After a few years of living in Asia it’s easy to kid yourself into thinking you have it all worked out. That you have unlocked all the nuances and subtle differences within the myriad of cultures here.
But it’s not a delusion that lasts too long – especially when you don’t speak enough of the local language well enough to order dinner properly. Pork brains anyone?But it’s fair to say that after a while you pick up on patterns of behavior that keep re-appearing, especially when you’re in the business of looking out for them. Of course these differences are dwarfed by bigger universal truths that connect us. As my colleague Richard, a strategic advertising planner for the region would say, these truths are what drive us underneath it all. The need for love, for acceptance, to not be alone, to be creative – and they are as relevant in Bangkok as they in Belgrade.
But overlaying these factors are other local truths that are the natural result of geography, history, language and religion. Not that Asia is mono cultural – there are obviously huge variations between and within the many countries in the region – but there are enough differences that need further exploring. Why? Because most articles and presentations and conferences I see in Asia are still mostly focused on western behavioral norms that are assumed will apply here. As if the only difference with Asia is that they are a bit behind the curve. And that’s a mistake.
It’s true that in a global society things can look similar in Asia – everything from the latest gadgets to the fast food and movies, all have a similar feel. But a closer look reveals that it’s not only the flavors that are different - what’s driving them also varies. Rather than mimic the west, people in Asia are changing cultural norms to suit their requirements and in the process creating something quite unique.
I’ve mapped out 5 differences below that I’ve noted – and I’m putting another 20 down in a book I’m writing. Hmm yes it’s book number 2; the first one is finished and in editorial terms ‘needs more work’ :)
Difference #1: Just western enough
While people want to show they are open to global trends and overseas tastes – they also respect and value their own ‘popular’ culture more than they used to. (They have generally always valued their traditional culture) It means that you like a local DJ, you admire a half-Asian celebrity, and watch local Asian movies and not just Hollywood fare. But it’s much more than just that overworked term Asian fusion. At a time when Korean and Japanese pop cultures are taking Asia by storm – it also means that you look to these cultures as popular role models as much as the west.
There is a new Asian pride for youth here and it means the traditional role model role of the west is shifting. As trend setters for music art and culture – Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo or rivaling London and New York. Asia is no longer looking to the west for validation. Influence yes, approval no. The balance of power in the culture wars is definitely changing.
Difference #2: A better digital reality
In the west there is a debate about whether online creates a new reality to rival the real one. In many parts of Asia, for youth there is no question – online can provide an escape to a world more rich and diverse than their own. In China youth are flocking online – through virtual games and social networking sites – where they can interact and escape in ways that their own economic and social limitations make impossible.
When you have to live at home with your parents until you are 30, when you have less social opportunity to meet the opposite sex, when Asian youth need to escape – you can do it online and it’s not an alternate reality. In many cases it’s a better reality. That’s why the growth in online games, in social networking and dating sites, and alternate reality communities and blogging – Asia will continue to lead the world.
Difference #3: My way, ok?
It’s an old cliché that collectivism rules over individualism in Asia – that rather than focus on what’s good for you it’s what is good for your family, company or group of friends. I’d put a different spin on this – people now do what they want to achieve in their own way. The influence of changing social and economic factors has meant the emergence of the success gene, although some would argue it was always there. But winning is different – it’s not just about showing off or just standing out from the crowd. It’s success achieved in a way that is acceptable (even if only superficially) to others. Asians are not loners and don’t generally want to stand out from the crowd as being different for difference sake. They want to stand out for success and want to be embraced for that.
That’s why there is very little fuck u attitude from Asian youth – they crave acceptance for what they achieve and strive hard to make it acceptable to older generations. Family still matters in Asia, but now it’s acceptable to put your own personal needs in there as well. That’s a tricky balancing act for many to strive to achieve. And it’s one of the reasons you see so many ads here with happy successful families with the nice house, new car and happy kids. That sort of aspiration is acceptable, at the moment the Donald Trump model is less so.
Difference #4: Mentors matter
Whether it’s the sempai/kohai relationship in Japan or P/Nong pairing in Thailand - so much of your personal relationships in education, family and the work place are dictated by your mentor or peer groups. These people will guide you on your path and the deference and respect you pay towards them is crucial to understanding the responsibility people feel for others in this part of the world. You simply don’t make it on your own here – you owe a debt to others which needs to be repaid.
