The controversial RM49.56 million branding contract for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation 2020 Congress (Apec 2020) got off on the wrong note earlier this month when its attempt to create a social media buzz became the butt of jokes instead.
A social media analysis showed that a satirical take on the campaign by artist Fahmi Reza won the most engagement and exposure on social media, negating the positive buzz which the paid campaign aimed to generate.
Fahmi’s tweet via his Twitter handle @kuasasiswa on the matter far outshone posts by social media influencers engaged to boost the hashtag #myAPEC2020 with positive messaging about the congress' logo.
His satirical tweet on the Apec 2020 logo was the most retweeted posting carrying the hashtag #myAPEC2020, turning the campaign into a laughing stock.
Wow dah tengok logo #MyPisang2020? So proud with the logo that represent my favourite buah yg boleh buat susu untuk buang toksik badan, halau rasukan makhluk halus, dan memastikan ekonomi sentiasa berkembang maju!!! I'm amazed! Style betul! OMG canteknye!
#MyAPEC2020
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It was posted on Dec 7, three days after the official logo was launched on social media, accompanied by praise from a stable of influencers.
Influencers are accounts which have high social media followings. While not necessarily the case, they are often used for political and commercial branding and perception management campaigns, with the influencers usually paid per posting.
And here it is, the full logo for #MyAPEC2020! Featuring our national flower Bunga Raya, the 21 petals represents the spirit of 21 member economies, while the pistils depicts the waves of the Pacific Ocean bringing the economies together!
Anytime the national flower is used as a logo, I immediately like it. The way the petals represents the 21 economies is nicely done! #MyAPEC2020
See A Samad Said:'s other Tweets
And here it is, the full logo for #MyAPEC2020! Featuring our national flower Bunga Raya, the 21 petals represents the spirit of 21 member economies, while the pistils depicts the waves of the Pacific Ocean bringing the economies together!
They really just made it their logo, amazing, so good, incredible #MyAPEC2020
See 𝓃𝒾𝑒𝒹𝒶's other Tweets
And here it is, the full logo for #MyAPEC2020! Featuring our national flower Bunga Raya, the 21 petals represents the spirit of 21 member economies, while the pistils depicts the waves of the Pacific Ocean bringing the economies together!
Simboliknya logo #MyAPEC2020! Our pride, Bunga Raya with 21 petals represent 21 member economies. Lovely!
See Jarr's other Tweets
Fahmi, too, can be categorised as an influencer, with more than 50,000 followers on Twitter alone. He gained mass attention with his clown-faced caricature of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.
This time, Fahmi’s satirical artwork poked fun at the seemingly scripted enthusiasm by paid influencer accounts that heaped praise on the logo.
A social network analysis showed that his Twitter handle @kuasiswa was retweeted or mentioned 738 times in relation to Apec 2020 over the weekend following the logo launch, making it the most influential on the topic.
This was fivefold more than the next most influential Twitter account when it came to Apec 2020 which was the official account, @myapec2020. This despite the latter being boosted by a group of accounts with large followings.
Besides the influencers, accounts which engaged with the topic were journalists reporting from the Apec 2020-related events or the Information Department, making Fahmi’s the only account in Malaysian Twittersphere to spark organic interaction on Apec 2020.
Checks showed limited campaigning using influencers on other platforms like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Malaysiakini has contacted the Ministry of International Trade and Industry for comment.
Mired in controversy
The branding campaign is already mired in controversy following allegations last week that contractor Usaha Jana Sdn Bhd won the lucrative contract due to nepotism between ministry officials and Usaha Jana officers who are linked to BN. The ministry refuted this.
Malaysiakini has contacted Usaha Jana for a response.
Usaha Jana won the contract through an open tender. Bidding closed in October. Twenty firms submitted bids between RM14 million to RM117 million.
According to tender documents for the Apec 2020 branding contract, the winning firm is responsible for publicity for Apec 2020.
This includes producing sponsored content for print, online and broadcast media, billboard advertising and creating a social media buzz for the congress.
The informal senior ministers' meeting took place on Dec 9 while the first formal meeting will take place next February. Several meetings will then be held until November.
The tender document described social media promotion as including “managing and operating the existing APEC2020 social media accounts and executing a social media strategy to promote and engage social media users”.
This includes “using at least 10 influencers as third party validation”. In other words, paying influencers to give endorsements for the event.
The firm must achieve 500,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube during the campaign period, with each posting receiving at least 100 “Likes”, “Shares”, “Retweets” or 1,000 viewers on YouTube, the document states. It does not specify if this needed to be authentic engagement.
Usaha Jana was founded in 2009 by Norashedy Abdul Rashid, who still serves as its chief executive officer.
The firm describes itself as an event planner and had recently organised several events for various ministries, including for the Ministry of Entrepreneurship Development and the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industries.
Checks on procurement records show that Usaha Jana won several contracts during BN's rule but nothing on the scale of the Apec 2020 publicity blitz.
In December 2015, Usaha Jana was engaged thrice by the Housing and Local Government Ministry to produce editorial content for newspapers, with each project costing between RM240,000 to RM560,000.
In 2017, Usaha Jana won an RM2 million contract to organise a carnival for the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs Ministry. - Star
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