Tap the untapped market and create new market!

Residents of Balik Pulau and everyone now have an opportunity to enhance their business and reach more customers in the less tapped consumer region of Penang's southwest district (approximately half in size of the Penang island, and a population well exceeding 50,000) with the upcoming launch of the first marketing platform on an integrated printed and online media, dubbed the InfoBiz, produced by Pusat Komputer Balik Pulau, in collaboration with the Rural Internet Centre (Pusat Internet Desa - PID) of Balik Pulau.

While PID, situated at the annex of the local post office building, has been serving thousands of its neighborhood residents for over six years now since 2003, its current supervisor, Siti Huraizah Abdul Rahman, continues to realize how the local community still left very far behind in ICT adoption, particularly in Internet usage, estimated at well under 10% for the large parliamentary area covering Teluk Bahang, Pulau Betong (inclusive of the historic Kongsi Town) and Bayan Lepas (not including Bayan Lepas Industrial Area or Sungai Ara/Relau urban areas).

"In order to connect the community better, and faster, and immerse the residents with up-to-date business and social information, InfoBiz was incepted as an integrated media project combining the power of mass printed distribution, and online social media distribution", said Nasir Sobri who currently serves as Vice Chairman of Balik Pulau Social Entrepreneurs Club.

By advertising in the monthly issued InfoBiz, business owners can reach the largest optimum households in the rarely tapped market of Balik Pulau, and extend their marketing reach beyond Balik Pulau. This is due to collaboration with PID that has a large network of e-community throughout Penang, and its 42 centres around the country including Sabah and Sarawak with a total community of over 100,000.

Backtracking to PID - it is a Malaysian government initiative under the former Ministry of Energy, Water & Communications (KTAK) to close the digital divide in rural areas. Today, as PID being merged into the new Ministry of Information, Communications and Culture, the role of media in socio-economic development of rural areas is seen as an important and highly desired element to be explored extensively.

Siti Huraizah explains that plans are being worked out to enable the local community to tap the wealth of media world with future collaboration with many strong media agencies in the new ministry. "And the other PIDs across the nation can soon emulate similar projects in respective areas, and empower the respective communities with information and its technologies", she added.

Interested individuals who wish to order ad placement in the inaugural issue of InfoBiz, set to be published and first distributed on 1st of June 2009, may do so online, by of before 15 MAY 2009:

Pasarkan produk & perkhidmatan anda di Balik Pulau secara tertumpu, meluas dan berkesan, serta menjimatkan!

Offline form is also available upon request or by visiting Pusat Internet Desa at the Balik Pulau post office. PID is open every day, from 9am until 5pm except on Sunday and public holidays.