When you get a handle on this you start to see how people’s actions make sense. You begin to see the influence these groups have in the in those at the work place or at college, and why people do things that are seemingly counter to logic or their own best interests. They are in their interests; they just have a wider view of it that’s all.
Difference #5: Heart on my sleeve
It’s a seeming contradiction – in so many Asian cultures, public displays of amorous affection are not seen in the best taste. And yet, public pronouncements of love or romantic desire are acceptable. One look at the movies, the pop songs and much of the literature in the region, and it seems very saccharine to the western taste. But for most people here it makes a lot of sense. There are different theories, for example that in more conservative societies it’s all that people can get away with. Or that it reflects a focus on family values, and less on individual and sexual selfishness, and is therefore officially embraced.
Well for me I think it’s that and something more. I’ll elaborate in my next post but I think the myth of romanticism is much more important here then in the west. We have had our social and sexual revolutions over hundreds of years – so we are generally (but not always as my gay friend would argue) up for a discussion on sexual freedom and liberation. Most of Asia has not had that revolution. And the pace of change has been so rapid whole societies and morals have been brought into question – almost over night. In that situation you hold on deeply to the myths that bind you with that past, even if they are just myths.
Asians by and large are not less promiscuous or less open to the changing of sexual mores. But the promotion of the romantic ideal is one way that people can still feel that the core values of family and fidelity are still alive and well. So while I see romantic illusion, many people here and in particular younger people, see virtue and strength. It gives them the re-assurance that some things still matter and there is nothing more powerful than a collective myth that binds people together. That’s why Valentines Day, romantic pop and romance novels are growing faster in Asia than anywhere else. Oh, along with porn that is. Hmmm…
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Selling Friends
Last week I went along to a private party in Bangkok that was unlike anything I’ve been to. It was held at a new swanky night club and was hosted by the local head of Herbal Life.
Now for those who don’t know what Herbal Life is – and I didn’t before I went – it’s a global personal-selling organisation like Amway. The wikipedia description is “an independent distributor selling personal care and nutritional products”. And depending on who you talk to it can either be a dangerous pyramid selling operation (outlawed in some countries) or an entrepreneurial enterprise offering anyone who works hard enough with a pathway to wealth and success.
Every month this guy invites about 1,000 people to this all expenses paid extravaganza – complete with free booze, celebrities and even a car giveaway. But far from being a wanker, this guy’s apparently very hard working and also incredibly nice to everyone who he knows.
But then as my mate Bo reminded me, being nice is his job.
At the moment I’m writing a book about the amount of commercial messages we all deal with, and the need to fight hard to create what I call neutral time - personal time to do what’s important for you.
One of the chapters is on the idea of ‘selling friends’. That is, as we become more skeptical of marketing and our media habits are more fragmented, friendship has started to become a renewed marketing battleground. And for a company nowadays finding it harder to sell through traditional media, what better way to sell then through someone your customers know and trust – your friends.
It certainly makes sense to the Amways or Herbal Life’s of the world. And they are not alone. Most of the clients I work for are working hard to take advantage of the social networks within their customers’ lives. Whether it’s a friend get friend promotion, a bonus offer for providing your mate’s email or setting up a product profile on Facebook – they’re all doing it. And many believe it makes perfect selling sense.
But, on a personal (and professional) level, it makes very little sense to me.
I mean what do you really think when a friend or family member tries to sell you an Amway product? Or your email address gets given away by a friend for a promotion they entered? And how about when you get added by a Myspace ‘friend’ who just wants sell you something?
For me it’s a complete turn off – both of the friend and the product. In my world, and I’m betting in yours too, our friends are not always ‘nice’. They’re often loud, smell bad and late – but they do have give us something we need. They provide a degree of trust and honesty; and least enough to tell it like it is.
In end, they are the antithesis of the sell.
If the rise in email, social networks and the online marketing that goes with it has taught me anything, it’s that friendships now have never being easier to create or maintain. A few key strokes or touch of a button is all it can take. But the flip side to that is that we could be creating an environment when people can turn off just as easily.
