4 Dimensions to Grow in Asia: the Brand

Oct 26, 2020

Texere Advisors was born with the purpose of sharing its experience in Asia with Italian and European SMEs which still find difficulties when facing the East.

The real obstacles to commercial success in Asia lie in the "invisible" details, in the daily management of negotiations, in the understanding of the social context and the dynamics that drive it, and of course in cultural differences.

All these are imperceptible elements are often underestimated and cannot be learned from a book. We have acquired these elements by performing hundreds, perhaps thousands of trips, meetings and negotiations. We rolled out projects and performed market restructuring, which taught us how to build trust and business relationships with Asian partners.

Retail is an emblematic sector as it means taking care of the brand, product, market and consumer. Brand awareness, innovative and sophisticated marketing and communication, an efficient supply chain, impeccable consumer service, an always updated product, an international and dynamic management, the ability to continuously adapt to the changing context, these are rules that are applicable to all industries.

This report summarises in a few pages the above-mentioned experiences, it does not aspire to become a golden rule to be successful in Asia, but more simply to provide essential guidelines to approach a market which is near and far at the same time.

The first dimension to look into is the brand.

THE BRAND

When talking about the brand, there are three key aspects to consider:

But before that, remember that it has to be consistent with itself and at the same time evolve to adapt to the market and consumers' changes.

HERITAGE

The heritage of the brand helps to clearly outline its values, facilitating the path of internationalization
A well-structured and well told story helps to enhance the brand
The brand's reputation is strongly embedded in its heritage and positioning
A spokesperson (creative, owner) helps to give authenticity and credibility to the brand

AWARENESS

Brand awareness is fundamental for international development
The marketing strategy must be consistent with the brand and product
The use of celebrities/VIP is essential to strengthen the brand image and its notoriety
Having a retail presence in the domestic market is an advantage that helps to give credibility and confidence to the customer

POSITIONING

In a globalized world, it is crucial to adopt a consistent pricing strategy between the various markets and distribution channels
Brand and product must be consistent with the reference market segment
The brand's reputation is built with rigorous positioning consistency

CASES STUDIES

FRETTE	LODES
The narration of the company’s history and milestones	Focus on the family and company’s history
MOROSO
Family spokesperson to transmit authenticity and authority