November 2011
Strategic Positioning and Selling to CEOs

To get a dialogue going with a chief executive it is essential for the vendor to communicate on a strategic level about their product or service. Vendors who decide that their product or service does not fulfill a strategic need for their clients are correct and will be treated as such when they call. Not every product bought by a company can fit into the strategic category. But companies are certainly getting smart about how they position their services.

September 2011
Renewables - A Greener Future

"To truly transform our economy, protect our security, and save our planet from the ravages of climate change, we need to ultimately make clean, renewable energy the profitable kind of energy", said President Barack Obama in his address to the Joint Session of the Congress in February 2009.

April 2011
Emerging Markets' Transnational Corporations (TNCs) - The New World Order?

"A multi-polar world cannot exist without recognising the status and participation of developing countries", said former Chinese Premier Mr. Li Peng when questioned by media on the role of China and other emerging nations in the global economy.

October 2010
Operationalizing Market Intelligence

The moment of truth for us was when a business head of a leading financial institution at the end of a pitch meeting said: "Guys, I have loads of consulting work with me with fancy charts depicting the market and strategies we should adopt. My sincere request to you is not to give me those and help me with actions I need to take to grow my business."

June 2010
Asia: The Battle for Talent

Most of the observations and analysis from the 2007/08 global economic crisis focus on the severe damage inflicted on many developed economies. Undoubtedly, the crisis has presented developed nations with major financial and economic challenges and we continue to see analysts questioning the economic outlook for Greece, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom.

February 2010
The Roaring Tiger is Here!
Signs of Economic Recovery Across Asia Pacific as 2009 Closes and 2010 Opens

February 2010 heralds the next Chinese New Year and the accompanying festivities which will welcome in the year of the Tiger. It seems that the roaring tiger is bringing luck to many in Asia with signs of a turnaround everywhere.

December 2009
From Manufacturing Hubs to Creative Hubs
The rise of Creative Industries and its challenges in South East Asia

For decades, South East Asia's success and growth have been mainly due to its foreign investment centric economy, focusing primarily on the manufacturing sector. Now, as the manufacturing sector is no longer able to attract the level of investment as it did in the past, SEA countries are looking at new growth sectors to sustain and grow their economies. The fact that the creative industries are among the fastest growing sectors globally is not lost on the SEA nations. Estimates value the sector at 7% of the world's GDP and forecast 3% growth per year.

August 2009
Tax Efficient Supply Chains
Unlock savings through Tax efficiencies & Supply Chain Optimisation

Tax Rates are being reduced by respective governments in the region to encourage more companies, especially multinationals, to situate their regional headquarters in their country (Figure 1). A growing number of companies are responding to the call, by relocating their regional headquarters in countries with lower corporate taxes (e.g. Singapore, Hong Kong).

June 2009
The Asian Century
In coming years, Asia would have more prominent hubs of global economic activity - business entities should make the most of it.

The current recession is likely to have a more far-reaching effect on the way international business functions than just the immediate effects on specific markets, countries, or badly hit sectors such as real estate and banking. There have been strong initiatives at both the global and country level to resurrect the global economy and pull it out of recession. The question for the moment is whether the worst is still to come or is already behind us. The excesses of leverage in both domestic households and the financial system and the imbalance this has created are leading to a severe U-shaped recessionary curve which will be deeper and more protracted than anything experienced since the 1920s and will last for at least two years with recovery only beginning to take hold in early 2011.

January 2008
Building tourism growth on change drivers
Incorporating industry drivers can uncover new opportunities in your growth portfolio

Recent geopolitical events, climate change, information overflow, workforce issues, and new segments are major forces of change shaping the travel and logistics sector today. Players that can incorporate these drivers in their strategic planning are best placed to enjoy sustained growth leverage. Synovate's research in this sector over the past five years has identified ten timeless tourism growth strategies that may enable companies to take advantage of such trends.

January 2008
Encouraging RFID adoption across customer verticals
RFID providers need to focus on how they will differentiate their solutions to different customer industries

The global $500mn Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) industry is expected to grow rapidly in the next 2 - 4 years, as tag readability improves, security is enhanced, costs reduce, and industry standards are established.

January 2008
Estimating losses from parallel imports
Quantifying the size of the parallel import market to support a business case for action

Our client, a producer of engine components, enjoys a monopolistic position (i.e. they have pricing power, setting prices differently in each market) in its aftermarket components business due to compatibility issues. However, its business had been facing significant revenue losses from parallel imports of its most popular original components, which are priced more cheaply in China. Synovate has therefore been commissioned to establish the market size for parallel imports in terms of potential revenue losses.

January 2008
Offering a bundled value proposition
Thorough understanding of customer demand drivers can help marketers offer bundled solutions more successfully

As corporations shift their focus from conglomerating companies towards their core competencies, a new conglomeration of synergies across products is taking form to fuel growth. More companies are acquiring skills in orientating themselves towards their key customers, partnering and integrating different service components, managing large and complex engagements, and crossselling multiple products to their clients.

January 2008
Strategic intent in sponsorship marketing
Forethought in sponsoring events will drive directed returns

Sponsorship marketing has become an indispensable part of the marketing mix for international brands, with the US$40bn sponsorship market enjoying double digit growth annually. A global audience size at major events extends to billions of people; sponsorship can considered more cost-effective than purchasing comparable levels of media coverage with conventional advertising.