Unleashing the Potential for More Global Asian Brands: Interview with: Martin Roll, Business & Brand Strategist, Martin Roll Company, Author of Asian Brand Strategy, a keynote speaker at the marcus evans CMO Asia Summit 2013, on why marketing must be integrated into every stage of the value chain.

1. Interview with: Martin Roll,
Business & Brand Strategist, Martin
Roll Company, Author of Asian
Brand Strategy
As the role of the Chief Marketing
Officer (CMO) evolves in Asia, CMOs
must start speaking the language of
business, says Martin Roll, Business &
Brand Strategist, Martin Roll Company,
Author of Asian Brand Strategy. The
marketing philosophy has to be
integrated into every stage of the value
chain in order to be invaluable to the
organisation, he adds.
Roll is a keynote speaker at the marcus
evans CMO Asia Summit 2013 in
Macao, China, 27 - 29 May.
What is the current status of the
CMO role in Asia?
Marketing has not traditionally been a
top agenda in corporations globally, but
less so in Asia. It is not fully integrated
into business planning and strategy, so
very few CMOs in Asia are part of the
boardroom. Compared to our global
peers, the CMO role still has a long way
to go in Asia and companies have to
take bold steps to elevate that
responsibility.
As marketing becomes more cross-
functional, wanted and crucial, it will
integrate much more into the
b o a r d r o o m c o m p o s i t i o n . T h a t
progression has already started taking
place as the sons and daughters of
family-owned enterprises are coming
back from Western business schools and
requiring this change in their family
firms.
With about 60 - 70 per cent of
busines ses f amily -o w ned, and
competition from their global peers, I
believe that in five years they will get to
the next step.
Do you have any tips for becoming a
successful CMO? How can CMOs
become invaluable to their
organisation?
They must create value, but in order to
do that, they need to be seen as a
business integrator. While Chief
Executive and Finance Officers have
been exposed to different business
functions, the typical marketing person
has been working in a silo. They must
speak the language of business in order
to be successful. Their job is not about
communication, customer engagement
and branding only. Once they join
boardroom discussions, they will see
that the business has a very holistic set
of variables to work with.
Thus the marketing philosophy has to
be integrated into every stage of the
value chain, which is extremely
complicated in the real world. It has to
be ingrained into the organisational
culture, how the company thinks, feels
and acts. This does not just happen
overnight, but once it has, it has a lot of
staying power.
You are a leading advocate for
Asian corporations building and
sustaining brands. What needs to
be done to unleash the potential for
more global Asian brands?
Overall, Asian corporations need to be
bolder and more daring. It is not
enough to become another computer
brand or hotel. For once and for all,
they need to get rid of their inferiority
complex, which is a strong term from a
Westerner but I have seen it from the
inside. There is this underlying
connotation in Asian firms that what
comes out of Milan, Paris or New York is
superior to what Asia has to offer. They
need to be a bit proud of Asia and
develop products with an Asian edge.
Asian firms tend to see global firms as
being the only form of success, but it
does not have to be the case. The time
has come for a more Asia-centric focus
which starts at the owner or C-suite
level. Many Asian companies are playing
on the single variable of price while
trying to demonstrate that they also
have a premium, but they cannot do
both. They need to identify where they
want to play in the market, but many
businesses are struggling to take that
decision.
Asian
corporations
need to be
bolder and
more daring
Unleashing the Potential for
More Global Asian Brands

2. The Marketing Network –
marcus evans Summits group
delivers peer-to-peer information
on strategic matters, professional
t r e n d s a n d b r e a k t h r o u g h
innovations.
Please note that the Summit is a
closed business event and the
number of participants strictly
limited.
About the CMO Asia Summit 2013
This unique forum will take place at The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel, Macao,
China, 27 - 29 May 2013. Offering much more than any conference, exhibition or
trade show, this exclusive meeting will bring together esteemed marketing
professionals and solution providers to a highly focused and interactive networking
event. The Summit will include presentations on integrated cross-channel
communications, the evolving role of the Chief Marketing Officer and unleashing
innovation.
www.cmoasiasummit.com
Contact
Sarin Kouyoumdjian-Gurunlian, Press Manager, marcus evans, Summits
Division
Tel: + 357 22 849 313
Email: press@marcusevanscy.com
For more information please send an email to info@marcusevanscy.com
All rights reserved. The above content may be republished or reproduced. Kindly
inform us by sending an email to press@marcusevanscy.com
About marcus evans Summits
marcus evans Summits are high level business forums for the world’s leading decision-makers to meet, learn and discuss
strategies and solutions. Held at exclusive locations around the world, these events provide attendees with a unique opportunity to
individually tailor their schedules of keynote presentations, think tanks, seminars and one-to-one business meetings.
For more information, please visit: www.marcusevans.com
Upcoming Events
CMO Summit (Australia) - www.cmoanzsummit.com
CMO Japan Summit - www.cmojapansummit.com
To view the web version of this interview, please click here: www.cmoasiasummit.com/MartinRoll