What do Malaysian Gen Y's look out for in brands?

Despite rapid globalisation, rising digital age and a high brand convergence in many categories, Asia’s Gen Y have showed clear loyalty towards their national and local brands too.According to a latest study by Brand Alliance, in comparison with Gen Ys from the other Asia cities, Malaysian Gen Y’s choice of brands display their sense of practicality while balancing an interest to pursue a well-balanced lifestyle.This is somewhat in contrast to the findings of China’s Gen Y who display their keen interest to pursue a quality lifestyle through their brand choices, comprising significantly more imported and luxury brands. In general, for Malaysian Gen Ys, value and product quality are almost as important as brand names and their associated images.Made in Malaysia products and home-grown Malaysia brands are significant in the lifestyles of majority of respondents. This trend is consistently reflected in Malaysian Gen Ys’ selection across multiple categories; from their choice of car, restaurants to daily consumables such as coffee and biscuits.Based on the consolidated research results, the categories that show Gen Y’s strong sense of loyalty towards one’s own country's brands include: To determine Malaysia’s Gen Y’s Top Brands, a partnership was formed with Open University Malaysia Business School (OUM) to conduct both face-to-face and online surveys in the local language. More than 50 categories, including Online Marketplace, Food and Beverage (F&B) and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), to Electronics and Beauty & Wellness were covered.Further, to determine Asia’s Top brands, Brand Alliance studied and analysed the responses from more than 6,000 Gen Y consumers from all the countries mentioned above.Associate Prof Dr Zorah Abu Kassim of OUM Business School said the findings showed that Malaysian Gen Ys are familiar with Made in Malaysia products and home-grown Malaysia brands as these brands are widely available in the country. Many younger consumers are aware and familiar with these home-grown brands or Made in Malaysia products as many of these products enjoy good coverage and advertising in the local media.It further indicates that local brands have a prominent presence in local supermarkets, hyper-malls and retail outlets in the country.