Ferocious debates still flare up every now and again about the
usefulness of Western marketing and advertising professionals working in
Asia-Pacific.
Some say Western expats would ultimately fail because they lack local
cultural knowledge.
Others argue that they bring with them the experience of working in some
of the most complex markets in the world.
Speakers at the recent MarCom Asia 2000 Conference in Hong Kong, stated
that as the Internet was breaking down borders and barriers, making the
world an even smaller place than ever before, it made sense to work
together rather than adopt an 'us versus them' attitude.
Ms Margaret Tsui, 2 Way St creative director, said, "Asians are more
creative, although sometimes the creative idea is not understood by our
Western counterparts. We are also more sensitive to local needs - but we
are less disciplined.
"On the other hand, Western marketers are more disciplined and they take
fewer risks. On these points alone, it is obvious that both sides bring
important things to the table."
D'Arcy group creative director Francis Cleetus went further, saying
there is no such thing as the Asian marketer.
The Malaysian marketer was different from the marketer from China, and
they in turn were different from the Taiwanese and Indian marketer, he
said.
He also said that marketers from North America and Europe brought to
Asia "exposure and experience in some of the most developed markets on
earth, hawking products and services to some of the most sophisticated
consumers known to man and fighting it out with some of the keenest
competitors ever".
"A broader international perspective is invaluable in advertising," Mr
Cleetus added.
"After all, it's fresh ideas that shape the fortune of brands. But they
may prove worthless or even disastrous without the power of local
insight."
Examples which he cited included Scandinavian vacuum cleaner
manufacturer Electrolux using the tagline, "Nothing sucks like an
Electrolux", in a US campaign and Clairol's launching its new curling
iron in Germany with the name "Mist Stick" where "mist" is slang for
manure in German.
