Marketing in Cambodia
-
- I Am Losing It All to the Internet
- Reactions: 0
- Posts: 1412
- Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2011 6:13 am
- Location: Phnom Penh
ChicagoGuy wrote:Why is it depressing?florianwardell wrote:I work in one of Phnom Penh's 3 big advertising agencies. And it's depressing.
Because people here have absolutely no taste. And because good creatives are a scarce commodity.
Doesn't marketing here work for Cambodians?
Maybe they just don't have your taste. Or Benetton's.
Maybe they just don't have your taste. Or Benetton's.
Cambodian's don't like pretentious foreign creative crap. They like schmaltz, they like high class, modern, glitz, bling or pretty girls dancing but they don't like highly complex or over-the-head concepts.
Marketing is about reaching to the target audience effectively, not about some avant garde bollox that is completely unrelated to Cambodian life, local culture and attitudes.
By far the worst advertising I saw here was a truly awful television commercial using a ladybody to sell unisex deodorant. The end result was no man would buy it for fear of smelling like a poof and no woman would buy it for fear of smelling like a man. Apparently this was an "award winning" campaign. God knows why anybody would have taken credit for that monstrosity since the product can not be found for sale since then despite having had a previously successful, decade long sales history.
Marketing is about reaching to the target audience effectively, not about some avant garde bollox that is completely unrelated to Cambodian life, local culture and attitudes.
By far the worst advertising I saw here was a truly awful television commercial using a ladybody to sell unisex deodorant. The end result was no man would buy it for fear of smelling like a poof and no woman would buy it for fear of smelling like a man. Apparently this was an "award winning" campaign. God knows why anybody would have taken credit for that monstrosity since the product can not be found for sale since then despite having had a previously successful, decade long sales history.
LoL, and now I always buy the soap with whitening cream in it. I know I will never get my dream girl if I don't...vladimir wrote:I thought the mouthwash advert on TV was brilliant, maybe I've been here so long I'm morphing into a Khmer.
-
- I Am Losing It All to the Internet
- Reactions: 0
- Posts: 1412
- Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2011 6:13 am
- Location: Phnom Penh
Most Cambodian companies don't base their marketing strategy on research or aesthetics. Most of the time, a fat chinese executive will dictate a strategy based on his gut feeling.rob77 wrote:Cambodian's don't like pretentious foreign creative crap. They like schmaltz, they like high class, modern, glitz, bling or pretty girls dancing but they don't like highly complex or over-the-head concepts.
Marketing is about reaching to the target audience effectively, not about some avant garde bollox that is completely unrelated to Cambodian life, local culture and attitudes.
By far the worst advertising I saw here was a truly awful television commercial using a ladybody to sell unisex deodorant. The end result was no man would buy it for fear of smelling like a poof and no woman would buy it for fear of smelling like a man. Apparently this was an "award winning" campaign. God knows why anybody would have taken credit for that monstrosity since the product can not be found for sale since then despite having had a previously successful, decade long sales history.
Furthermore, Khmers LOVE pretentious, glittery, overly complicated crap. "Less is more" doesn't mean anything here. Every single space on a billboard has to be filled. Of course, there are exceptions, like Mobitel or Beeline, which have decent campaigns, but good advertising is still exotic here. In a country that is practically virgin from good advertising, trend-setting opportunities are immense, but very few executives have enough vision to realize this.
You talk about Cambodian life, culture and attitudes. The vast majority of companies paying an advertising agency here are looking to westernize their product, make it seem everything but Khmer.
It really is a mix of bad Chinese taste and American superficiality.
I remember the ladyboy commercial, no comment
I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the government has banned the product after that TVC was aired. There are no ladyboys in Cambodia, right? Featuring a pretty girl in an ad here is a headache inducing project. Ni bikinis, no cleavages, no couples looking into each other's eyes, and holding hands is barely acceptable. Meanwhile, the official who came up with those rules is getting wanked in a karaoke bar somewhere.
