Thoughts on Korean Business by Don Southerton

In 2008, I was living in La Jolla, California. On Sunday mornings an automotive upstart would bring their red Roaster to the beach town’s popular oceanfront park for folks to test drive the car. I recall it caught my attention as it quietly zoomed up the hill.  It was an electric car. For one working with OEM design teams, I felt the Design was sharp. It was cool, too. Torque was considerable and acceleration immediate with no lag-- something l would learn came with an electric powertrain. The car was a Tesla. Fast forward nearly 10 years, and Tesla has challenged the automotive business model not only here, but also internationally.  Here is my preview on forthcoming article at Tesla Korea 2017. In crafting the article, my lens is Cultural.  I stop short of how I would sustain their unique position in the Korean market… although as consultant I do have that strategy and roadmap. It's what I do. Preview Tesla Korea: Behind the Mystique By Don Southerton In...

Short update this week, and more an opportunity to share my series of articles in Branding In Asia. I cover a number of topics—always timely, always Korea facing. Take a few moments and peruse. American Car Brands in Korea South Korean Conglomerate Restructuring Best Practices for Market Entry Creative Culture vs. Process in South Korea Korean Corporate Culture Globalization Requires a Better Process For Korean Car Makers Inside Look: Korean Market Entry Barriers Creativity Drives International Expansion of Korean Food Scene Trump and Trade South Korea: Gazing back, Looking forward LINK https://brandinginasia.com/author/don-southerton/ Branding in Asia Magazine is a leading source for News, Creative Work, Profiles and Insight on branding, marketing and advertising in Asia. Learn more .... h ttp://learnmore.koreabcw.com/ ###

Bistro Seoul, Mad for Garlic and Modern Nulang In my 2016 article “Creative Culture vs. Process in South Korea” I discuss the challenges and gaps in a creative workplace culture between the West and South Korea.  That said, I have also shared “Change.” I see huge leaps in the culture that nurtures an emerging “creative class.” One can sense the change just strolling down a trendy Seoul urban district undergoing gentrification such as Hongdae or Sinsadong where streets and alleys are dotted with vogue shops and hip cafes. Likewise, adjacent neighborhoods, Yeonnam-dong and Sangsu-dong, for example, have become home to Korean hipsters and young artists. In particular, this emerging Korean creative class has generated a demand for and furthered the appeal for chic design, urban art, indie music, and hip, smart fashion as many look to stand out as individuals within a people once depicted cross-culturally as high in conformity.  This leads me...

Starbucks Korea Reserve I was sharing with a firm investing heavily in South Korea the considerable opportunity but one that comes with some challenges. Top on my list, I feel it’s a land of change. More than most foreign companies operating or looking to launch in Korea realize. This translates in deals and agreements more as frameworks, a roadmap and subject to change. It’s rare to see a long- term strategy… 2020 now a common target for planning purposes.  So what am I getting at? Regardless of where a foreign company today sees their project in 3-5 years… it will need to evolve. The team on the ground needs to focus 100% on the construction deadlines and milestones—but senior overseas leadership need to develop contingencies… For example, in one for my project where I served as an advisor, Incheon’s Songdo International District it evolved over the years.... the current model differs lots from the early 2000s original plan and even at midway point 2007. 1000 plu...