Market Entry In Thailand And Across Southeast Asia
Primal leads market entry in Thailand for international brands, and into other Southeast Asian markets for Thai brands. An integrated program covers local research, Thai and English creative, channel set-up and the launch, run from our Bangkok office with colleagues in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
- 100+Brands launched into a new market in 10 years
- 2+Languages a launch needs from day one
- 6Disciplines in a single entry program
Global And Thai Brands That Have Worked With Primal
Market Entry Fails On Untested Assumptions
What works in a home market rarely works unchanged in a new one. The words buyers use for a category, their price expectations, the platforms they use and the signals that make them trust a brand all differ from one country to the next, for an international brand coming into Thailand and for a Thai brand going into Malaysia or Singapore. A strategy that grew the brand at home can misread the new market in its first week, and learning by trial in the market is expensive. The brands that enter well test their assumptions with research in the market before they commit budget or decide how to launch.
What A Market Entry Program Covers
Market And Audience Research
Demand in your category, the competitors and their price positions, researched before the brand commits budget to the market.
Brand Localisation
Messaging and identity adapted for each market, not only translated, so local buyers see the brand as part of their market rather than an import.
Channel Foundations
Search engine optimisation (SEO), social media and paid ads set up for how buyers in the market search and buy, including LINE in Thailand.
Bilingual Creative
Made by people who use the language every day, so the work carries the tone and trust signals local buyers expect. In Thailand that means Thai, and English where your buyers use both.
Launch Execution
Every channel coordinated by an integrated team, against a unified strategy and the same priorities.
Measurement From Day One
Tracking set up before the launch, so the entry strategy changes on evidence, not opinion, from the first week in the market.
“The brands that enter this region well are the ones that respect how different it is, and go ahead anyway.”
Mark McDowell, CEO & Founder, Primal
Categories We Take Into New Markets
RetailRetailStore locations, local pricing and the shopper journey mapped before the first campaign runs.
E-CommerceE-CommerceMarketplace and own-site strategy set around how the category actually converts in each market.
Food And BeverageFood And BeverageMenus, delivery platforms and demand by occasion read market by market, not copied over from the home market.
LuxuryLuxuryThe brand’s look and voice kept intact while the channel mix, one-to-one client service and the local calendar of occasions are set again for each market.
Health And BeautyHealth And BeautyRegulated product claims, local certification and the reviews buyers read before they trust a new brand in the category.
Travel And HospitalityTravel And HospitalitySource markets, booking channels and the seasons that change demand across the region.
Business-To-Business (B2B)Business-To-Business (B2B)Software and business services with long buying committees, local proof requirements and the search and social paths buyers actually start on.
Financial ServicesFinancial ServicesCompliance-led messaging, trust signals and the education a regulated category needs before buyers pay attention.
How A Market Entry Engagement Runs
Five stages. Research and positioning come before spend, the channel set-up comes before the launch, and the work continues as the market responds, so each commitment follows evidence.
Assess
The market, the category and the reasons buyers there would choose your brand. Research shows where demand sits and what the entry has to overcome.
Our Work Across Asian Markets
B2B
JustCo374% Increase In Goal Completions In 6 Months374%Increase in goal completions50%Lower cost per lead65%Increase in conversion rateSearch and paid media for JustCo’s office rental solutions, winning visibility for coworking searches and lowering the cost of each lead.View case study 
Multi-Market
Under Armour350% Reduction In Cost Per Order Over 6 Months350%Reduction in cost per order266%Increase in reach across 7 countries2,506%Increase in ad recall liftRevenue growth for Under Armour in 7 markets across Asia, for brand.com and marketplace.View case study 
E-Commerce
Onitsuka Tiger120% Increase In Revenue Over 3 Months120%Increase in revenue118%Increase in transactions22%Improvement in conversion ratePaid media across Google Search, Shopping, Display and Performance Max, focused on online sales for a brand that does not discount.View case study
A Team Already Working In The Region
About 150 people in offices in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, with regional programs run across Southeast Asia from all 3.
Thailand
Our Bangkok office. Every discipline delivered for brands entering Thailand.
Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur office, serving Malaysia and regional programs, including Thai brands expanding into Malaysia.
Singapore
Singapore office, serving Singapore and regional programs, including Thai brands expanding into Singapore.
Southeast Asia
Market entry taken one country at a time across the region as the brand grows.
More On Entering Thailand And Southeast Asia
Preparation decides more of a market entry result in Southeast Asia than in most regions a brand can enter. The platforms people use differ by country. In Thailand LINE is part of daily life for many people, while the marketplace and social media mix changes from one market to the next, so a channel strategy cannot be copied across borders. Language matters beyond translation, because the words buyers use for a category and the tone of a message tell local buyers at once whether a brand can be trusted, for an international brand writing to buyers in Thai and for a Thai brand writing to buyers in Malaysia and Singapore.
Speak To Our Bangkok Office About Market Entry
Market entry run as an integrated program, by a team already in the region. A consultation on your category, your target markets and what an entry program would involve, with no obligation.
Request A Market Entry ConversationYour Market Entry Questions Answered
Which markets does Primal cover?
Primal has offices in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and runs market entry programs across Southeast Asia, with its largest teams in Thailand and Malaysia. International brands entering Thailand work with the team in our Bangkok office. For Thai brands expanding into Malaysia, Singapore and nearby markets, we design the program with our colleagues in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Coverage is scoped per engagement: the research phase shows which markets carry the strongest demand for your category, and the program centres on those rather than a fixed list of countries.
How long does market entry take?
It depends on the category, the competitors and how ready the brand’s assets are for localisation. The program is split into phases so spend follows evidence. Research and positioning come first, the channel set-up follows, and the launch happens when those foundations are ready. The first conversation sets a realistic order of work for your situation.
Do we need to localise or just translate?
Translation changes the words into another language; localisation makes the meaning right for buyers in that market. The words buyers use for a category, how prices are presented, the images and the trust signals all differ between markets, and buyers notice the difference quickly. Primal makes bilingual creative in the market. In Thailand that means Thai, and English as well where your buyers use both, with messaging written the way people in the market talk about the category, so buyers see the brand as part of their market rather than an import.
Can you work alongside our existing global agency?
Yes, and it is common. Global agencies usually hold the brand platform and the global campaign, while Primal takes the regional work: local research, creative in the local language, channel management and measurement. We work to the global guidelines and report into the same structures, so the regional program supports the global one rather than competing with it.
What does a market entry engagement cost?
Fees are set by the scope of the program: the number of markets, the disciplines involved and the pace the business wants. The market entry conversation sets those details first, so any proposal that follows is priced against a defined scope rather than a general package.
Other Services You May Be Considering
International SEO
A unified search strategy across several countries and languages, with the right page shown in each market.
Marketing Strategy
A strategy that sets the channels, the budget split and the targets before money is spent.
Performance Marketing
Paid media judged on leads and revenue, with spend shifted to the channels that return the most.
Web Design
Websites designed for your buyers and for search, and quick to load on phones.