Guinness celebrates 50 years anniversary in Malaysia with three limited edition designs!

 

Guinness Malaysia unveiled three limited edition designs for its Foreign Extra Stout bottles and cans last week at their 50 years of anniversary in Malaysia. These will be available from now to November only while stock lasts. Each one is bursting with vibrant colours and intricate patterns, inspired by the wealth of history and culture Malaysia has to offer. What has not changed is the glorious Guinness inside ; because it's the exact same formula that Malaysian have known and loved all these years.

Bruce Dallas, Marketing Director of GAB said "For the first time, we've created brand new limited-edition design specifically for one country, drawing inspiration from its culture and its people."

These limited edition designs Guinness bottles have not only been inspired by Malaysia, the have been created for Malaysian, by Malaysian.

Behind the designs are five luminaries of the Malaysian creative scene, who came together to explore the concepts of history, identity and culture. The "Creative Council" comprised of musician Edwin Raj (frontman of local band They Will Kill Us All), artist Donald Abraham, film director James Lee, graphic artist Lefty (Julian Kam) and photographer Vincent Paul Yong.

Each limited-edition design created to represent a distinct era in Malaysia's journey - stretching back to our tribal roots, through the age of independence, leading into the modern day and looking ahead to the future.

 Amazing dance choreography to showcase each era which the designs represent.

They even have different era backdrop to represent the designs 

This is the era of pre-independence day where alcohols are sold in local grocery store (known as kedai runcit)

This is the era of post Malaysian independence day where people had their beer in traditional coffee shop aka kopitiam. This is the place where all the coffee shop talk happened where people sit and hang around to talk gossip on national politics, sports, food, etc. 

This is the current era we are in where people enjoy their favourite Guinness stout in pub. Haha more high class now lah..

So which era are you from ? Haha..it reveals your age :D 

At the event, I was delighed when I found they served Guinness Infused with Ice Cream float...

 Happiness overload ... best combination ever! 

 Not forgetting great music & friends accompanying the night.

 The three collectable limited edition design will not appear only in Guinness Foreign Extra Stout bottles (325ml and 640ml) but also in cans (320ml) from now to November 2015 while stock lasts!

Thanks Guinness for this limited edition miniature!! I love it! 

Happy 50th Anniversary Guinness Malaysia! Cheers! 

For more info, visit 

Guinness FB page www.facebook.com/guinnessmalayia

or just search for the hashtag #GUINNESSMY50 in all social media platforms :) 

Guinness Amplify: Curates - Supporting More Malaysian Musicians!!! Froya "pay it forward’ by sharing her stage with some of her favourite Malaysian acts.

On 11th April 2015,  GUINNESS® Amplify, the music platform celebrating bold Malaysian musicians, made its triumphant return tonight at The Bee, Publika. Following on from last year’s successful campaign, a new sidestream of Amplify – dubbed Amplify: Curates – sees some of our already-established musicians invite lesser-known acts to take the stage with them and share the limelight.

Taking up the mantle as Curator was Sabahan songstress Froya, who also launched her eagerly-anticipated new album ‘Panic Bird’ at the show. 

Each of the three supporting acts on the night was hand-picked by Froya herself, allowing her to ‘pay forward’ the opportunity to get on stage and into the public eye.

Opening the evening was Froya’s fellow East-Malaysian singer/songwriter, Rozella. No stranger to the scene in her hometown of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Rozella’s dreamlike vocals and haunting melodies proved equally popular with the Kuala Lumpur crowd. 

Introducing her to the audience, Froya stated that she had invited the award-winning songwriter to join her at Amplify: Curates to help showcase the incredible musical talent East Malaysia has to offer.

Next to take the stage was hippie-beach-pop trio Jumero, veterans of the last year’s Amplify campaign. 

Playing a number of fan-favourites alongside a wealth of new material from their own upcoming album and some refreshing takes on classic songs, Jumero’s infectious energy soon had the crowd on their feet with their drinks held high.

