Malaysian Dream Girl.

Why are there so many blogs bitching about the controversy that who won and who they think should win? Is it really that important to actually take time to blog about it? Who cares if Cindy won?! Why does it even matter?

Why do people have this fascination with glamour girl socialites when these people will hardly bother about us? Don't get me wrong, I am not branding these girls as mere pretty dumb blondes. I believe many of them are a lot more talented than me, earns a whole lot more than I can ever hope to, and are far better educated than me. Good for them. My point is, I don't care.

What I am concern on is the fascination of our generation with empty glamour lifestyles. We work hard to keep up with the Jones next door. We work hard to afford a certain lifestyle in the hope of earning the respect and admiration of those who are of "higher class." Well the sad truth is that if people do not like you because of your social status, they will still not like you irrespective of how much more you make. They will continue to look down on you. Move on. There are far more people who care about you if only you stop behaving like another arrogant upwardly mobile ambitious jerk.

Blogs are mainly dominated by young people who form the next generation. I use blogs as good reference to understand the interests and fads of the young (Gosh why do I talk like I am so old...maybe I am...). But based on what I read around the blogospheres, I am worried on how are we going to survive the challenges of the next century. With the looming energy crisis, food crisis, climate change, and the lot.

Bitching aside, I was pretty oblivious to this whole Malaysian Dream Girl thing all along. Until today only I understood what was it all about, when I found out that Nissan was doing a tie-up with the event.

As I didn't pay any attention to the media blitz, I couldn't comment much on Nissan's interesting foray. Up until now, no other car brand in Malaysia has tie-up with such an event, not that I know of at least. The closest I can think of is Mercedes-Benz sponsorship for the KL Fashion Festival, which I think fits perfectly into the Mercedes brand image. The KL Fashion Festival is a high society high glamour sophisticated event, its fits perfectly into the lifestyle and interests of a typical Mercedes-Benz customer.

But Malaysian Dream Girl and Nissan...the link is a bit blur to me. My view is that even women themselves would not aspire to drive a "sissy" car. Women drivers are in fact far more sophisticated and harder to attract because they expect everything that men look for, and then even more. And they are usually more rational than men when it comes to vehicle purchase. Cars who are associated too close to the feminine side have hardly done well in sales. Just look at the cute VW Bettle, which even has a tiny flower vase on the dashboard. It's true. Constrast this to the marketing efforts done by BMW for the Mini Cooper. Both women and men aspire to own it.


But still...it is a worthwhile effort if Nissan's intention is to attract the attention of young, successful female professionals etc. Like I said, I didn't much attention so I can't comment much if it was a good effort.

However looking at the website, I think things could have been done a lot more better. I am not quite sure if the content of the promo is suitable for the target audience. I would guess that the gender mix ratio of Malaysian Dream Girls viewers are slightly more bias towards women, with the rest being one of those "I-am-so-cool-dudes." Thus, I am not too sure if the vehicle features highlighted and the way they are presented is suitable.

Take for example this phrase :
MR18DE / HR16DE Newly Designed Engine

Spirited in design and performance, the Nissan LATIO promises impressive torque and superb handling to equate to driving joy. Compact and lightweight, this all-aluminium 4-cylinder engine is equipped with CVTC (Continuously Variable-valve Timing Control) & Drive-by-Wire technology to enhance intake/ exhaust efficiency, environmental friendliness and torque while reducing noise, friction, and fuel consumption. All these contribute to smooth acceleration and responsive handling.

MR18DE – Max. Power: 126ps/5,200rpm, Max Torque: 174Nm/4,800rpm
HR16DE – Max. Power: 109ps/6,000rpm, Max Torque: 153Nm/4,400rpm

That's a whole lot of gibberish to the average Malaysian Dream Girl viewer. And do women buy cars because it has a lightweight aluminium engine with variable valve control? Or for its power output? I don't think so. And then they went on and on about its Intelligent key etc etc.

Most Nissan have a very useful feature not found in many other Japanese cars in its price range - its keyless entry will only unlock the driver's door at the first press, illuminating the vehicle's interior. This is a particularly useful feature for single women in empty parking lots. It prevents carjackers from entering the vehicle from the other doors, and the illumination alerts the driver of anybody lurking inside the car. Why wasn't this communicated?

The car has very good all-round visibility and the controls are very light and easy to use around the city. Thus, space judgement in tight cities is a breeze. So too is parking and tight U-turns. Why wasn't this highlighted as well?


The Latio has a massively huge glovebox. Perfect for women! I know of many women drivers who have to hide their handbags under the seat for fear of thieves on motorcycles smashing the window and running away with their handbags, while the vehicle is stationary at a traffic light / traffic jam. Again, the car has so many features that would interest a lady, but its kept "hidden."

There, now I want my sales promo commission from Nissan.

PS. By the way, are they really such dream girl? I am also a regular testosterone charged guy. Honestly I don't dream of any of them. I might give a couple of glances if any of them walk by, but dream girls? I duno, I am weird, as usual. Glamour girls hardly turn me on.