In an age where friendship becomes so replaceable, when you trade them in for embedded sales people, then I guess you might as well except your life has become a 24x7 supermarket where you are the commodity and the till is always ringing
I once sent a friend’s email to a company in exchange for a free t-shirt, and he was quite rightly pissed off. ‘Was the t-shirt worth it?’ he asked in an email. Fair question. And when I sat at that Bangkok party the other night and realised that half the people invited were friends of members who purpose were there to experience the glorious opportunities of the Herbal Life, I wonder what those friends thought? I wonder, in the end, whether they felt a little used and abused? A little less like a friend.
I think one of the things that defines a friendship these days is how well you respect their neutral time – their non-commercial space. This is not a question of what friends are more real than others, we all have varying level of intimacy with different people. It is simply an acceptance that now more than ever we need space away from the 24/7 sell, to be with people who provide us with a bit of a break from the infotainment bombardment.
So in all our work with social networks and blogs and communities - we look to add some value and make a brand useful rather than use their space and their relationships to sell ourselves.
Because as a real person, that's all I care about. I mean really... fuck Amway, forget the networking party and hook up with your flatulent friends. The only thing you’ll get out of it is a piece of sanity, but that’s gotta be worth something.
Now for those who don’t know what Herbal Life is – and I didn’t before I went – it’s a global personal-selling organisation like Amway. The wikipedia description is “an independent distributor selling personal care and nutritional products”. And depending on who you talk to it can either be a dangerous pyramid selling operation (outlawed in some countries) or an entrepreneurial enterprise offering anyone who works hard enough with a pathway to wealth and success.
Every month this guy invites about 1,000 people to this all expenses paid extravaganza – complete with free booze, celebrities and even a car giveaway. But far from being a wanker, this guy’s apparently very hard working and also incredibly nice to everyone who he knows.
But then as my mate Bo reminded me, being nice is his job.
At the moment I’m writing a book about the amount of commercial messages we all deal with, and the need to fight hard to create what I call neutral time - personal time to do what’s important for you.
One of the chapters is on the idea of ‘selling friends’. That is, as we become more skeptical of marketing and our media habits are more fragmented, friendship has started to become a renewed marketing battleground. And for a company nowadays finding it harder to sell through traditional media, what better way to sell then through someone your customers know and trust – your friends.
It certainly makes sense to the Amways or Herbal Life’s of the world. And they are not alone. Most of the clients I work for are working hard to take advantage of the social networks within their customers’ lives. Whether it’s a friend get friend promotion, a bonus offer for providing your mate’s email or setting up a product profile on Facebook – they’re all doing it. And many believe it makes perfect selling sense.
But, on a personal (and professional) level, it makes very little sense to me.
I mean what do you really think when a friend or family member tries to sell you an Amway product? Or your email address gets given away by a friend for a promotion they entered? And how about when you get added by a Myspace ‘friend’ who just wants sell you something?
For me it’s a complete turn off – both of the friend and the product. In my world, and I’m betting in yours too, our friends are not always ‘nice’. They’re often loud, smell bad and late – but they do have give us something we need. They provide a degree of trust and honesty; and least enough to tell it like it is.
In end, they are the antithesis of the sell.
If the rise in email, social networks and the online marketing that goes with it has taught me anything, it’s that friendships now have never being easier to create or maintain. A few key strokes or touch of a button is all it can take. But the flip side to that is that we could be creating an environment when people can turn off just as easily.
In an age where friendship becomes so replaceable, when you trade them in for embedded sales people, then I guess you might as well except your life has become a 24x7 supermarket where you are the commodity and the till is always ringing
I once sent a friend’s email to a company in exchange for a free t-shirt, and he was quite rightly pissed off. ‘Was the t-shirt worth it?’ he asked in an email. Fair question. And when I sat at that Bangkok party the other night and realised that half the people invited were friends of members who purpose were there to experience the glorious opportunities of the Herbal Life, I wonder what those friends thought? I wonder, in the end, whether they felt a little used and abused? A little less like a friend.
I think one of the things that defines a friendship these days is how well you respect their neutral time – their non-commercial space. This is not a question of what friends are more real than others, we all have varying level of intimacy with different people. It is simply an acceptance that now more than ever we need space away from the 24/7 sell, to be with people who provide us with a bit of a break from the infotainment bombardment.
