As a global communications agency, Redhill has cornered the niche in the market of bridging the Asia to Europe (and Asia to US) divide. This isn’t a common area of expertise that agencies offer and we talk to clients all the time about navigating this cultural divide. We often get clients that are based in Germany and who want to get insight on and expand into Singapore or other parts of Asia.

With local teams in both regions, there’s always an expert to help navigate the landscape on either side. But there’s nothing like first-hand experience, and as soon as I heard about Redhill’s Live and Learn Immersion Programme, I knew that it’d be the perfect opportunity for me to get just that.

There were a few reasons why I wanted to join this programme. I wanted to connect more with the teams in Asia, who sometimes felt a world away (what an impact a six-hour time difference makes!), as well as to better understand what exactly clients are looking for in that part of the world.

First, I had to get approved for a spot. One video (featuring several costume changes) and a personal essay (which laminated my dread for the impending grey of Berlin winters) later, my application to spend a month in Bangkok, Thailand was accepted.

I was about to find out what it was like to cross the bridge. Bangkok, here I come!

First impressions

After a 17-hour flight, I touched down at the airport and my first thought was how busy it all was…that, and that it felt like I was walking to the other end of the earth to get from my gate to immigration. Airports are busy, bustling buildings – this is well known – but I felt a buzzing energy that I hadn’t felt anywhere else before.

This feeling only intensified once I stepped outside and immediately started sweating. With people everywhere, cars everywhere and whistles blowing everywhere, I didn’t know where to look or what to listen to. I later realised this was a common feeling I’d experience in Bangkok. With so much going on, I often felt there was a sensory overload. In fact, it took me weeks to notice massive billboards or certain shops because there was so much else to look at.

One thing that consumed a lot of my attention was the food. It quickly became apparent that unlike in Germany or the UK, life revolves around food in Bangkok. Food is a big part of every country’s culture, but this was on another level. There were street vendors taking up the pavements selling chicken, fish, noodles, curries and even grasshoppers. You name it, they had it!

There were vending machines that created Oreo smoothies for you (a fantastic discovery that quickly became my new favourite thing) and robots that would deliver food to you in restaurants. Every meal I had was different, an explosion of flavours I’d never had before.

I’d also often find that whilst some flavours were familiar, each was as though on steroids – the coffees were so sweet I thought I was drinking spoons of pure sugar, and most dishes were so spicy I finished with a red face, runny nose and tears rolling down my cheeks, much to the amusement of my local team members. I very quickly learned to ask for the “tourist version”. Every food experience was an adventure, one which locals take immense pride in – and rightfully so.

A culture of giving

Coming from the two most stereotypically emotionally conservative cultures, I was continuously blown away by the generosity and care of the people in Bangkok. It was obvious in even just the little things, from everyone wearing masks on the streets despite no mask mandates, to giving money to beggars, to sharing food.

I found that this principle of giving was highly valued and appreciated – extending beyond even personal interactions into business interactions. For instance, in Redhill’s Bangkok office, I found that there were massive boxes hidden under desks and in the corners of the rooms. These boxes contained items for journalist gift baskets, thoughtfully handpicked by Redhill’s Thai team to reflect their clients.

This is just one of the many ways culture impacts interactions. Within the German team, we’ve always talked about the different journalist expectations between the West and the East. However, you only understand just how different it is and why it matters when you witness things like these firsthand.

As an example, our colleagues in Asia often tell us in Germany to just ‘call the journalist’. This always makes us laugh because we know full well that a) the journalist won’t pick up, and b) it’s usually a direct route to getting both your and your agency’s names on a blacklist. But when I was in Thailand, I immediately understood why we were being told to do this – because here, a phone call is the only way to build a relationship with journalists. No second thoughts about it.

These might seem like small things, but difference can translate into bigger actions. In Germany, we can’t even buy a journalist a coffee because it might be seen as a form of bribery. However, in Thailand, I learned that gift-giving is seen as a sign of respect. Journalist gifts aren’t just given to promote client events or a new media angle – they’re also sent to celebrate just about any special day, ranging from national holidays to a journalist’s birthday or their first day on the job.

A more united environment

When a global company grows as quickly as Redhill has, building and maintaining relationships between the different offices can often fall to the wayside and be neglected. Focused on our own regions and clients, we can get stuck in the patterns of how things are typically done where we are because there is little cause to do things differently.

Being sat in Germany, I’ve often felt that we exist in our own little bubble, only working with other teams on occasional clients. Consequently, I’d never worked directly with the Thai team before. Through this programme, I learned a lot about the nuanced differences in PR between Thailand and Germany, as well as the struggles that the team faced with media and clients in Thailand. Overall, I felt that my relationship with the Thai team became a lot deeper.

There will always be cultural differences – the running joke in the office while I was in Bangkok was that I would walk everywhere in the city, which is highly unusual there as everyone either gets public transport or taxis – but there are so many similarities that tie us together within the same company. Recognising and appreciating this opens the door to being more receptive to new ideas, new structures and how other places do things.

Initiatives like Redhill’s Live and Learn Immersion Programme can have such a significant impact on the cohesion within a company, ultimately making us all both stronger teams globally and regionally. It can inspire creativity, flexibility and maybe even a little boundary-pushing to always go above and beyond – both for the company, and most importantly, for our clients.

The post Bridging the East-West gap through travel appeared first on Redhill | Global Communications Agency.

A version of this story first appeared in the official website of the Business Times. Click here to read it.

“… humanity’s best chance of success is open and honest debate..”

STUART Kirk said this in a detailed LinkedIn post in July that announced his resignation as HSBC Asset Management’s global head of responsible investing. In the post, he also spoke about the perils of cancelling voices that run counter to the current zeitgeist surrounding climate change and ESG investing.

Kirk’s resignation hardly came as any surprise, given that he was effectively “put on ice” by his then employer for nearly two months. This followed his controversial speech at a Financial Times conference pouring scorn over the financial risks brought about by climate change.

Unpacking the controversy – was the reaction warranted?

Factually, there was nothing inherently wrong with Kirk’s speech. What he did was counter the established narrative of how organisations should invest in ESG movers and shakers. In his view, the risks of climate change are overhyped; people can adapt to a changing climate; and “unsustainable companies” (think those in the oil & gas sector) don’t necessarily make bad investments.

Understandably, this didn’t go over well with many, and Kirk was branded a climate change denier, with pressure mounting for him to be fired.

Yet, from Kirk’s perspective, competition for ESG investing is now more rife than ever. So central bankers are attempting to “out-hyperbole” the next guy by raising ominous warnings to financial institutions and investors about climate change risks. For him, many of these apocalyptic warnings are unsubstantiated and self-serving. If and when the world indeed faces a critical environmental juncture, he believes in the human spirit to weather the adversities and adapt accordingly via innovation.

The difference’s in the delivery

In a sense, topics like climate change may be particularly prone to hyperbole, and commentators would seize upon targets who can spark a cancel culture movement. Everyone is looking for a fall guy to paint as the villain. For those in need of constant catharsis, it may just be to show off how righteous they are. However, others just want to find a visible reason for why things are going wrong in our world, as the trifecta of a global pandemic, recession and geopolitical conflicts is making many feel more powerless than ever, and we want more ways to channel our grievances.

And to be fair, Kirk didn’t exactly do himself any favours. In his speech, he used combative language, calling out alleged hyperbole hustlers as nutjobs and perhaps glossing over climate calamities with flawed analogies. For instance, he likened the voices of climate change doomsayers to those behind the escalation of the Y2K bug hysteria. However, the difference is that the efforts to deal with the latter happened somewhat invisibly to the public, often opaquely between computer screens and IT systems.

