Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Running FingerTec Like A Publishing House

Who runs technology business like a publishing house? We do. Are you surprised? I bet so.

Back in 2005 when I decided to relinquish the non-performing publishing business unit in a subsidiary company, the editorial team was transferred to FingerTec to take charge of the brand’s branding activities and the websites. The team comprised of a few writers, editors and graphic designers.


As a CEO, I assumed the role of de facto chief editor with a vision of FingerTec making great headlines at all times. With this in mind, every product’s image was carefully taken care of not only in terms of the product quality but also in every other aspect of the product which is equally as significant.

The aspects covered include conceptualizing what type of photos are the ones that needs to be taken, the product copy and selecting the images that best portray the product. Being a stickler for details meant putting in a large amount of effort to revamp the image of FingerTec products. From the then plain and banal brand, it has now metamorphosed into a sophisticated brand that is known for products that are futuristic and user-friendly.

Today, that same editorial team fills some of the top posts in FingerTec. Norana Johar was promoted from sub-editor to Chief Operating Officer and Tamy Phoon to Senior Sales Manager. Even after almost a decade, we still carry on the business like running a publishing house and we are proud of it.


Products need explanations; even food products require explanation on how it should be consumed plus some cooking suggestions.  Good writing helps in producing quality tips, user guides and training materials. To construct and market FingerTec as a brand, we need excellent writing, great copies, concepts and fulfillments. And, to enter different markets and countries, translation is another transformation that is inevitable to reach greater audience. Anyhow, the master copy must be of decent quality for good translations.  

Through the writing processes and editorial workflows, we introduced our monthly e-newsletter since 2007 as our marketing tool, which has lasted for seven years now. For the past three years, we have been introducing our Annual Magazine to be distributed globally through exhibitions and our clients. All this can’t be achieved smoothly if we have a team that doesn’t write.

And in this business, website is king. Some people might disagree with me looking at many of those who are using websites to simply list their products and technical info, alongside their company profiles. But, to think that we would just settle for simple information on the website is just plain wrong. Of course the objective is not as easy as that, the target was to make it as comprehensive and as interactive as possible for our clients who indulge in finding information. Who would be better suited for this task? Definitely the editorial team cum marketing that does not only know the inside out of our products, but also understand the need to market them right.


The decline of newspapers, print media or publishers is foreseeable in the Internet era. The soaring newsprint prices, slumping ad sales and precipitous drops in circulation were clear indications of the downfall. But life will find its way, truly enough, besides the emerging online media.  The editorial profession have shifted to find its place in a lot other industries in the Internet era. The closure of our publishing unit marked the beginning of utilization of editorial skill in a different perspective, an effort that was proven to be genius in its own right.

From our experience, in order to maintain a dynamic marketing strategy as a driving force for the business, our editorial team definitely is the answer.

No comments: