Ikano Centres appoints Dragon Rouge to manage branding duties for Batu Kawan mall

IKEA Southeast Asia's shopping centre arm, Ikano Centres, has appointed Dragon Rouge to handle branding duties for its retail shopping centre at Batu Kawan, Penang, following a pitch held in late March which saw four other agencies vying for the account. IKEA first opened its store at Batu Kawan in 2019 and the next phase of this development comprises a shopping centre offering a retail mix of F&B, fashion and beauty, as well as home and living, among others. Meanwhile, a drive-thru F&B concept was launched in Penang last year. 

IKEA Southeast Asia's head of leasing, Arnoud Bakker, said Dragon Rouge brought a fresh and bold perspective to its latest meeting place project. "We saw in them a partner that could not only create a distinctive brand identity but also work with us to develop a unique brand experience that will give consumers from the wider region many reasons to return time and time again," Bakker said. He added that Dragon Rouge understood well its marketing strategy and demonstrated an ability to translate it into a strong creative vision.

While Dragon Rouge is unable to reveal the concept yet, CEO Zayn Khan told A+M that the new shopping centre's branding does leverage on the renowned creative culture of Penang and brings elements of this into the shopping centre brand experience.

"This is a great opportunity to create a place brand that fuses the best of Penang’s creative and culinary culture with the best of Swedish lifestyle retailing. The result will be a retail brand that is truly Malaysian but with a modern, cosmopolitan twist," he said. Other shopping malls under Ikano Centres' purview in Malaysia include IPC Shopping Centre and MyTOWN Shopping Centre in Kuala Lumpur and Toppen Shopping Centre in Johor Bahru.

Ikano Centres is also in the midst of appointing a media agency for Malaysia. The appointment will be for three years and it was first called in January this year. At the same time, IKEA Southeast Asia is also on the hunt for a media agency for Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. Meanwhile, Ikano Centres marketer Andrew Yeoh recently left to join TIME dotCom as head of marketing. Yeoh previously said that he is thoroughly grateful for the privilege of leading the shopping centre marketing team at IKEA Southeast Asia these past five years.

Ikano Centres also went all out for its Raya campaign, working with Ensemble Worldwide, UM, and Directors Think Tank to make its film outlandish and extreme to create something lighthearted and unexpected. The film features cowboys, astronauts, and even teleportation skills, inspired by the chatter around what Malaysians miss doing most during Raya due to the pandemic.

Photo courtesy: 123RF

Related articles:
From cowboys to astronauts, Ikano Centres gets outlandish with Raya ad
After nearly 5 years, Ikano Centres' Andrew Yeoh takes on new role
IKEA Southeast Asia and Ikano Centres call for separate media pitches
Ikano Centres gets into drive-thru space with F&B concept in Penang