Yet, for many, climate change is real, especially for the developing world that bears the brunt of environmental change but also has fewer avenues to access the funding and innovation to mitigate the risks. It’s easy to downplay climate change from ivory towers; the risks look totally different when your country’s sinking and you’re knee-deep in seawater.

“Topics like climate change may be particularly prone to hyperbole, and commentators would seize upon targets who can spark a cancel culture movement.”

So, instead of engendering fierce but constructive debate around the current state of ESG financing, Kirk put his former employers in a quagmire. I maintain that Kirk’s superiors at the bank must have known of, if not approved, his speech; I can’t imagine that an organisation such as HSBC didn’t vet his content thoroughly to catch out any potential risks.

Perhaps there was a disparity between his prepared speech and what he actually delivered (though this seems unlikely, given that one of Kirk’s slides said : “Unsubstantiated, shrill, partisan, self-serving, apocalyptic warnings are ALWAYS wrong”.) Thus, it does appear that what probably happened was that the public outcry over the speech became too unbearable for HSBC and it caved in and suspended him.

In Communications 101, we must always read the room and speak the language the audience would most resonate with. Going in with guns blazing is never advisable unless you know your audience really well.

When in doubt, try humour instead; though, granted, the person using it must have enough charm and charisma. Kirk shot and failed, but rather than throwing him under the bus, his employers could have done better standing by their employee and advising him on the do’s and don’ts.

Ugly side of cancel culture

Cancel culture, for the most part, emerged from inherently good intentions. It was to provide a voice to marginalised people and make those who may often escape accountability face the consequences for their ill intentions and actions .

However, just like with many movements, it’s often hard to control fires, even those that started with just a spark. While there are instances where someone is just so egregiously bad that ending their careers is justified, the situation gets murkier when they’re being cancelled just for having different views. While a person may indeed be loathsome, it would still be unfair to risk or destroy their future. There’s a clear line between shunning someone for opposing viewpoints and ruining their lives.

In this day and age, we have access to a variety of platforms to communicate our views and thoughts. It’s easier than ever to find like-minded people to share our ideas with, but if left unchecked, this can also lead to people forming tribal echo chambers. This makes it harder for opposing viewpoints to enter the realms of discussion; contradictions to the cemented groupthink narrative will be fiercely countered, as many dislike having their established, subjective truth challenged.

Critical culture instead of cancel culture

So, what does this mean for Kirk? As I said, the issue was not so much the facts he presented as how he delivered them. While he had a salient point in his LinkedIn post on the perils of cancel culture, he did little to try to mitigate the situation from the beginning. We can’t control how others react to what we do or say, but we do have control over ourselves.

No one gains from cancel culture. Reiterating the line from Kirk’s LinkedIn post about open and honest debate, if communications are to be a tool for creating a better society, there must be room for constructive feedback and discourse, and letting people acknowledge their mistakes, and rehabilitate.

Cancel culture – if used brazenly – leads to silos and a divided society, not understanding and learning. With so many things happening in the world today that require real change, we can no longer bury our heads in the sand.

The post Cancel culture – when to know enough’s enough appeared first on Redhill | Global Communications Agency.

It all started with this unexpected suggestion:

“You should consider working from another country for a while. Gain new perspectives! Learn about different cultures!”

One thing led to another, and next thing I knew, I was applying to test the pilot of the Redhill Live and Learn Immersion Programme — a new cultural immersion initiative by Redhill. Essentially, cultural immersion is where an individual actively tries to integrate into an unfamiliar community by working and living like a local, which also promotes a better understanding of nuance.

Under this programme, selected Redhill team members will spend a month or two working and living in a different country — as long as Redhill has an office there. This will give them the chance to learn about new cultures, gain international work experience, and meet overseas colleagues.

Destination: Dubai

Ultimately, it was decided that I would spend a month in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), for two reasons.

One, Redhill had set up a new office there. Two, more business opportunities were cropping up in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, making it increasingly important for Redhill. More familiarity with the region and culture could only be a good thing.

So it was that after two weeks of whirlwind planning and packing, off I went to immerse myself in Dubai.

Paper knowledge versus lived experience

I’ll be honest — before this, the most time I’d ever spent in Dubai was a few hours in transit at the airport. I didn’t know much about it beyond some vague ideas about wealth, heat and Islam being the majority — and official — religion. So I did some initial research and made some interesting discoveries.

Did you know that foreigners significantly outnumber locals in Dubai? I didn’t. Close to 90 percent of the population is foreign, with Indian nationals being the largest demographic.

I also found out that living costs were much higher than in Malaysia, primarily because Dubai must import a good deal of its food — agriculture is difficult in the desert.

Additionally, checking the weather forecasts suggested that it would be unrelentingly hot and dry in Dubai, so I tried to pack light but modest clothing.

But knowing and experiencing are two entirely different things.

The majority Indian population is just a statistic until you see the ubiquity of Indian spices and dishes in the local supermarkets and eateries. Higher living costs really hit home when you buy liquid soap at nearly RM40 a bottle instead of the RM20 you’re used to. (Note that Dubai’s currency is only about 1.2x that of Malaysia, so it’s not really a conversion issue.)

And then there’s the weather — the dry desert heat becomes all too real when you’re standing under the sun, feeling like your skin’s baking to a crisp, but you haven’t sweated a drop.

But over time, I adapted. I learned to dress very light but also carry a jacket for air-conditioned shopping malls. I bought groceries at less central supermarket outlets after finding out that prices within the same chain could vary based on location. And after a few expensive ride-hailing trips, I realised that local Hala taxis would always be the cheaper option and switched to using them.

That’s the beauty of cultural immersion — not only do you get the experience, you also get the chance to embrace the change and adapt to it in your own way.

The search for cultural insight

I actively paid attention to difference during my time in Dubai. Out of respect, I tried to avoid eating or drinking in public during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. I marvelled at how everywhere, from taxis to roadside halva kiosks, had contactless payment facilities. It was so easy to go cashless!

I navigated all 12 million sqft of Dubai Mall easily with its own location app and decided that other malls could learn a thing or two from it. I visited architectural wonders like the Museum of the Future and bastions of tradition like the old quarter of Deira, finding myself captivated in equal measure by the prevalence of Dubai’s ambition, innovation and drive.

Taking a leaf out of my extrovert father’s book, I went out of my way to talk to people to get some local perspectives and it was a fascinating experience.

A Pakistani desert tour driver spent 15 minutes lamenting to the entire car that foreigners can’t become UAE citizens, then missed a turn while arguing women’s rights with my seatmate, a fiery female Israeli programmer who once served in the army.

A Filipino shopkeeper told us over steaming cups of tea that one of the best things about Dubai was that it doesn’t impose income tax, allowing her and her husband to give their kids a good life.

A Nepalese cab driver insisted that according to his friends, Malaysia was lovely but not safe (“a lot of crime”), but happily, Dubai was both. (I did stand up for Malaysia. It didn’t help!)

What I found miraculous was that most everyone I met (including the three above) were unanimous in praising Dubai’s safety — an impressive achievement in such a diverse city. I’d count myself one of them too, now. I never felt unsafe walking the streets of Dubai alone, even late at night and miles away from home.

Besides satisfying my own curiosity, this active engagement was also for my professional growth as a writer. I write for Redhill’s clients across the world — including within the MENA region — and effective writing requires familiarity with the interests and nuances of each market.

