Asian Advertising: Charting the Trends

Abstract

Over the past few decades Asia has experienced the most dynamic economic growth of any region in the world. The World Bank estimates that over the next five years, Asia will account for more than half of the global GNP growth and half of the global trade growth. This rapid economic growth has been accompanied by a dramatic increase in advertising. Today, billions of dollars are spent on mass media advertising in the region–aimed at enticing the burgeoning middle classes to consume everything from cigarettes to Pentiums. The purpose of this paper is to examine the changes in consumer behaviour that have accompanied this economic growth and to discuss trends that are affecting advertising in Asia as we move toward the next century.