Some branches are more than the blossoms that dance along their surface. Some, like the quince branch, tell their story through deep symbolism and historical significance. Our Crepe Paper Quince Branch video workshop draws from those rich elements, inviting you to recreate a little of nature’s magic.
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JUNE 10 — For decades, marketers relied on celebrities, spokespersons, and carefully crafted advertisements to influence consumer decisions. Today, however, influence is increasingly coming from a different source: the everyday experiences of ordinary individuals shared through digital platforms.
In the age of POV (point-of-view) content, consumers are no longer persuaded solely by what brands say. Instead, they are influenced by what they see others experience.
Point-of-view (POV) content, now common across Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, Facebook Stories, TikTok and lifestyle blogs, allows consumers to experience products, services, destinations and lifestyles through the eyes of others. Whether it is a restaurant review, a travel diary, a shopping haul, or a “day in my life” video, consumers are no longer merely receiving information; they are immersing themselves in someone else’s experience.
This shift has important implications for Malaysian consumer behaviour. Traditionally, consumers evaluated products based on price, quality, features and brand reputation. Increasingly, however, decisions are influenced by relatability and lived experiences. Consumers are drawn to content that feels authentic, personal and trustworthy. A recommendation from a relatable individual may carry more influence than a professionally produced advertisement.
One reason POV content resonates strongly with Malaysian consumers is its ability to inspire. Unlike traditional advertising that focuses on product features and sales messages, POV content connects audiences with real and relatable experiences. Whether it is a junior doctor sharing the realities of a demanding workday, a tourist discovering the cultural uniqueness of a destination, or a university student documenting the excitement of campus life, viewers can easily imagine themselves in similar situations. The appeal often lies not in the product or service itself, but in the possibility of achieving a desired lifestyle, experience or personal aspiration.
POV content is powerful because it allows consumers to experience events through another person’s perspective. Rather than observing from a distance, viewers become immersed in the narrative and emotionally connected to the experience. As consumers mentally place themselves within the story, the content becomes more authentic, memorable and influential.
The new currency of trust
Trust is being redefined in the digital marketplace. Malaysian consumers increasingly seek recommendations from individuals they perceive as relatable rather than relying solely on brand-generated messages. Over time, content creators build familiarity and credibility by sharing everyday routines, personal challenges, achievements and honest opinions in ways that feel genuine and unscripted.
This shift has also redistributed influence. Traditionally, brands relied heavily on celebrity endorsers and spokespersons to shape consumer perceptions. Today, an unknown content creator sharing a genuine experience can generate greater engagement and trust than a celebrity-backed campaign. While celebrities continue to play an important role in building awareness, consumers increasingly ask, “What does someone like me actually experience?” rather than “What does the celebrity recommend?” Authenticity, relatability and transparency are becoming more influential than fame itself.
The influence of POV content extends beyond trust and inspiration. Digital platforms have become spaces for social learning, where consumers observe how others work, travel, study, save money and manage their daily lives. Through repeated exposure, these behaviours become normalised and are often adopted. Malaysians are increasingly influenced not only by the products others use but also by the habits, routines and lifestyles demonstrated online.
Consumption behaviour is therefore shaped less by promotional messages and more by observation and imitation.
This phenomenon reflects a broader transformation in the digital marketplace. Increasingly, consumers seek experiences, meanings and identities that align with who they are or who they aspire to become. Products and brands have become symbols through which individuals express their values, aspirations and sense of self.
In many ways, consumers are no longer buying products; they are buying into stories. They are purchasing narratives of success, wellness, adventure, sustainability, achievement and belonging. The product often becomes secondary to the meaning it represents.
The expanding influence of POV content
The implications of POV culture extend far beyond retail. Prospective students watch “a day in university life” videos before selecting a programme. Travellers explore destinations through immersive content before making bookings, while financial consumers increasingly learn from the experiences of peers navigating investment and budgeting decisions. The power of POV content lies in making information more relatable, accessible and personally relevant.
The same trend is visible across healthcare, education, tourism and public communication. Organisations are increasingly recognising that audiences engage more deeply with lived experiences than with conventional promotional messages.
From a marketing perspective, this represents a shift from information-driven marketing to experience-driven marketing. Consumers no longer engage with content solely to obtain information. They seek entertainment, inspiration, social connection and a sense of belonging. The most effective brands are therefore not necessarily those that communicate the loudest, but those that enable consumers to experience products and services through credible, relatable and meaningful narratives.
However, the rise of POV culture also raises important questions. Are consumers making independent choices, or are they increasingly influenced by curated digital experiences? Are purchasing decisions driven by genuine needs or by the desire to replicate lifestyles observed online?
