Arthur Huang is a self-confessed shopaholic. The recently installed corporate marketing director for consumer electronics for LG Electronics’ Asian marketing operations likes nothing more than a trip along Singapore’s Orchard Road.
And as LG’s marketing becomes more retail-focused, those shopping trips now double as research. “I like to see how different brands are doing things and to observe how people buy things or how shops are displaying goods,” says the 44-year old Taiwanese.
He is certainly keen to pick up some tips. Huang’s marketing plans this year for LG are designed to attract more consumers to the brand’s in-store displays. “We want to enhance consumers’ experience of us,” says Huang. “We call it the ‘moment of truth’ — we want to get them to come down to our stores to learn about our product offering. Consumers can get to know LG, not just by what they read or hear about, but to experience our brand. If they go through traditional media such as TV and newspapers, consumers can see our messages, but they don’t touch.”
Having joined LG in January this year, Huang oversees the strategic development and enhancement of the brand across all business units in Asia, including Australia and South Asia (he does not handle Korea, LG’s domestic market, or China). He is further charged with managing regional strategies to increase efficiencies across marketing and brand promotion.
In short, that means Huang has been brought in to help LG expand its share in the region. “My appointment is part of LG’s globalisation plan to identify and appoint global talent to bring about new ideas and thinking. LG is keen on fresh perspectives, philosophies and products for its next stage of growth, and it’s trying to understand its consumers better.”
Ultimately, the goal is to make LG more relevant to consumers in different markets. From working on washing machines that use less detergent in Thailand to developing better sound systems for flat screens in India, Huang’s role is to ensure that its marketing is more locally focused.
So far the omens seem good; LG has seen record sales and profits globally, with second-quarter figures showing a 62 per cent rise in net profit to US$921 million.
Huang’s regional role at LG and its responsibilities suit him. He professes that very early his career, he had his eyes set on a job in the international arena. His career kicked off in Taiwan with American Express and 7-Eleven in the late-90s before leaving for the US to study for his two Masters degrees in business administration and international management. On returning, he joined Ericsson and learnt about the personal communications business. But it was not until 2001 that Huang’s regional aspirations were met as he was dispatched to Singapore to take on marketing communications for the Sony Ericsson brand, which had just debuted in the market.
“It was an interesting experience as Sony Ericsson was a new brand and organisation,” he recalls. “So everything started from zero. There was no awareness of the brand among consumers.”
Arvind Sethumadhavan, a client leader at Mindshare Singapore, LG’s media agency partner, reckons Huang’s “strong past experience in retail” means “he always brings a business perspective to our discussions, and this is a great enabler.”
As an example, he points to a movie tie-up with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen led by Huang. LG leveraged on its sponsorship of the movie and developed a TVC, showcasing the ‘true to life’ images projected by its LH50 TV. The actual film featured LG product placement, and promotions for free tickets appeared on LG’s mobile phones.
“This set new standards for movie partnerships as it created a domino effect. SingTel latched onto the back of LG’s ticket promotions, which provided another boost for the LG brand,” says Sethumadhavan.
Despite market uncertainties, Huang and LG are still looking forward. “The economy might be vulnerable but we learn to live with it. We know that success won’t come overnight but threats and risks are also opportunities,” he says.
“For a brand like LG, it’s a huge opportunity for us to grow in terms of our branding. As a client, I’m always demanding something new and interesting. I place the same challenge that I face to establish my brand to my agencies. I want to see how we can work together to create the same, if not more, impact.”
Arthur Huang’s CV
2009 Corporate marketing director, LG Electronics Asia
2007 Head of retail, Asia-Pacific, Sony Ericsson
2006 General manager, Sony Ericsson, Thailand
2003 Director, head of marketing communications, Sony Ericsson, Asia-Pacific
2001 Senior manager, marketing communications, Sony Ericsson
2000 Director, head of marketing, Ericsson Telecommunications
This article was originally published in 27 August 2009 issue of Media.
