The Negotiation

Topics Discussed and Key Points:●      The Coke vs. Pepsi challenge ●      How great brands figure out what matters to people and play to that●      Why storytelling is fundamental when you are in business●      The reason Dave chose the name BIBLIOSEXUAL for his company●      Why it is important for a marketer to understand the mediums that matter to consumers ●      The potential future homogenization of the Asia Pacific region●      Japanese advertising and what flawed perceptions exist among international companies ●      Why cultural context is so important for Japanese consumers●      Cultural stereotyping and country stereotypingTimestamps [03:09] Introduction to  Dave and what he does, as well as where he is located[04:43] Dave’s background[13:59] Why “BIBLIOSEXUAL”[22:52] Dave's description of the Japanese consumer[24:48] The reason behind Japan's usage of celebrities in advertising[25:53] The misconception behind Japanese consumers' transference of identity[29:32] Do we have to present a brand as technologically advanced when we go to Japan?  Notable Quotes“My one belief is that a marketer's main role is to understand what matters to people. It's not about understanding how they use your product. It's what matters to those people.”“The term BIBLIOSEXUAL is something I've been playing around with for 20 years using in different presentations.”“When you're in business in general, when you're in the marketing business, you know, storytelling is fundamental. And so, you want to have a chance to tell a story.”“There are different mediums. Everybody has particular mediums that - for reasons we just can't figure out -  we are totally biased towards, we fall in love with, or we think ‘that's much, much better’. Right? And if you're a marketer, it's really important to understand which mediums really matter irrationally in many ways to people.”“When I lived in Japan, we did projects where we did very successful campaigns and the only thing we changed was a single line on the back of the pack.”“Japanese ads are more likely to use celebrities in ads than anywhere else in the world. It's the number one [celebrity] market in the world. And so, typically, you're twice as likely to use a celebrity ad in Japan as you are in the United States.”“[Visual] context in Japanese culture is most important. So, if you can't see the background, you can't understand the person, you can't understand why they're saying it or how they're saying something.”

This episode is our Year In Review: 2022 Greatest Hits Part 2! We've put together some of our favourite clips and moments for you to enjoy over the holidays, and look forward to seeing you again in 2023 for some of our best guests to date!The 2022 guests featured in this episode are:#1 - Louis Houdart, E150 & E151, October 5th & 12th 2022Episodes 150 and 151, released on October 5th and 12th, brought us Louis Houdart, Founder of Creative Capital. Louis is an entrepreneur, a business and investment coach, a board member and an advisor to many start-up companies. The Creative Capital China team has worked with European companies in China and helped launch little-known brands into major Western markets. By establishing pre-eminent international brand awareness and strong brand relationships, Creative Capital is one of the only firms in China focusing on widening awareness of Chinese companies beyond their home market. In this clip from episode 2, I ask Louis if he would agree or disagree, and why, with the statement that Chinese brands have met some headwinds in their attempts to be successful in Western markets, and here’s what he had to say.#2 - Jacob Cooke, E155, November 9th 2022On November 9th we brought back Jacob Cooke for our 155th episode. Jake is the Co-Founder & CEO of WPIC Marketing + Technologies, a leading e-commerce and technology consultancy that drives growth for global brands in China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Having lived in Beijing since 2003, Jacob is a regular contributor to international media on e-commerce, retail, and technology trends in China. He’s a member of the MIT Sloan School of Management and holds an Advanced Certificate in Engineering from MIT’s Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. Although we brought him in to discuss the impending Singles Day shopping bonanza at the time, I was really intrigued to discuss what Douyin is doing in the market lately so that’s the clip I’ve chosen and here’s what he had to say.