Rounding off the evening’s support was electronica duo +2dB. The pair’s dark, ethereal soundscapes have long been a hit with those in the know in KL’s music scene, and fans old and new were treated to a set brimming with atmospheric, otherworldly harmonies and evocative vocals. In her introduction to the set, Froya noted her respect for +2dB’s Jo Ann and Jeannie, paying tribute to the duo’s creative bravery and unique sound.

As the night built to a crescendo, Froya herself took the stage to officially launch her debut album, ‘Panic Bird’. 

Taking the crowd on a journey through the inspirations and meanings behind the new record, Froya’s passion for her craft shone through as she gave one of the most stunning performances of her career. Featuring tracks written and perfected over the past 6 years, fans enjoyed specially-arranged versions of their favourites including new single ‘Dawn’, alongside brand new material performed live for the very first time at Amplify: Curates. 

Thanking her fans for their continued support, Froya urged the crowd to raise their glasses of GUINNESS® in a toast to the phenomenal talent of Malaysian musicians whose creative bravery inspires others to make their own bold choices in life, capping off another evening of incredible live music courtesy of GUINNESS® Amplify.

GUINNESS® Amplify is the new music platform from GUINNESS®, Malaysia’s favourite black brew. With a special focus on championing Malaysian musicians, GUINNESS® Amplify celebrates those bold enough to forge their own path. Amplify: Curates sees more established local acts selecting deserving lesser-known artists to share their stage and ‘pay forward’ the chance to get their music heard. For more information, log on to www.amplify.com.my.

For Froya’s debut album ‘Panic Bird’ is available now on CD and digital download, priced at RM25. For more information on how and where to purchase a copy, log on to www.froyamusic.com. more information on how and where to purchase a copy, log on to www.froyamusic.com.

Make your Guinness Bold Confessions and win tickets to Guinness ‘Guilty as Charged’ party!

With Christmas just around the corner in less than a month time. And Christmas is a time of year when people gather for good times and to celebrate the past year. It’s also a time where we look back on things we have done or left unresolved.

With that in mind, Guinness came up with Christmas Bold Confessions campaign to inspire consumers to confess to something, to own up to something they have done, or to open up and let people in on a secret about themselves that nobody else knows.

*Gulp gulp gulp... drink some Guinness already can do #BoldConfessions already!*

Speaking at the launch, Guinness Anchor Berhad (GAB) Marketing Director Bruce Dallas, explained the thinking behind the campaign, “As the year draws to a close, thoughts turn to all that has happened over the last 12 months, and ahead to resolutions for the new one. Most of us have done something in the past year to which we’d like to confess and get it off our chest, whether it’s not using that expensive gym membership or admitting a guilty pleasure. But it’s also a time of year when we like to celebrate and have fun, and that’s what these confessions are – it’s a chance to celebrate who you really are, in a light-hearted and guilt-free way. "

Bruce further said that.. "Guinness we are all about making bold choices, inspiring our consumers to take a step forward and prove that they are Made of More. With our exciting new Christmas campaign, we’re challenging our consumers to stand up, ‘fess up in our Bold Confessions Booth, and be rewarded for their boldness.”

Starting November to December, consumers will be able to record their confessions in the Guinness Bold Confessions Booth which will be visiting outlets throughout Klang Valley. Locations would be released in Guinness Malaysia's Facebook

Good news to those bold enough to step inside and get it off their chest in time for the New Year will be rewarded with vouchers for  FREE pints of Guinness and 100 best confessions will win two tickets to the exclusive Guinness ‘Guilty as Charged’ party just before Christmas!!!

p/s: Not to worry, you can do your confession in private with your door close! 

Those using the Bold Confessions Booth will be able to watch some of our local personalities joining in the year-end fun with their Bold Confessions, including Kyoto Protocol, Paper Plane Pursuit frontman John O, and comedian Prakash Daniel.

