It's time for Asia to realize the importance of 'ad value'
It's time for Asia to realize the importance of 'ad value'
Lie Hua, Contributor, Jakarta
Asian Branding -- A Great Way to Fly;
By Ian Batey;
Prentice Hall, Singapore, 2002;
X + 413 pp;
S$43.50
Ian Batey, who has over three decades of advertising and
marketing experience in Asia, begins this book by outlining his
three strong beliefs.
The first is that this century is Asia's century, but it is
also the consumers' century, with branding playing a pivotal role
in marketing. The third point is that in this century there is
little difference in the pattern of behavior between Asian and
western consumers, and any remaining distinctions between the two
will disappear by 2020.
Interestingly, Batey notes that if a marketer comes to Asia
today, he will find more or less the same phenomena as in the
West. The communication gap between East and West has shrunk so
considerably that not only business methods and structure but
also tastes and education have become globalized. People in East
and West think and act homogeneously.
What does this all mean to Asian branding that is striving to
gain international recognition?
First, it must be realized that there is a marketing field out
there in the West that needs conquering. Then, thought must be
given to how an Asian brand has a peculiar value that appeals not
only to Asians but also to Westerners. Here lies the challenge.
Asian brands do not usually have such a long, established
pedigree as western ones, so they must go through an uphill
struggle to prove to global consumers that their products are
worth buying.
An important question to ask is: Who wants to buy me? Once
this is clear, the branding can be suited to its segment of the
market. Then, firms must know their competitors, and make sure
they know exactly what they are doing so that they can devise
their own marketing method to beat them.
Finally, they must make sure that the branding has a vision so
buyers know why they should buy the products. Flesh out the soul
of the brand, says Batey, who also warns that firms should not
sell mere attributes.
Batey believes that an easy way to look at a brand is to
consider it as a person. One must know exactly who this person
is, their characteristics and mannerism. Then think about how
they will be dressed and how, garbed that way, they will be
received by outsiders.
Like a person, a brand will be perceived individually by
different people depending on their life experience; it is wrong
to say that a brand will generally appeal to a group of people.
It must always be nurtured and contemporized, and while there
must be changes the essence remains. In this way the brand will
be an easy reference for buyers.
Batey provides copious examples of how certain Asian brands
struggled to gain international recognition, and how some failed
while others succeeded. He also dwells on his unforgettable
creation of the internationally famous Singapore girl in SIA
advertising, which made its debut in 1972 (and whose signature ad
line provides part of the book's title).
It's a deeply rooted brand but, with the passage of years, the
girl has also undergone changes although the fundamentals remain.
If one looks at the girl this year and compares her with the
young women used for the ad in the last two years, for example,
it's apparent that they are different persons but they convey the
same feeling, particularly in instilling confidence in the
airline. The SIA brand seeps through to the subconscious and as
the brand is contemporized, so is the consumer's belief in its
virtues.
Batey believes that quite a few Asian brands have the
potential of the Singapore girl. They may become global brands
with a global appeal and he predicts that will happen by 2020,
when the world becomes globalized and national borders are
conceptually eliminated.
The years ahead will be a mine field for firms but Batey, with
his rich experience of Asian advertising and marketing, patiently
does his part to lead Asian brand owners through the
difficulties. He focuses in later chapters of the book on
individual countries in Asia with great potential to go global
with their product brands.
The book is a must-read for every advertising and marketing
practitioner in Asia, especially those seeking brand-building
internationally.