Breaking new ground is nothing new to Emily Chan, as she prepares for the launch of logistics and mail services company TNT China's direct marketing operation.
Suffering from agoraphobia, the newly-hired general manager of direct marketing services did what most people wouldn't. She turned her fear into a challenge, and met it head on.
Suffering from agoraphobia, the newly-hired general manager of direct marketing services did what most people wouldn't. She turned her fear into a challenge, and met it head on.
Years ago, Chan boarded an aircraft and, despite her fear, took a deep breath and a leap of faith to send herself hurtling towards the ground at phenomenal speed on her first skydiving trip. "It was beyond scary. The moment when you have to go near the opening... oh my God," she recounts.
Did flying through Earth's largest open space cure her fear of spaces? Not at all, she says. But it did serve as an example of her remarkable determination to overcome any obstacle placed in her way. But while some aspects of her personal life are reflected in her professional environment, others couldn't be further away. A self-confessed adrenaline junkie, Chan admits she likes to cram as many crazy, spur-of-the-moment things as possible into her day -- a far cry from the meticulous planning involved in TNT China's direct marketing launch this month.
Chan says recent TNT market intelligence suggests the average Chinese person receives on average just eight pieces of direct mail a year, compared with the European average of 88. It's estimated that by 2010, middle- to high-income consumers in Asia's fastest growing economy will number 400 million. TNT's forecasts are even more optimistic, with research suggesting the market could one day be worth US$100 to $200 billion annually.
As general manager, Chan has a hands-on role, and good-naturedly characterises her job description as a 'what doesn't it involve' role as opposed to 'what does it involve'. Direct mailing -- although not perhaps what TNT is best known for -- forms the core of the company's operations in Europe. And now in China, the time has come to take the next step.
Preparing for the launch has meant a hectic first four months in the job for Chan, after 13 years in the pressure-cooker environment of agency advertising. Her last role was with Lowe China. As a fresh-faced Singapore university graduate with virtually no experience, all she knew was that she wanted to work in advertising.
Summoned for an interview with Batey Singapore for a position in the traffic department, she saw little point in hiding her ambition. "I said, 'well I'm not interested in the job, but if you think I've got what it takes, observe me for a year and if I do well, then I want to go into account management', and the rest is history," she laughs.
"I am one of those people, if I do something, I make sure I do it well."
Chan says it was her subsequent account management and management roles with Batey Singapore, Euro RSCG in both Singapore and San Francisco as well as Lowe, that gave her the experience she needed to move forward. Technically outside the agency environment now, she still keeps her finger on the pulse, noting that agencies continually surprise her with their approach, and not always in a positive way. "Even in the 4As there is a real mix of talent," she says.
But although she keeps moving up the ladder to new roles and new challenges, Chan is the first to admit some things never change, such as the ever-present need to keep on top of new trends.
"That's the beauty of marketing. It is so organic and it changes every single moment with consumers - what worked yesterday might not work today," she says. "I guess every day you learn something new, and I am prepared to have my assumptions challenged. "That's the key thing for me."