This week #BoldConfessions schedule! 

Okay now head to any of this locations and make your #BoldConfessions now! Don't forget you will be getting  a FREE pints of Guinness and a chance to win an exclusive Guinness ‘Guilty as Charged’ party just before Christmas... I'm sure you don't want to miss this! 

To find out where you can catch the GUINNESS® Bold Confessions Booth this Christmas, log on to the GUINNESS® facebook page at www.facebook.com/guinnessmalaysia

My Christmas #BoldConfessions

Been quarantine myself at home this week because I had eyes infection. Feeling down and bored lah....till I receive this mysterious invite from Guinness! Guinness challenge me to do Bold Confessions! Okay, challenged accepted!

I know Santa would be checking who’s been naughty or nice this year. Well it's time to wipe the slate clean so that we can start the New Year afresh in 2015!

The first bold step on the way to a clean slate is to step up, own up, and confess to your naughty deeds this past year with Guinness!

I'm guilty as charged!

 I am really addicted to travelling.... can't stop thinking where to go next every single day...... I think what my life dream is to be a world traveler!

Santa ...I promise I would be good...to work hard so that I would I would make a lot lot lotsss of money to go traveling! 

That's my confession! What are yours, take your challenge and share it with Guinness #BoldConfessions ! 

Guinness Amplify: Music Made of More

PaperPlane Pursuit - electro pop music 

Do you enjoy good music ? Well no need to look far because we have a lot of dedicated and passionate musicians in Malaysian. And have to give support to our local music industry because it's really difficult to survive in this industry. With that GUINNESS Amplify pledge to shine a brand new light in celebrating musicians ‘Made of More’! 

Set to be a platform where our extraordinary local musicians showcase their talent alongside international stars, Guinness Amplify: Music Made of More celebrates the remarkable journey of talented, dedicated and passionate musicians - musicians who are Made of More! 

Bruce Dallas, Marketing Director of GAB.

Guinness Amplify: Music Made of More will feature 6 incredible live shows in 6 weeks in locations across Peninsular Malaysia, with details of a special grand finale show featuring an international star soon to be revealed. 

Best thing about this is that admission to the 6 shows in the Guinness Amplify Live Tour will be free of charge and on a first-come, first-served basis, and will feature special promos on Guinness throughout the night.

We are lucky to catch special live performances by Paperplane Pursuit and Darren Ashley from Dash,

Showcasing the talent of 14 of Malaysia’s best acts including Kyoto Protocol, Paperplane Pursuit, OJ Law, Froya, and An Honest Mistake, Guinness Amplify: Music Made of More is set to ignite everyone’s senses in a celebration of talent, passion, and dedication.

Kicking off the Guinness Amplify Live Tour on Saturday 6th September at The Bee, Publika, will be much-loved US singer-songwriter Howie Day, known for his smash hits ‘Collide’, ‘She Says’, and many more. Howie will be joined on stage by local music heroes Kyoto Protocol and Paperplane Pursuit.

Throughout the campaign in September and October, there will be six shows over six weeks, with a special grand finale show yet to be revealed. The shows will take place at the following venues and dates stated above. 

To find out more details and see how you can get your hands on exclusive tickets to the grand finale show, stay tuned to www.amplify.com.my. Join the Guiness Amplify Live Tour, and be a part of this extraordinary journey through Music Made of More.

 Life is great when you have great music & great company!

Not forgetting a bottle of Guinness to complete the night too! 

Oh don't forget to grab a Guiness at RM10 at all Guinness Amplify: Music Made of More Live Tour locations. At these locations also, the first two-hundred (200) customers, will be entitled to a Guinness stamp card where two (2) Guinness purchased will get you one Guinness, on us!

Check out www.amplify.com.my to find  out more about Guinness Amplify: Music Made of More.

