Introduction

So far I have lived in 3 different continents, and 5 different countries; I have spent the last 8 years in Asia, with regional jobs that allowed me to travel around the Region and to meet incredible people from many different, beautiful, fascinating and sometimes challenging countries. As a marketer I have always been fascinated by the similarities and differences among consumers when it comes to WOW! Brands (brands consumers rate as 'must have', brands that are the trendiest, brands that are aspirational), especially among consumers of different nationaities.

Why this blog: I want to share with you some of my thinking, my ideas and my conclusions based on years of conversations and learning. This blog will concentrate on the WOW! Brands (brands consumers rate as 'must have', brands that are the trendiest, brands that are aspirational) and I will share with you via videos and comments the WOW! Brands for a selected group of consumers from a number of different countries.
What I'm trying to prove: I want to prove that WOW! Brands are a mix of Global brands - which managed to establish a globally consistent image and positioning, and as such are aspirational for a majority of consumers - and Local brands, that rely on consumers' intrinsic values related to where consumers are from, and as such are as powerful as any WOW! global brand.
Methodology:I will interview a small numbers of consumers that I think best represent what I observed and learned about Asian consumers over the past few years. The consumers will have things in common: they all live in Hong Kong, they all work for corporates, they are between 25 and 35 years old, and they are university educated. What they don't have in common is nationality.  They are all from different countries. I will then comment on each interview to highlight the key points, and will make a general conclusion based on all the interviews, as a final post.

PLEASE ENJOY!

Singapore!

Coming Soon!

Malaysia!

Coming Soon!

Taiwan!

Hi this is Sam from Taiwan!
In his interview, Sam mentioned BMW (http://www.bmw.com/) as hi WOW! Brand in terms of cars, because they are prestigious, have great design. deliver consistency over the years, and are supported by great TV/magazine ads that catch the consumers' eyes.
When it comes to fashion, Sam's WOW! Brand is the Swiss Assos (http://www.assos.com/), one of the best brands for biclyng wear. He likes the design, the quality and the premium feeling matched to perfect functionality. His choice for office wear is Brooks Brothers (http://www.brooksbrothers.com/) because the clothes have good design and quality, and are affordable.
In terms of lifestyle in general, his favourite brand is Giant (http://www.giant-bicycles.com/) a Taiwanese bicycles brand, number 1 in the world, sponsor of events like the Tour De France.

Watch Sam's interview on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnZHH8COPlU&feature=youtu.be

Vietnam!

Hi this is Natalie from Vietnam!
In her interview, she mentions her favourite car, Toyota (http://www.toyota.com/) because it is a brand she associates with quality. Her favourite fashion brands are Mango (http://www.mango.com/), Furla (http://www.furla.com/) and Forever 21 (http://www.forever21.com/) because they represent style and quality, but are at the same time affordable. What she is looking for in terms of fashion and cars is a trendy design, matched by quality. In terms of lifestyle brands, she mentions 2 Vietnamese brands. The first brand mentioned is Trung Nguyen Coffee (http://www.trungnguyen.com.vn/en/Home.aspx), a trendy coffee shop chain. She then mentions the  brand Khai Silk (http://www.khaisilkcorp.com/khaisilk-boutique/main.html), because it is a sophisticated and luxury brand.

Watch Natalie's interview on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdgGtz4vKSM&feature=g-upl&context=G2e2ceb4AUAAAAAAACAA

China!

Hi, this is Chris from China!
In his interview, he mentions his favourite car, Lamborghini (www.lamborghini.com), and his favourite fashion brand, Fred Perry (http://www.fredperry.com/). He also mentioned Mazda (http://www.mazda.com/) and Nike (http://www.nike.com/) as his second favourite brands.
In terms of lifestyle brands, the strong favorite is Apple (http://www.apple.com/), he also mentioned Pizza Express (http://www.pizzaexpress.com/). Last brand mentioned is Tsui Wah restaurants (http://tsuiwahrestaurant.com/eng/main_e.html), a very famous Chinese chain that offers a variety of delicious Chinese dishes.

Please watch the video of the interview on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSM_TV5_ato

Hong Kong!

Hi, this is Angus from Hong Kong!
In his interview, he mentions his favourite cars, Audi (http://www.audi.com/) and BMW (http://www.bmw.com/), and his favourite fashion brands, Abercrombie&Fitch (http://www.abercrombie.com/) and Prada (http://www.prada.com/). He likes stylish and expensive brands with a young and sophisticated image.
In terms of lifestyle brands, the strong favorit is Apple (http://www.apple.com/). Last brand mentioned is CSL (http://www.hkcsl.com/), the most innovative and most famous mobile phone company.


Please watch Angus' interview on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByqyIk6kCnU

Korea!

Hi, this is Jiyoon from Korea!
In her interview, she mentions her favourite cars, BMW (http://www.bmw.com/) Mini in particular, and Nissan (http://www.nissan.com/) and her favourite fashion brands, Chanel (http://www.chanel.com/) and Marc Jacobs (http://www.marcjacobs.com/). She also mentions a famous Korean brand called Soup (http://www.e-soup.co.kr/).
What she is looking for in terms of fashion and cars is a sleek, trndy design. In terms of lifestyle brands, the first brand mentioned is Banyan Tree (http://www.banyantree.com/), a luxury Asian hotel chain. She then mentions the cosmetics American brand Bobby Brown (http://www.bobbybrowncosmetics.com/). Her favourite brand in terms of jewellery is J.Estina (http://www.jestina.co.kr/), a Korean stylish brand.

Watch her interview on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SLqJyVBYv8&feature=g-upl&context=G260e6ccAUAAAAAAAAAA

Conclusions

As I mentioned in the 'Introduction' post, what I wanted to prove in this blog was that the power of Local WOW! Brands can be as strong as the power of the big Global WOW! Brands. People tend to associate WOW! Brands with famous, global brands. Each of my interviewees mentioned a number of key international brands as their WOW! Brands, but they also mentioned at least one local brand that had a similar impact on them as consumers. Local brands seem more linked to lifestyle: restaurants and homewears, for example, that improve one's quality of life. Local brands tend to be about appreciation and discernment, while global brands are more aspirational. Global brands enjoy a universal popularity, particularly when it comes to aspirational goods such as cars, clothing and accessories.