The 360 Degree Brand in Asia

The Asia-Pacific region spans from India and Pakistan in the West to Japan and South Korea in the East. Asia is an emerging market for products and services. Its dynamic environment is easily able to absorbs new value and energy. It enlivening a new approach of marketing thinking and practices.

Characteristics
In Asia perspectives, branding is a marketing activity, which is adopted in the late 1980s and 1990s -- a new paradigm, compared to European market. Thus, the concept is very dynamic. However, Asian people are overall believed to tend to be 'future-focused', and looking forward, which are happen to be some of the advantages.

Asian are again, more receptive to endorsement, even more receptive than any other part of the world. Meaning, what people say about brand does matter. These practices are rely on channels, media, trade, and government relations.

A recent workshop in Kuala Lumpur shows us what differ Big Brands from the ordinary ones, among others:

• its international in scope and feel
• value to the experience
• builds from an important universal human truth
• multiple connections at various points of contact
• consistent style
• coherence in its marketing mix
• fresh recognizable look
• optimistic
• consistency in building brand experience

None of them talking about exact numbers, its more to the intangible factors that bear up the experience.


So Where to Start?

"Everthing does mater"

Dave Olsen - Starbucks' chief coffee guru

What single things was most important to Starbucks' success? Was it the coffee? The stores? The baristas? The sofa? In this context, building an exemplary distinguished brand, all words ended with question mark matters.

Affinity
So what makes consumer buy brands? A study in consumer behavior and the dept of their loyalty to brand is shown in the pyramid below.

Millward Brown developed stages in which all characteristics being equal. In Bonding -the peak of the pyramid-, customer feels that the brand can express their value, conveying their highest loyalty to the brand.

Investing in Brand Equity What can we learn from Haier, the Chinese appliance manufacturer, ranked seventh in Asia Brand Top 500, which now has factory in the US and 25% market share of the US small refrigerator market? By operating in several global market, Haier can compete internationally and become less vulnerable even when crisis hit Asia in 1997. The company has practiced theory that acquired by Kotler & Armstrong in the Model of Marketing Process.

The Challenge & The Block
The marketing culture in Asia is still blurred between selling and marketing. Practitioners are tend to rehearse selling - an essential practice derived from trading, rather than accomplishing the marketing itself. Once the obstacle defeated, the 360 Degree brand thinking is acquired.

So whenever people asked to name 10 Asia's leading regional brand, it can easily spring into their mind.