Winners of Entrepreneurs For Good 2014 were granted RM240,000 from Arthur Guinness Project in partnership with British Council

Yesterday I visited Arthur Guiness's HQ (the one you see next to Federal Highway!) to learn more about Entrepreneurs For Good 2014 organised by Arthur Guinness Project in partnership with the British Council. This global programme was set up in 2009 as part of Guinness' 250th anniversary and since it started, £7.4 million (RM28 mil) have been invested in mentoring 45 projects in 13 countries. To date more than 40,000 people in the world has benefited from the Arthur Guinness Fund. In Malaysia, this is the Project's second year.

“Entrepreneurs for Good” is a competition held by the British Council in partnership with the Arthur Guinness Fund that invites social entrepreneurs in Malaysia, both start-ups and semi established, to compete for training and networking opportunities. In 2013, they had worked successfully with six Malaysian social enterprises, providing them with seed funding and six months of 'incubation', providing them with necessary training and support to enhance their business knowledge and skills. 

From 20 semi-finalists were shortlisted from nationwide search road shows and were given mentoring and training over the last 6 months. The top 12 social ventures out of that were then selected to go into the final stages of the program. At a public pitch held in April 2014, the finalist the pitched their winning social business ideas in front of an expert panel of judges comprising of industry leaders and leading social enterprises out of which the final awardees where chosen. 

And well that's the reason why I was there so that I could find out who are the 12 finalists and the 6 lucky winners for Entrepreneurs for Good 2014 ! 

 I managed to talk to most of the finalists and find out what is the nature of business of their company, vision and what are they going to do with the grant if they win.

BYOB Green Concept 

BYOB stands for Bring Your Own Bottle, a concept detergent store that is promoting the 3R concepts (Reuse, Recycle and Reduce) basically ) bring your own bottle and they will fill it up saving you money and saving mother earth too! 

Currently they are offering :- 

• Laundry Detergent 
• Dish washing detergents 
• Fabric Softener 
• Mopping Solution 
• Bleach
• Pine Disinfectant 
• Soap Powder 
• Kitchen Degreaser

I have heard so much of them before and quite like this idea and how we get to recycle our own bottles we had at home! Unfortunately could not find a branch near me.

TANOTI is dedicated to keeping alive the traditional Malaysian craft of songket weaving. By contemporizing the art of songket weaving and passing on the skills to the younger generations, Tanoti aims to reinvigorate the trade so that songket weavers can make a steady and sustainable income from this art form.

 Catama Craft works with women in rural, underprivileged communities within Sarawak to assist them in gaining economic stability through exploration of indigenous arts and crafts.

TECH Outreach Malaysia functions on the platform to transform, enhance, cultivate and harness the elements imperative to championing the SELF-SUSTAINABILITY pursuit in disadvantaged communities. TECH Outreach Malaysia believes in helping communities tap into their potential and transform themselves through entrepreneurial proactiveness, risk-taking and innovation. It is within this framework of vision that TECH Outreach has adopted the famous “Grameen Micro-Credit Financing” Model by Professor Muhammad Yunus, in transforming communities.

Guinness Anchor Berhad (GAB)'s Marketing Director Mr. Bruce Dallas said that 

"The Arthur Guinness is not all about funding. We pair financial support with business mentoring to work with people to bring their projects and ideas to the next level. We're proud to help them succeed in this work and to help in this work and to help society change for the better in communities across Malaysia".

British Council Malaysia's Country Director Mr. Gavin Anderson shared that

"The social enterprise movement around the world continues to grow. That success demonstrates how social consciousness, allied with a sustainable business model, is a profound and innovate way of finding solutions to pressing social and environmental issues, of generating sustainable economic growth and of delivering positive long term change. In Year 2 of "Entrepreneur for Good , twelve social entrepreneurs have benefited from training with UK experts to develop and enrich their business proposal"

The six awardees will receive between RM20,000 and RM40,000 each as part of this year long programme, as well as training, mentoring and other assistance to help them reach their objectives. 

