With consumer behaviour changing fast in a challenging year, the need to strategise for sustainable change has become a critical priority for marketers in Asia; a new WARC report sets out how.

WARC’s 2020 Asian Strategy Report is based on an analysis of the results of this year’s WARC Prize for Asian Strategy (the winners were announced yesterday). “In this report, we’ve identified new and effective strategic approaches adopted by the winners of this year’s Prize, which can help advertisers to develop a strong framework for brand growth,” said Lucy Aitken, Managing Editor, Case Studies, WARC.

Jury chair Siew Ting Foo, Vice President & Global Head of Marketing Strategy & Planning, Print Category, HP, added: “Human behaviour is changing quickly so, as a marketer, it’s important to stay humble and to be prepared to challenge your own thinking and assumptions.”

Key takeaways highlighted in WARC’s 2020 Asian Strategy Report are:

People are working and spending more time at home

Brand experiences must be built 'from the home up’. Keep track of behavioural insights that can assist in this pivot. In doing so, consider triggering motivation as much as eliminating friction: effectiveness can be more easily achieved when both are combined.

The pandemic has prompted migration back to rural areas

There needs to be more focus on communicating with those communities, with emphasis on ‘building back better’ from the current crisis.

Asia’s agencies have an opportunity to be strategic advisors

Helping clients develop bold creative ideas that go beyond advertising and can achieve sustainable change at scale.

Customer journeys are becoming increasingly complex

They need rethinking to identify future brand growth, particularly in a more home-centric world.

Large parts of Asia rely on traditional media

Particularly in rural communities, partnerships and word of mouth can be powerful ways to cut through.

Category twists can help differentiation in cluttered sectors, but these need to be executed in an authentic way to maintain consistency.

‘Fresh consistency’ offers a way to integrate new components into brand strategy, while maintaining the tried-and-tested elements that build fame.

Despite the appeal of performance marketing, the balance between long- and short-term marketing still needs careful consideration to build brand equity.

You can download a sample of WARC’s 2020 Asian Strategy Report hereThe full report, available to WARC subscribers, includes strategic insights and themes of the winners with expert opinion from the judges and what these mean for advertisers, agencies and media owners. Also included are summaries of the winning case studies, with results and takeaways, and a look back over ten years of the Prize with data and infographics.

Prized Insights: The power of strategic thinking in Asia is a free-to-attend virtual event taking place on 5 November. For a deep-dive into the trends and insights from the winning campaigns and an exploration of the future of strategic thinking in Asia, register here

Sourced from WARC