Last week I sat down with Bob Low, a Singapore based marketer who’s been posting daily LinkedIn videos. The topic was simply Marketing in Asia, but before I mention some of the insights he shared, first let me explain my interest in talking with Bob. To the extent that I am familiar with Asian cultures (and I don’t proport to be particularly familiar), what I do appreciate is the value many Asian cultures place upon modesty and the discouragement of showmanship and boastfulness. For this reason, I consider Bob’s approach to LinkedIn networking brave.
Many people in the West cringe at the idea of exposing themselves in a personal video rant, so there’s additional courage I see in a culture that might consider such videos more in poor taste. While the risks to his career are greater, so too may be the potential gains.
In this episode, Bob gives some specific cultural insights for a variety of regions and encourages Westerners to visit Asian markets and get a better insight into the diversity throughout Asia. We also discussed the larger more notable cultural divide, namely the East’s tradition of collectivism vs. Western values of individual rights, plus I ask Bob what the deal is with Japan building human-like robots. All this and more in this episode!