It is as yet unclear who will replace Chong. Diamond Ogilvy president Jay Paik, an Ogilvy veteran of 24 years, is expected to assume Chong’s duties in the interim while a successor is found.
A former child actor and playwright, Chong began his advertising career at Oricom as a TV producer in 1987, later moving to Lintas. Chong’s stint at Ogilvy began 11 years ago, when he set up Ogilvy & Mather with Paik. He assumed his current role after 10 years as the agency’s ECD.
A former child actor and playwright, Chong began his advertising career at Oricom as a TV producer in 1987, later moving to Lintas. Chong’s stint at Ogilvy began 11 years ago, when he set up Ogilvy & Mather with Paik. He assumed his current role after 10 years as the agency’s ECD.
Chong’s announcement follows the recent wins for Diamond Ogilvy of a US$7 million account for Jinro soju brand Cham Isul Fresh and an account for Maeil Dairy’s Caffe Latte brand worth $4 million. Jinro, the world’s leading producer of soju, was reportedly disappointed with the current work for Cham Isul Fresh and awarded the account to Diamond Ogilvy after calling a three-way pitch which included incumbent LG Ad and JWT.
Meanwhile, Maeil Dairy transferred its business from JWT in a move to revitalise the image of Caffe Latte, a popular canned coffee brand in Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Chong explained that the new campaign would take a light approach, repositioning Caffe Latte based on the premise that canned coffee appeals to young consumers in a sentimental mood.
Diamond Ogilvy Group, which consists of Ogilvy & Mather, OgilvyOne, Ogilvy PR, Ogilvy Healthworld and Ogilvy Redworks, was formed in 2006 when Ogilvy & Mather acquired former Hyundai in-house agency Diamond Ad.
The agency suffered a blow last year when LG Telecom withdrew its $40 million account, but has since added domestic appliance brand Lihom to its client list, which includes Motorola, Nike and Olympus, among others.
