Managing a quick service restaurant brand like Kentucky Fried Chicken is never an easy feat, a task made surpremely more difficult when you throw in a growing health scare involving fowl alongside ambitious plans to double the number of retail outlets in Hong Kong over the next five years.
Having cut her teeth on both sides of the marketing divide, senior marketing manager Emily Wong believes she's up for the challenge. Hong Kong-born Wong got her first taste of the business as an account executive at DDB Hong Kong, before moving quickly on to stints with McDonald's in a variety of roles and then with tobacco giant Philip Morris as part of a large team working on the Marlboro brand in China.
Describing FMCGs as some of the more colourful and challenging brands to work with, Wong has spent the last six years at Birdland's KFC, overseeing marketing strategy for Hong Kong and Macau. "Tobacco was an interesting industry, but in terms of mastering the retail environment, fastfood is far more challenging," Wong says.
She works closely with PR, advertising and media agencies to build brand presence in the region, as well as architects to develop retail environments, a part of the business which, in recent years, has been seen as increasingly important. Enjoying the freedom that the Hong Kong marketing team enjoys in localising marketing initiatives as well as the product offering, Wong admits the multi-layered nature of her job is challenging -- but worth it.
"While chicken naturally remains the essence of the brand, local additions to the menu have been a real success," she says. "KFC introduced Portuguese-style egg tarts to the menu in Hong Kong and Macau and they have now also really taken off in China and Taiwan." To mark the brand's 20th anniversary in September this year, KFC Hong Kong invested in a rebranding, introducing the new 'KFC So Real' theme. The new positioning commits to providing consumers with Real Food -- safe, tasty and suited to local tastes. In terms of the physical environment, Real Place promises a comfortable environment with separate zones for different needs, like family dining or relaxing with friends, while Real People refers to staff trained to create a friendly, relaxed, in-store environment, with staff support centres to boost internal morale.
"KFC needs to move forward in anticipation of our customers," Wong says. "(This means) developing something that consumers haven't thought of, so they get a nice surprise." The KFC marketing strategy, she adds, depends a lot on local market language, with substantial research conducted by companies like ACNielsen to find out what the local consumer really wants. Not without its fair share of setbacks in recent years, including a drop in sales around the time of Sars and with the current avian 'flu health scare, KFC has managed to remain in the game. Wong's position is pragmatic: "These challenges can also been seen as an opportunity for the brand to develop -- for example, Sars boosted demand for our delivery service, as people preferred to stay at home. We were compelled to provide different options."
Wong was also instrumental in setting up the Real Care Foundation, which has already raised and donated over HK$1 million (US$129,000) for tsunami relief through the charities World Vision and Oxfam. Believing in keeping a balance between work and leisure, Wong maintains a keen interest in yoga and a love of classical music. She has also set an impressive personal best of completing the Hong Kong Maclehose Trailwalker race in 24 hours. "You need to have dedication, commitment and strength of mind, as well as being prepared for all situations," she says. "These are definitely the qualities needed on a super FMCG brand."