World fails to grasp power of Asian creativity: Asian Marketing Effectiveness Jury President

SHANGHAI: Fresh from two days of judging entries in the Asian Marketing Effectiveness Festival, jury president James Thompson asserted that the worldwide marketing and advertising community is still underestimating, and even disrespecting, the economic power of Asian creativity.

Thompson, chief marketing officer for Diageo Asia-Pacific, argued that although the business world certainly understands the critical importance of success in Asia, results from advertising awards around the world indicate that the marketing community has not caught up.

 Thompson cited examples of the region’s economic dynamism, such as the fact that Asia accounts for 40 per cent of the world luxury market today, but in two years or so China alone will account for 40 per cent. He then contrasted these facts with the relatively low rankings given to regional work in international awards, even for major markets like China and India, let alone smaller markets that also produce outstanding and effective work.

 “The rest of the world is wrong,” he said bluntly.

Effective marketing in Asia centres on a great tradition of advertising with soul, he said. “My key message is that soul sells,” he said. “The emotional sell works better, is more profitable, than the rational sell alone or the rational and emotional sell combined.”  Moreover, research by Diageo and others suggests that this is more true in Asia than it is in other regions, he added.

Citing many examples from past campaigns, his own company’s efforts and this year’s entries (not necessarily winners, he was quick to stress), Thompson outlined some unique principles of effective marketing in the region.

Firstly, the importance of influencers. Given the profusion of messages people are exposed to every day, the industry must help people navigate. “In this world of clutter, people want shortcuts to safe choices,” he said. “They look to influencers to inspire them.”

This does not mean celebrities, he stressed. For Dettol, it was mums. For Gillette in India, it was women encouraging men to shave more frequently. For Diageo, an influential blogger played a key role in drawing people into a series of online films promoting Johnnie Walker.

Second, the primacy of digital. Asia is much more digital and much more mobile-oriented than the world’s other major regions, Thompson said, adding that he doesn’t think conferences like this one will use the word “digital” in a couple years time—because all work will be digital.

The availability of data that goes along with digital campaigns is of course a boon to marketers, but returning to the notion of soul, Thompson cautioned that marketers are in danger of over-obsession with data. “Quite often we find ourselves measuring every blade of grass, rather than the shape of the field,” he said. Given the integral nature of digital technology in peoples’ lives, marketing must be “always on”, Thompson said. “Because consumers do what they want, and because they have the power, we have to come up with a much more humble version of marketing,” he said. “The era of the six-week marketing blast is over.” Instead, marketers and agencies must allow for continual and evolving engagement on the consumer’s timetable.

The final principle Thomson discussed is the power of physical spaces: marketing that people encounter as they go through their day. “This power helps to provide immersive brand experiences which can dazzle, surprise, and entertain — and even inspire people.” As an example, he showed a video clip of a Victoria’s Secret campaign that allowed people in a train station to interact with an underwear model: The ‘angel’ was not present in the real-life space, but cavorted with passers-by on a giant screen.

In closing, Thompson urged the gathered professionals not to be intimidated by or disappointed with subtle and overt put-downs from the rest of the world. “Your work matters, and it works,” he said. “Soul pays, so build soul.”

He finished with a word of advice for clients in their dealings with agencies. “If the relationship has soul, if both sides have the right to dream and take risks, the relationships will be better”, he said. He went on to share an anecdote from his boyhood, in which a teacher criticised some creative colour choices in a painting Thompson was quite proud of.

“She may have been right, but I never painted again,” he said, urging clients to think about how often they do the same thing to their agencies. “Don’t tread on those dreams,” he said. “Look for the great stuff, and build those dreams together. Cows can be pink, and the sky can be green.”

(Campaign Asia)