#3 - Karen Raghavan, E129, February 8th 2022On February 8th of 2022, we released episode 129 with Karen Raghavan, a Brand and Business Development Consultant and Growth Advisor to both heritage beauty brands and startups. She is also the Vice President of Brand Development at the natural ingredient company Purissima. Karen is a member of Chief, a private network built to drive more women into positions of power and keep them there. I asked Karen for some tactics she’s seeing used that are driving growth in China in the beauty space that Western brands should take notice of.#4 - Jeff Daggett, E142 & E143, July 27th / August 3rd 2022Released on July 27th and August 3rd, were episodes 142 and 143 with Jeff Daggett, Founder and CEO of Aisonne, a brand and retail development & management company offering brand, retail, hospitality, and licensing management services and representation in Japan and the United States. Since 2002, Aisonne has assisted a number of big-name retail brands such as Apple, Columbia Sportswear, Nordstrom, Shinjuku Takano, and NBC Universal. Jeff’s background includes over three decades of experience at leading global companies in the Asia-Pacific, specifically in investment banking, real estate, retail operations, merchandising, marketing, and general management. He also spent 6 years at Disney as VP of Consumer Products, which is why I just had to ask him, given the massive catalogue of IP and products, how difficult it was to manage the trademark and brand IP, or was that a naive question and it didn’t require managing at all?#5 - Akio Tanaka, E148 & E149, September 21st and 28th 2022On September 21st and 28th, we released episodes 148 and 149 with Akio Tanaka, Co-Founder and Partner at Headline VC. Headline VC is a technology-focused venture capital firm that sees the world’s future through the lens of exponential technologies. The aim of Headline is to identify, fund, and partner with companies who are building these new products and services—and to make them more accessible to mainstream consumers. Akio Tanaka is one of the most influential investors in Japan and has been known to be passionately committed to the local ecosystem. With that in mind, we asked him for his opinion of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Japan, and to compare it to those of its neighbouring countries. #6 - Bill Tung, E137 & E138, June 22/29 2022Our last clip celebrating an amazing 2022 for the podcast, comes from episode 137 released on June 22nd, featuring Bill Tung, Managing Partner at Peaks Consulting, a global brand, retail, and management consultancy. Since its founding in 2015, Peaks Consulting has built an internationally recognized consultancy based on trust and relationships before business. Peaks currently serve consumers in 20 countries and counting. Bill has also served as the VP of Europe and Asia-Pacific at Rockport, VP of International Sales a Columbia Sportswear, Executive VP of International Sales at New Balance, Managing Director of Fanatics Inc, and Asia-Pacific General Manager at Clarks. This final clip is when I asked Bill, given his 13 years at Columbia Sportswear, how the outdoor equipment and apparel market has changed and evolved in APAC.We hope you enjoyed Part 2 of our 2022 Year In Review, and we look forward to seeing you all again next year. Again, from all of us here at The Negotiation and WPIC Marketing + Technologies, we wish all of you a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year. 

This episode is our Year In Review: 2022 Greatest Hits Part 1! We've put together some of our favourite clips and moments for you to enjoy over the holidays, and look forward to seeing you again in 2023 for some of our best guests to date! The 2022 guests featured in this episode are:#1 Patrick Deloy, E146 & E147, September 7th & 14th, 2022Our first feature comes from episodes 146 and 147 on September 7th and 14th with Patrick Deloy, Managing Director at Merkle, an award-winning e-commerce solutions provider which supports medium to large B2C and B2B companies with the planning, development, localization and long-term support of multi-country e-commerce website deployments in the APAC region. I had asked Patrick ‘what is the omni-channel retail ecosystem and environment today in the APAC region?