In Asia, marketing 101 doesn’t work

February 08, 2010 |

As scores of companies have found out, Marketing 101 may not travel so well when taken to Asia. What are the caveats that marketers need to keep in mind when doing business in Asia? Harvard Business Review has some suggestions.

Take Google for example, which is often described as an underdog in this region. In Japan, it recently gained ground against frontrunner Yahoo, but only after it relaxed many of its long-standing marketing policies such as not allowing branding ads. Wal-Mart's warehouse retailing strategy failed to appeal to Korean consumers who wanted to buy in smaller units and more comfortable settings even if that meant higher than "everyday low prices." Christie's attempted sale of two looted Chinese relics set off a public relations nightmare that hurt the auction house's reputation in a market where collective sentiments sometimes override those of individuals.

These missteps provide good lessons not only to global companies already in Asia, but also to those planning to enter in the future.

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