For brands operating in the U.S., competition is fierce. The market is saturated, attention spans are fleeting, and the loudest voices often win. Many companies respond by doubling down on ad spend or refining their branding—but what if the key to standing out wasn’t just better branding or bigger ad budgets, but a shift in perspective?
Claire Lim, Director of Growth at Golin New York, believes that some of the most effective marketing strategies draw from culturally informed global perspectives. With a decade of experience spanning corporate and consumer sectors—and a career that has taken her across Eastern and Western markets—she has helped brands navigate everything from high-stakes reputation management to digital disruption in emerging economies.
In this conversation, she breaks down the key differences in how brands engage audiences worldwide, how crisis management strategies must adapt to different media ecosystems, and why some of the boldest marketing innovations often emerge from the most unexpected places.
You’ve worked extensively in both Eastern and Western markets. What unique advantages has this given you when working in the U.S.?
One of the biggest differences I’ve observed is how relationships work in these markets. In Asia, there’s really no line between business and personal relationships—they’re completely intertwined. Meanwhile, in the U.S. and much of the West, people tend to keep their professional and personal lives compartmentalized.
What I’ve found is that Eastern relationship principles can be a huge asset in the Western business environment—a powerful ace up your sleeve. The Chinese concept of guanxi—deep, long-term relationship-building—emphasizes establishing credibility long before you need it. In my experience, this has led to much stronger relationships than the transactional approach that many businesses default to.
There’s a reason for that—in the U.S., we think of regulatory compliance as a rigid, rules-based process. But regulations aren’t just about paperwork. They’re shaped by interpretation. Dotting your i’s and crossing your t’s aside, building strong connections with regulatory stakeholders—and understanding what they pay attention to and how they interpret policies—can provide you with a different kind of strategic roadmap.
Are there any international principles that you think American brands should be using more?
Absolutely. One of the biggest differences is how people make decisions. In the U.S., brand messaging often appeals to individual identity, or how a product makes you unique. But in many Asian cultures, consumers often make purchasing decisions based on what their family, friends or social circle thinks.
It’s like speaking different emotional languages. In the Philippines and China, brand stories that highlight family bonds, community impact or group harmony tend to resonate more than narratives about personal success. I worked on a campaign in Shanghai where we shifted from showcasing an individual’s achievements to highlighting how a product brought families together—the engagement numbers skyrocketed. The same thing happened in Manila with a campaign about Overseas Filipino Workers returning home for Christmas.
What’s interesting is how social media is blurring these lines. Platforms like TikTok combine Western-style individual expression with Eastern-style community participation. That’s why social commerce is booming in Asia. U.S. brands that figure out the sweet spot between maintaining a strong personal brand while tapping into the power of community-driven influence will have a major advantage, both domestically and abroad.
You’ve said crisis management differs widely between Asia and the U.S. What are the biggest contrasts?
Crisis management in Asia is like playing chess—it’s more deliberate and you need to think several moves ahead. The media landscape might be more centralized, but that doesn’t necessarily make things easier. Power dynamics, unwritten rules and what isn’t said often matter just as much as what is.
The U.S. is more like playing speed chess—everything is happening in real time, and you’ve got to be ready to pivot at a moment’s notice. The 24/7 news cycle, combined with social media, means that a crisis can spiral out of control in minutes. But that speed can actually work in your favor. If you act decisively, you can shape the narrative as it evolves, and if you stumble, the next news cycle can help push the issue out of the spotlight.
One key difference is the priority placed on relationships versus transparency. In Asia, preserving relationships and saving face is often a top priority, so crisis response tends to involve a lot of behind-the-scenes work before any public statement is made. In the U.S., there’s more emphasis on transparency and taking quick, visible action. Both approaches can be effective—it’s about knowing which playbook to use and when.
You helped brands in Myanmar bypass traditional marketing and go straight into digital. What lessons from emerging markets should U.S. companies pay attention to?
Myanmar is a perfect example of a leapfrog market—it skipped traditional development stages and jumped straight into the digital era. That kind of rapid adoption creates fascinating business opportunities. In the U.S., companies are often held back by legacy systems, but in places like Myanmar, there’s no existing playbook, so innovation moves fast.
Take Ezay, a platform that connects rural mom-and-pop stores with wholesalers. Instead of digitizing traditional supply chains step by step, we went straight to mobile-based ordering and delivery tracking. Or look at CarsDB, Myanmar’s leading online car marketplace. Since online classifieds weren’t yet common, we combined digital innovation with physical auto shows in Yangon and Mandalay to build momentum in the market. It was a reminder that, even in markets with strong digital economies, physical touchpoints still matter. These hybrid approaches work because it built trust in a country where e-commerce was still gaining traction. The same lesson applies in the U.S.—the best growth strategies don’t always come from incremental improvements.
Looking ahead, it’s important to learn from emerging markets where agility and adaptability are necessities. The most resilient brands and businesses are the ones willing to take a moment to rewrite the rules when the old ones stop working.