So in all our work with social networks and blogs and communities - we look to add some value and make a brand useful rather than use their space and their relationships to sell ourselves.
Because as a real person, that's all I care about. I mean really... fuck Amway, forget the networking party and hook up with your flatulent friends. The only thing you’ll get out of it is a piece of sanity, but that’s gotta be worth something.
Getting Screwed
There is a quote in the popular crime novel set here in the City of Angels (Krung Thep) called ‘Bangkok Eight’, that goes something like this:
“Foreigners come to Bangkok to feed their souls. They are empty vessels who fill their own lives with shopping malls and burgers, then come over here for the cheap women and fake watches. Like the hungry ghosts we superstitious Thais still believe in, farang come here with a distant stare in their empty eyes. They come here to screw us – in every sense of the world. But in the end they only sell themselves.”
That may seem to be a harsh summation of all the west has to offer, but spend enough time around the tourist and sex-trade areas in Bangkok, that I call my neighborhood, and you can see where the sentiment comes from. You do not see the best we have to offer.
Sorry but most tourists in my neighborhood are old, fat men here for not much more than a couple of days of sleaze. Actually most Thais don’t judge this too harshly on the surface – they are very open to prostitution themselves (95% of the sex trade in Bangkok is actually for Thais – prostitution is a way of life here) and most realize the huge economic inflows that this brings to local and regional economies. Besides, Thais don’t get too hung up about sex.
But dig a little deeper and you realize this is the face of the west that many see in the east – and this is the perception you will wear while you are here – like it or not. Like anywhere in Asia you find yourself viewed through prisms such as the ugly tourist or the violent/ competitive TV show – forever dividing the world into strong or weak, winner or loser. The result is that many Asians think you are here just to hit and run. It’s masked with politeness and smiles, but it‘s always there. The expectation is that you are here to screw the locals for all they are worth. It’s nothing hostile – just a feeling you get. walking on the street, dealing with Thais in shops, or in the office. And I think the west pretty much has itself to blame.
Not because that is all that we are – but for presenting ourselves like this. As someone who is in the image business – I totally understand the perception. What do we expect if that’s all they see and hear about us? The west has a huge image problem in Asia. We are darkly viewed as consumer driven, violent and lacking any real belief system beyond personal success. And we are losing the war, the hearts and minds of Asia, very quickly.
The Chairman of DDB worldwide in the Us (DDB was my former employer) Keith Reinhard smartly recognized this problem, in particular for American companies. Last year he formed Business for Diplomatic Action, a nonprofit organization that is trying to combat anti-Americanism abroad after doing some worrying research on the topic. Their research highlighted that:
1) American companies are seen as exploiters and they take more than they give back; 2) American companies promoted values that are in conflict with local cultures, mores and religion; 3) Americans are viewed as insensitive and arrogant-Americans assume everyone wants to be like them; 4) American companies only want to sell.
You could apply that research here to most western companies, and pretty much to all Farang!! The challenge has grown immensely with situations such as the Iraq war, but importantly he’s said the solution is NOT to make TV ads to change these perceptions. It is about encouraging real change.
Mr. Reinhard is fighting back with a comprehensive program of ideas, including a booklet of dos and don'ts for youngsters traveling abroad; English-language classes for those in other countries; a reality show; and several documentaries highlighting the good that American corporations do. He is even contemplating rap sessions for young people led by hip-hop artists.
Bravo for him What I’d add to Mr Reinhardt’s ideas though is that the west needs to help communicate what else is good about us, beyond our commerce, out here.
When I tell people here I’d gone to an art gallery on weekend, they were surprised I ventured beyond shopping malls. If the west is to change our perception here it will be about demonstrating the things that make us different – our art, science, philosophy and culture. It’s only when people see and hear these things can we change their view on us.
Somehow in the rush to sell big into Asia, we have forgotten to balance our image with other elements of our culture.
It’s weird – how being abroad can make you re-define who and what you are. I find myself defending the west quite often – explaining what it is that I value beyond our business strength. The irony is that as Asia grows in economic power – these other facets of our culture are the things that most define our difference, and our strength.
Many countries in Asia can learn much from our own developments in thinking, in science, in art and philosophy – and in turn we can learn much from there’s. But you get the feeling that westerners comes here thinking we have nothing to offer in this regard – that the magical east has all these answers. One look at the lack of soul in Singapore, the single minded money lust in China, or lack of freedom in Thailand should give us pause for thought.