#2Liam Mather, E134, March 15, 2022Our second clip features Liam Mather, Head of Public Affairs and Communications at WPIC Marketing + Technologies. Reporting to the Chief Marketing Officer, Liam helps guide WPIC's public and government affairs, strategic communications, media engagement, corporate branding, and sales enablement. Liam previously worked in BCW's Corporate and Public Affairs practice in Beijing, where he helped clients manage reputations, respond to crises, and navigate policy issues. This was from episode 134 released on March 15th, and for those who didn’t get to hear the full episode, it’s quite unique as we had the opportunity to talk to Liam about his time covering the Winter Olympics from within the Olympic bubble. Specifically, Liam was able to cover the hockey event, so we asked him about the state of hockey in China, specifically women’s hockey, and here’s what he had to say.#3William Bao Bean, E152 & E153, October 19th & 26th, 2022Up next is a clip from episode 152 on October 19th, the first of two episodes with an old friend of mine and an old friend of the podcast, William Bao Bean. William is a General Partner at SOSV and Managing Director of Orbit Startups. Orbit Startups helps companies scale breakthrough technologies across emerging and frontier markets to the regions with the most aggressive growth. William is a senior advisor at SOSV who has been a pioneer in the tech and telecommunications space in Asia. During his time with SoftBank China & India Holdings, he led investments in companies such as Yodo1, DemystData, Lekan, and Massive Impact. He was also an equity research analyst at Deutsche Bank covering the Internet and Telecom Equipment sector in Asia for 11 years before joining Innov8 Ventures as Managing Director where he is focused on supporting China investments. He is definitely one of the foremost experts on early-stage startups and investing in Asia Pacific, and in this particular clip I asked him ‘what are the strengths and differences of the teams you invest in and work with within Asia versus outside Asia?’#4Zarina Kanji, E133, March 7th, 2022On March 7th we released episode 133 with Zarina Kanji. Based in London, Zarina is the Head of Business Development for Health & Wellness and Food & Beverage Brands at Alibaba. She previously served as VP of Global Fashion Brand Partnerships at Lazada in Singapore. Zarina spoke with us about Tmall’s upcoming International Women’s Day—a key event tied to the company’s Super Brand Day—on March 8, 2022. It has proven in previous years to be the third-largest shopping festival in the nation, behind 11.11 and 6.18, and is a unique opportunity for brands to engage with women across China. So, for this clip, we chose her response to my question ‘Can you tell us a little bit about what the Gen Z female consumers really care about in China right now, and how does that differ from their elder counterparts?’#5Alvin Wang Graylin, E125, January 12th, 2022On January 12th we were blessed to be able to interview Alvin Wang Graylin, China President at HTC. For anyone unfamiliar, HTC is an award-winning developer of smart mobile, connected technology, and virtual reality products. Alvin is also the Vice President of the Industry of Virtual Reality Alliance (IVRA) and the President of the Virtual Reality Venture Capital Alliance. He has almost three decades of business management experience in the tech industry, including 20 years in Greater China beginning with a Senior Management position at Intel in 1993. Prior to HTC, Alvin was a serial entrepreneur, having founded four venture-backed startups in the mobile and internet spaces, covering mobile social, "ad tech", search, AI, big data and digital media. I asked Alvin to tell us about some of the coolest & most innovative examples of VR that are heading our way in 2022 and beyond.#6Charles Lavoie, E154 & E156, November 2nd & 16th, 2022Our last clip for Part 1 of our Year in Review is from our conversation with Charles Lavoie on November 16th, episode number 156. Charles is the VP of Creative & Head of Creative Labs at WPIC Marketing & Technologies. A creative strategy & data analytics leader, Charles has incredibly strong cross-cultural backgrounds in international growth, go-to-market strategy, growth marketing, data analytics, creative planning, storytelling, sales, e-commerce, design and retail in the APAC region with projects focused in China, Hong Kong, Japan & Singapore. I asked Charles a very nuanced question at one point, probably one of the most granular questions I’ve asked anyone about brand entry into the APAC region, specifically “if a brand wants to take a multi-market strategy, how do you advise them, especially if they are also trying to stay ahead of an aggressive market competitor who might be going after the same regions for expansion themselves and may not have time to take a step by step approach?’

