Much of my client work supporting Korea-facing business involves mentoring Marketing, Creative and Media leadership and teams. This has ranged from on-boarding new Chief Marketing Officers and Chief Creatives to CEOs and COOs of new Agencies of Record (AOR) as well as ongoing support across their teams. In fact, I have interacted with most of the top “A-list” Ad, Digital, Media and Marketing groups and their organizations.
I have come to find branding especially fascinating and peaking my interest. More so, the Korean and Asian approach to the market in contrast to the West.
One resource I’d like to share and that stands out is Branding In Asia.
They provide a wealth of information for the industry into Asia’s diverse and widely varied tastes. In particular, Branding in Asia explores exciting new ideas and creative concepts exploding from the mind of Asia. Please subscribe.
It is only timely, that I was just asked to share some thoughts in their magazine.
I’ve included two Q&As from the profile. For the full article go to: http://brandinginasia.com/don-southerton-interview/
Q: What is the biggest change you’ve seen in the business culture in Korea over the years?
A: For starters, Change is a constant within the Korean companies. As for corporate culture, Korean companies have found that as they expanded operations overseas the rigid norms and practices that worked well domestically needed to be adapted to local Western markets. In turn, this gap in cultures is well recognized by HQ teams who are in daily interactions with the West. Most recently, the leading Korean brands have crafted more global savvy corporate visions, core values and communications to reflect their international footprint and diverse workforce. In some cases, I have developed and shared these programs worldwide.
Q: You’ve said that Korea is the place for companies to start before moving into neighboring markets like China and Japan. Can you talk about that?
A: International market entry can be a huge challenge for Western brands looking at new opportunities. I have long seen Korea as providing a sound entry point for further expansion into China, Japan, India and Vietnam. Ever growing, Korean companies have divisions in these countries and have strong international business networks and supply chains. Options include partnering in a Joint Venture or Licensing Agreement with a local Korean firm, first for Korea, and then for a rollout across East Asia.
Again, for the full article go to: http://brandinginasia.com/don-southerton-interview/
One last thing…
Have a Korea-facing situation that needs addressing? Need some insights into Korea-facing business? In many cases, we can provide solutions and workarounds.
My personal assistant Stacey at stacey@koreabcw.com can coordinate a time for us to chat by phone, meet or handle by email.