CAREERS: MindShare China on new strategy

<p>"I like the wide open roads of Beijing," says Mr Eddie Cheng who </p><p>took on the position of managing director MindShare Beijing in September </p><p>2000. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"They free your mind and give you room to think," explained Mr Cheng, </p><p>who has 20 years of advertising experience in Asia and Canada. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>And a free mind for new ideas is what Hong Kong-born Mr Cheng needs, as </p><p>he takes on the challenge of making the media dependent a more </p><p>service-oriented organisation, which talks to clients in a language they </p><p>understand. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>MindShare China is looking at introducing a new strategy for its Beijing </p><p>and Shanghai offices, where executives with a strong background in </p><p>client service, rather than media buying and planning professionals, </p><p>have been recruited to head up the operations. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Mr Cheng's experience as a client and on the client service side of the </p><p>industry will help him do just that. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>While it might not make sense for an engineer to sell the bridge he has </p><p>designed, by the same token media buying or planning professional are </p><p>not necessarily the best people to sell a media plan. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Client services are not being given the attention they deserve in </p><p>traditional media operations Mr Cheng believes. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Clients often don't have the time to look at a media plan, they just </p><p>want to know what it means without too much professional jargon. We need </p><p>to take the initiative to help the client so that he can match up </p><p>advertising costs and sales figures to see if it (the advertising </p><p>campaign) is working. We need to use their mindset and language," he </p><p>said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>After graduating with a degree in psychology, Mr Cheng started his </p><p>career in the late '70s on the client side working as a marketing </p><p>executive for Westinghouse and Fuji Film in Hong Kong, then moving on to </p><p>work as accounts manager for McCann-Erickson Hong Kong. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>However his career moved on to television when he emigrated to Canada </p><p>along with his family in 1987. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>He worked there as vice-president of Fairchild Television, the national </p><p>Chinese Television network and as director of accounts services with an </p><p>ethnic advertising agency. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But after several years in the land of Mounties and doughnuts as he puts </p><p>it, he realised that his career growth would be limited if he did not </p><p>anticipate change. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Everyone in North America is eyeing China and it was just a question of </p><p>when to come back. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"This is where the growth will be and the earlier you come back and </p><p>learn the better. Now I am in the lucky position that someone is paying </p><p>for me to learn," he said. "And even having grown up in Hong Kong I </p><p>didn't speak any Mandarin, I thought what the heck," recalled Mr </p><p>Cheng. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Since returning in 1996, Cheng has spent several years working as </p><p>business director for McCann-Erickson Guangming Hong Kong, as general </p><p>manager for Anderson & Lembke Asia and managing director Grey China </p><p>Guangzhou, before being recruited for the MindShare Beijing office. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>His many years in the industry have put Mr Cheng in a position of </p><p>knowing what clients want and need. "I have been a client for many years </p><p>myself, and people want to make money and not spend it on advertising. </p><p>We now need to make clients see advertising not simply in terms of </p><p>spending, but rather as an investment for future sales," said Mr </p><p>Cheng. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>As a troubleshooter, he has for the first few months of his new posting </p><p>analysed structures and aims to optimise them in the months to come. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"I will be looking at the overall picture and will identify where the </p><p>problems are," said Mr Cheng. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But all is easier said than done. In an increasingly-competitive market </p><p>where local clients have yet to be convinced of signing up to costly </p><p>services that international advertising agencies offer, Mr Cheng's </p><p>theories will be put to the test. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Mr Cheng sees himself as a perfectionist but realises that he needs to </p><p>find a balance, as perfection is not always possible. A perfect media </p><p>plan will seldom be executed as it will be too expensive, but the goal </p><p>is to find the balance and find the break-even point with which the </p><p>client will be happy. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Music-loving Mr Cheng plays the organ and violin and has recently taken </p><p>up the saxophone as well as being the bass baritone in the Hong Kong </p><p>Oratorio Society. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>While happy to be in Beijing, which he refers to as his virtual home, he </p><p>recognises differences. "In Canada there is a greater balance of life. </p><p>People expect you to have a life which is not always the case here," he </p><p>said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Source: CMM Intelligence. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>