What industries are important? What issues do people care about? What is taboo and what isn’t? I resolved to learn as much about the local landscape as I could so that I could convert that newfound insight into more resonant pieces, as well as a more diverse perspective for my team.

This paid near-immediate dividends. One of the first jobs I had to do upon returning to Malaysia was produce an article for a Dubai-based company, and I found it infinitely easier to write with the context I’d picked up during my stay in Dubai. Desktop research could have filled in the gaps, but it’s always better to write about something you’ve lived through instead of just heard about — and it always shows.

A different kind of teambuilding

Getting to see and experience a new place is always fun and exciting, but for me, one of the things I was most looking forward to in this cultural immersion trip was the chance to connect with distant teammates.

Anit, Redhill’s Managing Director — Middle East and Africa, was my local colleague in Dubai. I had met him for a few hours on a short trip to Singapore, but it was only in Dubai that I really got to know him as a person.

At once gracious host, resident expert and consummate professional, Anit patiently answered my countless questions and even sprinkled in industry-specific tidbits of knowledge; learning from him that the ‘PR’ role in many Dubai companies usually involves handling work visas instead of press releases was a singularly unique revelation. He also introduced me to the wonders of Indian milk tea, and teatime became a shared joy.

Two weeks in, Natalie, the go-getter Managing Director of Redhill from Singapore, also joined us. They say three’s a crowd, but in this case I think it was just right.

Together, we attended the Arabian Travel Market trade fair, where we marvelled at the ultra-elaborate displays and met a contact for a spontaneous catchup outside the exhibition hall doors, where he unloaded a wealth of insights that we tried our best to absorb in a thoroughly inadequate 10 minutes.

We also drove to Abu Dhabi and visited the Abu Dhabi Global Market, where Redhill has a presence, before doing an impromptu tour of the stately capital of the UAE and listening to Anit give us an abridged history of the UAE’s politics, economy, and society.

Last but not least, I even visited the new Dubai office in Dubai Media City and had the honour of being the first non-local employee to work in it! (I asked Anit to name a chair after me. I don’t think he did, somehow.)

Cultural immersion is where an individual actively tries to integrate into an unfamiliar community by working and living like a local, which also promotes a better understanding of nuance.

Having the chance to meet and work with both Anit and Natalie added a much-needed dimension to my Redhill working experience.

Anit was able to provide valuable insight on the business environment specific to the MENA region, as well as help Natalie and I navigate the hidden nuances of local culture. Meanwhile, Natalie contributed her unique perspective and work ethic as a female leader, along with offering critical context on Redhill’s wider ambitions, which helped shed light on future plans.

Most importantly, however, working alongside each other and sharing new experiences in person helped me get to know them as complete individuals, not simply as friendly floating faces and disembodied voices on Teams calls and text chats. Our relationships as colleagues and friends gained more depth as a result — something that pure online interactions simply can’t replicate.

Building bridges through shared experience

For me, a key takeaway from the Redhill Live and Learn Immersion Programme is that cultural immersion is one of the best ways to dispel inaccurate, misguided and outdated assumptions — as long as you go into it with an open mind.

Before I went to Dubai, many friends and family expressed their concerns. “Is Dubai safe for women?” “It’s all desert, is there anything to do there?” “Do you have to dress very conservatively?”

Admittedly I, too, had my initial reservations due to a fear of the unknown. But having now been there, I can say that yes, Dubai is safe; yes, there is tons to do here; and no, Dubai is fairly liberal. Judging by the responses I got, I like to think I changed some minds.

In a workplace context, cultural immersion also promotes better work relationships and creates better synergy between international colleagues, which is especially important for an agile organisation like Redhill that has dispersed teams across the world.

Through the Programme, I worked with colleagues that I would never normally meet in entirely new markets. I saw first-hand how they operated and the challenges they faced. I learned how I could better support them and got to know them as people outside of the office.

The world is getting smaller and more connected, yet the closer we get, the more easily differences seem to divide us. This seems especially true this year as destructive global conflicts and landmark judgments (or their overturning) ignite raging debates around what an equal, inclusive, and tolerant world should look like.

We need to make the effort to step out of our own bubbles and understand cultures and communities beyond our own. When we walk in another’s shoes, we come one step closer to becoming global citizens that are more engaged, tolerant, and accepting of others — and also one step closer to building a world that espouses the same.

The post How cultural immersion makes us better global citizens appeared first on Redhill | Global Communications Agency.

A version of this story first appeared in Reputation Today. Click here to read it.

Prior to 2020, remote working had largely been a novelty, trialed only by a handful of companies in the search for a better work-life balance.

Then came COVID-19, and with it the weeks-long, then months-long nationwide lockdowns to flatten the infection curve. This triggered what has been called ‘the world’s largest telework experiment’ and catapulted remote work into the spotlight.

Today, many employees want remote work to remain an option and companies are exploring the idea. This has positive implications for recruitment and scalability — imagine being able to hire from anywhere, instead of being bound by geography.

But if this arrangement is to be permanent, how will that impact company culture? During the pandemic, many managers struggled with virtually managing their teams and building bonds between co-workers, which is essential for synergy and productivity.

I believe that a middle ground can exist between the flexibility of remote work and the cohesiveness of a good company culture. However, it will take a lot of communication, tolerance, and open-mindedness from all parties to succeed.

The dark side of remote working

Better schedule flexibility, reduced expenses and little to no commute time are significant advantages of remote work. But if it is not managed well, there are downsides too.

Many remote employees struggle with social isolation because of insufficient communication and support. Additionally, with homes becoming offices and people constantly connected to work through their devices, it is more difficult than ever to ‘switch off’. This prolonged stress is a proven precursor to breakdowns and burnout.

I also find that there is a tendency for managers to micromanage when work is done remotely. They have less visibility over an employee’s daily routine and are concerned that they may be less productive as a result.

I have heard incredible stories of apps that remotely track mouse movement or webcams having to be on to make sure that the employee is in their seat. These excessive measures result in an oppressive company culture that is stressful for all parties and not conducive for work.

Building the future of work on trust

Trust is the backbone of any healthy corporate culture — especially for companies with dispersed teams.

If an employee is producing good and timely results, and is responsive and responsible, leaders can give them space to manage their own workloads. However, granting autonomy does not mean abandoning them; a remote employee depends entirely on the manager’s responsiveness for help and support, and an absent or unsupportive leader can be detrimental to their confidence and productivity.

A middle ground can exist between the flexibility of remote work and the cohesiveness of a good company culture, but it will take a lot of communication, tolerance, and open-mindedness from all parties.

Leaders need to train their people and empower them to make decisions, then trust the process and focus on the results. Leverage communication and collaboration tools for visibility and to stay informed. Keep expectations clear and consistent.

Managers can set regular sessions with remote employees — in groups or individually — to check in with them. Give them adequate time to report on their progress and any obstacles they may be facing, then work together with them to find a solution.

Openness and transparency are key to build accountability and trust, which are, in turn, critical ingredients for an enriched company culture.

Leaders need to make their team part of the journey — instead of just telling them about new policies and processes and expecting compliance, managers can get their team’s feedback on the changes they would like to see, incorporate it, then show them what they have accomplished together.

Driving culture-building through engagement

There is a tendency for communication and interaction to become more purpose-driven in a remote setting. People are more likely to only get on calls and meetings for work-related matters, instead of the casual in-person chats that you might have over work lunches and at the water coolers.

