BKP shares its success formula

BRANDING through execution (BTE) may become one of the successful formulas in creating new opportunities for the property sector.

Bukit Kiara Properties (BKP) group managing director N.K. Tong, a staunch advocate of BTE, said BTE had helped BKP gain the much needed respect, trust and confidence from discerning property buyers and investors.

According to Tong, BTE entails a consistent and relentless delivery of an organisation's core values, implementation of quality in-house management policies and a passionate engagement with customers, staff and business associates.

“It refers to a developer's commitment and determination to walk its talk,” he told 150 participants at the 2007 National Property and Housing Summit held in Petaling Jaya recently.

He said BKP's pursuit of BTE was the main reason for the encouraging response for its innovative homes in Aman Kiara, Hijauan Kiara and Verve Suites.

BTE, he said, gave BKP a strong corporate identity and brand image that shaped the perception of customers towards the company.

Tong said there were three types of branding: BTE, branding through marketing and branding through design and it was BTE that BKP embraced and reaped the most success in terms of sales.

“For BTE to work effectively, BKP lived true to its core values of Integrity, Caring, Innovation and Quality. Every major and minor decision in BKP must be bridged back to our core values.

“They are reinforced in our staff, suppliers, contractors and consultants. We make every effort to share them with our customers,” he said.

To develop a quality culture, Tong said, BKP's construction arm Bukit Kiara Builders recently obtained an ISO 9001:2000 certification conducted by Moody's International.

Other internal branding programmes include adherence to the company's code of ethics that earned BKP the 2005 Integrity Award from Business Ethics Institute of Malaysia and Malaysian Institute of Integrity.

“BKP makes it a point that the staff must do the right thing even when no one is watching,” he said.

He added that external branding focused on caring for its customers, meeting their functional and lifestyle needs and hopefully become the company's brand ambassadors.

“This kind of relationship eventually develops into a lasting bond between the developer and customers,” said Tong.

Its strategic alliances with world-class brands such as Bosch, Swarovski, Versace, Maserati and Lazarre Diamonds have also reinforced BKP's credibility.

“These co-branding activities enhanced the value of our buyers' properties and widened their lifestyle needs,” he added.

Tong said there was also a need to embark on media relations, community service work, brand communication programmes and customer relations plans to add depth and value to their external branding activities.

BKP's innovative approach can be seen from its Verve Suites where, instead of selling penthouses, the entire top floors are dedicated for uniquely designed sky lounges, named Vertigo Lounge and Hypercubes Lounge of the Viva and Vibe towers, respectively.

By The Star (By S.C.Cheah)