Room for Ruumz

Initially designed and conceived to complement rather then compete with other more established social networks like Facebook and Twitter, Ruumz still manages to operate under the same format as the afore mentioned social sites. This includes the localization of content & services, providing a platform for local content & service providers to reach willing customers effectively and generate revenue, providing localized benefits and rewards, and extending the online persona into the offline world, in the form of actual on-ground activities, events and practical services.

James Chong, Executive Vice President of Product Services and Development conceptualized Ruumz for the Green Packet Group. From the group's strategic perspective, it was important to address as much of the online ecosystem as possible in terms of group offerings. Therefore, Ruumz, as a social media avenue, was established to play an important role in reaching out to the online public, both regionally and domestically. Ruumz in turn will be a ready channel to gain insight on online user behavior so that the group can tailor its strategies and services to better serve the online community.

"We are currently and will continue to communicate our key value propositions and branding initiatives via online channels, partnerships and positive word of mouth from our existing Ruumz members."

Branding and marketing aside Ruumz also manages to steer toward already existing platforms for music, movies, images with tools such as 'musicruum' which is a music subscription service with unlimited legal downloads of songs, photo printing services where ruumzsters' can directly print their online photo album with free delivery to anywhere in Malaysia.

Their contests and events that seamlessly merge the online and offline worlds; for example the current Most Wanted Ruumate search, and other features such as our global chatroom, our blogstream, and our unique ruumz "lite" services available through your mobile phone, at ruumz.com. The key USP comes from the fact that ruumz is a service delivery platform over a living community. This means they are able to support both free and paid services over their platform, and the choice is entirely up to the ruumzsters to consume what they want.

"Our target market ranges from the ages of 15 to 35 years of age, and we plan to attract them through a combination of online and offline activities which encourages our target market to participate by being a ruumzster, and also by providing unique features and services which we believe will be appealing to them and is unique to ruumz." says James Chong

As digital content starts to pave the way of the future, so too will Ruumz seek to ride the wave.

"Ruumz today has significantly new features and differences from 3 months ago, and Ruumz by the end of this year will change and be improved substantially too, with more and better services, and new features added. The only way to stay relevant in the online space is to keep up with the speed of developments and trends online. The rewards will only come as long as Ruumz stays relevant."

Constantly seeking to stay in touch with its users, Ruumz.com seeks to make Ruumz a really fun, entertaining, engaging, useful and meaningful online space to hangout. The concept behind Ruumz is that it is your own Ruum, and the whole Ruumz community are like your people in the same apartment block or city with you - some are your friends, some you know, some you don't. Not only can you share with your friends what you want to, but you can also go to various other Ruumz to explore and be entertained, such as 'musicruum', 'chatruum', (and upcoming) 'gameruum', 'partyruum', 'diningruum', etc.

Ruumz manages to enjoy increasing membership interest from other potential Ruumzters (300,000 users are estimated by the end of 2009) by living in an ideal, the idea that ""build it, let them know why they should come, and listen and improve to make them stay".

Advertisers and media planners know what they want very well, whom they want to reach and the results they would like to achieve. James Chong is adamant that the concept is about sharing with them how Ruumz as a platform will help them reach their target market and goals. Whether it's online or offline advertising, the objectives remain the same.

"We think online advertising in Malaysia is near its tipping point, and once it is clear that online can reach certain target segments as well as, if not better than, traditional channels, it will drive itself. Ruumz is able to understand the behavior, needs and interests of their target markets, and deliver targeted and customized messages and offers directly to them; that transcends formulaic lines beyond demographics and age groups."

Build an overall online strategy around engaging their target audience, letting them understand the benefits of your service and products, and allow them to spread your message themselves not because they have to, not because they are paid to, but because they want to. It goes beyond banner ads and click-throughs, as that is equivalent to paying somebody to walk in your shop, and hoping they will read your brochures and find out themselves what exactly makes you different and how you will improve their lives.

"It shouldn't stop there." Says the Executive Vice President of Product Services

Clearly Ruumz is not just a billboard or a poster on the way but an interactive "two-way" experience.