This might sound like good news for productivity, but the absence of these small, personal interactions can lead to feelings of isolation and disconnection, which can result in disengaged and unhappy employees.

It is entirely possible to maintain a tight-knit culture with remote colleagues — it just takes some extra effort. For instance, I started the ‘Samurai Soirees’, a weekly Friday bonding session with my team where we just set aside an hour to do some fun, non-work activities.

Once, we split into teams and debated each other on popular conspiracy theories like birds being government drones. Not everyone was a fan at first, but over time they started looking forward to it and I think we’re all closer for it.

Without downplaying the depth of virtual connections, I also think that companies should make the effort to host the occasional offsite team-building activity. In-person meetings do wonders for work relationships because you get to know people more fully, and offsites overall are excellent for improving creativity, encouraging collaboration and boosting motivation.

I have been part of many company offsites, and have left each one with stronger work relationships and a recharged spirit.

Rethinking policy and procedure

Transitioning to a hybrid or fully remote work environment requires more thought than companies may initially realise. Policies and processes that worked for a fully in-person office may no longer be effective for remote employees.

Take the onboarding experience, for instance. When we have new hires from all around the world, how do we design an experience that helps the new member feel connected and welcomed?

Maybe that involves assigning them a work buddy or scheduling a virtual bonding session with their teammates. Maybe that also means maintaining an updated, intuitive intranet with relevant collaterals so that everyone starts off from the same knowledge base — no matter where they come from.

Communication and interaction may become more purpose-driven in a remote setting, which is good for productivity initially but may lead to feelings of isolation and disconnection over time.

The key, I find, is to remember the original intent of why such policies were designed and find new ways to adapt them for a remote setting.

Some companies might change a travel allowance to an allowance for ergonomic furniture — the goal here is to defray costs incurred on the job. A manager that used to rely on Friday team lunches to bond with their team may now choose to organise virtual scavenger hunts or sharing sessions instead.

There is, after all, more than one path to the same destination.

Evolving with, not fighting against

There is no question in my mind that the workplaces of the future will be more flexible than ever before, especially with advanced connectivity and cutting-edge technology transforming work as we know it.

Remote working is just the start of this phenomenon, and a business’s ability to maintain a robust company culture against this fluid backdrop will be a strong indicator of its future resilience.

The post Balancing a healthy company culture with remote working appeared first on Redhill | Global Communications Agency.

I first encountered the concepts of ‘Ask Culture’ and ‘Guess Culture’ through a reshared post five years ago (thanks, Facebook Memories).

The origin story goes like this: in 2007, a user on Ask MetaFilter, a Reddit-style Q&A site, asked for help rejecting a friend that continuously self-invited themselves to stay with them. They’d tried to stave her off with vague excuses before, but it wasn’t working any more and they needed a solution. To make matters more difficult, the poster’s wife also felt bad outright rejecting the person.

The responses to the post varied from creative (‘say that you’re fostering a ferret in the spare bedroom and the door has to remain shut’) to straightforward (‘why don’t you just say no?’). But the real epiphany came about 10 hours later from writer Andrea Donderi (username tangerine).

Their post deserves to be read in its entirety, so I’ll share it here:

Understanding Ask vs Guess

There’s a lot to unpack in this short summary. As a general overview, Donderi broadly defines Ask Culture as a very direct communication style. Ask Culture people aren’t shy to ask for what they want and need. In turn, they’re also used to more direct answers. A yes is a yes. A no is a no.

Guess Culture is much more nuanced because it seeks to minimise the chance of potentially relationship-damaging rejection (very reminiscent of the ‘saving face’ culture predominant in Asia). So, Guess Culture people may try to nudge a person towards the outcome they want with leading sentences instead of a direct request. Ideally, notes Donderi, the Guess Culture person hopes for an offer without having to ask at all.

If Ask and Ask meet, and Guess and Guess meet, then everything is fine and dandy. But when Ask meets Guess, that’s when the problems start.

Direct Ask requests often come across as the communication equivalent of backing people into a corner, which Guess people are likely to take as presumptuous and feel put out. Conversely, Ask people may see Guess’s vague hints and veiled remarks as passive aggressive, and be irritated at having to interpret whether a yes is a yes or actually a no.

For instance, a typical Ask request might look like “Hey, I need your help with this project. Can you help me?” A Guess request, on the other hand, might not sound like one at all: “I have this really difficult project that I’m not sure how to start…”

One is straightforward but requires a hard yes or no answer. The other disguises itself as a statement to avoid appearing an imposition, but implies an expectation for help to be offered — which can often lead to hurt feelings if missed or misunderstood.

Difference shouldn’t be disdained, but bridged

In the Ask MetaFilter thread, half the people decried the self-inviting friend for putting the original poster (OP) on the spot, while the other half said OP was rude because they could’ve just said no instead of wasting the friend’s time with excuses.

Objectively speaking, neither view is wrong. It’s just different communication styles, which naturally results in a clash of perspectives. Bridging this divide requires some communication basics — starting with self-awareness and compromise.

First, know where you stand on the Ask-Guess spectrum. I believe that few people are only one or the other, but most are likely to tend towards one side. If you have a blunt style of talking, prefer honesty and get impatient with waffling, there’s a high chance you tend towards Ask Culture.

But if you have difficulty asking people outright for help, dislike conflict and often worry about imposing on people, then you’re very likely to identify with Guess Culture. (Guesser here, if anyone was wondering.)

Guess people are likely to take direct Ask requests as presumptuous and feel put out. Conversely, Ask people are likely to see Guess’s vague hints and veiled remarks as passive aggressive.

Once you’re more aware of how you communicate, it’s easier to recognise and understand difference — and thus to compromise. Effective communication isn’t about us pushing our views on others and forcing them to accept. It’s making sure both sides are heard. We must be aware not just of how we communicate but also how others might communicate — then build in allowances for both styles.

Guessers, for example, can try to be firmer and more direct in their language instead of putting the onus on Askers to pick up their signs. It’s okay — really — to ask directly for help or to say no. Even if the answer isn’t taken well initially, in the long run, this places less pressure on both sides to get it ‘right’ and prevents further disappointment and frustration. Setting healthy boundaries also won’t ruin any relationships worth having.

Meanwhile, Askers can be more thoughtful. Guessers spend a lot of time and mental energy trying to devise win-win interactions to minimise conflict, but they need time to do that. Depriving them of that space can lead to resentment because of “the agony involved in saying no”. If Askers show more consideration in their requests, Guessers will be more comfortable telling them what they really think.

Vanishing context in a digital world

The above practices apply to both in-person and digital communications — especially the latter. As digital communication becomes faster and more ubiquitous, face-to-face interaction is slipping far down the pecking order, creating a contextual gap that further amplifies the Ask vs Guess conflict.

A 2018 survey of US teenagers revealed that over half preferred to keep in touch with their friends digitally (largely texts), while less than one-third preferred face-to-face meetings. With the COVID-19 pandemic preventing and discouraging in-person interactions over the past two years, I’m sure the balance is even more heavily tilted in digital’s favour.

This is a problem because non-verbal gestures and cues are an indispensable part of effective communication. A lot of nuance is contained in tone, expression and body language, which punctuation and emojis are poor substitutes for. Add the speed of digital communication and hurdles such as jargon and abbreviation, and there are fewer contextual clues than ever but far more chances to misunderstand a message — especially through texting.

It’s very difficult for anyone — Asker or Guesser — to interpret intent purely through words on a screen. Guessers are likely to spend more time thinking about and crafting the perfect sentence, as well as overanalysing responses to them. Askers, meanwhile, will find Guess communication even more opaque because they can’t pick up on tonal cues or read body language to unpack layered meanings. More often than not, everyone’s going to get it wrong a lot.

