from the m8 online store at www.m8.com.my.
By providing customers with a rewarding experience, Buzzme aims to position itself strategically as an irresistible product, making it the first choice over other prepaid products on the market. Among some of the exciting new rewards Buzzme users can look forward to include:
- Smarter Bundles - 1st in Malaysia to offer well-rounded packages to prepaid subs, with data, voice minutes and SMS at an affordable price
- Unlimited Validity - 1st in Malaysia to offer subscription plans with free validity
- Cheaper Reloads Online - 1st in Malaysia, customers get to enjoy better reload value through top up online
- Delightful Rewards - 1st in Malaysia to offer 20% credit back for pay-per-use’s traffics
- Reload Indulgence - 1st in Malaysia to offer Reload Indulgence programme
- Free PA Insurance - 2nd in Malaysia to offer personal accident coverage of up to RM100,000
Buzzme’s Reward Indulgence programme rewards its customers with five benefits whenever they reload. Customers will enjoy free 500MB data, double credit during their birthday month and free Personal Accident Insurance coverage in the following month with a minimum reload of RM30. Customers who reload online will also receive free 30% extra credit. Finally, customers will stand a chance to win BuzzStyle prizes if they reload RM100 or above.
BUZZSTYLE CAMPAIGN TO ATTRACT YOUTH MARKET
With its new look and innovative marketing strategy, Buzzme is hopeful that it will capture its target audience: Gen X, Gen Y and Millennials. “With our value-for-money plans and lifestyle rewards, we’re positioned as a great deal for lifestyle-savvy, always connected youths. Youths are also more open towards online shopping, providing another avenue for us to connect with our target market. We have partnered with a number of up-and-coming entrepreneurs and brands, providing our customers with unique rewards that can be found nowhere else.” said Loke.
Among the reward plans users can look forward to is the BuzzStyle campaign, whereby with a minimum reload of RM 100, Buzzme subscribers will stand a chance to win prizes from one of the nine Buzzme Elite Partners including Ambersze London (Ladies Fashion), Breakout Malaysia (Escape Game), Centro Hair Salon (Hair Salon), Eranthe L Iconique (Makeup & Styling), JC Group (Insurance), Lancelot Tea Guild (F&B), La Pétales (Beauty & Spa), Sandisk (Memory Solution) and ZTE Malaysia (Mobile Device). In addition, Buzzme are also currently running a weekly Share & Win contest on Facebook with attractive prizes to be won.
BUZZME: MALAYSIA AND ASEAN
Not satisfied with being a player on the local market, Enabling Asia and Buzzme embarked on a journey of regional expansion in Quarter 2 of 2016. Current expansion plans will cover five countries – Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and in 2017, the Philippines and Myanmar. These five countries, with a population of 500 million, make up 80% of ASEAN and have an estimated 130 million internet users.
As part of this regional expansion, Enabling Asia will be introducing the regionalized product, 1 World, 1 Simcard. Once rolled out across all MVNOs, Buzzme subscribers will be able to use and purchase prepaid add-ons at the country they are in at local rates without having to purchase and swap to a local simcard upon arrival. Instead, Buzzme subscribers traveling abroad will automatically be assigned a local number, allowing them to stay connected with friends and families residing abroad or back home without worrying about exorbitant roaming charges. 1 World, 1 Simcard will definitely bring Buzzme to a greater level and one step closer to become the World’s Local Mobile Provider.
By going international, Buzzme aspires to build up the brand’s equity alongside its common reload currency, m8. The end goal is for Buzzme to become South East Asia’s first regional MVNO. With the materialization of its expansion plan, customers can soon expect to see the familiar brand of Buzzme overseas, as well as top-up via m8 reloads at any 7-Eleven stores or E-pay touch points whenever a customer is on-the-go.
COMING SOON: 4G LTE, AND MORE
In the near future, Buzzme will be looking to provide even faster mobile Internet speeds as it launches its 4G LTE service later this year. A new hybrid prepaid service that is on par with offers by other major telecommunication providers is also in the works.
Buzzme also took the opportunity to thank its partners, dealers, attendees and the media. “The success of Buzzme’s relaunch is thanks to the support of all our stakeholders. We look forward to further collaborations as we continue to grow the brand into Malaysia’s largest MVNO,” said Loke. The anniversary party ended with a bang with a blowout of birthday candles and 3 lucky winners walking away with brand new ZTE phones.
While the MVNO market continues to see competition where even the larger telco networks continue to face challenges, Buzzme as a new player sees opportunity to provide its products and services as an exciting and viable option to consumers. Besides ongoing improvement to its network solutions, Buzzme will continue to leverage on its position as an MVNO to offer affordable prepaid services, unique rewards and subscription plans with unlimited validity, proving Buzzme to be the better, smarter choice for mobile prepaid. “Buzzme has never intended to counter the competition in the industry, but we are always committed to delivering products and services on par with market expectations, if not better. We want to set out own goals while considering that the limits to grow are on us, and not others,” said Loke.
All attendees at the event received Buzzme prepaid starterpacks, which are now available for purchase online as well as at a number of mobile-telco stores all over the country and are priced at RM 10 and RM 30.
For more information on Buzzme, surf over to www.buzzme.com.my, contact the Hello Centre at 011 3400 4400 or email hello@buzzme.com.my.
