The Brutal Truth About Asian Branding: And How to Break the Vicious Cycle [Hardcover]

Joseph Baladi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2011

This is one of the most thoughtful books on branding I've come across. Most such books are either quickly-crafted "how-to" books or academic tomes over-burdened with references. This book is thoughtful because it raises questions which deal with the "why" rather than just "how" of branding. The reference to brutal truth as the truth which will set us free—to examine ourselves without self-illusions—is liberating. The notion that Asia has many good, but no great brands, is also not a put-down but a clarion call for Asian CEOs to rise to the challenge and create lasting, meaningful, committed brands.
Ho Kwon Ping
Chairman/CEO, Banyan Tree and Board of Trustees, SMU
2010 recipient of the "Lifetime Achievement Award" by the American Creativity Association

A cold shower to wake people up. Joe Baladi's Brand Blueprint is a great tool for anyone involved in Sovereign Relationship Marketing or brand building anywhere.
Timothy Love
Vice Chairman
Chief Executive Officer, Omnicom APIMA

There are many books about branding but few address Asian companies directly. Joe Baladi has been one of the loudest voices to advocate strong branding practices to Asian companies determined to outperform their competitors. The Brutal Truth About Asian Branding is a timely book that all Asian CEOs with global aspirations should read.
Richard Eu
Group CEO, Eu Yan Sang International

The Brutal Truth About Asian Branding is the first book that connects branding frameworks to the realities of operating in Asia. It offers a very straightforward perspective on the challenges Asian CEOs face as they build their businesses and their brands, and perhaps the most compelling part of the book is the passionate plea for how Asian CEOs should be thinking different about branding. In true Baladi style, it is straight from the heart.
Maarten Kelder
Managing Partner (Asia), Monitor Group

A very interesting and valuable perspective on Asian branding... one that decision makers in the region should read and embrace. Well done Joe!
Ron Sim
Founder & CEO, OSIM International

Brands mean Business, anywhere in the world! The focus on Asia, at this time, is natural since the developing nations of the region did so much to help the world recover from the global 2008 economic crisis. Baladi’s text is timely; it is thoughtful and thought-provoking; putting people and brands center stage with practical insights borne of his breadth of personal experience at the frontline.
Chris D. Beaumont
Professor, Tokyo University, Global Centre of Excellence
Director, North Asia, Results International

The brutal truth is that Joe Baladi is right. Asian CEOs must learn the brand skills used so successfully in the rest of the world. It will take a big change in mentality, but the rewards will be vast. This book is a great start to that revolution.
Michael Newman
Author, 22 Irrefutable Laws of Advertising

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The book delves into such insights to provide relevant information on the Asian market for all players.' (Global Innovation Report, July 2011).

From the Inside Flap

Why are so few great brands coming out of Asia (Japan aside)? The brutal truth is that branding is little understood by decision makers throughout much of the region. There exists widespread misconceptions and, in many cases, outright ignorance over the value and role of brands and the process required to build them. Surveys repeatedly confirm that Asians from across the region overwhelmingly prefer great Western brands to home-grown ones: given the choice, they will drink Coke, wear Nike shoes, and drive a BMW every time. Rare is the intense emotional relationship with an Asian brand found in, say, the Apple zealot. Yet, tens of thousands of new brands emerge every week in the region, reflecting the unstoppable energy and vitality that is fueling the increasingly universal belief that this century will belong to Asia. The continued absence of genuinely great Asian brands (as opposed to merely good ones) will, at best, slow that prospect, or at worst, put it in jeopardy. Something visible and disruptive needs to happen if Asian brands are to live up to their potential during this period of unprecedented change and opportunity.

This book provides a clear and compelling blueprint for Asian decision makers who are intent on creating great brands that will define the lives not only of Asian consumers, but consumers the world over. 

The Brutal Truth About Asian Branding aims to do three things: provide a reality check by showing the present state of branding in Asia for what it is; educate key decision makers about the role and importance of strong brands; and provide the means for brand owners to implement sound practices and strategies.

• Reality check: This book exposes the practices, circumstances, policies, and management attitudes that effectively conspire to hold back Asian brands from becoming great brands. These factors range from the clearly visible to the insidiously undetectable. 
• Education: The vast majority of Asian managers-particularly CEOs-are confused or misinformed about the role of branding and the importance of brand-building processes in creating great brands. This book takes a deliberately provocative, disruptive approach in an attempt to educate and enlighten brand owners, and encourage action.
• Implementation: Knowledge is of little value if it is not complemented by execution. In addition to fundamentally rethinking the role that the brand needs to play within the organization, Asian brand owners will also need to implement change management practices in order to create brand-centric companies. 

