Across Asia, where markets evolve rapidly and cultural layers run deep, the role of marketing research is becoming less about data collection and more about interpretation. The challenge that businesses in this region have to overcome is twofold, including underlying reasons that influence the consumer behavior in different environments and to capture insights on time to make real-time decisions. When most companies pay attention to growing technological capacity or automation of data harvesting, the key possibility lies in converting raw information into context-rich, strategic intelligence. This gap requires human understanding, intellectual collaboration, and market responsiveness.
Responding to this unique need is Acorn Marketing & Research Consultants, a firm that has steadily earned its place as one of Asia’s most respected independent research consultancies. Founded in 1985, the firm has devoted nearly forty years to the development of a strong presence in eleven major Asian markets. However, scale alone has never been its catalyst of growth. Rather, the firm has pursued the broad approach of knowledge enrichment, nurturing, and the creation of frameworks enabling clients to not only comprehend their markets, but to dominate them.
Since its inception, the firm has stood out of the crowd due to its focus on developing long-term client relationships. Its philosophy centers on understanding the business challenges behind each research brief and then tailoring solutions that go beyond data delivery. Its partnerships with many of its clients are decades old, which is a statement to its reliability and long-term strategic value it adds to each of its engagements. The firm prides itself in being not just a vendor but a thinking partner which questions, assumes options and brings a level of dimension to the process of making decisions.
Research That Reflects, Responds, & Reimagines
Another important aspect of the effectiveness of the method used by the firm is its capacity to achieve a balance between flexibility and a strategic focus. Adding to this, asking probing questions is also taught to teams to make sure that every project starts with a sense of purpose. Cheah Kim Lean, Founder & CEO, Acorn Marketing & Research Consultants notes, “Acorn tailors approach according to the actual needs of the client, instead of performing on standard formats that have been designed in advance for all reports”. This disciplined yet flexible model allows the firm to deliver projects at speed, without compromising on depth or relevancy, and has earned it a reputation for being both thoughtful and agile.
Further to add, this mix of rigor and responsiveness has made a difference in a number of celebrated success stories. Examples include its work in Myanmar, where in a phase of booming modernization, it collaborated with the largest bank in that country. However, with low levels of trust in the traditional banking system and the introduction of a digital economy, the task was to rebrand the banking capabilities to appeal to the new generation of customers. With the support of future-oriented research models, the team facilitated the transition to e-commencement of banking services through the development of e-wallet products, innovative agent banking models, and communication strategies that directly addressed evolving customer expectations.
Speaking of another success story, it was in Europe like the United Kingdom, Germany and France, where the firm helped in driving the expansion strategy of an international financial institution into other emerging markets. These were Romania, Russia, Poland, Hungary and Egypt. Although such markets were being developed to different levels, the project required a careful observation concerning how customers decided to trust financial brands. The research conducted by the firm helped clients to understand the differences in emotional triggers employed in different societies, thus allowing them to adjust the brand’s positioning to suit its needs better and make its rollout in multiple geographies efficiently.
Excellence Built on Experience & Ethics
Acorn has not only been recognized by its clients for its competency, but by the industry as a whole. Furthermore, the firm’s offices have received awards in various Asian markets, including Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, for its excellence in execution, innovation in methodology, and consistent delivery of business-impacting insights. These awards are not mere testimonies of individual success, but a culture of excellence and ethics that cuts across its operations across the region.
Underlying these achievements is a strong foundation of people-driven values and long-standing organizational wisdom. Since most of its top managers have served the firm for 25-30 years, it enjoys a certain level of continuity that is unheard of in the modern business environment. This collective wisdom of more than 300 years of experience in leadership gives the team an opportunity to look at problems both expertly and with insight. It also facilitates smooth mentorship so that institutional knowledge can be transferred and kept updated.
Acorn tailors approach according to the actual needs of the client, instead of performing on templates that have been designed in advance
Apart from formal research, the firm maintains a quiet but meaningful footprint in social responsibility. Though it does not operate under a structured CSR framework, employees across offices contribute to charitable initiatives on an individual basis. “The decentralized model is illustrative of the firm’s values empowering people to act with ownership and high standards of integrity inside and outside the firm”, mentions Cheah.
Becoming the Partner Behind Smarter Moves
Going forward, the firm is more focused in the depth instead of the breadth. Having already expanded to eleven Asian markets, it will now focus on enhancements of competencies rather than only increasing its geographical boundaries. In the future, it will also especially focus in the areas of the synergy between technology and conventional research. Nonetheless, technology will never become a goal in itself. The firm also sticks to its conviction that tools are intended to enhance human insight rather than substituting it. It is also investigating strategic alliances and some acquisitions so as to further build its consultative advantage.
Simultaneously, it is shifting itself towards becoming a strategic partner rather than a research provider. As clients increasingly require support not only in data aggregation but for smart interpretation of data, such as positioning of traditional brands, market entry planning, user experience and segmentation of audiences. This evolution is a natural extension of what the firm has always done: act as a trusted partner in helping organizations navigate complexity with confidence.
The firm will continue to stand for something more enduring: insight that is empathetic, actionable, and anchored in experience. The fact that it has traveled successfully from a single-market entity to a regional powerhouse speaks volumes of the importance it gives to people, partnerships, and purpose. “In the wake of the next chapter, Acorn will continue to show its dedication, to provide research that leads to actionable knowledge, and eventually, wiser decision-making”, concludes Cheah.
Cheah Kim Lean, Founder & CEO, Acorn Marketing & Research Consultants
Cheah Kim Lean is the Founder & CEO of Acorn Marketing & Research Consultants, one of Asia’s most respected independent research firms. With a background in social sciences and decades of hands-on experience across markets, she has been instrumental in shaping Acorn’s reputation as a strategic partner that brings both intellectual rigor and cultural sensitivity to marketing research. Known for her consultative approach and long-standing client relationships, she continues to lead the firm’s evolution, from a traditional research provider to a strategic insights firm serving 11 Asian markets. Her leadership reflects a deep belief in purposeful research that drives real-world business outcomes. She has also helped in judging panels of start-up competitions. For 14 years, she sat on the marketing research and communications curriculum committee of a tertiary institution in Singapore, helping to drive direction for education in that space.
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