Asia Pacific region - aprc-research

FEATURE
duck because I say, “Now I have to go home and tend to my kids”.’
Before moving to China, Atsmon spent a couple of months
learning Mandarin. ‘Many people, when they arrive here, are totally
immersed in their careers and it is difficult to take time off to learn
a bit of Chinese. But if you have done a foundation course prior to
coming it can be a springboard to further learning.’
It is rare for expats to end up in qualitative moderating roles
because of the language barrier. Atsmon explains that even local
moderators sometimes have difficulties because of the many different
dialects.
Another thing to keep in mind when working in China is that
there is no such thing as an awkward silence and that it is important
to be persistent and patient.
‘They can be silent until tomorrow. But once they talk they are
blunt. It can be very refreshing so you just have to develop a thick
skin. It is never intended to be malicious, it is about being communal,
everyone is your friend and wants to help you,’ Atsmon explains.
Jason Spencer is the managing director for Millward Brown
ACSR. He arrived in Shanghai from Australia for the first time in
1993. After a couple of years working in market research and as
interpreter in both Hong Kong and Taiwan, Spencer had the opportunity
to assist a colleague in starting up a new research company.
‘I was in a fairly senior position by that stage, working as a
research director. But I didn’t feel like I had the knowledge and experience
to back me up. I felt that I was the white guy being pushed
out there to face the client and I didn’t think I had the substance to
support that. So I spoke to a contact of mine at Millward Brown. He
said, “OK I’ll train you” and gave me a pay cut and put me down a
level which was OK, I suggested he’d do that.’
Within 12 months Spencer was promoted and had gained a lot
of experience and skills. ‘I really found that I had achieved what I
wanted to achieve in terms of having the substance to stand up
there and speak confidently to clients.’
What attracts Jason to working in China is that it is challenging.
‘In the last few years we have a group of clients that are extremely
sophisticated and I would say even more sophisticated than what
you would consider best practice in North America, Western Europe,
Australia and New Zealand.’
Spencer explains that there are also those clients who are less
experienced in using and disseminating market research throughout
their organisations and these require a different set of skills.
‘We have to convince them of the value of doing market research;
we have to work hard at that and be emphatic with them. We need
to take ourselves out of the comfort zone and experience someone
else’s concerns and anxieties. So the spectrum that we need to cover
can be quite diverse.’
Local Chinese companies are becoming more interested in doing
research, Spencer says. ‘We recently finished the top 50 Chinese
Brands study that looks at quantifying the value of a brand. We have
a unique situation where a lot of Chinese brands are starting to appreciate
the value of a brand.’
He adds, ‘the market is constantly evolving, constantly developing;
it’s a changing environment that suits certain personality types.
There are times when I just need to get out of the country and go
somewhere and lie on a beach to recover. But that’s fine, after a week
I always find myself wanting to get back to the dynamism and the
challenging environment that China is. It’s a beautiful
lifestyle in Australia but after a couple of weeks
back home I find myself with itchy feet.’
‘Most researchers in Australia will end up doing
international projects in parts of Asia at some point
in the careers,’ says Tracey Rankin from Yellow Door
Research, which has conducted multi-country studies
in the Asia Pacific region for many years. She says one
thing you quickly learn when it comes to qualitative
research, is that if you just hand the materials to a
local field team you’ll get a mess.
‘Most of us learn the hard way that you have to be
there on the ground, to make sure they’re asking the
right questions and probing in the right way. You really
get to know a culture when you get things wrong.
And your results are only as good as your
simultaneous translator. Once you establish a good
network in Asia, you can tap into that.’
Rankin, who is heading back to India this month to
present her research findings to an local client, says
she believes there is a growing market for research
in the Asia Pacific region and clients are showing
increasing interest in more complex methodologies.
Katarina Olausson moved to Shanghai last
month to work as an account manager at
Firefly Millward Brown
Research News March 2011 19