Trends for Corporate Communicators in Asia Pacific

1. ISSUES THAT WILL
AFFECT CORPORATE
COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC
AFFAIRS STRATEGIES IN ASIA
PACIFIC
20
DAVID BRAIN, PRESIDENT & CEO,
EDELMAN ASIA PACIFIC, MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
MARCH 2014

2. ECONOMIC GROWTH HAS
GONE FROM A RANGE OF
2-10% TO 0-6%
= GOVERNMENTS (ELECTED OR NOT)
UNDER PRESSURE TO SHOW THEY ARE
PERFORMING WHICH CAN MAKE THEM
UNPREDICTABLE TOWARDS BUSINESS AND
BRANDS, ESPECIALLY ‘FOREIGN’ ONES
#1
= MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER TO SHOW
WIDER ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTRIBUTION

3. HOWEVER, ECONOMIES ARE STILL
GROWING AND AP HAS MORE PEOPLE
STILL ENTERING THE ‘MIDDLE CLASS’
THAN ALL OTHER REGIONS COMBINED
#2

6. = HUGE APPETITE FOR PRODUCTS AND BRANDS
THAT MARK PERSONAL PROGRESSION AND
SIGNIFY SELF WORTH
HOWEVER, ECONOMIES ARE STILL
GROWING AND AP HAS MORE PEOPLE
STILL ENTERING THE ‘MIDDLE CLASS’
THAN ALL OTHER REGIONS COMBINED
#2
= TRUST IN COMPANIES THAT OFFER DECENT
CAREERS AND PROPER PARTNERSHIP
= HQ WILL LOOK TO APAC FOR GROWTH AND TO
PA/COMMS TO PROMOTE AND PROTECT

7. FROM TIER ONE TO
TIER TWO, THREE,
FOUR AND FIVE
#3

10. = AS WEALTH SPREADS, COMMUNICATIONS
AND MARKETING HAS TO FOLLOW IT TO
NEWER AND SMALLER CITIES AND REGIONS
= REGIONAL ISSUES/STAKEHOLDERS DIFFERENT
AND NEED DIFFERENT PROGRAMMING AND COMS
STRUCTURES AND RESOURCES
FROM TIER ONE TO
TIER TWO, THREE,
FOUR AND FIVE
#3

11. THE RISE OF INEQUALITY
…BETWEEN RICH AND POOR, URBAN AND RURAL,
EDUCATED AND UNEDUCATED, CONNECTED AND
UNCONNECTED IS PUTTING PRESSURE ON
GOVERNMENTS, CULTURES, BUSINESSES AND BRANDS
TO BE SEEN TO BE FAIRER AND MORE INCLUSIVE, AND
NOW BETWEEN TRUSTERS AND MISTRUSTERS!
#4
= INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT TO CONTRIBUTE
ON SOCIAL MOBILITY / SOCIAL INCLUSION

12. THE RISE OF PLURALITY
EVEN IN ONE PARTY STATES, SOCIAL MEDIA HAS
SPARKED AN EXPLOSION IN SELF EXPRESSION
AND ACTIVISM THAT CAN FOCUS VERY QUICKLY
ON POLITICS, BUSINESS OR BRANDS IN BOTH A
NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE WAY (BOTH ONLINE AND
OFFLINE)
#5

14. = INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT, AS IN WEST,
NOT TO BE DRAWN INTO POLARISING
ISSUE(*)
THE RISE OF PLURALITY
EVEN IN ONE PARTY STATES, SOCIAL MEDIA HAS
SPARKED AN EXPLOSION IN SELF EXPRESSION
AND ACTIVISM THAT CAN FOCUS VERY QUICKLY
ON POLITICS, BUSINESS OR BRANDS IN BOTH A
NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE WAY (BOTH ONLINE AND
OFFLINE)
#5