Technology made communication faster and easier — but not necessarily more effective. With more communication happening in the digital space than ever, minimising ambiguity is critical to preserve harmony in relationships.

It’s our responsibility to work harder by putting more thought into our word choices, communication frequency, and even choice of medium. I give as much context as I can when asking for something, and if it’s too difficult to explain in a text, I pick up the phone and call. More conscientious communication will go a long way towards mitigating the Ask vs Guess conflict.

A bit of both worlds

The idea of ‘Ask Culture vs Guess Culture’ created a big stir when it first surfaced and remains relevant even today, 15 years later. That tells me that our communication styles and thought processes haven’t changed much through the years. However, our mediums have, and so we must adapt to overcome the additional hurdles they pose towards effective communications.

It’s easy to surmise that Ask vs Guess Cultures are diametrically opposed in nature and therefore co-existence is difficult. But we mustn’t forget that they are also each other’s counterbalances. The tact and empathy of Guess softens the more confrontational Ask methods. In contrast, Ask’s directness provides clarity and efficiency amidst Guess’s elaborate layers and nuances.

Maybe the first step isn’t to think of this as ‘Ask Culture vs Guess Culture’, but rather ‘Ask Culture and Guess Culture’ (read more on adaptable thinking here by my brilliant colleague Shirani Alfreds). We may tend towards one or the other, but we resonate with elements of both to varying degrees. Despite being a Guesser by nature, I actively strive to be more of an Asker at work because directness is just more efficient when everyone’s busy.

More crucially, we don’t have to choose to be either/or. Culture is constantly evolving, and so are we. Our ability to understand and learn from difference means that we can take the best parts of both Ask and Guess and evolve into something better — if we are willing to put in the effort.

The post Navigating ‘Ask’ and ‘Guess’ Cultures in a modern world appeared first on Redhill | Global Communications Agency.

Women have and continue to play an invaluable part in building the Redhill legacy. Our co-founder is a woman. Our first expansion to Europe was led by a woman. Over half of the global Redhill team are women, and so are three-quarters of our leadership team.

We know first-hand the incredible feats that women are capable of and Redhill would not be the organisation it is today without them. It’s inconceivable that, across the world, women are still paid less and still have to face widespread gender-based discrimination at work.

We’re a proud supporter of #ChooseToChallenge — the simple yet powerful campaign theme of this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD). But what does it actually mean to make that choice? What can all of us do to take up the challenge?

Well, our Redhill women have a thing or two in mind.

So far, so good — but that’s not good enough

There’s no doubt that the last decade or so has been revolutionary for gender inclusion and female empowerment in the working world.

“I think we have seen a tremendous shift towards a more diverse workspace in the past 10 years or so. I see a lot of young women starting their own companies and holding senior-level positions. I am fortunate to say I haven’t personally experienced any disadvantages of being a woman in a leadership position at all,” says Tien Ma, Managing Partner (Germany).

“More and more organisations are taking active steps to eliminate bias and prejudice. Gender isn’t even brought up in conversations about professional competency among my own friends and colleagues,” says Ann-Marie Eu, Senior Director.

Despite this progress, gender inclusion is still far from gender equality. “In 2020, there was a record high of 37 female CEOs leading Fortune 500 companies. Do the math — it’s only 7.4 percent. Even the PR industry itself, while dominated by women, is still imbalanced when it comes to women in top leadership,” says Ann-Marie.

The numbers don’t lie. According to PayScale, women are still making less than men “due to no attributable reason other than gender”, which can translate to as much as US$80,000 lost over a 40-year career even after controlling for various compensable factors. COVID-19 has further exacerbated the situation; Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, wrote that women are 24 percent more vulnerable to losing their jobs than men and the gender pay gap has widened further due to the pandemic.

What progress has been made thus far is still far from universal, too. “We are seeing more empowerment for working women in advanced countries, but many women still struggle to maintain a work-life balance in patriarchal societies in developing countries. In many parts of Asia, women are expected to prioritise taking care of their children and husbands over career advancement,” says Marienelle Castelino, Interim Managing Director.

It’s all in the mind

Gender bias at the workplace can be encapsulated in one incisive observation, recently overheard: “Have you ever noticed that when people complain about a male leader, they never say ‘Oh, it’s a male boss’, but when it’s a woman, they’re automatically ‘that awful lady boss’?”

This inequality is a multifaceted product of hundreds of years of prejudices, stereotypes and varied gender norms. “Although this cultural legacy has been diluted over time, it persists at all levels, ranging from the government to the family unit. I have lived in both the East and the West; there remain many differences in what cultures consider as a woman’s ‘place’ in society and in the home despite more and more women taking ownership of their lives,” says Tavy Cussinel, Interim Managing Director.

Strong female leaders like Jacinda Ardern and Indira Nooyi prove that gender doesn’t affect an individual’s ability to do a job well. However, the stereotype of women being the ‘weaker sex’ remains obstinately entrenched. “People still think females are weak or emotional and cannot lead. This mindset or bias gets reflected — consciously or unconsciously — in hiring and promotions,” says Charu Srivastava, Senior Director of PR.

Changing these perennial misconceptions continues to be top priority in gender equality movements — and for good reason. Without a genuine mindset shift, workplace initiatives to eradicate gender bias often come off as token concessions for the sake of mandated compliance or positive PR. This does nothing to dispel negative preconceptions. In fact, people are then more likely to misconstrue female empowerment as a threat to patriarchal hierarchies and to traditional concepts of the ideal woman, causing them to dismiss or resent the achievements of successful women.

This phenomenon isn’t exclusive to men, either. “There seems to be a high level of competitive thinking from woman to woman. I still see a lot of hostility between female leaders and I’ve experienced women trying to belittle me or talk my achievements down,” says Tien.

Appearances are also still used as a weapon to belittle a woman’s success. “It’s a common assumption that successful women are successful because of their looks instead of their hard work, which is hurtful and slows down the progress we’ve made towards breaking negative stereotypes and improving the situation,” she says.

For gender equality to achieve any real momentum in wider society, women must stand united. “Women need to support other women. We need to create a supportive environment where we learn and seek counsel from each other, as well as help each other succeed all the way from the bottom. As women, we need to draw on our strengths as leaders, daughters and mothers to redefine expectations and succeed as effective female leaders,” says Marienelle.

Getting the other side of the story

A common refrain from women in these gender equality conversations is that they want to be heard. For them, equality isn’t about saying that they’re better than men — or anyone else, for that matter. It’s simply about reclaiming their voice and being able to tell their side of the story without it being filtered through a patriarchal lens.

Differences in how the genders communicate can pose a challenge for women to be heard. “Women are listeners. They give space to others to speak so that their stories can be told. Sometimes men can take advantage of that space and talk through the silence, or even over women, because women will stop talking as only one voice can be heard at a time,” notes Tavy. This disparity is even more obvious in the age of virtual meetings, with a US study revealing that 45 percent of women business leaders reported difficulties speaking up on virtual calls.

Speaking up at the workplace has been a longstanding issue for women. “There is an interesting study that looked at what deters women from leaning in and speaking up. They found that when it comes to confidence at work, the men excel while women hold back. ‘Women feel confident only when they are perfect.’,” says Ann-Marie.

This isn’t without good reason. Many women have faced backlash at the office for sharing their thoughts and opinions, especially on sensitive subjects, so it makes sense to build an ironclad argument before taking the risk. But the less you speak up, the less you’re heard.

