Read It Once, Then Read It Again
Finally, someone understands. I am a young brand, in fact, a young Asian brand. Like many of my ethnicity, I am conservative but ambitious, proud but humble, contemporary but misunderstood.
And as other young Asian brands today, I welcome new ideas and appreciate the experience of others, but I also want to be recognised for the unique person I am and the challenges I face. I voraciously seek help in understanding how I can fit, no, succeed in today’s ever-evolving world. But I am constantly disappointed with the superficial, often arrogant, always shortsighted views written about me and what I must do.
That is why I took the time out of my busy day, between SMS’s and long lunches, to read Dr Paul Temporal’s new brand treatise Advanced Brand Management. Of all Asian-aware strategists, of which there are actually few, Oxford-educated, Singapore-based, Dr Temporal is one of the most prolific, having written insightful books on CRM, Internet marketing, strategic positioning and corporate charisma. But it was Dr Temporal’s Branding in Asia that put him on the top of my reading list. Needless to say, my expectations were high.
To my Asian brand-brethren all I can say is if you are content with who you are, stay clear of this book. However, if you’re like me, and want to understand what the future has in store for us, read it once, the read it again. Advanced Brand Management is more than an exhaustive, practical toolkit for creating and managing brands like us. It is also a warning to our handlers, the brand managers, to fundamentally change the role we play in our companies, and with our consumers.
Through more than 25 corporate case studies, Dr Temporal demonstrates the need for today’s successful brands to not only take the lead and actually drive corporate strategy (instead of corporate strategy driving brands), but also become more emotional and consumer-centric.
Are these new ideas? No. But the 11 Asian case studies, ranging from Hello Kitty to Singapore Airlines with Haier and Acer in between, are fresh and familiar. Finally, we have a book that translates foreign (Western) brand management techniques into local (Asian) context through relevant, meaningful examples.
But more impressive than all of the strategic tools outlined in the book, and there are many, is Dr Temporal’s plea for brand managers to roll up their sleeves, and get their hands dirty with the job of simply learning more about our consumers. Dr Temporal advocates the elevation of consumer research, CRM, and lifestyle segmentation to better understand and touch our consumers in more meaningful and emotional ways.
“Emotion is the key to gaining consumer acceptance, friendship and lastly loyalty … simply put, rationally based branding doesn’t work in a world where parity is the norm.” Again, are these new ideas? No. But as he demonstrates with a Unilever Malaysia’s case study, these ideas are both needed and possible in our own backyard.
In pondering the future, as all of us young Asian brands tend to do, I’d ask Dr Temporal to dig even deeper into who we are, and in your next book, offer ideas on how we can better leverage our cultural differences, as well as similarities, to our advantage. As you succinctly state, “What brands actually do for people, and what people love and care for, will become a much more important determinant of success.”
If anyone can help us achieve this, it’ll be you. We’re counting on it.
- Dean Sciole, Regional Strategic Planner, Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore
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“Paul Temporal has written a remarkably insightful book on how to build strong brands. He addresses every issue in brand management with sound theories and marvelous examples. This is one of the best books on brand management to help any company build powerful brands.”
