University Students Steal the Show at inaugural MAA TRAILBLAZERS: The Ad-venture Challenge

Kuala Lumpur, May 27, 2025 – University students took centre stage at the inaugural MAA
TRAILBLAZERS: The Ad-venture Challenge, powered by BillUps and hosted by the

Malaysian Advertisers Association (MAA), sweeping two of the top three spots, including the
coveted champion’s title. The fast-paced, “Amazing Race”-style marketing competition saw
Malaysia’s brightest young marketers – many still in university – outshine agency pros and
industry veterans as they raced from challenge to challenge, putting their creativity and
teamwork to the test.

The champion team, ‘AiScReam’ comprising students from Sunway University, captured the
judges’ attention with their inventive strategies, quick thinking, and infectious team spirit – that bold ideas and fresh perspectives can take on the best in the business. Hot on their heels was ‘Team TD’ – another outstanding student team from Taylor’s University, claiming second place after a fierce, day-long contest. Rounding out the top three was the team from Heineken Malaysia, demonstrating that industry professionals were also very much in the running amid the fresh energy and bold ideas brought by student teams.

“Seeing not one, but two university student teams take the top spots at MAA TRAILBLAZERS
was a nice twist to the day. It sends a clear message about the bright future of our industry. But
what brought a smile to me was seeing the full spectrum of the industry, young and senior,
running around excitedly having fun, with energy and ideas, away from the confines of the walls
and boundaries that often keep us apart,” said Claudian Navin Stanislaus, President of MAA.

But the win was just part of the story. MAA TRAILBLAZERS was designed to mimic the real
pace and pressure of life in the marketing industry — from rapid-fire ideation to juggling
competing tasks and delivering ideas under client-like scrutiny, even to knowing the regulations
that govern it. While the competition was fierce, the day was essentially about having fun,
learning new skills, but more importantly building connections.

For participants, the real adventure began the moment they piled into their assigned cars –
maps in hand, clues on their phones, laughter and nerves mingling as they sped off to secret locations across town. Each pit stop brought a creative challenge, testing teamwork and improvisation at every turn.

Teams worked together on the fly, pushing creative boundaries as they moved from challenge to challenge—fighting their way up the leaderboard, mirroring the high-energy atmosphere of the industry.

The competition also saw lucky teams draw a mentor each, as Abdul Sani bin Abdul Murad (RHB Banking Group), Chan May Ling (CelcomDigi), Hassan Alsagoff (Grab), and Schrene Goh (MRT Corp), who provided guidance, encouragement, and were active members of the team.

For many, it was a rare opportunity to not just get up close with Malaysia’s marketing movers, shakers, icons and bosses, but to see them in a different light — as colleagues and friends — without boundaries of hierarchy or domain. The event wrapped with an awards ceremony that celebrated not just the winning team, but all the MAA TRAILBLAZERS who stepped up and gave their all.

MAA TRAILBLAZERS: The Ad-venture Challenge reflects MAA’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of marketers, encouraging creativity, and building future-ready advertising talent. The event was made possible thanks to the support of title sponsor BillUps. The world’s largest independent OOH agency, saw the value in building something new that brings the people in the industry back together.

It was its first-of-its-kind format and its people-focused objective that appealed to the other sponsors like AEON, Coca-Cola, Grab, Heineken Malaysia Berhad, Nestle, Spectrum Outdoor and KL Wellness City too.

Together they helped make the event not just an unforgettable experience, but a great start of something new. Building on this momentum, MAA looks forward to welcoming even more young marketers and creative thinkers to participate in defining the industry into one that evolves and resonates with them – and not be held back by doing the same old things just because that’s how it’s always been done!

For more about MAA’s mission and upcoming events, visit the MAA website at malaysiaadvertisers.com.my or connect with us on LinkedIn.