Organisations, suggests Tien, can create safe spaces for women to voice their opinions. But she also advises women to simply take a deep breath and go for it. “Weigh up the advantages and disadvantages. What’s the best and the worst that could happen if you do speak up — or if you don’t? It’s likely that the advantages of speaking up and making your point outweigh any potential disadvantages. Keep reminding yourself why you’re doing what you do,” she says.

Women can take the lead in breaking the glass ceiling by shattering it in their own minds first. “There are inherent and structural biases that need to be overcome, but it’s also important for women to change their own mindsets,” says Natalie Chua, Deputy Managing Director.

“Many limitations and barriers to success are rooted in a woman’s own self-doubt and perception of expected bias, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. We need to reject the notion of the glass ceiling altogether so that we can think and act freely without the shadow of these actual or perceived barriers looming over us. Only then can we realise our full potential,” she says.

Taking #ChooseToChallenge one step further

Gender equality is a very timely and pertinent topic, but we at Redhill believe that it’s only the start of a much larger conversation that we need to be having about equality for all.

As an employer, having strong female representation in our workforce didn’t happen on purpose — it was simply the result of our merit-based hiring and promotion process. We want to build on that foundation and push the boundaries to normalise the absence of discrimination — not just for women, but for everyone.

Change starts with us as individuals. Better communication is crucial to broaden personal horizons and encourage more tolerance for differences. “Understanding how each gender communicates and learning inherent skills from each other will serve a better purpose than women ‘overcoming challenges’. Let’s reset the narrative to one of equality rather than women having to strive harder,” says Tavy.

It’s also important to be mindful of inherent bias. “We all think with stereotypes — biology hardwired us to do this to take some work off our brains. But we need to be more mindful when we meet other people and check to see if we are unconsciously projecting these stereotypes. Acknowledging and critically analysing them is crucial to fix these age-old problems,” says Tien.

In doing so, we become more aware of the impact of our words and actions, as well as the casual discrimination that they may unwittingly perpetuate. “Be alert towards actions and comments that may make others feel uncomfortable, even if they don’t say so. It’s easy to be dismissive and make excuses by saying ‘it was just a joke’ or ‘don’t be such a snowflake’, but even if the comment wasn’t made with malice, we can all do better to educate each other and eliminate discrimination around us,” says Ann-Marie.

Ultimately, the gauntlet being thrown down by IWD’s #ChooseToChallenge theme this year is for us all to acknowledge and address the existing imbalances in our world. It’s about coming to terms with the idea that we are equal as human beings and choosing to break down the barriers that prevent us from reaching our full potential — both as individuals and as a society.

When equality becomes the standard instead of the aspiration, that’s when we’ll know that we have achieved true success. Change is never easy, but we’re no strangers to challenges — and this is one challenge that we’re proud to take on.

The post Why we #ChooseToChallenge at Redhill appeared first on Redhill | Global Communications Agency.

With roughly half the world under some form of lockdown, consumers have been forced to go digital. Organizations that have been mulling a digital transformation now find themselves without any choice — what they need is a pat on the back from governments.

Of all the disruptors we have come across in the 21st century, COVID-19 is probably the most unprecedented and devastating. Both health- and economic-wise, it has swept us off our feet and we now find ourselves in a puddle of global economic crisis. But with crisis comes an opportunity that most organizations have been reluctant to pursue in recent years — digitalization. A silver lining if ever there is one.

Leapin’ over the digital divide

For long, organizations have been procrastinating digitalization because there is simply too much disruption associated with it, both in regard to the organizations’ internal structure and their business model.

One of the challenges that businesses have often faced during digitalization is that it required their customers to go digital as well — something that should happen organically rather than forcefully. And this organic progression of the customer’s technoliteracy follows an arch, with one end tied to the customer’s need and the other to the solution offered by businesses.

It was also not the most encouraging ecosystem to either fully accelerate the digitalization of businesses or to address the compliance and labour challenges that may arise out of it. Most businesses went into staggered phases of digitalization and automation, while some even stalled it.

All of this happened because governments, at least in most regions, never completely addressed the challenges of digitalization that their economies would one day inevitably face

COVID-19 has remarkably, and in some cases irreversibly, changed the status quo. Customers can no longer afford to not go digital. The pandemic has caused the customer to sprint through the A to Zs of technoliteracy and leap over the digital divide in a stunningly short span of time.

This abrupt change in consumer behaviour is establishing a new normal that would now allow (read: require) businesses to accelerate their digitalization. This sort of disruption has even disrupted the disruptors. Cab-hailing services are now offering financial aid to help their communities brace the economic impact, while home-rental companies are forced to rethink their business models around the pandemic.

However, the most disrupted of them all are governments the world over. Yet, surprisingly, they are leading the change this time.

Hotwiring the machinery

Take India’s public distribution system (PDS), for example — one of the largest delivery mechanisms of foodgrains anywhere in the world. The State of Kerala has announced that citizens can now get a ration card — a document that connects citizens to the PDS — within 24 hours. Something which usually took the behemoth weeks, if not months, is now processed in a day’s time. The technology existed, only the necessity did not.

Survival of the quickest

The survivors of this pandemic are going to be the ones who are the quickest to adapt, and the rule of natural selection seems to hold true for businesses and governments too.

This is best illustrated by the growth of the telemedicine sector in India which got a shot in the arm during a nation-wide lockdown. The Indian government promptly announced a set of guidelines for telemedicine service providers to follow which could very well become the framework for an industry that is now inching toward its moment of glory. Even the National Health Mission (NHM), with its bulky presence of over 3000 healthcare centers in over 1000 cities, will soon roll out its own telemedicine service.

As universities in India contemplate digital pedagogy and the effectiveness of online classrooms, ed-tech platforms in India are already collaborating with the country’s council for technical education by offering the Council’s content for free. In a country with the world’s largest population in the 5–24 age bracket, this looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

But beyond spontaneous order, this is a resurgence of India’s startup market — and it needs to be nurtured.

Chaos leads to order

Leaders across the world are exploring ways to live with the virus for a long time to come. This would require governments to rejig the way they do business with their citizens, corporates, and communities.

With the threat of prolonged economic slowdown hanging over them like the Sword of Damocles, governments are pulling out all the stops to cut costs, boost growth, and adapt fast.

In his LinkedIn article on life in the era of COVID-19, PM Modi makes his case for how India can emerge as an agent of change in these trying times. The rhetoric now needs to be reflected in a supportive digital ecosystem where startups can thrive and businesses can bounce back from the economic impact of COVID-19.

The Personal Data Protection Bill of 2019 will allow a framework for startups to operate and organizations to accelerate their digitalization. The government’s decision to codify the labour laws can also help companies adapt to changes arising from digitalization, particularly regarding the rehabilitation and re-skilling of the workforce and the scope of public-private sector participation.

A conducive regulatory environment and policies are more than rewarding. For example, the World Bank estimates that a 10 percent increase in fixed broadband penetration triggers an average increase of 3.19 percent in per capita GDP.

With an internet subscription base of 687.62 million, India has about 450 million smartphone users and 550 million feature phone users. India’s UPI alone clocks around 5 billion transactions a year, and the country’s digital payments volume is expected to reach a massive $135 billion by 2023.

Even the number of digital streaming users in India is expected to reach 368.8 million viewers by 2021 — that is more than the current US population.

The numbers tell a success story that is yet to be written, but a lot of that will depend on how the country’s digital ecosystem fosters enterprise.

