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Blog By Ron Miller | April 24, 2007
http://byronmiller.typepad.com

Transmedia Sets its Sights on Asia

by Ron Miller

Transmedia, makers of Glide, is making an effort to move into Asian markets to expand its business.

Last week, I wrote about my conversation with Don DePalma from Common Sense Advisory . Don works with companies to help with translation issues and he believes the Asian market in places like India and China offer companies tremendous opportunities, but they need to have translation.

Transmedia CEO Donald Leka just returned from a trip to Beijing and he agrees with DePalma's assessment. "We think Asia is a great target for Glide," Leka says. He says South Korea is particularly attractive because the network infrastructure is already in place to run all of the Glide functionality and it also boasts a sophisticated user base capable of taking advantage of the system, but he says Transmedia is also making moves to establish markets in Japan, India and coastal China.

Leka says his company is partnering with local firms in China to handle translation and marketing. Rather than trying to navigate the complex maze of Chinese commerce, he says it makes more sense to work with companies already on the ground that have done the leg work to get established. "As a small company, the expenses of getting distribution can be enormous," Leka says. "The easiest and smartest way in is to partner with companies that have established relationship."

DePalma and Leka both recognize that companies can take advantage of the tremendous market opportunities in the growing technology economies in Asia. As DePalma says, if you not looking at China and India, you are missing the next big wave of market development, something Donald Leka has already figured out.