COMMENT: Local views will aid in navigating creative minefield after 9/11

<p>Advertising is clearly playing a significant role in America's </p><p>catharsis. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Patriotism (if handled appropriately) is bringing people hope. Agencies </p><p>have taken the lead in understanding changing customer opinion, and a </p><p>raft of new campaigns have helped Americans adapt to their new </p><p>reality. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Equally, Asian agencies need to lead their clients - but where to? For </p><p>us, the task is deeply complex. Asia's reaction is multi-faceted, </p><p>unexpected and at times perhaps even contradictory to that of the West. </p><p>The result is that few clear patterns are emerging about an 'Asian' </p><p>viewpoint. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The key to reacting appropriately is to understand that different </p><p>countries see the crisis from different points of view. Each sees the </p><p>situation through a lens of their own concerns, and brings cultural </p><p>assumptions that can be very unexpected. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In much of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, Muslims view the US </p><p>bombings in Afghanistan as an attack on them - even if they were </p><p>horrified by the attacks on New York and Washington. US brands doubtless </p><p>need to develop damage limitation plans, yet asking themselves all the </p><p>while: is all what it seems? In Indonesia, for example, many people </p><p>believe the anti-US rioters are being paid. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Hong Kong and Singapore, perhaps true to their natures, seem gripped by </p><p>the psychological impact of a recession that was already gathering pace </p><p>before 9/11. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>So what advice can we give to those who want their marketing to be </p><p>'appropriate'? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Above all, Westerners and expats need to recognise that for many Asians, </p><p>9/11 was not the rude awakening that it was for many of us. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>It didn't shatter the Asian sense of security (because few Asian </p><p>countries would be direct targets themselves). It didn't alter the Asian </p><p>perception of the world geo-political order (because Asia as a trading </p><p>bloc and diplomatic entity is much what it was before). It remains </p><p>largely, at this point, an economic catastrophe. Our marketing </p><p>approaches must be born of this reality. We, as an agency community, </p><p>need to understand the implications of the Afghan war from a local point </p><p>of view. That involves talking to each other - agencies need to </p><p>encourage a frank and uncluttered dialogue to harness local points of </p><p>view. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>We also need to tailor our messages to address human problems, resulting </p><p>from the crisis, from local people's perspectives - but we shouldn't </p><p>feel the need to make the new reality a focal point if it does not </p><p>belong. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Already, recurrent news images of war and destruction are beginning to </p><p>be seen as "boring", and there is a desire for happier, lighter </p><p>imagery. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>And finally, we must remain constantly alert to hidden messages that </p><p>might be conveyed inadvertently. One Indonesian bank is believed to have </p><p>recently changed its ad layouts to depict local currency rather than US </p><p>dollars. Little matter that Indonesians want to save dollars - the bank </p><p>did not want to risk being seen as unpatriotic or too pro-American. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>