Tourism Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen clarified today that her ministry has allocated RM1.8 million for a full social media branding campaign, and not just to set up a Facebook page.

ng yen yen pc 150611 facebook "(The money) is for responding, informing, interaction and monitoring (work on the Facebook page), evaluation, data collecting, content development and advertising on Google, Facebook, etc...

"(Do) you think it's cheap (to set this up)? Tourism Australia is spending RM150 million for the next three years on social media," she told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.

According to Ng, Facebook is only used as a platform and the Tourism Malaysia Cuti-cuti 1Malaysia page on the social media site has received about 24,000 fans since it was launched in May.

"We are targeting 120,000 fans at the end of the six-month campaign...," she said of the ministry's first venture into social media.

"Penang's Facebook has 120,000 fans after so many years...so sad."

NONE Waving a clipping of newspaper reports on the matter today, Ng said DAP’s Rasah parliamentarian Anthony Loke (left) has been "misleading" the public by saying that the RM1.8 million was only for the page.

"I am so shocked (by the reports), it's ridiculous. The opposition is clever, they just say 'Facebook page'.

"If I had read (the reports) I'd also say, ' Gila lah , Facebook is free!' (That's crazy. Facebook is free!)," she said. 

Thanking the opposition for promoting the Tourism Malaysia page, the visibly annoyed Ng also took potshots at Loke, who had offered the DAP's expertise at a cheaper rate.

"Thank you very much. The Penang page is not even updated. This is a Malaysian brand," she said at a hastily-called press conference.

Yesterday, Deputy Tourism Minister James Dawos Mamit told Parliament that the ministry spent RM1.8 million on the Facebook site, including expenditure for six Flash applications, development and maintenance work and advertising.

The breakdown was today given as:

1. Technical

  • Dedicated hardware deployment
  • Software licencing
  • Front end applications
  • Application server engine

  2. Development of six campaigns which require:

  • Flash games engine
  • Flash programming and coding
  • Creative development and design
  • Campaigns ideas and concept
  • Front-end Flash design
  • Testing and debugging

  3. Campaign promotions

  • Digital advertising campaigns on Google and Facebook
  • Contest, page wall and tourism fanpage content management
  • Collection and management of database

'Everyone is my friend'

The minister said the content of the Facebook account was developed around six Tourism Malaysia events this year.

Asked if this means that the ministry does not have the expertise to conduct its own campaign, Ng said all advertising and branding campaigns are outsourced.

The three-year contract was won by Impact Creations Sdn Bhd, which put in a RM30 million tender - to beat about 40 other companies. It coordinates the branding and advertising for domestic tourism.

"T azlan his includes billboards, television, print, radio, etc....but the RM1.8 million is only for social media," Ng said, adding that the ministry chose to focus on Facebook for its interactive nature.

She also said Impact Creations was chosen after the tender selection team found that it had pitched a good concept and is both financially and technically sound.

Asked about allegations that the company was chosen because Ng is a good friend of Impact Creations consultant Juni Ewe, she said: "Everybody is my friend. 45 years in politics! I am also friends with (others who have won Tourism Malaysia projects).”

In February, the Sabah-based Daily Express had reported that Ewe had acknowledged having close ties to Ng.

Ewe was quoted as saying that her company, Impact Challenger, had refrained from bidding, in order to avoid putting Ng in a difficult position.

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