WARC flags structural barriers to marketing effectiveness in APAC

World Advertising Research Center, WARC, has identified structural barriers preventing marketers in APAC from applying effectiveness principles consistently, despite widespread understanding of long-term brand building.

Its latest study, The Twin Pace Effectiveness Gap, is based on a survey of 375 senior marketers and agency leaders across nine markets in the region.

The findings point to governance, measurement and organizational design as the core obstacles limiting sustained brand investment, with many businesses still structured for a previous high-growth era.

Short-term pressures dominate decision-making

More than half (55 percent) of APAC agencies report that clients prioritize short-term activation over long-term brand building. Over a third (36 percent) of brands cite short-term pressures as a barrier to investing in brand.

According to WARC, decades of rapid expansion across Asia-Pacific made operational speed and fast returns viable growth strategies. As markets mature and competition intensifies, that model no longer aligns with current realities. The report argues that organizations must shift to a twin pace approach, balancing immediate performance optimization with sustained brand investment supported by updated governance and measurement systems.

Brand belief fails to reach execution

While nearly nine in ten respondents agree that consistent brand platforms drive sustainable growth, fewer than half (47 percent) of agencies say briefs are grounded in those platforms.

The research highlights a disconnect between strategic intent and day-to-day delivery. Short-term targets, budget constraints, incentives and fragmented measurement frameworks prevent brand platforms from shaping execution across the supply chain. The diversity of operating models across APAC — from regional execution hubs to manufacturing-led organizations and scale-up growth businesses — further complicates alignment.

Rica Facundo, Managing Editor – Asia, WARC: "Our Pace Principle study confirmed that long-term brand building supercharges short-term performance, even in Asia’s fast-moving and dynamic markets. With this knowledge, why isn’t it happening more consistently in practice?

“The answer, as this new report explores, is rarely just about marketing itself – it's a governance issue. The research uncovers the barriers behind the “say-do” effectiveness gap and identifies universal challenges while grounding them in the unique forces shaping marketing effectiveness in APAC. This report validates APAC marketers' daily challenges with local insights, paving the way to close gaps and unlock the region's marketing potential."

Measurement systems limit long-term proof

Less than a quarter (23 percent) of agencies measure brand briefs against both short- and long-term objectives. Fewer than one in ten (9 percent) brands and agencies measure campaign performance beyond six months.

WARC concludes that while short-term metrics are widely available and defensible, fewer organizations can produce robust evidence linking marketing investment to sustained business outcomes. In hierarchical and high-scrutiny environments, this drives decisions toward easily measurable indicators rather than long-term value creation.

The report calls for redesigned evaluation windows and success metrics that enable decision-makers to assess both immediate returns and cumulative brand effects over time.

Regional scope and next steps

The research was conducted online in November 2025 across India, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand. The report follows WARC’s earlier study, The Pace Principle, and will be supported by a podcast and webinar in March.

The full report can be accessed here