Market research company, Ideally, has appointed Nick Brown to spearhead the company’s expansion into the Southeast Asia region, responding to a growing demand for its services from global brands.
Ideally has reported an increasing demand for its services from global brands in recent months, as the brands look to adapt their marketing, products, and services to customer bases through S.E.A.
The hiring of industry veteran Nick Brown, who was most recently the Singapore-based Head of Commercial for market research firm, Mintel, represents an exciting and unplanned S.E.A. expansion for Ideally, says its Co-founder and CRO Joshua Nu’u-Steele.
“We are beyond excited to welcome Nick to our team, bringing his extensive experience in the research industry and deep knowledge of local markets,” said Nu’u-Steele.
“Although expanding into the Southeast Asia (SEA) region in 2025 was not part of our original roadmap, the growing demand from our customers conducting high-volume testing in Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, and China has made this expansion a natural progression.
“With Nick’s expertise, our expanding customer base, and the dynamic opportunities that SEA presents, we are excited to focus on this dynamic region and unlock new avenues for growth.”
“Realistically, the South East Asian region has been crying out for a product like this which prioritizes speed and quality. In Singapore we’re accustomed to working across different timezones and cultures, and are over-indexed in the pace of innovation,” said Brown.
“There’s such an amazing diversity of countries and cultures throughout the region, and it’s incredibly difficult for international businesses to genuinely appeal to this wide diaspora. Ideally addresses this problem head-on in a really simple and elegant way.”
Ideally researched Singaporean brand marketing for the Chinese New Year
To support further brand learning on marketing around cultural events Ideally has completed research into the ways Chinese New Year (CNY) is celebrated by brands in Singapore. The results, returned in 24 hours, unveiled some potentially surprising takeaways for international brand marketers.
The 450-person study of brand resonance over the period showed that it wasn’t a local company that best captured the mood of the Chinese New Year, but global drinks manufacturer Coca-Cola. Ideally found that Coca-Cola’s brand value of togetherness and celebration, along with its traditional red color, made it the #1 brand capturing the spirit of CNY in Singapore.
It even outperformed local and traditional CNY food brands. Tiger Beer, a local brand, was the next non-traditional CNY brand associated with the holiday due to its similar value of bringing people together.
Non-Chinese consumers in Singapore’s diverse society present a significant opportunity during Chinese New Year. While 60% of Chinese-identifying Singaporeans celebrate with red packets, 25% of non-Chinese consumers also partake in this tradition, highlighting the inclusive and multicultural nature of the festivities.
More results of the research can be found here.
