Today’s newsletter is short and sweet.
Some months ago, I was searching for a unique gift for a childhood friend. I wanted to give her something handmade in the Philippines, something she couldn’t find in Chicago, where she now lives.
I learned of a local artisan who used a near-forgotten, centuries-old goldsmithing technique to make jewelry.
Bingo. 
Ope, there goes gravity
My excitement lasted for a minute.
That’s when I found an eCommerce site by a Filipino living in the US. She had curated artisan brands from back home so people in the US could buy unique Filipino items — including the jewelry brand I’d found!
Snap back to reality. 
But also — what a beautiful idea.
Show your target customers a new reality
A confluence of eCommerce services make the curated shop’s business model possible today:
- cross-border logistics,
- on-demand fulfillment,
- easy international payments,
- online marketing.
This wouldn’t have been feasible over a decade ago, when I too lived abroad.
It reminded me of a marketer for a non-Asian logistics brand who wanted to reach micro and small businesses owners in Asia. The marketer wanted to persuade them to grow their businesses via cross-border eCommerce.
What if that logistics company started a story series of how people can find a unique piece of home, wherever they may be?
A couple celebrating a traditional engagement ceremony with all the appropriate cultural artifacts.
A parent teaching their foreign-born children the games of their homeland.
An immigrant reconnecting with their native culture through modern iterations of ancient crafts.
These stories are examples of aspirational content.
Why aspirational content deserves a place in your content strategy
Aspirational content doesn’t teach tactics or strategies to customers already in your funnel.
Rather, it captures customers who are shopping for solutions in an adjacent category to yours.
It achieves this by addressing personal pain points and depicting a new reality the customers could create through your product or service.
There’s a lot to unpack about aspirational content. You can learn more about this idea here: Why aspirational content deserves a place in your marketing strategy
We’d love to hear your thoughts. Do you agree (or not) with aspirational content’s relevance and necessity? Do you have an additional perspective or experience to share?
Let’s raise the bar of content marketing in Southeast Asia
We hope you’re enjoying Rise and find this newsletter helpful.
And if you do, why not share it with a friend?
Thanks for reading!
Katrina
with help from Daniel
Illustration by Aldrin
