Customer Reviews

Asian Brand Strategy: How Asia Builds Strong Brands

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Asian Brand Strategy in a great book for both Western businessmen, interested in the Asian markets, and Asian Business leaders, who seeks to build brand equity. The book even creates an interest in both Asia and branding if you previously have no knowledge about it. It seems to be writen for both brand professionals aswell as for people knowing nothing about branding, since the language and layout is easy going, at the same time as it gives smart and clear insights to the brand building processes and the specific Asian characteristics. Martin Roll's many points are backed up by numerous interesting cases, and for me, writing my thesis on the topic of branding in Asia it has really been much helpful.

This book is a definite must read for Asian Management.

Martin Roll's Book on Asian Brand Strategy draws very relevant parallels between the Western approach to corporate management and marketing and that in Asian companies. Martin analyzes why Asian companies, which often have larger asset bases and investments in manufacturing than their Western counterparts often are not able to capture the same brand value. Case studies on Banyan Tree Resorts and Singapore Airlines give great anedotes for models that work in Asia.

As an American working for a major conglomerate in Asia, I was literally moved by the depth of his understanding related to the differences in management and approach to marketing.

Great reference and book to have!!

Martin Roll has written a very informative book, in fact, nearly two books: one that covers foundational knowledge on branding and one that reports on branding in Asia. Amid the explanation of branding basics, Roll depicts how emerging Asian corporations are finally seeing branding as more than a name and a logo, and, thus, are making it a central part of their strategies. He predicts that the next, new generation of Asian corporate brand leaders will also become the next, new generation of global powerhouses. Roll deftly explains what makes branding work, and he shares his first-hand experiences working with major Asian corporations, he just doesn't always pull the two together. Roll also tends to treat developed Asian nations, such as Japan and South Korea, and emerging economies, such as China and India, as if they are uniform. That aside, getAbstract applauds Roll's informed take on Asian marketing strategy, and recommends this solid book on brand building and its global uses.

Working in the branding world myself as a Sponsorship Consultant the book Asian Brand Strategy clearly fills an important gap in the literature about branding. With Asia being the hot topic in business today Martin Roll manages to communicate a superb insight into the decision making levels and challanges of Asian companies. The book stands out through its clarity in which a sophisticated brand framework is brought to life. The great mix of theoretical and academic work combined with case studies and applied examples make this book stand out. It is the combination of the writing approach of this book and its Asian insight which makes it one of the most relevant business books I have read for a long time.

I read this book based on the stated premise that it would help businessmen with branding in Asia. I had hoped it would offer insights into how Asians view brands, how they develop brand strategies, and how their methods differ from Western methods. That was nowhere to be found.
This book details Western brand management strategies and then asks for them to be incorporated into Asia. In effect, it is slightly insulting to Asia in general. China, for example, has a history thousands of years old with very strong internal brands. They are embracing foreign brands for the first time, but that doesn't mean they don't understand brand strategy. This book implies otherwise. For the most part, it ignores Asian brands and Asian brand strategies. It also does not discuss how brands are received in each region. For example, the Chinese look for brands that are over 100 years old with high quality. If you can't brand your luxury good based on longevity, good luck! Ignoring this and other local market themes weakens the book.
If you are already familiar with Western brand strategy, there is very little in this book for you.

Martin Roll's book is all about the new frontier of global business - branding as a driver of business strategy. Roll shows us how branding drives shareholder value, with a focus on Asia - the companies, the issues, and the future.

One could argue that branding is the last competence of the West which has not been emulated or surpassed by the Asians. Forget cost cutting as a strategy. The future belongs to the brand. Roll's book gives us new insights into Asian cultures and consumers, explains country and celebrity branding in Asia, and provides us with eight penetrating case studies of Asian brands - Singapoe Airlines, Amanresorts, Shiseido, Samsung, Jim Thompson, Li Ning (look out Nike!), Jet Airways, and Giordano - in action. The section titled - "10 Steps to Build an Asian Brand" is worth the price of the book itself.

A must read for leaders interested in the future of business.

For more info, see this interview with Roll at the Zyman Institute of Brand Science: "Brading and the New Asia"
- http://www.zibs.com/roll.shtml

After a long time, I am reading a book that really is an amazing read. The author's writing style, the combination of theory and examples and the visual appeal of the book really respects the readers's time. Hats off to Martin Roll for writing such a terrific tool book to help understand the complex subject of asian branding. I would surely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in knowing the latest of branding.