This episode of The Negotiation features part 2 of our conversation with Arnault Castel. Arnault is the founder of Kapok, a retail experience that focuses on designers and brands whose work provides quality craftsmanship and creativity in design. Arnault has developed an extensive knowledge and understanding of the Asian consumer goods and retail environment since 1996 when he moved to Hong Kong from France. In 2001, he joined the team in charge of the development of the Lomography brand in Asia as the head of Southeast Asian operations. Arnault was also the co-owner and director of Working Unit Limited founded in 2005, the exclusive distributor for the Moleskine brand in Southeast Asia.In part two of our conversation, Arnault discusses how Kapok works with brands in his store, which brands are doing well resonating with consumers in Asia, whether or not it’s important to have a brick-and-mortar presence in today’s D2C environment, and more. He also discusses some of the risks he’s taken that have paid off (and the ones that haven’t), his experience as the managing director of Lomography Asia-Pacific, and what business principles he learnt while there. We close out the conversation by diving deep into the future of commerce and retail in Asia. Enjoy! Topics Discussed and Key Points:Creative control in a retail environment Market localization and why it is importantWhy the Japanese market is so special and distinct from the rest of the worldWhy Kapok failed in Singapore and Taiwan, and the lessons learnedWhat makes  Hong Kong so special for KapokWhat Arnault did while at Lomography Asia-Pacific Why certain geographies and markets do not work for Kapok The future of commerce and retail in AsiaChanges he is seeing at the intersection of commerce and creativity in Asia Timestamps [00:57] How Arnault works with brands in their stores, how he promotes their brands,, and what creative control he has[06:44] Arnault's market risks, which didn’t always work[13:00] Arnault's experience as the MD of Lomography Asia-Pacific and the business principles he learned[26:05] Fashion and lifestyle brands that are doing well in Asia today[29:25] Are customers shifting from brick-and-mortar to digital?[34:00] How will the intersection of commerce and creativity change in the coming years?Notable Quotes[00:01:32] “When a brand is inside Kapok, we have to respect the brand. But they are also in our environment, you know.”[00:02:18] “We need to localize because people need to feel that a particular model is someone that is like me, that looks like me, that has the same job as me, and the same height as me.” [00:03:38] “Japan is special. Japan is not like the rest of the world. And that can be limiting because what might work in the rest of the world doesn’t work in Japan.” [00:07:14] “When I tried to bring Kapok outside of Hong Kong, you know, in Singapore or In Taiwan, it didn't work out, you know, because multi-brand retail is very, very detail oriented, you know? You receive new products, so you need training on the products and the brand.”[00:09:51] “Sometimes you like something, and you realize you like something only when you don't have it anymore. So, when we closed in Singapore, people said:, ``Oh, we're so sad, Kapok closed. I loved the shop.”[00:15:48] “I was not this natural born entrepreneur, but you arrive here and everyone is doing it.”[00:16:14]” I would never have opened up and done all this entrepreneurialism if it's not in Hong Kong, because this is a place where people take a lot of risks.”[00:21:22] “In order to succeed, I need to do things in a different, different way. If 50 people tell me ‘you have to do it this way, then I have to find the 51st way.” [00:35:27] “Over time, the marketing set of skills is going to be distributed to everyone, and you cannot defend yourself anymore by how well you play the digital marketing game. So, it's going to go back to how good your product is, how happy it makes your customer, and how strong is your brand story.”

This episode of The Negotiation features part 1 of our conversation with Arnault Castel. Arnault is the founder of Kapok, a retail experience that focuses on designers and brands whose work provides quality craftsmanship and creativity in design. Arnault has developed an extensive knowledge and understanding of the Asian consumer goods and retail environment since 1996 when he moved to Hong Kong from France. In 2001, he joined the team in charge of the development of the Lomography brand in Asia as the head of Southeast Asian operations. Arnault was also the co-owner and director of Working Unit Limited founded in 2005, the exclusive distributor for the Moleskine brand in Southeast Asia.In today’s episode, Arnault tells us what brought him to Hong Kong, what made him start Kapok, his curated ecosystem and why customers keep coming back. We also talk about price positioning in the market, how distribution and merchandising happen and the importance of having an entertaining shopping experience for customers. Tune in for more! Topics Discussed and Key Points:What brought Arnault to Hong Kong The Kapok identity and customer baseWhy do customers return to Kapok?Arnault’s curated ecosystemPrice positioningGeography and culture's impact on Kapok's identityWhy the shopping experience for customers has to be entertainingWhy it's necessary to have both online and offline stores as a brandOnline shopping's introduction in 2006 and its effects on Arnault's businessesCharacteristics of successful brands in Asia Timestamps [00:07] Who is Arnault Castel?[01:22] How Arnault ended up in Hong Kong[04:09] A little bit about Kapok and what it does[04:44] What makes someone a Kapok customer?[06:10] The reasons behind repeat purchases of Kapok’s products[10:03] What criteria does Arnault use to select the products and brands for his carefully curated ecosystem?[12:49] What does it mean to Arnault to “not be Kapok”?[19:41] How have geography and culture shaped Kapok's identity?[22:53] Kapok’s customer loyalty in the APAC region[29:05] What is the origin of the name Kapok?[33:01] Major evolutions in the APAC region's retail market since 2006[41:07] What are some of the characteristics that cause a brand to succeed in Asia?  