Whether we are prepared or not, the next wave of digital transformation is already here, and we should all try not to get washed up. It is also one way to beat the virus — by improvising.

The post Consumers are going digital during COVID-19 appeared first on Redhill | Global Communications Agency.

Walk down the street in Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, or Singapore and you can’t help but notice the number of e-wallet service stickers on display at coffee shops, convenience stores, and any other merchants you happen to pass. It’s a curious phenomenon, and indicative of the desire for tech companies to eventually become a bank.

The surge in apps has reached inundation levels for both consumers and merchants. In Malaysia alone, 43 such licences have been issued — a mind-blowing number in a market already well served by bank cards.

Competition, in turn, is fierce. Local startups vs. global players vs. crypto companies vs. lifestyle apps, with little differentiation between them in terms of service offering. But there is one additional contestant that it is about to enter the ring, and perhaps change the game entirely: the Goliath commonly known as Facebook.

What is an e-wallet?

e-wallets usually offer some combination of four things: 1) e-money storage and transactions, 2) credit and debit card integration, 3) custom debit card issuance, and 4) conversion of money into cryptocurrency

Some examples: in Indonesia, you can top up your Ovo account for spending at merchants; in Malaysia, you can receive a BigPay MasterCard that can be used wherever MasterCard is accepted; in Singapore, NETSPay integrates your bank cards for an easy, app-based payment solution.

Cryptocurrency solutions have yet to produce a significant player, but there is a Goliath lurking on the horizon that wants to change that.

Why e-wallets in the first place?

You might be wondering what the point of e-wallets is. Why use such a service when you can just whip out your debit card that is linked directly to the account you get your salary in? Why go to that extra step of topping up your e-wallet balance from your salary account?

What about sending money to your friends? Maybe. Interbank transfers are cheap and easy, so the value-add of e-wallets is marginal at best.

If you’re one of the many people in the region without a bank account, there’s a much stronger use case. However a case still needs to be made that trusting your money to a private company is the best alternative to a bank (or simply carrying cash).

Not surprisingly, these e-wallet providers use discounts, interest payouts, rich budgeting and security features, and rewards to build a user base. Merchants are induced by zero or low fees — made possible because transactions take place outside of the fee-laden card payment network.

There’s a lot to like about e-wallets, but their utility, particularly in rural areas, remains questionable.

Crypto to the rescue?

Enter crypto companies and their hyperbolic promise to bank the unbanked. There were suddenly hundreds of cryptocurrencies and soon-to-be dapps offering a litany of decentralized financial services, from lending to micro-payments. Low or non-existent fees was a major selling point. So was the idea that there were no barriers to access.

Except there were. Volatile tokens, high fees, long wait times, need for technological know-how, and multi-step onboarding all contributed to a dramatic reality check.

No player has so far emerged as a competitor to centralized electronic fiat solutions. There are some promising projects focusing on usability and the need to transact in a stable cryptocurrency, but they have yet to gain traction.

Even when a player does emerge, there is still the issue of building a consumer and merchant network. It’s hard and expensive work to convince people to use and merchants to accept a cryptocurrency that isn’t their national fiat currency.

Lifestyle apps take centre stage

When Grab and Go-Jek — two of Southeast Asia’s largest lifestyle apps — launched, processing payments within the app was a crucial selling point. The two services offered card integration as well as the ability to top up your in-app wallet at merchants or using your bank account.

The logic made sense: handle the payment behind the scenes so that riders and drivers don’t have to exchange cash. If you’ve ever been in a situation where the driver doesn’t have change for the large-denomination bill you just got from the ATM, you’ll understand how valuable this is.

But as the two services spread, along with the number of things you could do in the apps (order food, book a massage, deliver a parcel), people without bank accounts were now significant consumers and/or drivers. They were either paying cash, topping up their in-app wallet at merchants, or, in the case of drivers, receiving money to their in-app wallet.

This set of circumstances presented an interesting opportunity: if the two services could link their in-app wallet to physical and online merchants, they could represent a legitimate current account/debit card alternative.

And so GrabPay and GO-PAY were born. In Indonesia, GO-PAY transactions totalled US$6.3 billion at 240,000 merchants in 2018. Ovo, Grab’s in-app e-wallet provider in Indonesia, has some 60 million users and 100,000 merchants.

And while these are impressive numbers at this stage, they have limits. Ovo, for example, is only available in Indonesia. What happens when a user goes abroad? The service is useless.

Piggybacking on existing merchant networks

If you can’t beat them, join them. BigPay’s solves the growth limitation problems by issuing a MasterCard as part of its e-wallet service. The service is only available to Malaysians for now, but leveraging MasterCard’s merchant network means millions of merchants are available to BigPay users.

This is the Revolut model. Combine the best features of an e-wallet — budgeting, spending tracking, analytics, savings, discounts — with an instant merchant network courtesy of MasterCard. Add in preferred currency exchange rates and you have a top-notch solution.

The problem: licensing requirements in each jurisdiction makes expansion difficult. Revolut has experienced this in its attempt to launch in markets outside Europe. (It did eventually launch in Australia, Singapore, and the US.)

The big international players

PayPal, Google, Apple, WeChat, Samsung, and the like. They are lurking, but so far haven’t made much headway in Southeast Asia. WeChat Pay is already in use in Malaysia, while both Alipay and WeChat Pay have received licences to operate in Indonesia. In Singapore, Apple Pay, Android Pay, and PayPal are in use and somewhat popular.

With the exception of WeChat Pay and Alipay, the other solutions are global in scope. It’s unlikely that they’ll emerge victorious in Southeast Asia. There are other, more lucrative markets to focus on. WeChat and Alipay certainly have the clout to develop a merchant network, but will likely run into trouble courting users when local options are available.

Goliath on the horizon

If there’s one thing no other e-wallet service can boast, it’s a network of 2+ billion people. Every other player has had to build its market from the ground up. Facebook already has it. And guess what? Facebook’s users would love a way to transfer money to each other in apps they already use frequently.

Enter Project Libra and its roster of proposed stablecoins.

What Facebook is trying to do comes as no surprise. Payments is the last frontier of world domination. It’s one thing to know where people are and what they think, like, and feel; it’s quite another to know where they spend their money.

And not just where, but how much. If you think Facebook knows you well right now, wait until they are privy to your spending habits.

That is terrifying. The idea that Facebook could become the world’s largest and most convenient bank with unprecedented access to every aspect of your life should make your skin crawl.

But that shouldn’t detract from the potential utility for the unbanked users of WhatsApp and Messenger. Near-free remittances, integrated transfers, and the ability to keep some portion of your funds in a currency not subject to local economic policies. These are tangible benefits that will help people.

And all of this is exactly why regulators have been so skittish about Libra from the get-go and have forced Facebook to scale back the project from a global financial power to a PayPal clone but with fiat-backed cryptocurrencies instead of digital fiat currencies.

Who will win?

The imposter clairvoyant in me wants to bet on lifestyle apps like Grab and Go-Jek. It’s hard to live in Southeast Asia and not use these apps in at least one aspect of your daily life. Adopting the in-app e-wallet service in exchange for significant in-app discounts is a relatively easy step compared to starting from scratch with other services. The resulting user base is then a powerful tool of persuasion when talking to merchants.

But the limitations give me pause. Apps that follow the Revolut model are more flexible and cater to an ever-increasing number of Southeast Asian international travellers. If only the licensing requirements didn’t slow expansion.