As artificial intelligence makes content creation easier and more sophisticated, distinguishing between authentic experiences and carefully constructed narratives may become increasingly challenging. The line between reality and representation is becoming blurred, highlighting the growing importance of digital literacy and critical consumption.
For businesses, future marketing success may depend less on how loudly brands communicate and more on how effectively they enable consumers to experience products through authentic and relatable storytelling. For consumers, the challenge is to remain aware of how these borrowed perspectives shape their preferences, aspirations and decisions.
Ultimately, the question facing Malaysian consumers is no longer whether digital content influences behaviour. The more important question is: whose perspective is influencing it?
* The author is a Professor of Marketing at the Faculty of Business and Economics, Universiti Malaya.
** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
June is officially here! We don't know about you, but we're rocking with rainbow this summer. Whether you're more of a butter yellow fanatic or a cherry red girl, there's a bag out there for you....
Picture a branch in its earliest stages of waking up for spring. Slender, a little bare, and then dotted with soft blooms that hint at what’s to come. That’s the inspiration behind our Crepe Paper Apple Blossom Branch Video Workshop. Delicate and hopeful—a gentle reminder that even the quietest beginnings can carry the promise of something beautiful.
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If you haven't picked a signature summer scent yet... what are you doing?
We all wish smell-a-vision existed, but since it doesn't (yet) we are making it easy to find the perfect perfume, and...
Lush, abundant, and endlessly romantic, our Crepe Annabelle Hydrangea brings garden elegance to this month’s master class collection. Made from clusters of tiny four-petaled florets, these oversized blooms create the kind of fullness that instantly transforms an arrangement. Meanwhile, the soft green-to-cream coloring gives each stem a fresh, natural softness that feels timeless in any season.
Featured in our new book, Paper Flower Garden, these Crepe Annabelle Hydrangeas also serve as the third flower in our new Paper Flower Garden Master Class. So, it builds upon the branching techniques introduced in our Crepe Meadowlark Forsythia and the color blending explored in our Crepe Paper Apricot Lemonade Cosmos. When you bundle the skills, tips, and techniques we explore in all three workshops, you walk away with enough knowledge to keep your gorgeous indoor garden forever in bloom.
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One of the greatest things about crafting is all of the wonderful discoveries that can happen while you're creating, learning, and trying new things. In celebration of those unexpected moments that can be so rewarding, we are showing you how to make crepe paper cosmos cupcakes today!
If you're unfamiliar with cosmos cupcakes, this flower variety was a happy accident, discovered in 2007 by a gardener in California. After spotting some cosmos in her garden with unique cup-shaped blooms, she saved the seeds, planted them, and nurtured them for years. Once the unique trait was stabilized, she sold the seeds to a horticultural company in England that's known for developing unusual plants. Now, it's their best-selling seed and has even won an award! Pretty amazing, right?
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Not every gorgeous green plant needs sunlight and water to look its best. Some plants simply need a sharp pair of scissors, a bit of patience, and a curling tool to really shine. Our Cardstock Potted Fern Plant brings that fresh botanical look indoors—no soil or bugs required.
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A quick glance at Icelandic poppies, and you’ll notice they don’t behave like other blooms. Instead of holding a perfect form, they open wide, ripple at the edges, and shift with the light. In this Crepe Paper Icelandic Poppies Video Workshop, you’ll work with that natural movement and recreate a flower that feels loose, expressive, and full of life. As part of our Spring Garden Series inside Craft Academy, alongside our other brand-new blooms, this project helps you build a bouquet that feels polished and intentional.
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Soft, painterly, and glowing with warm summer color, our Crepe Paper Apricot Lemonade Cosmos feels like a watercolor bouquet brought to life. With buttery yellows, blush pinks, and soft apricot tones blending across every petal, these delicate blooms bring a light, airy beauty to this month’s collection. Their wispy stems and open faces add effortless movement to any arrangement.
Featured in both our new book, Paper Flower Garden, and our Paper Flower Garden Master Class, this flower continues the creative journey introduced in our Crepe Meadowlark Forsythia workshop. However, while the forsythia focused on branching structure and movement, this video workshop will explore color layering and artistic variation in a much more expressive way.
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Contrary to popular belief, not every flower both looks and smells good. However, that’s not the case with Chocolate Cosmos, known for its deep, velvety color and its subtle cocoa-like fragrance. Our Crepe Paper Dark Chocolate Cosmos video workshop captures this flower’s rare, exotic elegance in crepe paper for a project that’s both dramatic and playful.
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The right web design company can optimize your website for higher conversions. But who knows your customers better? You, or the design team you plan to hire? Because businesses and their customers have industry- and niche-specific needs, it’s critical that your web design company understands your business.
Great design happens when your customer knowledge meets designer expertise. But that isn’t enough anymore. You will also need search engine optimization (SEO) and conversion rate optimization (CRO).