In this episode of The Negotiation podcast, we continue our conversation with Charles Lavoie. We talk about creativity and the role it plays in APAC marketing. Charles is the VP of Creative & Head of Creative Labs at WPIC Marketing + Technologies. Among other topics, we discuss the growth of digital commerce, evolutions in that space, why it might be necessary to create cartoon characters for brands, gamification and the digitalization of the shopping experience in Asia. Charles also gives insights into brand localization and how best to activate a multi-market strategy. Enjoy! Topics Discussed and Key Points:The growth of digital commerceCasework example with Xero shoes and the notion of barefoot running Why it might be necessary to create cartoon characters for brands, which can personify hero productsGamification and digitalization of the shopping experienceThe different layers of brand localizationHow to activate a multi-market strategyNotable Quotes[00:00:11] “Where social commerce hasn't actually taken off, e-commerce has still had massive growth.”[00:00:43] “People are appreciating the convenience of online shopping for pretty much all categories. But unlike China, there may still be a little bit of apprehension [regarding fully shifting to digital commerce].”[00:01:50] “Technologies are getting more and more sophisticated. We've seen a really cool integration of augmented reality that is being tested.”[00:07:32] “Everyone is busy in Asia and everyone's working lots. And basically, the thing that you can’t buy is time. But a product like Vitamix can help you buy time.”[00:13:09] “[A mascot] is not going to make or break your brand, but it's definitely an addition you have to have a really, well, I do at least, a really strict schedule of what your day looks like, how your prospecting business, what your timeline looks like to have a mascot that can go online or offline, can stick to the minds of consumers, and thoroughly represent your brand.” [00:21:09] “You can't teach customers to buy in a different way than what they’re used to. It is too time-consuming to teach a customer to buy in a new marketplace that they're not used to.”

In this episode, we're thrilled to welcome Jacob Cooke to the show. As the CEO of WPIC Marketing + Technologies, Jacob is the perfect guest to discuss what’s going on in Asia right now, and how brands can take advantage of the growth opportunities. In this conversation, we dive deep into the current state of China's consumers, and what Jacob is seeing from his vantage point as we are in the midst of the 11/11 Singles’ Day shopping festival. We also discuss Douyin's evolution as a platform for commerce, how it compares to other Chinese platforms like Tmall, evolutions in the Japanese online ecosystems, and so much more! Let’s dive in!Topics Discussed and Key Points:Jacob’s currently sitting in quarantine in Shanghai, after travelling throughout North America. What does that look like today?.The world of creativity in Asia.The changes in consumer behavior over the past few yearsThis year's 11/11 Singles’ Day shopping festival and what to expectThe Chinese consumer class in 2023.Austin Li's return to Taobao Live.The impact of Douyin on commerce in Asia and the difference between satisfying existing demand versus stimulating new demandEvolutions in the Japanese online ecosystems.

In this episode of The Negotiation, we welcome back Charles Lavoie to talk about creativity and its role in APAC marketing. Charles is the VP of Creative & Head of Creative Labs at WPIC Marketing & Technologies.  Over the course of the conversation, Charles shares insights on how technology is transforming the creative space in APAC and illuminates why it is critical for brands to lean into creative marketing if they hope to drive growth in the region. He talks about how brands and marketers can harness the significant evolutions in digital platforms and digital commerce in Asia today to improve their creativity, marketing and, ultimately, sales performance. In particular, he gives pointers that help brands learn how to leverage social media and social commerce on platforms like Douyin for product discovery, brand affinity and awareness, and conversions.  Enjoy! Topics Discussed and Key Points:Charle’s background. The importance of creativity in APAC for all brands.The democratization of content creation.How technology is transforming the creative environment in the APAC region.Social commerce strategy and best practices.The adoption of e-commerce live streams globally.Gamification of the purchasing experience.Between traditional and social commerce, which is stronger?Consumer product discovery shifts.