There is more to sell Asia than burgers and beer, and perhaps there has never been a better time.
“Foreigners come to Bangkok to feed their souls. They are empty vessels who fill their own lives with shopping malls and burgers, then come over here for the cheap women and fake watches. Like the hungry ghosts we superstitious Thais still believe in, farang come here with a distant stare in their empty eyes. They come here to screw us – in every sense of the world. But in the end they only sell themselves.”
That may seem to be a harsh summation of all the west has to offer, but spend enough time around the tourist and sex-trade areas in Bangkok, that I call my neighborhood, and you can see where the sentiment comes from. You do not see the best we have to offer.
Sorry but most tourists in my neighborhood are old, fat men here for not much more than a couple of days of sleaze. Actually most Thais don’t judge this too harshly on the surface – they are very open to prostitution themselves (95% of the sex trade in Bangkok is actually for Thais – prostitution is a way of life here) and most realize the huge economic inflows that this brings to local and regional economies. Besides, Thais don’t get too hung up about sex.
But dig a little deeper and you realize this is the face of the west that many see in the east – and this is the perception you will wear while you are here – like it or not. Like anywhere in Asia you find yourself viewed through prisms such as the ugly tourist or the violent/ competitive TV show – forever dividing the world into strong or weak, winner or loser. The result is that many Asians think you are here just to hit and run. It’s masked with politeness and smiles, but it‘s always there. The expectation is that you are here to screw the locals for all they are worth. It’s nothing hostile – just a feeling you get. walking on the street, dealing with Thais in shops, or in the office. And I think the west pretty much has itself to blame.
Not because that is all that we are – but for presenting ourselves like this. As someone who is in the image business – I totally understand the perception. What do we expect if that’s all they see and hear about us? The west has a huge image problem in Asia. We are darkly viewed as consumer driven, violent and lacking any real belief system beyond personal success. And we are losing the war, the hearts and minds of Asia, very quickly.
The Chairman of DDB worldwide in the Us (DDB was my former employer) Keith Reinhard smartly recognized this problem, in particular for American companies. Last year he formed Business for Diplomatic Action, a nonprofit organization that is trying to combat anti-Americanism abroad after doing some worrying research on the topic. Their research highlighted that:
1) American companies are seen as exploiters and they take more than they give back; 2) American companies promoted values that are in conflict with local cultures, mores and religion; 3) Americans are viewed as insensitive and arrogant-Americans assume everyone wants to be like them; 4) American companies only want to sell.
You could apply that research here to most western companies, and pretty much to all Farang!! The challenge has grown immensely with situations such as the Iraq war, but importantly he’s said the solution is NOT to make TV ads to change these perceptions. It is about encouraging real change.
Mr. Reinhard is fighting back with a comprehensive program of ideas, including a booklet of dos and don'ts for youngsters traveling abroad; English-language classes for those in other countries; a reality show; and several documentaries highlighting the good that American corporations do. He is even contemplating rap sessions for young people led by hip-hop artists.
Bravo for him What I’d add to Mr Reinhardt’s ideas though is that the west needs to help communicate what else is good about us, beyond our commerce, out here.
When I tell people here I’d gone to an art gallery on weekend, they were surprised I ventured beyond shopping malls. If the west is to change our perception here it will be about demonstrating the things that make us different – our art, science, philosophy and culture. It’s only when people see and hear these things can we change their view on us.
Somehow in the rush to sell big into Asia, we have forgotten to balance our image with other elements of our culture.
It’s weird – how being abroad can make you re-define who and what you are. I find myself defending the west quite often – explaining what it is that I value beyond our business strength. The irony is that as Asia grows in economic power – these other facets of our culture are the things that most define our difference, and our strength.
Many countries in Asia can learn much from our own developments in thinking, in science, in art and philosophy – and in turn we can learn much from there’s. But you get the feeling that westerners comes here thinking we have nothing to offer in this regard – that the magical east has all these answers. One look at the lack of soul in Singapore, the single minded money lust in China, or lack of freedom in Thailand should give us pause for thought.
There is more to sell Asia than burgers and beer, and perhaps there has never been a better time.
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