FEATURE - Direct marketing gains new clout in Asia

By Ralph Jennings

TAIPEI (Reuters) - For hundreds of diners in Taiwan, 22-year-old Sheena Tsai is the billboard for Carlsberg, a Danish beer vying for a slice of Asia's competitive lager market.

The university student brings beer straight to tables at packed Taipei seafood restaurants with handy facts about Carlsberg's origin and flavour.

"Some don't know about it," said Tsai, who wears a beer-branded blouse to local seafood joints. "They like to meet sellers face to face. This kind of promotion is useful."

Carlsberg isn't the only one in Asia.

As major companies see growth potential in the region, many more are seeking a marketing strategy to suit it, giving new clout to the ages-old tool of bringing products directly to consumers.

Dozens of companies, from consumer goods maker Hindustan Unilever Ltd to delivery firms such as Fedex, are now using direct marketing methods to sell their products in increasingly crowded and competitive markets.

Direct marketing, broadly defined, covers any sales technique from pop-up stores and commercial gift bag giveaways to free sample handouts that puts sellers directly in touch with target customers, compared to indirect marketing such as advertising, product placement or sponsorships.

Asian consumers, long accustomed to doing business with trusted family or friends to avoid scams, see contact with direct marketers as safe avenues to get to study a product in a world of commercial uncertainty, experts say.