Evolution, Not Revolution: GUT Singapore’s Jessica Davey on Decoding the Nuanced Asian Market

In early 2004, I moved to Asia from Melbourne with a suitcase and a dream. Over 20 years later, having worked in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, South Korea and more, I find myself still learning – and I love that.

The English writer Samuel Johnson once famously said, “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life” and that is how I feel about Asia. This region is so innovative and challenging. It’s diverse and dynamic, full of so many different cultures and institutions yet also always pushing forward in its own inimitable way.

The old cliché ‘two ears, one mouth’ (listen twice as much as you speak) is fundamental here. Too often, a brand or company comes in and behaves exactly as it always has: same proposition, same marketing strategy, same product story – and that’s a grave mistake.

You need to start by listening to the culture and communities you want to engage with. While this is true when entering any new market, it is doubly so here.

There are times when a global platform or campaign hasn’t worked in Asia and there is a belief that the market just ‘didn’t understand’ the idea or that it was ‘too complex’. That is so dismissive and, quite frankly, racist. The reality is that the cultural codes of markets here are just different, they should be respected and help inform the strategy.

If a campaign didn’t work it is often because the brand (and their agency) didn’t do the work.

A perfect example was a famous global brand (which shall remain nameless) coming into a major market in Asia with their traditional (and generally very successful) product demo showing people sharing and enjoying their family-size ‘shareable’ food product. However, that market had a deeply ingrained cultural aversion to touching food with their bare hands (especially communally). Their global number two competitor took advantage of their mistake and launched with individually wrapped multipacks, and it became the only market where they dominated share.

There are nuances like this across many markets in the region which need to be considered when deciding how a product or person should be depicted, or how a brand can make a claim about their product. That’s why listening and spending time to understand how these markets and categories operate is critical.

This is especially important when it is a multinational or global company operating in an Asian market. Understanding those sensitivities and cultural semiotics will make all the difference in how the local audiences engage with the brand.

There is so much great work coming out of Asia that doesn’t get international recognition. Because the region is so complicated and nuanced, sometimes the impact of an idea in local culture isn’t as obvious until you explain WHY it was so brave. And a 90-second award film doesn’t allow for that kind of depth.

From my personal point of view, I have to acknowledge Ariel’s ‘Share the Load’ work in India by BBDO as being a great example of deep cultural understanding, amazing use of touchpoints, and an ongoing commitment to the platform. Really best in class.

I also loved Vaseline’s ‘Transition Body Lotion’ work from Ogilvy Singapore which won the Grand Prix at Cannes last year. A meaningful and respectful connection to a community, great co-creation with consumers, and strong proof of Vaseline’s brand ethos.

What this shows us is that you can often unlock real insights by looking deeper into the communities within culture rather than defining markets by their geography (such as Southeast Asia, East Asia and South Asia) which can be an easy mistake to make.

For instance, how does being a first time mother in the Philippines differ to a first time mother in Japan? Where are the insights similar versus diverging?

Speaking with clients across the region we are seeing a lot more focus on conscious consumerism and supporting local business. This is completely understandable given the current turbulent macroeconomic and political shifts.

This makes it even more critical that brands are relevant and engaged with the communities they want to connect with. It isn’t enough to just be a famous global brand, you have to find new and interesting ways to be part of the local culture.

At GUT we partner with many brands as their agency of culture, finding the right communities, occasions, and opportunities to deepen a brand’s relevancy through cultural impact and buzz. We are seeing a lot of clients here respond really well to that model because it gives them more flexibility and agility in their marketing spend, which is significant with so much pressure on budgets and ROI.

My advice to brands entering the market is, give your brand a real, relevant and relatable role in your audience’s lives. Outlining this is critical, as you will often have multiple well-established local brand competitors, as well as local behaviours and relationships with that category so understanding that context and what you can offer your new consumers is fundamental. The integrity of this approach is very important, so know that it will be a journey of earning trust.

Above all, switch from trying to create a ‘revolution’and, instead, partner with your consumers to drive ‘evolution’.