In recent years, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region has emerged as one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, with countries such as China, India and Japan leading the way. They have been developing businesses quickly by deploying new technologies and building massive startup ecosystems. As a result, VCs in this region is witnessing huge opportunities for growing companies. The number of startups in APAC is increasing rapidly, presenting massive opportunities for consumers, businesses, and capital allocators. This episode of The Negotiation is part 2 of our conversation with William Bao Bean. William is a General Partner at SOSV and Managing Director of Orbit Startups. Orbit Startups helps companies scale breakthrough technologies across emerging and frontier markets- the regions with the strongest growth potential. William is a senior advisor at SOSV and has been a pioneer in the tech and telecommunications space in Asia. During his time with SoftBank China & India Holdings, he led investments in companies such as Yodo1, DemystData, Lekan, and Massive Impact. In this insightful episode, William shares his insights on what is happening in the APAC region. He talks about the current, turbulent waters in the private, crypto and public markets, and discusses why it is essential to identify a startup's unfair advantage in today’s landscape. He also discusses his view of M&A activity in Asia over the coming years and explains why there is a flood of capital coming to the region. Enjoy! Topics Discussed and Key Points:Turbulent waters in the APAC region for the private, crypto, and public markets as we head into 2022Identifying a startup's unfair advantage and why it mattersM&A activity in Asia over the next few yearsWhy is there a flood of capital coming to Southeast Asia?Maintaining a "startup attitude" is important when entering new markets.How technology has been used in the USA, specifically artificial intelligence, to bring about major changesHow there are fewer barriers to starting a business in China thanks to technologyDemographic changes in China and Southeast Asia and the opportunity for start-ups in the region.

Over the past decade, businesses have witnessed an incredible evolution in how people communicate. Along with this shift came innovations and technologies that changed the way we interact with one another, not least in business. Where communication was once centered around traditional means such as face-to-face meetings or phone calls, it is now increasingly driven by technology such as email, text messages and video conferencing. This has given rise to new social practices, enabling us to carry out some tasks faster. In fact, many businesses would struggle without modern technology for core functions such as recruiting new staff and managing customer enquiries.This episode of The Negotiation is a return to the show for William Bao Bean. William is a General Partner at SOSV and Managing Director of Orbit Startups. Orbit Startups helps companies scale breakthrough technologies across emerging and frontier markets to the regions with the most aggressive growth. William is a senior advisor at SOSV who has been a pioneer in the tech and telecommunications space in Asia. During his time with SoftBank China & India Holdings, he led investments in companies such as Yodo1, DemystData, Lekan, and Massive Impact. He was also an equity research analyst at Deutsche Bank covering the Internet and Telecom Equipment sector in Asia for 11 years before joining Innov8 Ventures as Managing Director where he focused on supporting China investments.William discusses his work as a venture investor, what he did during the pandemic (and how COVID impacted his activities), and what defines successful startups in Asia. He also unravels some of the brilliance during accelerator programs, describes why founder characteristics may predict success, and what distinguishes teams he works with from those outside Asia in their approach to building a startup or portfolio company. Enjoy! Topics Discussed and Key Points:A brief description of Orbit startups' activities.Consumer internet became widely used during the COVID period.The discipline of designing and running experimentsHow to drive engagement and value over a screen or through the power of voice.William's startup activities and how COVID must have affected them.Some of the brilliance that happens during accelerator programs.What you need to do a startup revolution in the USA.Communication is vital for international startupsThe culture of experimenting in Asia is pretty strong. Japan as a market is generally focused on Japan. Potentially predictive factors for startup success in Asia.