The Brutal Truth About Asian Branding

"This is one of the most thoughtful books on branding I've come across. Most such books are either quickly-crafted "how-to" books or academic tomes over-burdened with references. This book is thoughtful because it raises questions which deal with the 'why' rather than just 'how' of branding. The reference to brutal truth as the truth which will set us free—to examine ourselves without self-illusions—is liberating. The notion that Asia has many good, but no great brands, is also not a put-down but a clarion call for Asian CEOs to rise to the challenge and create lasting, meaningful, committed brands."
—Ho Kwon Ping, Chairman/CEO; Banyan Tree and Board of Trustees, SMU; 2010 recipient of the "Lifetime Achievement Award" by the American Creativity Association

"A cold shower to wake people up. Joe Baladi's Brand Blueprint is a great tool for anyone involved in Sovereign Relationship Marketing or brand building anywhere."
—Timothy Love, Vice Chairman; Chief Executive Officer, Omnicom APIMA

"There are many books about branding but few address Asian companies directly. Joe Baladi has been one of the loudest voices to advocate strong branding practices to Asian companies determined to outperform their competitors. The Brutal Truth About Asian Branding is a timely book that all Asian CEOs with global aspirations should read."
—Richard Eu, Group CEO, Eu Yan Sang International

"The Brutal Truth About Asian Branding is the first book that connects branding frameworks to the realities of operating in Asia. It offers a very straightforward perspective on the challenges Asian CEOs face as they build their businesses and their brands, and perhaps the most compelling part of the book is the passionate plea for how Asian CEOs should be thinking different about branding. In true Baladi style, it is straight from the heart."
—Maarten Kelder, Managing Partner (Asia), Monitor Group

"A very interesting and valuable perspective on Asian branding... one that decision makers in the region should read and embrace. Well done Joe!"
—Ron Sim, Founder & CEO, OSIM International

"Brands mean Business, anywhere in the world! The focus on Asia, at this time, is natural since the developing nations of the region did so much to help the world recover from the global 2008 economic crisis. Baladi's text is timely; it is thoughtful and thought-provoking; putting people and brands center stage with practical insights borne of his breadth of personal experience at the frontline."
—Chris D. Beaumont, Professor, Tokyo University, Global Centre of Excellence; Director, North Asia, Results International

"The brutal truth is that Joe Baladi is right. Asian CEOs must learn the brand skills used so successfully in the rest of the world. It will take a big change in mentality, but the rewards will be vast. This book is a great start to that revolution."
—Michael Newman, Author, 22 Irrefutable Laws of Advertising

1. A Time of Profound Change.

The old world order.

The new world order.

The rest of Asia.

Toll-gates and vision.

2. Five Reasons Why There are Very Few Great Asian brands.

1. Myopic CEO leadership.

2. Corporate culture is by default, rather than by design.

3. Charlatan brand practitioners.

4. Performance of government agencies.

5. Advertising agencies’ lack of branding competencies.

Conclusion.

3. Redefining Brand, Branding, and Advertising.

Brand and branding: Thinking differently.

Branding made easy: The People Analogy.

The brand blueprint.

The brand proposition.

The relationship between branding and advertising.

4. Pre-Branding.

Overview of the business and branding flowchart.

Business goals and business strategy.

The role of corporate guiding principles.

Summary: Charting the road to a successful business

5. Brand Strategy.

If you don’t make a choice, the choice makes you.

Differentiation.

Emotional dimension.

Focused target audience.

Ability to innovate and stay relevant.

CEO involvement and leadership.

Employee involvement and commitment.

Intelligent brand architecture.

CSR: The new branding imperative.

Summary.

6. Methodology instead of Mythology.

Positioning or repositioning?

Preparing for a (positioning or repositioning) branding project.

The strategy-centric brand development methodology.

Costing the project proposal.

7. Brand into Action: Delivering against Your Promise.

Be careful what you promise.

Making the brand come alive.

Summary.

8. Conclusion.

The future is here.

Caught up in a good thing.

The "Asian/Chinese Century".

Everything is connected; the rest is conceptual.

Summary: Tomorrow’s Asian CEO today.

Index.

"The book delves into such insights to provide relevant information on the Asian market for all players." (Global Innovation Report, July 2011)

Joseph Baladi was raised in South America and educated in Australia. His working career - which has included postings to New York City, Mexico City, Tokyo, and Singapore - has given him a unique perspective on human values, consumer behavior and the valuable role that brands and branding play in building an organization. During the course of his career, Joseph has provided brand-building advice to leading global companies including Procter & Gamble, Mars, and Coca-Cola. Presently based in Asia, he is considered a leading voice for and an advocate of emerging great Asian brands. He is a prolific writer and a popular speaker at major business and branding forums around the world.
In 2011, Joseph Baladi received the prestigious Ron Frank Fellowship to read the Executive MBA program at Singapore Management University (SMU).

Why are so few great brands coming out of Asia (Japan aside)? The brutal truth is that branding is little understood by decision makers throughout much of the region. There exists widespread misconceptions and, in many cases, outright ignorance over the value and role of brands and the process required to build them. Surveys repeatedly confirm that Asians from across the region overwhelmingly prefer great Western brands to home-grown ones: given the choice, they will drink Coke, wear Nike shoes, and drive a BMW every time. Rare is the intense emotional relationship with an Asian brand found in, say, the Apple zealot. Yet, tens of thousands of new brands emerge every week in the region, reflecting the unstoppable energy and vitality that is fueling the increasingly universal belief that this century will belong to Asia. The continued absence of genuinely great Asian brands (as opposed to merely good ones) will, at best, slow that prospect, or at worst, put it in jeopardy. Something visible and disruptive needs to happen if Asian brands are to live up to their potential during this period of unprecedented change and opportunity.

This book provides a clear and compelling blueprint for Asian decision makers who are intent on creating great brands that will define the lives not only of Asian consumers, but consumers the world over.

The Brutal Truth About Asian Branding aims to do three things: provide a reality check by showing the present state of branding in Asia for what it is; educate key decision makers about the role and importance of strong brands; and provide the means for brand owners to implement sound practices and strategies.

• Reality check: This book exposes the practices, circumstances, policies, and management attitudes that effectively conspire to hold back Asian brands from becoming great brands. These factors range from the clearly visible to the insidiously undetectable.
• Education: The vast majority of Asian managers-particularly CEOs-are confused or misinformed about the role of branding and the importance of brand-building processes in creating great brands. This book takes a deliberately provocative, disruptive approach in an attempt to educate and enlighten brand owners, and encourage action.
• Implementation: Knowledge is of little value if it is not complemented by execution. In addition to fundamentally rethinking the role that the brand needs to play within the organization, Asian brand owners will also need to implement change management practices in order to create brand-centric companies.

The Brutal Truth About Asian Branding is a long-awaited, no-holds-barred account of a present reality that is inconsistent with the journey Asian brands will need to make if they are to deliver to their potential. It is a timely and valuable contribution to the evolution of arguably the region's most potent and dynamic driver: the Asian brand.