Asian tech brands covered twice more often than American tech in Southeast Asian media, capturing 67% share-of-voice, study finds

Singapore 23rd November 2021 – Today, Allison+Partners and CARMA Asia published the results of a joint study investigating mainstream media coverage of technology brands within Southeast Asia. The report, “Big Tech: Media Perspectives and Trends”, discovered that changes in government tech regulations had far-reaching impacts on how technology brands are portrayed in media.

With the rise of technology adoption globally, the potential geopolitical influence of big tech is fuelling discussions around trust, privacy, and the dynamics between what is perceived as Asian and Western approaches to technology.

As Southeast Asia sits at the nexus of technological influences from North America and greater Asia, the goal of the research is to help brands gain a better understanding of how the region’s newscycles can help them proactively mitigate any fall-out in their ongoing marketing, communications and public affairs programmes.

Key Findings from “Big Tech: Media Perspectives and Trends”
Other insights from this research, which studied three months of content from the top 20 mainstream media outlets each in Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand:

• Asian technology brands dominated coverage with 67% share-of-voice, in relation to American tech
• Product-led coverage continues to be a key driver of positive news for tech companies, while CSR and workplace culture emerged as the new priority for corporate reputation.
• Legal issues were a key source of negative coverage for big tech brands and continue to be a leading reputational risk.
• Tech coverage dominated in Singapore, with 9 out of 10 tech companies having the highest mainstream media visibility in Singapore.
• Sony and Samsung were the most favourably reported brands in the SEA media.

Khali Sakkas, Head of Insights of CARMA Asia, said: “It is a pivotal time to be examining the way big tech is portrayed in Asia. Our research highlights some important opportunities and risks for all brands operating in the region. It points to emerging trends like the growing impact of workplace culture and employee wellbeing on brand reputation.”

Jeremy Seow, Allison+Partners’ APAC managing director for growth and innovation, said: “The global pandemic has seen the speed and velocity of technology adoption across organizations and consumers outpace pre-pandemic levels. The discourse around the good and bad of technology—their utility, their harm—has never been greater or more relevant. We embarked on this study to help brands examine potential pitfalls and also see opportunities to influence perception and awareness among local and non-technical audiences, to help them understand the true impact of positive communications.”

The full report is available for download at www.carma.com/bigtech.

About CARMA Asia
CARMA ASIA is headquartered in Singapore and is a part of CARMA International – a global media intelligence provider bringing clarity, understanding and insight to the complex media landscape.

With over 500 employees spread across five continents and 18 countries, we offer the most comprehensive monitoring service across print, broadcast, online and social media. We help clients capture, monitor, analyse and interpret relevant content and data, empowering them to make better business decisions and prove ROI. Through our unique and powerful combination of people and tech, expertise and client service, CARMA delivers what matters.

For more information about CARMA International, its expert team, and their work, visit www.carma.com.
Twitter: twitter.com/CARMA
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/CARMA

About Allison+Partners:
Allison+Partners is a global marketing and communications agency driven by a collaborative approach to innovation and creativity. The firm was named by PRovokeMedia as one of its Global Agencies of the Decade, 2020 North American Agencies of the Year and Best Agencies to Work For. The agency was also named by PRWeek as a Best Places to Work for the fourth consecutive year and recognised as one of UK’s Fastest Growing Agencies in 2020. Allison+Partners operates in 33 markets worldwide and is organised around four practices: Consumer Brands, Corporate + Public Affairs, Healthcare and Technology. The agency’s Marketing Innovation Team, which combines brand strategy, integrated marketing, creative, research and measurement expertise into one offering, works across these practices to deliver integrated storytelling for clients. Allison+Partners is owned by Stagwell, one of the fastest-growing and most influential marketing and communications networks in the world. Agency partners leverage Stagwell’s technology, data analytics, insights and strategic consulting solutions to drive measurable results and optimise return on marketing investment for more than 1,700 clients worldwide. For more information, visit www.allisonpr.com.

Media contacts:
Germaine Ong
Allison+Partners
germaine.ong@allisonpr.com
+65 9830 4355

Shanice Soh
CARMA Asia
shanice.soh@carma.com
+65 9431 3487