Kuala Lumpur, 26 August 2021 – A year after Reader’s Digest’s first virtual Most Trusted Brands Awards, COVID-19’s grasp continues to affect millions of people and their livelihoods. Despite this fact, Reader’s Digest decided to soldier on with its 23rd annual survey of Malaysia’s Most Trusted Brands and Personalities.
Some 8,000 people were polled in the survey in which they chose from personalities and brands that they preferred.
“Trust matters when it comes to weathering a crisis, and ultimately, trust is built on the traditional foundations of quality, consistency, honesty and delivering on your promises,” said Reader’s Digest Editor-in-Chief, Louise Waterson.
Trust has been the guiding human emotion that every person has had to rely on to navigate through each day, safely. In the current climate, it means setting a precedence in being proactive and reaching out to customers and audiences and maintaining a relationship with individuals.
Among the personalities selected were badminton star Datuk Lee Chong Wei, television host Alif Satar (a COVID-19 survivor) and radio presenter Roslinda Abdul Majid. Where brands were concerned, Panasonic, Coway and Great Eastern were declared winners.
“The winning brands are likely the type that presents service and quality that helps a consumer understand that the brand they know and trust is still on their side. The brands also strive to continue the relationship they worked so hard to build,” she added.
THE PERSONALITIES MALAYSIANS TRUST THE MOST
Just like previous years, one of the highlights of the 2021 Reader’s Digest Trusted Brands awards is the list of most trusted personalities in the following categories: Most Trusted News Presenter; Most Trusted Radio Presenter; Most Trusted Variety/ Entertainment Presenter; and Most Trusted Sportsperson.
The personalities that Malaysians put their trust in most were:
DATUK LEE CHONG WEI
Most Trusted Sports Personality
Since retiring from international badminton, Datuk Lee Chong Wei has thrown his efforts behind social causes close to his heart. One such cause has been raising awareness of the plight of disadvantaged children in Penang, whose education is limited by the challenge of accessing digital learning resources. To assist, the sporting legend has put his face (and efforts) behind a non-partisan programme that distributes laptops, tablets and SIM cards to children who can’t access these now increasingly essential learning resources.
DJ LIN
Most Trusted Radio Presenter
As Malaysia’s trusted late-night agony aunt, Roslinda Abdul Majid – or DJ Lin to her listeners on Suria Cinta – works tirelessly to engage with her audience, building their trust and confidence six nights a week from 8pm to 1am. The 22-year radio veteran has hosted the show for the past 13 years, but her efforts to engage with audiences goes way further than one show – she also heads the radio station. Today, DJ Lin enjoys a reputation in the industry as a fair, hard-working all-rounder both behind and in front of the microphone.
ALIF SATAR
Most Trusted TV Host/Presenter For News & Current Affairs
Since returning back to good health last December after fighting COVID-19, Alif Satar has maintained a busy schedule. As one of the most public faces of the pandemic, he has worked hard to get behind efforts to build people’s awareness and resilience during this difficult time. These include promoting COVID-19 testing and the importance of keeping fit during PKP, making known the benefits of freelancing to people laid off work and also helping to remind people of the No Smoking ban in restaurants and tips on how to quit.
THE BRANDS MALAYSIANS TRUST THE MOST
The award-winning Trusted Brands, outlined in the Reader’s Digest 23rd annual survey, listen to customer concerns, sympathise with their situations and provide the necessary support and assistance to their customers because they appreciate these valued relationships.
Notable winners were:
- Panasonic, who dominated the technology field with an amazing four wins (Air Conditioner, Refrigerator, TV and Washing Machine);
- Great Eastern won in both the Life Insurance and Health Card categories;
- Coway was the Platinum winner in the Water Purifier category again;
- Jasmine received another Platinum Award in the Rice category this year;
- King Koil, the market leader, was voted Platinum winner in the Mattress category again;
- Sunway International School won Gold again in the category of Private/International School.
- Safi makes its first Gold award debut in the category of Female Skin Care
