our clients

We are proud to have worked for some of the finest organisations in the world, from local corporations to MNCs; from small NGOs to global aid organisations; from advertising agencies to like-minded research firms in Europe, the UK and the USA.

Clients come to us because they want to engage a close-knit team of intelligent people to work on complex, high-visibility projects within their organisations. Often they want to explore new markets or business opportunities; other times they want us to identify trends and map out the future of an industry, or to develop a proprietary understanding of the competitive landscape. Sometimes they just want us to conduct a focus group or two!

But whatever the brief may be, clients come to us because they trust us to do the job well. Such trust spans every aspect of our engagement – from designing the most suitable research solution, to conducting rigorous fieldwork, and delivering some of the clearest, most application-ready reports in the industry.  Our work makes our clients look good. This explains why they keep coming back to us, and why we are motivated to go beyond what is usually expected from a research provider.

download our case studies

banking and finance

BUPA: A CASE STUDY

The brief: We were tasked to investigate the future of healthcare. The client was a global health insurance company.

Our solution: A two day long Citizen’s Forum was conducted by Asian Strategies in Hong Kong in collaboration with Opinion Leader UK, a pioneer in the use of deliberative research.

The results: Bupa has implemented many of the ideas generated by the insights delivered from our groups of participants who worked with us for two consecutive days. They enjoyed the experience so much that many of them have remained friends – another valuable insight which informed strategies on building enduring relationships with their policyholders. We have since worked with Bupa again, surveying 750 mass affluent participants and key industry players to gauge the potential of the Indonesian market. 

BUPA: A CASE STUDY

The brief: We were tasked to investigate the future of healthcare. The client was a global health insurance company.

Our solution: A two day long Citizen’s Forum was conducted by Asian Strategies in Hong Kong in collaboration with Opinion Leader UK, a pioneer in the use of deliberative research.

The results: Bupa has implemented many of the ideas generated by the insights delivered from our groups of participants who worked with us for two consecutive days. They enjoyed the experience so much that many of them have remained friends – another valuable insight which informed strategies on building enduring relationships with their policyholders. We have since worked with Bupa again, surveying 750 mass affluent participants and key industry players to gauge the potential of the Indonesian market. 

luxury brands

steinway lyngdorf: a case study

The brief: Steinway Lyngdorf was launching its first new musical instrument in 154 years – the world’s most expensive home stereo system. We were to determine how receptive Asian elites would be to the new product.

Our solution:  We conducted research with Asian elites in Singapore and Hong Kong in a realistic testing environment. Such environments are crucial in this kind of study. We set up the fully functional prototype in penthouse suites in Singapore and Hong Kong so target buyers could see and hear the system in situ. Dyads were conducted with Asia’s elites and audiophiles. 

The results: Consistent themes quickly emerged that immediately informed audience and product design decisions, pricing strategy and clear directions for distribution and communications. The product launch was spectacularly successful. 

alcoholic beverages

french champagne council (civc): a case study

The brief: The French Champagne industry associated hired us to devise positioning strategies for Champagne to take advantage of India's burgeoning appetite for wine. 

Our solution:  We have consultant wine experts who can conduct/ moderate proper wine tasting sessions. We also have panels of punters, connoisseurs and industry professionals (sommeliers, wine writers, buyers, etc.) who helped us identify the strongest positioning statements for the CIVC. 

The results: We successfully highlighted the best way forward for French champagnes entering the Indian market. Our other alcoholic beverage projects included researchers who  helped take Guinness in Indonesia from a tonic which was once drunk warm with honey or snake’s blood to a major beer brand in the world’s most populous Muslim country. We also did research which predicted that launching a nonalcoholic beer in Indonesia would fail. 

legal

For more information on our legal case studies, please download our legal deck here or send us a direct email at info@asianstrategies.com.

humanitarian / public policy

2004 olympics: a case study

The brief: In partnership with Greenberg Research (Washington), our task was to interview the IOC and members of the Olympic press in the week leading up to the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney about the preparedness of Athens to host the 2004 games. To say that the respondents were busy and difficult to interview at this time is an understatement!

Our solution:  Depth interviews were conducted at the Olympic Press Centre where journalists were filing reports, at the Regent Hotel where IOC delegates were relaxing, and even on the train to the Olympic Village. 