Cambodia is a marketing desert. But it starts to be better. The best marketing here is, spread the word. this is was cambodians do. they use mobiles and message, and even facebook for this. if you want to know where is a party or cheap selling, the use this.
at moment some good ads will work in the new khmer print magazines. but without any experience for biz, the rates are really expensive. tv spots works good, but same problem.
if you want to do something, you has to got new ideas... everyone searching for
at moment some good ads will work in the new khmer print magazines. but without any experience for biz, the rates are really expensive. tv spots works good, but same problem.
if you want to do something, you has to got new ideas... everyone searching for
-
- 440 newbie - handle with care
- Reactions: 0
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2011 6:57 pm
Excellent to see my post has inspired a lively discussion! Some very interesting and hilarious insights and comments - thanks for sharing.
There must be some Khmer marketing experts around - be good to get some input from some Cambodians too.
In my 2 months in Phnom Penh, I've come upon some quite horrendous advertising and branding that seems to break all the rules, but I still can't be sure if what I consider to be awful marketing practice is ineffective here, or whether some of this stuff actually works due to cultural differences etc. ??!!
There must be some Khmer marketing experts around - be good to get some input from some Cambodians too.
In my 2 months in Phnom Penh, I've come upon some quite horrendous advertising and branding that seems to break all the rules, but I still can't be sure if what I consider to be awful marketing practice is ineffective here, or whether some of this stuff actually works due to cultural differences etc. ??!!
- Playboy
- 20,000 Posts; I need professional help !
- Reactions: 288
- Posts: 24827
- Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2003 6:30 pm
- Location: Hotel K: Sector ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha
- Contact:
Phibious ???florianwardell wrote:I'd say somewhere around 90 and 110. We also have offices all around South East Asia.
But by "big" I meant in terms of number and importance of accounts, as well as $$$.
"We, the sons of John Company, have arrived"
No, it is another company.Playboy wrote:Phibious ???XXXX wrote:I'd say somewhere around 90 and 110. We also have offices all around South East Asia.
But by "big" I meant in terms of number and importance of accounts, as well as $$$.
I think forum users might be wise not to register using their actual, traceable name and then disparage their business sector and also go on to mention their company's specific clients and related problems in other threads.
It is not good advertising for their employer and I would have thought that any "top 3" advertising agency would have some strict confidentiality clauses in both employee and client contracts regarding this.
XXXX might want to re-consider some of his posts about incompetent marketing managers and bad batches of beer. Clients don't tend to like seeing that sort of information on public forums.
Last edited by rob77 on Thu Nov 03, 2011 8:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
Don't discourage honesty!rob77 wrote: Florian might want to re-consider some of his posts about incompetent marketing managers and bad batches of beer. Clients don't tend to like seeing that sort of information on public forums.
-
- Similar Topics
- Replies
- Views
- Last post
-
- 23 Replies
- 1382 Views
-
Last post by YaTingPom
Mon Sep 05, 2022 3:35 pm
-
- 8 Replies
- 3961 Views
-
Last post by horace
Wed Aug 05, 2020 8:34 pm
-
-
Immigration checks, Cambodia begins using "Foreigner Presence in Cambodia" system to track foreigners
by Bong Burgundy » Fri Mar 06, 2020 4:11 pm » in Cambodia Speakeasy - 13 Replies
- 16133 Views
-
Last post by telescopic
Wed Dec 28, 2022 11:21 am
-
-
-
How many of you are still in Cambodia?
by MarkinAston » Mon Jun 19, 2023 10:02 pm » in Cambodia Speakeasy - 29 Replies
- 9772 Views
-
Last post by MarkinAston
Tue Jun 20, 2023 8:09 pm
-
-
- 97 Replies
- 24616 Views
-
Last post by ផោមក្លិនស្អុយ
Wed Jun 28, 2023 6:07 pm