15. …AND YET, IN MANY MARKETS
BUSINESS MUCH MORE TRUSTED
THAN GOVERNMENT SO BUSINESS
NEEDS TO LEAD DEBATE
#6

16. 50%
Q11-14. [BUSINESS IN GENERAL & GOVERNMENT IN GENERAL] Below is a list of institutions. For each one, please indicate how much you trust that institution to do what
is right using a 9-point scale where one means that you 'do not trust them at all' and nine means that you 'trust them a great deal'. (Top 4 Box, Trust) Informed Publics, 20-
country global total.
TRUST IN BUSINESS VS. GOVERNMENT
GOVERNMENT
16
BUSINESS
GLOBAL GAP OF 14 PERCENTAGE POINTS BETWEEN TRUST IN BUSINESS AND
GOVERNMENT
HIGHER TRUST
IN GOVERNMENT
HIGHER TRUST IN BUSINESS
20+ PT. HIGHER TRUST IN BUSINESS
58%
63%
73%
70%
58%
82%
45%
79%
45%
58%
38%
41%
45%
72%
56%
62%
43%
53%
57%
49%
59%
77%
43%
71%
54%
39%
82%
51%
44%
17%
28%
34%
23%
53%
19%
53%
24%
37%
18%
21%
27%
54%
42%
51%
32%
45%
49%
45%
56%
76%
43%
75%
60%
45%
88%
63%

17. MORE THAN EVER, REGULATORY ISSUES
ARE REVENUE AND PROFIT ISSUES
#7

19. A CALL FOR GREATER REGULATION ACROSS ALL SECTORS
19
GOVERNMENT REGULATION OF BUSINESS AND SECTORS - CHINA
Q148. [TRACKING] When it comes to government regulation of business, do you think that your government regulates business too much, not enough or the right amount?
(Not Enough, Too much) Informed Publics. Q262. When it comes to government regulation of the financial services industry, do you think that your government regulates it
too much, not enough or the right amount? (Not Enough, Too much) Informed Publics. Q263. When it comes to government regulation of the energy industry, do you think
that your government regulates it too much, not enough or the right amount? (Not Enough, Too much) Informed Publics. Q264. When it comes to government regulation of
the food and beverage industry, do you think that your government regulates it too much, not enough or the right amount? (Not Enough, Too much) Informed Publics
57%
51% 52%
84%
19% 19% 21%
3%
Government Regulation of
Business
Government Regulation of
Financial Services Industry
Government Regulation of
the Energy Industry
Government Regulation of
the Food & Beverage Industry
Not Enough Too Much

20. MORE THAN EVER, REGULATORY ISSUES
ARE REVENUE AND PROFIT ISSUES
#7
= DOES YOUR BUSINESS UNDERSTAND
THIS?
= ARE YOU RESOURCED SUFFICIENTLY?

21. FOOD QUALITY AND FOOD SAFETY ARE
‘ELECTRIC RAIL’ TOPICS IN MANY
MARKETS
= WHICH DRIVES A FIERCE GOVERNMENT
AND SOCIAL SPOTLIGHT AND REACTION TO
ANY FOREIGN FIRM HELD RESPONSIBLE
#8

22. RISE OF OBESITY
ASIANS ARE GETTING FATTER AND HEART ATTACKS AND
DIABETES ARE INCREASING (ESPECIALLY AMONGST
CHILDREN) WITH THE ATTENDANT NEED FOR BRANDS TO
BE SEEN TO EDUCATE AND INFORM
#9
= ARE WE DOING ENOUGH?
= IS IT IN LINE/IN ASSOCIATION WITH
GOVERNMENT APPROACHES?

23. ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES ARE
NOW MUCH, MUCH MORE
IMPORTANT
SMOG, CONTAMINATED WATER, RADIATION, WOOD
SMOKE, LITTER, DEFORESTATION AND EROSION HAVE
GONE FROM BEING ACADEMIC SUBJECTS TO ISSUES
THAT MAKE LOTS OF PEOPLE VERY ANGRY
#10
= ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION AND COMMUNICATION
WILL BECOME A LICENSE TO OPERATE ISSUE IN
MANY MARKETS

24. ATTACKS ON ‘FOREIGN’ FIRMS AND
BRANDS ARE ON THE INCREASE (?)
…AS GROWTH SLOWS AND PRESSURE TO
PROTECT AND PROMOTE LOCAL CHAMPIONS
AND LOCAL INTERESTS GROWS
#11
= WE ARE MISSION CRITICAL IN AP

