In Singapore and Malaysia, reading was often perceived as difficult to begin and harder to sustain. It was commonly associated with avid readers and high-performing archetypes, rather than something that fit naturally into everyday routines. Practical barriers such as access, cost, and the friction of choosing what to read reinforced this perception. As attention shifted toward faster, trend-driven forms of consumption, reading became easier to postpone. Short-lived fads, visual culture, and always-on content crowded daily routines, leaving less space for activities that required sustained focus. Reading remained respected within the reading community, but felt slower and harder to prioritise in a culture that rewarded immediacy. From a marketing perspective, this uncertainty shaped executional choices. Familiar approaches such as large influencers and obvious reader profiles offered predictability, but largely spoke to existing avid readers. Kobo also lacked a localised narrative and dedicated channels to engage the reading community meaningfully.