KINIBIZ In the public conversation that went on before and after Khazanah Nasional unveiled its 12-point plan to restructure ailing carrier Malaysia Airlines, one pertinent point had been missing - rewriting the airline’s branding narrative.

For Khazanah Nasional’s global hunt for a new chief executive officer to lead a restructured Malaysia Airlines (MAS), one of the most important qualifying criteria must be the ability to craft a compelling marketing story.

Looking at the past few years, the airline’s brand desperately needs a new narrative. And the ability to shape this narrative, or at least identify the right people to do so, is crucial if the fourth rescue plan for the airline is to be the last.

Why? Because the narrative is what sells a brand’s products and, if MAS is going to be run purely as a commercial entity then Khazanah Nasional will need someone who understands what sort of story will best drive demand.

A quick example is Apple. The rise of Samsung as a global smartphone maker sparked the conversation on when Apple would lose its lead in market share - Samsung eventually overtook Apple as the leading vendor worldwide in 2011.

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This article was written by Khairie Hisyam.