Bringing a certain style to Central

Phyllis Leung must be the envy of every woman who knows her Manalos from her Jimmy Choos. As brand manager for an upscale group of Hong Kong shopping malls -- Hongkong Land's Central -- Leung counts fashion greats, from Michael Kors to Marc Jacobs, among her clients. Dressed in chic black in what can only be this season's designer gear, Leung is the quintessential Hong Kong girl. Given her background in public relations -- a stint at Weber Shandwick -- she is a true believer in the power of PR. Her driving ambition to use her New York University education to develop marketing communications for a Hong Kong-based brand, one with a penchant for luxury, makes her the ideal candidate to build the Central brand. There's just one thing. She doesn't like shopping. "I'm probably the worst kind of shopper; very targeted and I tend not to linger," says Leung, who was PR manager at Hongkong Land since 2003, and moved to head up its newly-created branding unit six months ago. Her appointment was something of a milestone for the property developer, underlining its commitment to strengthening and evolving Central as a total luxury lifestyle home to more than 250 high-end brands, including Asian flagship stores of Dior, Celine and Fendi, and the recently-opened Louis Vuitton fourth 'global concept store', as well as a new premium luxury hotel. "The Central brand started in 2000, which is when the ad campaign launched. As a property developer, (Hongkong Land) was more involved in buildings, but this campaign developed a district's feel and experience, combining malls to create the brand," she says. Leung's role sees her responsible for the entire branding, marketing and publicity of Central. "I had a very strong association with the first Central commercial when I saw it. I was in school when that commercial came out and I thought I wanted to be that type of person (seen in the spot)," she explains. Central is, of course, the shopping mecca of the city's high-earning, brand-conscious consumers, those with an international mindset and sophisticated lifestyle. But there's also been a new breed of shopper seeping in. Hongkong Land, according to Leung, takes the mainland tourist dollar very seriously -- so much so that the company has a China-based PR agency and rolls out campaigns in key China cities, even though it doesn't have a physical presence there, at least not yet. Back in Hong Kong, the brand moved its creative brief from M&C Saatchi (the agency behind the 'Seven sins' campaign) to Ogilvy & Mather a year ago. Leung describes the agency partnership as a "working relationship" and stresses the importance of keeping communication channels open and a basic requirement that the agency "understands what we do". In the run-up to one of the most important shopping holidays on the retail calendar, Leung worked with the marketing team and agency partners to roll out the 'Christmas deserves nothing less' promotional campaign. Developed by Ogilvy, it takes a humorous look at how far shoppers will go to create a unique Christmas experience through outdoor and print executions. But, never mind this year's holidays, Leung is already on the hunt for an inspiring line-up for Christmas 2006. Admittedly, it will be hard to beat 2005's performances, she says, adding that Cirque de Soleil and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra are the headline entertainment, while White House Christmas designer Jim Marvin decked out malls in the Central portfolio with a traditional Christmas in mind.