SOREN LAURIDSEN

CEO GUARDIAN HEALTH AND BEAUTY SDN BHD

How is the company coping in the current economic climate without compromising its brand presence?

Guardian Malaysia has gone through several economic cycles in the past 51 years in business. I would say that the company not only gained from the experience of coping with the cycles but, the process enabled Guardian Malaysia to strengthen its brand presence further.

This year, we launched several conceptual promotions that focused on offering quality products at great values to customers through a variety of initiatives.

Should brands be packaged differently, not only demographically but emotionally?

The short answer is yes. Our view is that brands should give due attention to both aspects and should connect with customers more emotionally. They should inspire customers to enjoy life to the fullest.

As a retailer, we offered many products on sale for customers, but now because we understand the importance of connecting emotionally with customers, we provide products/services to help our customers look beautiful and be healthy.

what is the most significant aspect of creating powerful, effective branding?

From our perspective, effective branding is best achieved through emotional branding. It is through this emotional connection that we can develop meaningful relationships and cultivate lasting customers.

In an increasingly transparent world, how can brands strengthen their brand equity?

must first identify the touchpoints with their target audiences and then ensure the brand messages are communicated consistently and effectively.

In the case of Guardian, we are a local hero with a strong heritage known as Guardian Pharmacy, where customers have come to us for their health needs for many years.

what makes a brand memorable given the short attention span and all sort of content screaming at customers?

We have enhanced our presence into the digital space and sharpened our differentiation through the adoption of new strategies. To stand out, we ensure that our communication through social media channels is sharp and not cluttered so that the messages are easily captured and brand memorable.