Follow latest updates, contests and promotions and engage with the brand via social media at facebook.com/Buzzme.m8 and @buzzme.m8 on Instagram.
ABOUT BUZZME AND ITS GROUP
Buzzme, an in-house Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) brand of Enabling Asia Tech Sdn Bhd, is a telecommunication service provider that aims to deliver the most innovative prepaid mobile services in Malaysia. Established in 2013 under Mobile 8 Telco Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Enabling Asia, Buzzme prides itself for delivering affordable prepaid mobile services with attractive plans and rewards. The management of Enabling Asia and Buzzme is led by co-founder and CEO, Mr. Loke Yee Siong.
Enabling Asia is a pioneer Mobile Virtual Network Aggregator (MVNA) in Malaysia and ASEAN, partnering with U Mobile for wholesale traffic and Sisteer from France for platform services. As such, Buzzme rides on U Mobile’s network, providing customers with the strongest, fastest mobile network service nationwide.
Since its launch in 2013, Buzzme has seen a continuous growth in user base and revenue. Despite stiff market competition and the softening of economic conditions, Buzzme is humbly able to declare that its entity surpassed the breakeven point at the end of 2015 after 30 months of operations. With the cost excellence programme implemented at the start of 2016, Buzzme was able to maintain its monthly traffic gross margin at the range of 60%. Buzzme is a boutique firm, driven by a young and passionate team with a mindset that encourages thinking-out-of-box and always striving to do things differently. The team at Buzzme is cost savvy and has high sensitivity towards all expenditures, as the entity is considered to still be in its start-up phase, with cash flow and working capital management still the top priority of the organization.
Via m8.com.my, Enabling Asia’s online store, customers are able to purchase Starterpacks, reloads, mobile devices and accessories. The website also provides a platform for rewards and account self-management, and is available to all MVNOs launched under Enabling Asia, providing a well-established platform for them to reach a wider market in a cost savvy approach.
To synergize the sales and distributions landscape, all customers for MVNOs enabled under Enabling Asia will be able to top-up their prepaid wallet via m8, a common reload currency. m8 reloads are available nationwide at over 1,800 7-Eleven stores and 22,000 E-pay touch points.
ABOUT BUZZME SMART PLANS
Buzzme Smarter Bundle
Buzzme’s Smarter Bundle is the first prepaid plan in Malaysia to give customers an all-rounded, value-for-money package with data, calls and SMS. Smarter Bundle is available in two competitively-priced options, i.e. Smarter Bundle 25 with 1.5GB data (extra 500MB*) + 30 voice minutes + 30 SMS at RM25, and Smarter Bundle 50 with 4GB data (extra 1.5GB*) + 60 voice minutes + 30 SMS at RM50. Both bundles come with unlimited validity, meaning subscribers will keep their data, voice minutes and SMS as long as they maintain an active account.
*Under Buzzme’s 3rd Anniversary flash sales promo, customers who subscribe to a Smarter Bundle before 30 September 2016 will enjoy up to 1.5GB of extra data. Depending on customer feedback, Buzzme has revealed that this promotion may soon be made into a permanent offer.
Buzzme Smart Surf
Today’s consumers care more about data than voice minutes or SMS. To meet customer’s needs, Buzzme has a range of Smart Surf data plans available, ranging from Smart Surf 200MB at RM5, 1GB at RM25, 3GB at RM60, 5GB at RM95, to Smart Surf 8GB at RM135.
Customers who subscribe to the Smart Surf 1GB plan will also earn 5 reward points, while Smart Surf 3GB will grant 15 reward points. Since reward points can be exchanged for credit on a 1 point equivalent to RM1 basis, customers get to enjoy 1GB and 3GB data at only RM20 and RM45 respectively.
Similar to Smarter Bundles, all Smart Surf plans come with unlimited validity, meaning subscribers will never waste any of the data that they have purchased.
Smart Validity
For customers who require mobile service but do not wish to top up RM30 every month just to maintain an active number, Buzzme offers an attractive solution. Called Smart Validity, it allows subscribers to enjoy 365 days of validity by paying a one-time fee of RM38. That means that customers will only have to reload when their credit is running low. This is especially useful for customers who only use a mobile phone to keep in touch occasionally, such as grandparents or people who usually only receive calls.
Team Buzzme celebrating Buzzme’s 3rd Birthday
The 3 lucky draw winners of smartphones.
this is pretty interesting.. I will check it out.. I cannot believe I did not know this existed...
ReplyDeleteinteresting.. :) wow now you cover tech events too. awesome Linda!
ReplyDeleteWa another interesting telco here in MY, never really heard of this before.
ReplyDeleteinteresting. will definitely keep an eye on this.
ReplyDeleteWow, this look very interesting! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteDidn't know about this until I read your post, thanks for the info sharing :)
ReplyDeletefirst time hearing Buzzme. Don't know it's 3 y-o now haha. will check it out
ReplyDeleteDidn't know about buzzme. would like to check this later
ReplyDeleteFirst time hearing this brand, will check it out. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWonderful event.. First time hear about this brand though~
ReplyDeleteWow 3rd anniversary for Buzzme. Still new telco to me and will explore on their plan.
ReplyDeleteHeard about Buzzme so many times and thought they are in the market for long.
ReplyDeleteHeard of Buzzme previously! Didn't know that they're a telco brand though haha
ReplyDelete