For the smaller players, there will likely be a flurry of mergers and acquisitions as banks, mobile providers, and international players try to expand their user base and merchant network. Startups and niche offerings will get devoured like nasi goreng.

Cryptocurrency-based services, aside from Libra, could make inroads but will need to solve the usability problem before any sustainable growth can be achieved, not to mention the challenge of building a merchant network.

If Libra can get over the regulatory hurdles, it really does seem like this is Facebook’s battle to lose, not just in Southeast Asia but across the world. The company’s user base is huge and it has the clout to building a merchant network rivalling that of Visa and MasterCard in a relatively short period of time.

That said, Facebook dabbled in email in 2010, only to shut the service down in 2014 for a variety of reasons. Poor usability was one of them. Make the same mistake with Project Libra and the whole affair will become yet another promising project to find its way to the Big Tech scrapyard.

The post The e-wallet battle in Southeast Asia appeared first on Redhill | Global Communications Agency.

The coronavirus is a horrible crisis for humankind, causing an unprecedented impact on the global economy and taking lives around the world. For a number of people, the impact of COVID-19 will be felt for many years.

But in spite of the despair, it has been a catalyst for improvement in several areas. Here are 8 things that have changed for the better.

1. Remote work possibilities

For those of us who have the privilege to retain our jobs, coronavirus has succeeded in expanding the realm of what’s possible with remote work where countless initiatives have failed. Companies have had to swiftly embrace a remote work environment for their employees. Those that had traditionally rejected the idea are finding out that it is not only possible but often beneficial for both sides. No commute, schedule flexibility and efficient video calls all make the home office a great alternative to the regular office environment.

2. Digital innovation

A country such as Germany, often known for its economic leadership, has for years been lagging behind its neighbours in providing digital infrastructure. After just one month of the coronavirus, Germany had made more progress towards e-governance than at any other time in the past. All of a sudden, it is possible to send in applications via email (the days of the carrier pigeon are waning). Applications are being processed in record time and without any of the traditional bureaucracy. Universities have implemented remote teaching via video conferencing; therapists offer digital therapy sessions to their patients; paying by card has become the rule, not the exception. If coronavirus has taught us anything, it is that digital innovation is a matter of will, not skill.

3. Appreciation for thoughtful leaders

The last few weeks have shown us the importance of thoughtful decision-making in politics. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is not known for her rousing speeches, however it is this sense of calm that is much needed in times of crisis. Other politicians, such as Jacinda Ardern, Tsai Ing-wen, Moon Jae-in, Sanna Marin and Lee Hsien Loong, have handled the crisis with equal skill. The results of their actions speak for themselves.

4. Increased medical knowledge

Social distancing, super spreader, asymptomatic, serology and viral load — a couple months ago, these terms were unlikely to ring a bell with most people. Media coverage of every aspect of the pandemic has resulted in increased medical and epidemiological knowledge in the general population. People have learned to properly wash their hands while singing along to make sure they hit the 20-second mark. We now sneeze into our elbows, not our palms. We have stopped shaking hands, embracing alternative ways, like the elbow bump, to greet each other. And almost everybody now understands the need to practise social distancing.

5. The helping economy

Coronavirus has put the global economy in a situation unknown to almost anyone alive today. With the introduction of lockdowns, many parts of our economy have ceased to exist overnight. While businesses are suffering and the long-term ramifications are not yet clear, we have also witnessed how people have come together. Professionals share tips on how to work from home; free workshops are held to enable companies to cope with new challenges; hackathons bring together a diverse set of individuals working towards a common goal; business partners show leniency in helping each other stay afloat. Companies give away their products for free, donate face masks to medical personnel, or shift their focus to help with the production of much-needed goods. Indubitably, the economy has moved closer together.

6. Camaraderie

Many words have been written, said, and screamed over the last few years about how our societies are becoming increasingly divided. What coronavirus has showed us is that we still share common values, despite any political and cultural differences. People have moved closer together, paradoxically, while adhering to the rules of social distancing. Neighbours are helping each other, young people go grocery shopping for the elderly, and there seems to be less bickering and general recalcitrance. Life has slowed down. People are in less of a rush, more polite, and respectfully keep their distance. The majority of people are abiding by the rules and staying at home because they understand that this is a crisis only a societal effort can solve.

7. Mindfulness

For those social distancing or under lockdown, the long hours spent at home are not just about isolation. We are also re-discovering an appreciation for the things we take for granted, such as spending time with our loved ones, travelling, or going out to a restaurant. Much has been written about rising levels of depression in Western Europe and North America as a result of no longer having to face any real problems in life. The past has shown that a crisis, especially a deadly virus, can lead to an increased appreciation for life among the survivors. Such a crisis shows us that there are far more pressing challenges than, for example, the local Starbucks running out of soy milk.

8. Self-improvement

The time we used to spend outside the house can now be dedicated to self-improvement. People are taking up new crafts, like sewing, painting or dancing. They are learning to code, design or write. People are reading books they never had time for. Millions have taken up online workout sessions to stay in shape. We have understood that there is more to life than just being bored at home. And when this crisis is over, we will emerge better than we were going in.

The post 8 things coronavirus has changed for the better appeared first on Redhill | Global Communications Agency.

But a memory making experience? Nope.

I see the emptiness behind the eyes of the Influencers as they try to engage with an empty space echoed in the eyes of the kids as they come to ‘experience’ what their parents have seen online to find it has been digitally reworked on Instagram with filters that layer sparkles and snow and “fun times.”

My feeling is that brands over-reliance on one single app to share their brand messaging is a dangerous strategy. A brand that brings actual touch-points into who they are and what they do by way of a clever interaction with their target audience will win out. And paradoxically gain real followers who are interested in and engaged with the brand. As opposed to those who follow them because they have to in order to get a scratch card at a Pop Up. Only to “win” 5% off a purchase at said brand.

Is Instagram fun? Yes. Is it a pictorial daily insight into what’s happening inside whichever space you seek to peek? Yes. But brands need to respect it as the platform that it is.

Now don’t get me wrong, I work in this space. But that’s why the concern is real. The proliferation of emptiness bothers me a lot. The Influencers that I work with echo this sentiment. They seek realness and authenticity in the experiences that they share online. Not a vacant pastiche.

Is it the brands that are at fault or social media? Well it’s a two-way street. Brands see the app and the rampant Influencer scene as an easy way to drive traffic to their latest empty experience, and Instagram enables this process by providing the filters that make it seem more fun than it actually is. And don’t get me started on fake followers. That is altogether another article.

Let’s take Lipton Ice Tea as an example of an activation that engaged and resonated with consumers. Lipton hosted a “Rise and Slide” campaign to interact with consumers on their daily commute in London’s King’s Cross. On a hot summer’s morning they installed a 100-metre inflatable slide and encouraged commuters to come and “Rise and Slide” their way to work. It was more than a play on words. The hustle of the daily commute for most Londoners in a hot and sweaty, overcrowded public transport system, followed by queuing for a coffee for their daily caffeine boost is the norm. This activation encouraged a fresh look at the start of the day: How a cold and refreshing tea (and, yes, there were free samples) and a slide on a water slide (OK that’s not sustainable, but… you get the analogy) could give you a fresh start to your day. It was engaging, it was fun and it hit the objectives of making people feel differently about and vibing with the brand.

My thoughts are that if a brand doesn’t have something as good as Lipton, it shouldn’t join the party. They should sit it out until they have something to say.

The sooner that brands craft offline experiences that resonate with real people who then use Instagram for authentic reporting of an engaging activity the better for everyone.

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