25. ASEAN, APEC AND
THE NEW TRADE BLOCKS
#12

26. Trans-Pacific Partnership
(TPP)
(12 Nations)
•Australia
•Brunei
•Canada
•Chile
•Japan
•Malaysia
•Mexico
•New Zealand
•Peru
•Singapore
•US
•Vietnam
Regional Comprehensive
Economic Partnership
(RCEP)
(16 Nations)
•Australia
•China
•India
•Japan
•South Korea
•New Zealand
•(PLUS THE ASEAN 10)
•Brunei Darussalam
•Cambodia
•Indonesia
•Laos
•Malaysia
•Myanmar
•Philippines
•Singapore
•Thailand
•Vietnam
“WE’VE GONE FROM 5
FREE TRADE
AGREEMENTS IN THE
REGION TO 75 AND
ANOTHER 82 BEING
NEGOTIATED.” –
SINGAPOREAN PRIME MINISTER LEE
HSIEN LOONG, ON BUREAUCRACY OF
FREE TRADE (FTA) AGREEMENTS IN
THE ASIA REGION.

27. = WATCH SPECIFIC AGENDAS AND BE AWARE
THAT THE BUREAUCRATS HAVE MORE FORUMS
TO COMPARE NOTES/POLICIES ON YOU AND
YOUR ISSUES
ASEAN, APEC AND
THE NEW TRADE BLOCKS
= YOU MUST BE JOINED UP
#12

28. THIS IS THE AGE OF 24/7,
ALWAYS ON CORPORATE COMMS
#13
ASIA IS THE WORLD’S MOST ENGAGED ONLINE
REGION AND THE INTERNET HAS BECOME AN
AVENUE OF COMMUNICATION, COMMUNITY, SELF
EXPRESSION AND ENTERTAINMENT FAR BEYOND
THE EXPERIENCE IN THE ‘WEST’ (AND MOBILE IS
BECOMING THE ON-RAMP)

30. 30

31. THIS IS THE AGE OF 24/7,
ALWAYS ON CORPORATE COMMS#13ASIA IS THE WORLD’S MOST ENGAGED ONLINE REGION
AND THE INTERNET HAS BECOME AN AVENUE OF
COMMUNICATION, COMMUNITY, SELF EXPRESSION AND
ENTERTAINMENT FAR BEYOND THE EXPERIENCE IN THE
‘WEST’ (AND MOBILE IS BECOMING THE ON-RAMP)
= GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR INNER NERD,
OR HIRE ONE
= YOU OR YOUR AGENCY MUST HAVE 24/7
LISTENING AND ANALYTICS AND A
RESPONSIVE CULTURE
= HUGE OPPORTUNITY TO BOTH PROMOTE
AND PROTECT REPUTATION WITH
STAKEHOLDERS

32. GOOGLE (BAIDU, ETC.) IS NOT A SEARCH
ENGINE; IT’S A CORPORATE REPUTATION
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
#14
= YOU SHOULD MONITOR KEY WORD SEARCH
TRENDS WEEKLY
= YOU SHOULD MANAGE YOUR FRONT PAGE
THROUGH AD-WORDS BUYS AND HIGH SOCIAL
MEDIA ACTIVITY
= YOU SHOULD TASK YOUR TEAMS/AGENCIES WITH
BRAND AND CATEGORY SEARCH OBJECTIVES
= CONTENT IS KING

33. COMMUNICATIONS IS MOVING
FROM THE PURELY TEXTUAL AND
RATIONAL TO THE VISUAL AND
EMOTIONAL
#15

34. PHOTO BY// YINGUO ON FLICKR
“IN 2011, VIDEO COMPRISED THE
MAJORITY OF CONSUMER INTERNET
TRAFFIC FOR THE FIRST TIME,
MAKING UP 53% OF ALL UPLOADS AND
DOWNLOADS. BY 2015, CURRENT
VIDEO TRAFFIC WILL MORE THAN
QUADRUPLE, AND THE WEB WILL BE
TWO-THIRDS VIDEO.”
- CISCO

35. UNDERSTAND HOW CONTENT
INFLUENCES SEARCH
60%
40%
20%
0%
BLOGS
MAPS
NEWS
BOOKS
SHOPPING
IMAGES
VIDEO
(SEARCH METRICS)

36. 36
AVERAGE URBAN DAILY COMMUTE IS
ONE HOUR
= IMPORTANCE OF MOBILE

37. TRADITIONAL MEDIA IN AP STILL
MASSIVELY POWERFUL AND
INFLUENTIAL, BUT LESS
‘TRADITIONAL’ THAN IT WAS
#16
= NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR SPONSORSHIPS
AND ‘NATIVE’ JOURNALISM
= ONLINE THIRST FOR PIX, VIDEO AND INFO-
GRAPHIC
= NEW ‘SPONSORED LINK’ TECHNOLOGIES LIKE
OUTBRAIN CAN MAKE YOUR BEST COVERAGE LAST
MONTHS