The Brutal Truth About Asian Branding is a long-awaited, no-holds-barred account of a present reality that is inconsistent with the journey Asian brands will need to make if they are to deliver to their potential. It is a timely and valuable contribution to the evolution of arguably the region's most potent and dynamic driver: the Asian brand.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 15, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470826479
• ISBN-13: 978-0470826478
• Product Dimensions: 1.3 x 6.2 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,596,472 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Extensive experience in business communications across multiple geographies: from Melbourne to Mexico City; from New York to Tokyo and for the past 10 years, in Singapore covering all of Asia. ible for shaping or repositioning major SME and MNC brands: Millennium Hotels (Hong Leong Group); Crocodile International; Eu Yan Sang; National Health Care Group; Macau Grand Prix , HTL International, SINCERE Watch and many others.
Prior to moving to Asia, Joe held senior regional and global brand responsibilities as a Senior Vice President at DMB&B and McCann-Erickson Worldwide: Procter & Gamble, MARS, Labatt beers and Coca Cola.

As the CEO of BrandAsian Joe divides his time providing one-on-one business and branding advice & counsel to CEOs of some of Asia's largest companies. He is also a frequent speaker on the conference circuit, a regular guest on business television programs, and regularly contributes thought leadership articles to business magazines and newspapers across the region. Joe's newest book - The Brutal Truth About Asian Branding - was released worldwide in January 2011. He is the recipient of the prestigious Ron Frank Fellowship to read the Executive MBA program at Singapore Management University (SMU) .

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reading for marketers in Asia October 14, 2012

By Maria K

Format:Hardcover

As an Australian marketing manager who recently joined an Asian company, this book has been invaluable reading. The author accurately details all the issues I find myself up against and explains why they exist, from cultural, environmental and historical perspectives. It is very practical, easy reading, and gets to the point quickly without artificial sweetners. After reading this book I have much clearer ideas on how to influence my employer in brand and marketing matters.

5.0 out of 5 stars Joseph Baladi's Brutal Truth - Strong Medicine for Bad Branding February 26, 2012

By iTV-Asia China Author Forum

Format:Hardcover

"More than two thousand years ago, the great Chinese sage Confucius taught his fellow-countrymen to be suspicious of eloquence of any sort, which he branded as a subtle and deceptive form of insincerity, and they are especially suspicious of any form of eloquence that is designed to part them from their money." - Carl Crow, 400 Million Customers

In 2003 I recall picking up an interesting looking issue of Wired Magazine- one guest edited by the Dutch postmodern architect Rem Koolhaas- and glancing through a map of the world - one of Wired's famously flashy charts - made up of global brand logos. While the iconic logos of Japanese, American and Western European companies were instantly familiar, I was more interested in the mysterious brands of China. Being a student of international affairs at the time, I was eagerly following China's intimidating rate of industrial development, and I wondered what companies might be emerging from the juggernaut. Sadly, all of the companies on the page had names that smacked of post-communist utility conglomerates- "State Grid", "China Telecom", "Bank of China". Compared to the likes of Coca-Cola, Toyota or Siemens, this seemed a little disheartening- wasn't this the country that had just risen out of poverty through embracing entrepreneurial capitalism? Where are the exciting new Chinese consumer brands? I found myself wondering the same thing five years later, when I stepped off the plane at Pudong International Airport and promptly stepped into a Volkswagen. The Chinese people's car of choice... was Germany's "People's Car"? Something didn't seem right about this. Where are the Chinese brands?

Enter Joseph Baladi. The Singapore-based "brand building" consultant, observing the weakness of Southeast Asia's international branding efforts, has now offered a prescription and a primer for China, India and the nations of ASEAN in the form of his new title The Brutal Truth About Asian Branding: And How to Break the Vicious Cycle. Despite the challenge of the title, however, Baladi isn't a scold- he's an eager and optimistic coach, and the book goes far beyond the promise of it's title, being an excellent introduction to the idea and process behind branding in general, and spends time exploring many American and European brands as examples of successful branding, ranging from rebels such as Apple and Virgin to industrial stalwarts like 3M and Procter & Gamble. With section headers that break down ideas into convenient phrase-boxes, and a plethora of helpful charts, The Brutal Truth is almost intended as a workbook for interested CEOs and would-be brand consultants, and the entire book is impeccably written, edited and produced.

But is Baladi's thesis correct?

Visit iTV-Asia for the complete review.