And the winners of Arthur Guinness Projects - British Council, “Entrepreneurs for Good” for year 2014 are :

The MAD Experience

MAD is on a mission to empower everyday people to get involved in poverty alleviation. This is achieved by giving people the opportunities, tools and support they need so that they can raise funds and volunteer to implement high impact projects that break the cycle of poverty. 

By combining online crowd funding with responsible volunteering, MAD aims to create an online crowd fundraising platform dedicated to raising funds for poverty alleviation projects. Through this platform, passionate individuals will be able to set up a personal online fundraising campaign to raise funds for a project that they are passionate about. After successfully raising an amount, the unique offering by the MAD experience is that they offer fundraisers to travel and visit the disadvantaged communities they chose to support. The experience gained from this travel often invites other fundraisers and more people to do good for the community.

Cleanbites

CleanBites serves delicious, healthy and balanced food with a focus on making this food easily available to the public. An innovative subscription-based delivery service makes eating healthily easily achievable and affordable to people living busy lives. 

General food are often high in salt, sugar and other processed seasoning including GMF. By educating the public about eating healthily and introducing them to great tasting and easily accessible healthy food, CleanBites aims to improve the health and well being of Malaysians.

p/s: Picture credited to Jason from Walauwei

 Catama Craft Enterprise

By creating high-end products for the international market, Catama Crafts seeks to encourage the preservation of traditional knowledge and empower communities with pride in their craft and cultural identity and autonomy to change and adapt. Crafts created will be marketed and sold to local and international consumers. Profits will be shared amongst the rural communities, providing economic stability to the women and community at large. In addition to that, it also ensures the preservation of traditional skills and knowledge.

 BYOB Green Concept

BYOB seeks to educate society about the dangers of plastic pollution and to stop them from treating plastic bottles as rubbish. Offering communities a chance to help protect the environment by reusing their plastic bottles instead of throwing them away. BYOB allows the public to bring their empty plastic bottles to the store and refill them with a variety of cleaning products. This comes from a study that recycling doesn't really work as it creates a carbon footprint whilst in the recycling process. Furthermore, it is costly as well.

 Shuttle Go Bus

Busco is a short distance, low density private shuttle service helping people in urban environments to make use of the public transport in a sustainable way.

Focusing on the "First Mile Problem" - the difficulty people face in accessing public transport from their homes. Busco provides communities with the opportunity to become mobile and live more fulfilling lives. Busco also seeks out unemployed and underemployed youths, and trains them to drive and manage the operations.

 Ecocentric Transitions 

Ecocentric Transitions is committed to cultivate an environmentally empathetic and sustainable society. Through workshops and consultations, Ecocentric Transitions aims to build environmental awareness in communities. 

Ecocentric Transitions educates and gives practical advice on how to become more eco-responsible through interactive activities relating to topics such as Food Security, Waste and Resources - Environmental Education and Sustainable Living.

 The People's Choice Award - Tanoti 

Tanoti is dedicated to keeping alive the traditional Malaysian craft of songket weaving. By contemporizing the art of songket weaving and passing on the skills to the younger generations, Tanoti aims to reinvigorate the trade so that songket weavers can make a steady and sustainable income from this art form. 

In order to achieve this goal, Tanoti intends to work with songket weavers to establish supply chain from the bottom up, building a viable and fair business which can sustain both the community and the craft.

 Group pic of the all the winners for Arthur Guinness Projects - Entrepreneurs For Good 2014 

After the event we are treated with freshly brewed Guinness bear!

 Guinness anyone ?

 To Arthur and all the Entrepreneurs For Good 2014 winners.... CHEERS!

For more details, visit 

http://www.arthurguinnessprojects.com.my/

Note : All pictures are taken with HTC ONE M8 (unless mentioned otherwise) without editing (except resizing and watermarking).