Asia more than ever before is becoming the destination of choice for creative talent. Several agency heads report a rising number of CVs from Europe and the US finding their way to their inboxes.
There are two factors behind this. First is the rising standard of Asian creativity, as witnessed by last year’s record haul by the region’s agencies in the creative award shows. The second is economic. Asia is seen as faring better in the current recession and more likely to recover quickly. Given how hard-pressed agencies in Western markets currently are, that is a welcome alternative.
There are two factors behind this. First is the rising standard of Asian creativity, as witnessed by last year’s record haul by the region’s agencies in the creative award shows. The second is economic. Asia is seen as faring better in the current recession and more likely to recover quickly. Given how hard-pressed agencies in Western markets currently are, that is a welcome alternative.
David Guerrero, chairman and chief creative officer at BBDO Guerrero, is one agency head who has seen more CVs coming in from the West. He believes Asia offers strong potential for up-and-coming creatives to gain experience and also to broaden their portfolio. “It offers resourceful creatives a chance to build a reel and perhaps some integrated cases too.”
It’s not just in traditional areas either. Dirk Eschenbacher, executive creative director at Tribal DDB, reports a rising number of digital creatives, especially from North America, seeking posts in Asia. “They are mostly art-based, but also increasingly traditional copywriters apply for digital roles. This might be because traditional advertising has been hit much harder generally than digital.”
However, while many agencies welcome a wider talent pool, not everyone is planning to take advantage. For a start there is the cultural issue. Eschenbacher argues: “In key markets like Japan and China ideas often are rooted in a deep cultural context. Therefore agency creatives must have this cultural background if they want to work in Asia.”
That is backed up by Chris Thomas, CEO Asia at BBDO. He points to Malaysia and increasingly India as hotbeds of creative talent, and argues: “My strong preference is to have creatives imbued with the culture of their country of origin. We don’t actually seek creatives at all from overseas.”
However, there is still a feeling that there is not yet enough talent being nurtured in developing markets such as China.
Beijing recently hosted its first Portfolio Night for aspiring creatives. Doug Schiff ECD of host agency OgilvyOne Beijing, said he was encouraged by the talent he had seen, but would like to see more of it. “We’re probably not finding enough home-grown talent, especially in digital,” he says.
Schiff points to the arrival of groups such as The One Club and the Art Directors Club in China as means to nurture more talent, but in the short term, he admits, agencies are struggling to find the people they need.
There are certainly signs that agencies in China are happy to look beyond the obvious when recruiting creatives. Saatchi & Saatchi recently appointed a planner, Dean Sciole, as ECD. Charles Sampson, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Beijing, predicts that the way creative departments are staffed and organised will change.
“The big trend now is sourcing digital creative talent,” he confirms. “And the key challenge is how to get creatives from a background in traditional media to work with digital talent on briefs at the outset. Managers have to invest a lot of time and energy to make this happen. It’s still a work in progress, to be honest.”
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