Lee Li is a veteran of the China market - he led the team that won
Procter & Gamble's agency of record business in Taiwan for Grey in 1990
and more recently he was part of the lead team that wrenched back the
US$100 million P&G China media buying assignment for Zenith.
But Lee, known best for his no-nonsense business style, belies his more
than 15 years in the industry, which included stints at McCann-Erickson,
Leo Burnett and Saatchi & Saatchi, predominantly in Taiwan, and the
numerous, major account wins under his belt.
"The most important thing is to be patient, persevere and know what you
want and then you must have a little bit of luck," he said.
Hong Kong-born Lee, now Zenith China's chief executive officer, said
that within the marketing communications industry, the demand for media
specialists would grow strongly because "we don't just give television
or print as a solution to the client.
"We look at every channel, DM, the internet, outdoor, PR and within
these we try to offer very creative but cost-effective recommendations
which the clients are looking for, especially with the economic
downturn," he said.
Although China was still a growing market, Lee said cutting through the
clutter was crucial to success there. "Consumers have too much
information and their lifestyle is more varied, so content, context and
delivery are very important."
He believed that the consolidation of media agencies would continue to
create a handful of powerful buying and planning organisations.
"It will be at the centre of strategic marketing communications
programmes. In China, we have been asked by local clients to build their
corporate culture, brand management systems, organise events and
sponsorships and even formulate training programmes."
In line with the market's directions, Zenith will soon roll out internet
and direct units to supplement its core planning and buying
functions.
"It's very different from five years ago when advertising agencies held
the centre. Now the focus is on media specialists. We are meeting
specialised demand from both local and international clients and this
has resulted in Zenith winning more and more direct clients, especially
among local companies in China.
"But local clients don't have the sophistication of multinational
companies. They don't have regional or global alignments and they don't
have the experience of systematic marketing programmes," Lee said.
This is especially important for Zenith because its China clients make
up 35 per cent of its client list, compared with 70 per cent of adspend
accounted for by Chinese organisations.