38. 38

39. #17
MEDIA IS CONVERGING IN AP AS
IT IS EVERYWHERE ELSE

40. A NEW MEDIA ECOSYSTEM
TRADITIONAL HYBRID
OWNED SOCIAL

41. OF WEIBO TWEETS
LINK TO CONTENT
OF TWEETS IN SINGAPORE LINK TO
CONTENT. MOST RT:
OF TWEETS IN KOREA LINK TO
CONTENT. MOST RT:
1
5OF TWEETS IN INDIA LINK TO
CONTENT. MOST RT:

42. MEDIA IS CONVERGING IN AP AS
IT IS EVERYWHERE ELSE
#17
= TRADITIONAL, SOCIAL, HYBRID AND OWNED
MEDIA STRATEGY AND EXECUTION NEEDS TO BE
INTEGRATED AND MANAGED WITH CONTENT,
SEARCH AND NOW PAID AT THE CORE

43. THE INTEGRATION
OF EVERYTHING
#18

44. THE RISE OF
SKEPTICISM
#19

45. AP REMAINS THE
OPTIMISTIC REGION
#20
TRUST IN GOVERNMENT, MEDIA AND BUSINESS REMAINS
HIGH AND MOST MIDDLE CLASS PEOPLE ARE OPTIMISTIC
(COMPARED TO THOSE IN THE ‘WEST’) AND BELIEVE THEIR
LIVES ARE GETTING BETTER AND THAT THEIR CHILDREN
WILL HAVE MORE OPPORTUNITIES THAN THEY DID AND
THEY WANT THE BRANDS AND LIFESTYLES THAT MARK
THEIR PROGRESS AND ACHIEVEMENT

46. GLOBAL 54
UAE 79
China 79
Singapore 73
Indonesia 72
India 69
Malaysia 65
Canada 60
Netherlands 60
Mexico 59
Hong Kong 59
Australia 58
Brazil 57
Germany 57
Argentina 53
U.K. 52
Sweden 51
S. Korea 51
S. Africa 50
U.S. 49
France 46
Japan 44
Italy 43
Turkey 41
Spain 39
Ireland 39
Russia 37
Poland 35
GLOBAL 57
China 80
Singapore 76
India 71
Mexico 68
Hong Kong 67
UAE 66
Malaysia 64
Canada 62
Indonesia 62
U.S. 59
Netherlands 59
Brazil 55
Germany 55
France 54
Sweden 54
U.K. 53
Italy 51
Australia 50
Poland 48
S. Korea 47
Ireland 46
Argentina 45
Spain 42
Turkey 42
Japan 41
Russia 36
Trust Index is an average of a country’s trust in the four institutions of government, business, media and NGOs.
20-country global total (does not include Argentina, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey, UAE).
46
BIG TRUST
INCREASES FROM
2013
UAE +13 pts.
Indonesia +10 pts.
Australia + 8 pts.
Argentina + 8 pts.
THE TRUST INDEX: SLIGHT DECLINE IN TRUST OVER THE PAST YEAR WITH STRONG REGIONAL
VARIATIONS; MAJOR DECLINES IN POLAND, U.S. & MEXICO
2013 2014
BIG TRUST
DECREASES FROM
2013
Poland -13 pts.
U.S. -10 pts.
Mexico -9 pts.
TRUSTERSNEUTRALDISTRUSTERS

47. THE ONLY COMMON THING BETWEEN
DEVELOPING ECONOMIES IS SPEED OF
CHANGE AND EXISTENCE OF A BRIDGE
GENERATION
CHANGE IN DEVELOPED ECONOMIES HAS BEEN
INCREMENTAL, BUT ACROSS AP WE HAVE SEEN
BILLIONS GO FROM POVERTY TO MIDDLE CLASS IN ONE
GENERATION AND THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
= WE SHOULDN’T FORGET
= WE SHOULDN’T LET HQ FORGET EITHER

48. ^CLICK

49. THANK YOU