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THINK FUTURE-FORWARD: How ASEAN Lives Evolve as Technology Gets Smarter

Tokyo—January 24, 2019—Hakuhodo Institute of Life and Living ASEAN (“HILL ASEAN”) today announced findings from its latest research into ASEAN sei-katsu-sha* in Bangkok, Thailand. It was the Thailand-based think-tank’s fifth such presentation.

*Sei-katsu-sha are more than simply consumers, just as people’s lives and lifestyles include more than just shopping. Hakuhodo introduced this term in the 1980s to emphasize its commitment to a comprehensive, 360-degree perspective on consumers’ lives.

Titled “THINK FUTURE-FORWARD: ASEAN Lives Evolve As Technology Gets Smarter” the presentation delved into what media the Internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and other “next smartphone” technologies will give rise to; how sei-katsu-sha behavior, brand selection and shopping processes will change; and what companies and brands should do today to prepare.

“THINK FUTURE-FORWARD” means thinking about creating the future yourself
The best way to predict the future is to create it yourself. From this year’s ASEAN Sei-katsu-sha Forum on, we will research what ASEAN sei-katsu-sha’s futures will look like, and make recommendations to enable companies to create the future themselves.

We believe that the IoT will be the next technology to change ASEAN sei-katsu-sha after the smartphone. The spread of the IoT will usher in Assistive Media, a new form of media that will provide the right solution at the right time; release sei-katsu-sha from routine, everyday actions, enabling them to say Bye-Bye Boring Routines; and bring about shopping behavior based on preference matching—the Match-Me Journey—in which sei-katsu-sha will not compare information on and select and decide the best product or service by themselves, but receive best-buy recommendations suggested by AI and buy things that have been matched to their personal preferences.

As a result, we advise companies and brands that they need to think about creating the future themselves by making the following preparations.

• Purpose Branding: Redefine their brands according to the purpose and situation
• Life Solutions: Provide comprehensive solutions to sei-katsu-sha problems—not just things
• Real-Time Marketing: Optimize their marketing for the individual and the moment

Hakuhodo Institute of Life and Living ASEAN will continue to support ASEAN companies’ marketing activities with insights into and proposals for ASEAN sei-katsu-sha.

Click here for more details on this research