The results: Transcripts were typed overnight and the analysis and reporting were completed in the first week of the Games. Since then, we have also worked for the London 2012 Olympic Committee and other matters of public policy.

red cross (ICRC): A CASE STUDY

The brief: Greenberg Research in Washington conducted the “People on War” project for the ICRC (International Committee for the Red Cross) in 1999 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Geneva Convention. It gathered views on war from over 20,000 individuals with firsthand experience, civilians and combatants alike.

Our solution: Asian Strategies conducted the Cambodian survey. N=1,000 interviews were conducted across urban and rural Cambodia, using focus groups with fighters and victims of decades of conflict as well as in-depth interviews with land mine victims, military leaders, “Killing Fields” survivors and even former Khmer Rouge fighters in remote border areas.

The results: The completed project comprises interviews from all over the world, including Afghanistan, Lebanon, Somalia, El Salvador and thirteen other countries.

technology

singtel: a case study

The brief:  This major telco in Asia was managing its transition from a “pipe” to a multi-media enterprise. Key to this transformation is developing exciting new content and applications (apps) that will appeal to all major consumer segments from youths to DINKS / SINKS, Nesters and Silvers.

Our solution: Client immersion sessions in Singapore, ethnography, online communities and face-to-face ideation workshops generated over 140 product and service ideas from multiple consumer segments and key stakeholders.

The results: Over the course of our innovation sessions, we distilled the best ideas into a Top 20 Ideas Handbook. Many of these ideas have been developed into full products by SingTel. 

media

the bbc: a case study

The brief:  We were commissioned to conduct audience measurement surveys with difficult-to-reach demographics and in developing countries. Our major clients include international radio broadcasters such as the BBC, Radio Australia, VOA and RFA.

Our solution:  Conducting politically sensitive surveys always presents problems, as do security issues and the lack of infrastructure. We have even had to go underground to measure audiences for politically unpopular broadcasters. Sampling is fundamental to reliable audience measurement. In the Pacific, this requires some interesting modes of transport to reach “starting points”. We’ve travelled up-river in canoes to reach remote villages.

The results:For two decades, we have conducted quant. and qual. audience research in developing countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, Fiji, PNG and the Solomon Islands.

tourism / travel / events

f1 rocks: a case study

The brief: In 2009 we conducted ROI research at F1 Rocks!, a three- day outdoor concert in Singapore. 

Our solution:  4,000 interviews were conducted with audience members over three nights. ROI for sponsors was measured, and ratings on acts collected for future event planning. Continuous on-the-spot feedback provided to management in real time meant that unforeseen problems with entry, signage, security and F&B could be fixed on the spot so that concert-goers enjoyed themselves and sponsors got their money’s worth.

The results: Continuous on-the-spot feedback provided to management in real time meant that unforeseen problems with entry, signage, security and F&B could be fixed on the spot so that concert-goers enjoyed themselves and sponsors got their money’s worth.

visit britain: A CASE STUDY

The brief: Our task was to devise new ways of getting Asian travellers to visit Britain, especially after the digital media age disrupted purchasing routes from traditional tourism offices.

Our solution:  Researching holiday-makers is often best done face-to-face. We conducted some Extended Creativity Groups across India and China for Tourism Ireland to create compelling propositions for these two emerging giants in outbound tourism to include Ireland on their itineraries. 3-4 hour sessions are fun for participants and hugely instructive for researchers.

The results: We have worked with VisitBritain for 20 years across Asia,  adjusting strategies as travellers have migrated from getting brochures at national tourism offices to using Google, Facebook and TripAdvisor for destination dreaming and planning.

energy / lubricants

bp/castrol: a case study

The brief: We were initially hired to conduct customer segmentation work for BP/Castrol. However, our findings drove marketing efforts far beyond the initial scope.

Our solution:  For ten years, we have worked with BP/Castrol across Asia (as far west as Turkey), Australia and South America, including a collaboration on their global segmentation studies both B2C (car owners, bikers and pick-up drivers) and B2B. 

The results: The new typologies uncovered formed the basis for all marketing efforts covering brand architecture, new product development, brand positioning and communications.