To make it big, make it super local: How Grab builds its brand in SEA

Low Lai Chow

Becoming a super local brand in Southeast Asia like Grab requires stamina and the willingness to take on difficult problems and solve them, no matter how long it takes.

Building a strong global brand across Southeast Asia involves building “a better local brand than the local players in each country”, which requires a hyperlocal approach.

So said Sulin Lau, Grab’s Regional Head of Marketing and Brand, who added, “Grab is actually not the same app in each country.” 

In Indonesia and the Philippines, Grab avails errand runners to make on-demand purchases of “pretty much anything” for users. Over in Thailand, consumers can tap on the platform’s DriveYourCar service to hire a driver for a ride home in one’s own car after drinking.

Then there is Singapore, where the app...

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