Asia market research, entry and strategies to consider cultural aspect

Asia market research, market entry and marketing strategies must factor in soft issues like cultural marketing. (Main article can be requested from "info@asiastrategy.biz" or downloaded from website at http://www.asiastrategy.biz).

Asia market research, market entry and marketing strategies must factor in soft issues like cultural marketing. Singapore has distinctive and unique cultural characteristics which potential foreign entrants should be aware of. This article attempts to identify the Singaporean culture and some market entry implications for marketers.

Marketers need to identify the Singaporean culture. Kotler et. Al. (1999:200) name seven Singapore psychographic or lifestyle segments. They are 1) Middle Singaporeans, mainly professionals and executives, strive to keep up and not loose out to others; (2) Hard-pressed Providers are struggling to keep afloat and do not see a bright future; (3) Disciplined Conservatives who value filial piety, marriage and education, (4) Ambitious Strivers, success-oriented, competitive, and energetic, working hard and playing hard (5) Old Drifters who lack motivation and believe in fate, (6) Disaffected who, frustrated by the rat race are materialistic and spendthrift, and (7) Contended Nesters who are happy with their state in life and who are dependent on others. Other authors (Kwon, Wirtz, Tan & Kau 1999) identified also seven distinct lifestyle groups - the Traditional Family-Oriented, the New Age Family-Oriented, the Entrepreneurs, the Aspirers, the Materialists, the Pragmatists and the Independents - which all show distinct behavioral patterns. As these groups show distinct values, attitudes and behavior within borders derived from income groups and consumption patterns and at the same time stretch across different ethnic, language and religious boundaries, they add even more complexity for the foreign individual aiming to understand Singaporean culture.

In addressing what kinds of products and services Singaporeans prefer lies probably the best reflection of cultural paradoxes. First, there is the duality of elitism and egalitarianism. In Singapore one can go from branded luxury goods to cheap plastic watches from mainland China and from some backyard garage to a hi-tech business park within just ten minutes time. Furthermore, there are product categories in which one would find a large number of variations catering to different income levels, but there are also categories with fairly uniform products. By and large, though, Singaporeans show a preference for products which relay status and sophistication. If they shop for goods or services which are visible in public life they usually want the best their money can buy them relative to their status. Mostly, this means that Singaporeans are seeking out branded goods or services, fashionable and trendy items, expressive and high-quality products if these are likely to underline their place in society. In fact, packaging and branding, luxury treatments and perks in the form of added benefits have been singled out as the most important factors in buying decisions. In some cases this has reached beyond the level of status-adequacy and transformed into blunt materialistic behaviour, showing off with slightly ostentatious styles.

Advertising, public relations, sales promotion and personal sales and direct marketing as the main elements of the communication mix can take on many different forms. Much more than in other areas such as product design, pricing or distribution, market communication is utilizing the traits of Singaporean culture.

Singapore is not only a place of cultural diversity, but also of cultural contradictions which makes it hard to offer one advice for any and all situations. Many times Singaporeans are caught in the middle of cultural paradoxes -- they look for status, individualism, modern and idealist lifestyles, but many times end up doing what can better be described as egalitarian, collective, traditional and materialistic. This is caused by its ethnic and religious diversity, by the fact of a highly stratified society, by the existence of several known lifestyle groups, but also by the fact that the project Singapore" is not completed yet. Its relatively small size gives Singapore not only the versatility needed to navigate successfully through uncharted waters, but makes it also very vulnerable to influences from the outside. Thus, the inner complexity and the outer impact of globalization and cosmopolitanism on Singaporean culture create paradoxes between the old and the new, the Eastern and the Western in Singapore that are sometimes hard to understand even for Singaporeans themselves.

In addition, it is also difficult to make exact predictions about Singaporean behaviour for several other reasons. First, it must be said that although cultures show relatively high long-term stability and seldom change radically, cultural assumptions, values and behaviour may change over time. It is a likely prediction that the Singaporean culture will change along the lines of its cultural roots, but will most likely see some influence from rising wealth. For instance, as other authors have noted, Singaporeans of the future will remain to be status conscious and will increasingly be individualistic, brand conscious, discerning in their consumption, more health-conscious and will place more emphasis on leisure activities. Also, as globalization as a commercial, political and societal process always brings not only homogenization but also enhances heterogenization and because of increasing income disparities, we can also expect considerable reinforcement of local traditions in Singapore. This new Asianisation", a rediscovery of Asian values, is, in fact, already taking place.
Irrespective of these restrictions the main message remains the same: understanding Singaporean culture is an imperative if one wants not only to reap short-term benefits but build long-term success when doing business in Singapore.