If you don`t ride a scooter in Malaysia then you drive a Proton. They are everywhere. Every car you see, every car you rent, every car you have never dreamed of is a Proton.
This of course is good news, not only for Proton and the government, which are a majority shareholder, but also good news for country loyalty. The Malaysians love their Protons.
It is however bad news for the 3 million Proton owners in Malaysia who believe that the only option in car ownership is a Proton. Sure they are cheap, I suppose, they are even reliable, but I wouldn`t want to crash in one. Hell, I wouldn`t want to spend more than about 10 minutes in one!
The locals that buy these cars know no different. They are loyal to the brand. They like their Protons and they would like us foreigners to like their Protons.
I find it rather strange that as a brand it has such a loyal following. Most Malaysians I have met are young, ambitious individuals with style and are constantly looking to Europe for the next trend or fashion. But when it comes to loyalty in Malaysia the blue-chip companies have it sewn up.
Last weekend I watched Fairuz Fauzy, a young Malaysian F1 test driver, make his Formula One testing debut in front of his home fans. He was driving a Lotus, which is owned by Proton. The team is owned by Malaysia`s version of Richard Branson. This should be a sure fire Malaysian success story. But as Fairuz completed his first laps at the Malaysian circuit none of these loyal locals batted an eyelid. There were no cheers, no flag waving no screams from adoring females.
How far do you have to go to get a following from local Malaysians? This is a Malaysian team, owned by a Malaysian celebrity, with a Malaysian driver, driving a Formula One car, in Malaysia!
In complete contrast, when Nico Rosberg, a Finn, pretending to be a German, who lives in Monaco walked out on to the podium in 3rd place for Mercedes, a German car manufacturer, he received the biggest cheer of the weekend.
Why?
Not because they were wowed by Nicos driving skills. They were not impressed with his 3rd position either. They were not even fans of his European good-looks and they were certainly not fans of Mercedes. They cheered because of the slogan emblazoned across Nicos race overalls. PETRONAS The Malaysian state Oil Company. This, believe it or not, received the biggest cheer of the weekend.
Brand loyalty, it`s a funny old thing!
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