MICROSOFT TAG TAKES OFF IN MALAYSIA

Standard Chartered Is The First To Adopt Microsoft Technology In Its Latest

Marketing Campaign

KUALA LUMPUR, 25 Oct (Bernama) -- Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia Berhad

(Standard Chartered) has pioneered the use of a fresh mobile marketing approach

with Microsoft technology in its latest marketing campaign – making it the first

bank in the country to adopt this new wave of customer engagement tactics.

The Bank’s latest deposit campaign that offers the highest savings interest rate

in town at 5% per annum is the first of its kind to incorporate a Microsoft Tag

in its advertisements. Customers owning a smartphone will be able to immediately

locate the nearest Standard Chartered Bank branch by scanning the Microsoft Tag

from their phone. The campaign which starts 1 October, 2011 will appear in major

newspapers across the country.

Tiew Siew Chuen, Country Head of Consumer Banking, Standard Chartered Malaysia

said, “Standard Chartered continues to notch up a first in service innovation

with this initiative that reinforces our commitment to provide greater value to

our customers. This campaign bridges the customer experience from a print medium

into one that is “live”. It is innovative, fun and easy to apply. With Microsoft

Tag, our offers can now cut across conventional advertising mediums to one that

is dynamic.”

“The possibilities are endless. Microsoft Tag provides a seamless experience for

customers from the first point of contact to access content on mobile websites –

whether it is maps, videos, clues for competitions, music demos, discount

vouchers and more. We are just at the tip of the iceberg as to how extensive and

pervasive this technology can be in driving customer and community engagement,”

said Peter Tam, Director, Local Software Innovations, Microsoft Malaysia Sdn

Bhd.

Microsoft Tag: Hello Creative Colours, Goodbye Boring Black & White…

Microsoft Tag is a 2D Barcode released to market in June 2010. Since then, over

3 billion tags have been printed, in colour andB&W, on a variety of media,

including newspapers, magazines, t-shirts and even cupcakes! Microsoft Tag can

be customisedwith intricate designs, brand symbols or logos.

Microsoft Tag technology provides comprehensive marketing analytics, including

reporting features such as number of daily scans, total scans and also a heat

map which indicate from which locations customers are scanning the most.

Microsoft Tag reader is supported by leading smartphone manufacturersincluding

Nokia Symbian, Apple iPhone, Google Android, RIM Blackberry, Microsoft Windows

Phone, as well as feature phones which support Java.

A user downloads the Microsoft Tag Reader application once on his smartphone

from http://gettag.mobi and scans a Microsoft Tag which will automatically open

a mobile webpage, receive a vCard (business) contact, or dial a number. The

mobile website content can be dynamically updatedfor the same Microsoft Tag,

therefore reducing the need for new tags to be created.

According to latest CommStat research, smartphone growth in Malaysia has been

phenomenal, with 1 in every 2 persons owning such adevice with access to the

internet. This, coupled with the advancement of mobile broadband networks and

declining prices of smartphones and tablet PCs, has led advertisers to actively

integrate mobile marketing as part of their customer outreach programmes.

TBWA Malaysia was looking for a way to effectively provide customers a

hassle-free immediate excess to Standard Chartered branches. "Microsoft Tag gave

us the opportunity to step away from the conventional QR Codes to do something

fresh and exciting with the Bank’s above-the-line campaigns," said Shaun Tay,

Head, Account Management, TBWATEQUILA Malaysia.

Fifth Media Networks SdnBhd, a Microsoft BizSpark partner was commissioned to

develop the mobile website and customized Microsoft Tag design for Standard

Chartered.

“We had three days to churn out a tag design and mobile website for this

campaign. In spite of the tight deadline, we were able to pull this off using

our software,” said TanLim Soon Fu, CTO, Fifth Media Networks Sdn Bhd. “We are

looking to work with more retailers and advertising companies as this technology

takes off in Malaysia. It provides a strong value proposition for organisations

wanting to reach an increasingly mobile society,” he continued.

Standard Chartered – leading the way in Asia, Africa and the Middle East

Standard Chartered PLC, listed on both London and Hong Kong stock exchanges,

ranks among the top 25 companies in the FTSE-100 by market capitalisation. The

London-headquartered Group has operated for over 150 years in some of the

world''s most dynamic markets, leading the way in Asia, Africa and the Middle

East. Its income and profits have more than doubled over the last five years

primarily as a result of organic growth.

Standard Chartered aspires to be the best international bank for its customers

across its markets. The Group earns around 90 per cent of its income and profits

in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, from its Wholesale and Consumer Banking

businesses. The Group has over 1600 branches and outlets located in over 70

countries. The extraordinary growth of its markets and businesses creates

exciting and challenging international career opportunities.

Leading by example to be the right partner for its stakeholders, the Group is

committed to building a sustainable business over the long term and is trusted

worldwide for upholding high standards of corporate governance, social

responsibility, environmental protection and employee diversity. It employs

around 70,000 people, nearly half of whom are women. The Group''s employees are

of 125 nationalities, of which about 70 are represented in the senior

management.

For more information on Standard Chartered, please visit

www.standardchartered.com

Standard Chartered in Malaysia

Standard Chartered Bank, a member of the Standard Chartered Group was

established in Malaysia in 1875 and incorporated as Standard Chartered Bank

Malaysia Berhad on 29 February 1984. As Malaysia’s first bank, Standard

Chartered leads the way through product innovation, consistent and strong growth

performance and sustainability initiatives. The Bank’s two businesses -

Wholesale and Consumer Banking – provides a comprehensive range of financial

products and services to corporates, institutions, small and medium-sized

enterprises (SMEs) and individuals through its network of more than 30 branches

across Malaysia.

In 2001, Standard Chartered UK established its third global technology &

operations centre, Scope International, in Malaysia – the first international

bank to do so in the country. Scope International provides software development,

banking operations, IT support services and customer service capabilities to the

Bank in up to 70 countries. It now houses the biggest software development

company in the country, International Software Centre Malaysia (ISCM) and has a

total workforce of more than 3,200 people.

Price Solutions SdnBhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Standard Chartered Bank UK

is also located in Malaysia. The company promotes and markets Standard

Chartered’s financial products in Malaysia through a network of direct sales

agents.

Standard Chartered SaadiqBerhad, Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia Berhad’s

Islamic Banking subsidiary was established in November 2008. It offers a full

suite of Shariah-compliant products and services to individuals and corporates

through its financial centres.

Standard Chartered employs more than 6,000 employees in all its Malaysian

operations.

About Microsoft Malaysia

Microsoft (Malaysia) SdnBhd (www.microsoft.com/malaysia) is a subsidiary of

Microsoft Corporation and was incorporated on July 8, 1992.

Microsoft BizSparkaims to help build capacity and accelerate growth amongst

Malaysian start-ups by providing access, market support and global visibility at

a stage where they need it most but can least afford it. Globally, 40,000

start-up companies have signed up for the Microsoft BizSpark programme and more

than 350 Malaysian start-ups are on board since it was launched about two years

ago.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software,

services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full

potential.

About Fifth Media Networks SdnBhd

Fifth Media Networks SdnBhd was established in April 2009. It is Malaysia’s

pioneer mobile advertising network solutions provider. It is a Microsoft

BizSparkStartup member offering Ad-funded SMS & mobile CRM solutions for major

retailers and other mobile driven solutions. http://www.mobileadvalley.com

SOURCE: Microsoft Malaysia

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Name : Dashika Gnaneswaran,

Public Relations Specialist

Tel : 603.2179. 6958

Mobile: +6012.971. 3571

--Bernama