12 Questions : 20 People – #9 Valerie Cheng, Chief Creative Officer, JWT Singapore
12:20 is a Sydney based creative consultancy that works with agencies across Asia. Recently, while working in Singapore and Hong Kong, Christian Finucane and Jon Skinner met with 20 creative leaders from the top agencies to discuss the opportunities and challenges for the industry. The interviews, ’12 Questions: 20 People’ are being published in a series of blog posts on Campaign Brief Asia. The 9th interview is with Valerie Cheng (pictured), Chief Creative Officer, JWT Singapore.
What’s the most exciting thing about working in Asia?
Clients in Asia are now more open to innovation and are able to execute ideas faster by testing in smaller scales at local level, compared to multiple approvals with global processes.
What inspires you?
Work that not only builds the brand but also have a real impact on people’s lives. Like creating a utility, product or even communication work that truly entertains.
How has social media impacted creativity in the region?
Has made it a lot tougher with its measurability and evident results. We will know instantly if a piece of work is good or bad according to people’s reactions. It also requires us to be technically savvy of all platforms – what’s hot in China is not the same in Indonesia. We also need to work with more partners and local market offices to make sure the work will resonate with the locals. Especially if it needs to be time-sensitive and have more talk-value, we need to make sure the idea will really engage them.
What is the recent campaign everyone wishes they’d done?
Definitely ‘Dumb Ways To Die‘. It’s the kind of work that makes you feel you can retire now once you’ve accomplished such a success.
Which clients are pushing the boundaries and how?
Definitely Nike and they’ve done it consistently. More importantly, they’ve been innovating by creating better products together with their agency. Not just short-term fleeting advertising campaigns, though even campaigns, they do it well like ‘Write The Future‘. If it’s an Asian brand, then it would be Uniqlo though lately as more agencies in Asia begin to do work for the brand, it is not as impressive as the original campaigns from Japan.
Are there any cultural ‘creative watch outs’ working here?
Culture is very important and differs from one market to another. That’s why humour is even more difficult to achieve successfully. Best to always do a quick concept test with your in-market offices and not assume all is good.
Which Asian country is punching above its weight creatively?
Interesting and surprising work is coming out of Philippines and especially in the digital space.
Why does creativity matter?
Creativity is needed to help our clients find new ways to help them solve their business challenges. Even something strategically strong is most of the time, a creative way of looking at the problem. Creativity is required to challenge the status-quo and give birth to original ideas. Without creativity, you can only do what others have done before.
What makes the local industry different?
We have the best control and understanding of our market, which means it, should be easier to do effective and insightful work. It all depends on
Cannes Titanium, Spikes Asia Grand Prix or AWARD Gold Pencil? Which and why?
Spikes Asia Grand Prix – because my clients are here to receive it and the best award in a show gets more PR than a Cannes Titanium. Any other form of award is just another thing on the list of many.
What is the creative issue that frustrates you the most?
Adventurous and good talent who can constantly think out-of-the-box is lacking in our market. Especially good CDs to help lead the younger ones are scarce. Most CDs are promoted too quickly beyond their capability and their price-tags are too high for what they cannot do.
What’s the biggest opportunity for creative people?
Every brief can be an opportunity. Most of the time, we create our own opportunities. Don’t expect anyone to feed that to you unless if you are a junior creative.
Photo above: 12.20 in Sydney. Christian Finucane (Left) and Jon Skinner (Right)
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6 Comments
You talked a lot about testing this testing that yet citing Nike and Uniqlo as the better clients for better work. Do you know that they are the ones who don’t do testing at all? We all need to learn to say no to useless focus groups.
Unfortunately testing concepts is what brings in the revenue for regional hubs of many creative agencies.
Testing covers the salaries, award fees and the asses of by-the-book MNC clients.
Wonder how is the testing going for the new singapore tourism campaign….havent seen anything for a year now. Is it still your singapore?
It also depends on what you understand about testing. Most traditional creatives see testing as the P&G/Unilever TVC focus group test. If you are more digitally savvy, you would know that testing is a necessary step. Even Google and every other brands such as Nike would do beta testing of their products and ideas.
Nike don’t do tests. At least those Nike work from W+K doesn’t, they don’t even test for P&G which is why they’re able to come up with such great campaigns for Old Spice. It is about trusting your gut regardless digital or traditional. In terms of the remark about unfortunately testing concepts is what brings in the revenue…, it is such a contradiction to the answers on “why does creativity matter”.
Out of the box thinking is always tough. You need the staff to do it and creative heads to spot and nurture it.
Sometimes you have creatives who can’t think like that….but also somethimes you have a hack ECD who hasn’t got a clue of what theyre doing…telling people what out of the box should be and forcing them to accept that. Thats’s equally bad for the industry.