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IPG Mediabrands Born: Patna, India Worked in: I have spent several years based in India, Malaysia and Singapore, however having been in Asia-Pacific roles twice, have worked across the region including Japan, China, Korea and Philippines. Name an innovative idea or business solution for which you are most proud. “The most recent innovative business solution that I have been part of is the launch of Rally across Asia. Rally is IPG Mediabrands’s Social offering, provides services in the areas of social marketing strategy, P2P communications, advocacy management, conversation planning and Social commerce. In the past few years, the region has seen a dramatic growth of social media and viral content, providing a perfect landscape to launch the new service. All marketing ultimately will be social. So, the challenge is not how to add some social on the marketing fringes, but how to redefine marketing and commerce around peer-to-peer networks. Rally Springcreek is not just about community and crisis management; it's everything about mainstream marketing – product innovation, communication, content, media and commerce. Its role pervades the entire demand chain and we hope to design campaigns around affinity networks and end-to-end crowd sourcing. Having validated our approach time and again, now the time is ripe for our clients across the region to benefit from this blue ocean opportunity. It's time media agencies become truly socially-infused.” |
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What is the biggest challenge you face in applying innovative thinking to international projects? Different cultures have different sensitivities to an insight. Finding that common insight and idea, that has the same meaning to all for the brand, yet manages to stay break-through is the key. We look for highest common factor, not the lowest common denominator. Why do people see you as an innovator? “My relentless push for break-through thinking and the fact that I seem to naturally enjoy good ideas, I guess. People sense that interesting ideas that push the envelope make me genuinely happier and it's easy to see the excitement in my eyes, when we doing something that breaks the category code, and works for our clients. To be able to build a team and clientele which thrive on ideas, with skill sets from very diverse industries, and producing consistently year after year the kind of work that both clients and peers love helps.” |
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What role does innovation play in your marketing strategy today? “It's right at the heart of our strategic thinking. Innovation is where real and significant value opportunities lay for brands and businesses. It's important to clear the fog of processes, and checklists to focus on where real effectiveness can come from.” |
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Dictionary definitions aside, how would you characterize innovation in the work you do? Innovation is about uncommon sense, which under a specific context makes perfect sense. In the body of work that we have done, we always look for innovative ideas, that are engaging-- never boring, ideas that are designed to be viral, and ideas that are honest to the product. Truth, love and courage are the defining mix. True to the brand, loved by the people, courage to be different. |
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Any other interesting aspects to your international background? I have travelled 92 cities in 22 countries. I loved San Francisco the most. Malaysia, where I have spent the most years of my working life, is a country I hadn't heard of till I was 20 years old. |
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I never ask locals "how long it will take to walk up to there?” They always grossly underestimate the distance. If you must, double the time. |
