Did you know that Malaysians report lower family satisfaction than their ASEAN neighbours?
This thought-provoking revelation is just one of the key findings presented at the ASEAN SEI-KATSU-SHA FORUM 2024 held yesterday, an annual thought-leadership event organised by Hakuhodo International Malaysia in collaboration with Hakuhodo Institute of Life and Living ASEAN (HILL ASEAN).
The concept of sei-katsu-sha is a central theme in Hakuhodo’s approach. Unlike the typical view of people as mere consumers (sho-hi-sha), sei-katsu-sha acknowledges individuals as holistic beings with complex emotional and intellectual needs, aspirations, and daily challenges.
This year’s event, themed “A Decade of Shift in ASEAN Families”, marked ten years of in-depth research into the evolving dynamics of family life among ASEAN sei-katsu-sha. The forum is dedicated to sharing insights and solutions to address the shifting cultural dynamics across the region, with a focus on key insights specific to Malaysian families.
Prompohn Supataravanich, Associate Director, Market Research & Strategy of HILL ASEAN, commented on this milestone: “In our first year, we explored the attitudes and behaviours of ASEAN sei-katsu-sha through the lens of family. Now, ten years later, we have once again conducted in-depth surveys across six ASEAN nations—Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore—to examine how the concept of family has evolved. The insights hold tremendous value for brands and marketers across the region.”
Echoing this sentiment, Ryusuke Oda, Managing Director of Hakuhodo Malaysia, highlighted the significance of the forum: “Each year, we uncover vital insights that can help brands better understand and connect with ASEAN audiences. This research aligns with Hakuhodo Group’s core philosophy of empowering brands with meaningful, actionable intelligence.”
The forum saw participation from esteemed marketers and creatives from various companies and industries, including agencies under Hakuhodo International Malaysia, such as Kingdom Digital and Lunch Communications.
Ryan Ong, Managing Partner of Kingdom Digital, emphasised the value of the insights shared at the forum. As part of the Hakuhodo network, Ong views this research as crucial to their work. “These insights are not only timely but incredibly relevant to the evolving needs of our clients. We’re excited to integrate them into our strategies and strengthen our campaigns,” he said.
Getting to Know the Malaysian Family
While satisfaction may be lower, the data from the studies reveals a deeper story about Malaysian families: a nation driven by a desire for continuous self-improvement. This pursuit of growth manifests across three key pillars:
1. Family Growth
Malaysians place great value on respecting and understanding diverse cultures, recognising that this is key to living harmoniously in a multi-cultural environment. There has been a shift in how people engage —moving from passive observation to active participation through real-life experiences, fostering deeper cultural understanding.
What this means for the marketers and brands: Malaysians are eager to explore life beyond traditional values to further expand their family’s potential, creating opportunities for brands to engage with this curiosity.
2. Family Love
For Malaysians, having a happy family is one of life’s key milestones. They believe that trust in each family member’s potential is essential to building a happy household. In contrast to the past, where strict parenting was common, many are now seeking a more open and supportive environment for their children.
What this means for the marketers and brands: Parenting roles are evolving beyond traditional expectations, creating space for more diverse portrayals and alternative approaches.
3. Family Role
There has been a significant shift in gender roles within Malaysian families. More women are actively participating in the workforce, while men are increasingly finding fulfillment in household duties traditionally associated with women, even embracing aspects of the house-husband role to support their working wives.
What this means for the marketers and brands: The traditional household decision-maker is evolving, and brands need to adapt to reflect this changing dynamic.
Key Highlights on the ASEAN Family
Beyond the unique challenges faced by Malaysian families, broader regional trends offer valuable context for understanding these dynamics. Here are some key highlights from the ASEAN Sei-katsu-sha Studies 2024:
Enduring Values (intrinsic ASEAN values being enhanced or recovered by people revisiting their roots)
Power balance in family In ASEAN countries, husband tends to have more authority than in Japan. People are maintaining order and the relationship of mutual aid by articulating hierarchy among family members.
“Family first” as basis for social trust Nearly 70% of respondents in ASEAN believe that people with good family relationships are more likely to be considered a “good person.” Since a good family is often seen as a reflection of personal integrity and social trust, individuals are motivated to act with the intention to make their family better, or look better.
Emerging Values (newly adopted values in contact with global information and values)
Improved career consciousness The share of both male and female sei-katsu-sha in ASEAN who view “a successful career-oriented man/woman” as an ideal increased by over 10 percentage points compared to a decade ago.
Family size changing from expansion to contraction Over 60% of ASEAN sei-katsu-sha predict a decrease in both the number of children and the number of family members living in one household going forward.
Respect for personal liberty There has been a substantial increase over the past decade in the number of ASEAN sei-katsu-sha who desire more alone time and greater personal freedom.
Shifting from Connected Family to Weaving Family
In 2014, the study introduced the concept of the “Connected Family”, where technology enabled ASEAN sei-katsu-sha to stay closely connected with their families while accessing external information.
This year’s research uncovered new values and lifestyles within ASEAN families, emphasising resilience and adaptability. These findings led to the concept of the “Weaving Family,” which reflects how families across the region weave together diverse values while maintaining their long-held “family first” principles.
For Malaysia, this concept is translated into The Weavers of Wisdom—families who continuously seek growth, learning, and self-betterment. By weaving together diverse cultural influences, Malaysian families are more resilient than ever, ready to face challenges not only for their own well-being but for the prosperity of the nation as a whole.
MARKETING Magazine is not responsible for the content of external sites.
After 20 years of evolving technology, shifting market trends, and adapting to changing consumer behaviour, the media landscape has nearly reached saturation.
We’ve optimised to the fullest, providing advertisers with abundant choices across technology, platforms, data-driven marketing, CTV, OTT, DOOH, influencer marketing, retail, etc.
Media specialists have diversified, but with more options comes the challenge of maintaining income growth. The industry is expanding, but revenue isn’t keeping pace.
Now, we’re at a TURNING POINT: time to explore and harness new sustainable revenue streams. While GroupM forecasts a 7.8% global ad revenue growth in 2024, challenges like antitrust regulation, AI and copyright issues, and platform bans persist.
Collaboration is key: partnerships that thrive on synergy, shared values, and aligned goals are becoming increasingly essential.
Hence, the Malaysian Media Conference, in its 20th year, has assembled the partners and players under one roof on October 25 for a day of learning, sharing, and exploring.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkNoPrivacy Policy
