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Fighting the Giants: The Case of a New Player

Today’s business environment is dynamic and current business competition is characterized by some authors as hyper-competition. For a new player, sustainable competitive advantage is a crucial indicator of success. SimplySiti is a new brand in the beauty industry in Malaysia having being established in 2008 and launched in 2010. Amidst the presence of more established global competitors like L’Oreal, Avon and Estee Lauder in the Malaysian market, SimplySiti has done fairly well. Much of its success is attributed to fast acceptance by the market as the main target market for this brand are fans of Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza, the most popular Malaysian singer with vast following not only in Malaysia but across countries such as Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and the Middle East. The brand itself is associated with Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza as she is the founder and the driver of this brand and she is involved in marketing and promoting this brand directly. This case study highlights how a newly established local business competes with the more established global players. Specifically, the article analyzes how SimplySiti thrives in the midst of very strong and much-established competitors and the direction it takes to steer the company in the next phase of its establishment.