Ruler Analytics reported in 2025 an average conversion rate of just 2.9% across fourteen industries. This means there is massive optimization potential.
Source: Ruler Analytics
With search traffic declining and zero-click searches becoming the norm, isn’t it time you optimized your website for conversions? This is where the right web design company comes in.
Choosing which web design company to hire is more complex than ever, as skill sets vary among developers. So, start with your business goals.
Do you only need a website or does it need to integrate with internal or third party systems, your CRM, or dashboards? Will you be integrating existing processes or is developing them part of this project’s roadmap?
Most web designers are not developers capable of building complex systems. Many do not even have experience integrating existing systems. There is also a difference between UX/UI designers and UX/UI developers. You need both, but you may not need AI UI/UX design or development.
What is your vision for the totality of how your website interacts with existing processes?
Most businesses think in terms of individual needs:
These individual needs vary by type of business. If there is a business case for it and you have the funding, integrating everything into an all-encompassing solution may be preferable.
But how do you know what to build? Take the advice of Marc Caposino, founder of the AI Design Agency Fuselab Creative:
“The best user research happens in the wild. Watch how people currently solve the problem you’re addressing. What workarounds have they created? Where do they get frustrated? What do they do immediately after they complete the task?”
If you want to go beyond just having a website built, find an agency that has demonstrated success with similar projects.
Your business may seem simple to you because it is what you know. However, for many niches, that simply isn’t accurate. Stick to designers who specialize in your industry.
Most designers will have a page showing a portfolio that allows you to click through to live websites. Study their layouts and make notes about what you like and dislike.
When you’re searching for web designs, choose sites for businesses in your niche that are most similar to your own. For example, if you own a dental practice, search for “dental website design”. You may even want to look for differences between a site for a pediatric dentist versus an oral surgeon.
Some designers make that easier. For example, this dental web design portfolio uses filter tabs at the top to make navigation of their design portfolio intuitive and efficient.
Do not expect every web development company to be familiar with the requirements of your business. It is up to you to make sure they are qualified.
That is why I recommend you work with a company with experience in your industry. Here’s an example.
Dentistry doesn’t seem complicated. Everyone knows a dentist. But every dental practice offers different procedures. Not all do implants or offer Invisalign. Within dentistry, there are also specialties, such as orthodontists, pediatric dentists, oral surgeons, periodontists, and others.
While they all have a primary goal of scheduling patient appointments, some use a simple appointment form while others integrate with dental management software such as Dentrix and Oryx. Inquire whether the company you plan to hire is familiar with integrating any industry-specific applications your business uses.
Make a list of every application essential to your business. Determine which applications the developer you hire will need to incorporate into your website.
Include your:
Failure to plan could mean delays and increased costs if you have to hire additional specialists or programmers to complete your project.
Use behavioral analytics tools to analyze how visitors to your site use it. There are many paid options, as well as the free option Microsoft Clarity. This video explains how this type of tool works and the pros and cons of HotJar versus Microsoft Clarity.
Now that you can do this at no cost, why wouldn’t you? Analytics tools can answer questions such as:
The answers to these questions can be indicators that your design needs improvement.
Ideally, your business should be willing to accommodate whatever your potential customers want in terms of how booking and other processes work.
I’ve had younger clients who only wanted customers to book their own appointments, yet they were running ads targeting an older, more prosperous demographic–then becoming unhappy that it was making their phone ring!
Over the decades, I’ve seen many sad stories of businesses losing traffic and incoming links because they launched a new website without 301 redirects of the existing URLs.
Any time you do a website redesign, an SEO expert should be involved. This is essential to avoid technical mistakes, slow load times, poor mobile responsiveness, or bad UX. If the development company will be handling the technical SEO of your site, ask for references specific to their SEO capabilities.
When you’re negotiating the contract for your website, make sure testing is included. A final testing process that catches problems before launch is essential. Even if the development company is doing this testing, repeat it in-house as well. Have someone with strong attention to detail read every page and test every link, form, and integration.
If you use third-party solutions, verify that those work and are optimally configured. For example, appointment setting apps may have two to three steps or as many as 14! Every additional step can reduce conversions. If one-click checkout works best for Amazon, why would anyone think asking 14 questions is a good idea?
Reassess what information you’re asking potential customers for. Call in a few favors and observe others go through the process of buying or booking on your website. Any confusion will cause abandonment, so watch for any hurdles that slow the process.
With search traffic declining, it's crucial to make the most of every visitor to your site by increasing conversions. To do this, you’ll need to streamline appointment scheduling and checkout processes to ensure as little friction as possible.
Remember that your website is an extension of your brand’s reputation. To make a great impression on visitors, you’ll want to make sure everything works perfectly.
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