You get the feeling that Deepak Advani would make a pretty good diplomat. Indian-born and US-educated, Advani's role as Lenovo's global chief marketing officer makes him one of the most visible spokesmen for the rise of China Inc, an entity that is still viewed with considerable suspicion in many circles.
But all his ambassadorial leanings should not disguise the fact that Advani's considerable marketing acumen is focused on one thing alone: turning Lenovo into the world? dominant PC-maker.
Advani admits that the shift from IBM - one of the world's most iconic brands - into Lenovo, then largely unknown outside China, has proved invigorating.
It rings true. After 12 years at 'Big Blue' seven of them in marketing, Lenovo's blockbuster acquisition in 2005 suddenly propelled Advani into a role that, by any measure, can only be described as unique.
"We do have to educate people that Lenovo is independent, with no connections to the Chinese Government,"says Advani. "In the '80s, Japan and Korea faced similar geographical roots concerns and credibility questions - they dealt with it by shifting focus from where they came, to what they do. Similarly, at Lenovo we're focused on relaying our brand message of best-engineered PCs."
In a more telling turn of phrase, Advani adds that the transformation from IBM to Lenovo has given him more liberty.
In the country that made the term famous, of course, Lenovo has been targeted by accusations that it is spying for the Chinese Government. Like any good marketer, Advani launched a new campaign - one with enough controversy to expose the ludicrous nature of the spying furore.
The 'Lenovo tapes' initiative involved a hoax website, featuring videos of Lenovo laptops performing remarkable feats, such as firing up mini-rockets to prevent them from hitting the floor, and sending out holographic images.
For Advani, who led the drive, the campaign is an ideal example of his approach to marketing. It is also, it goes without saying, the type of work that is less readily associated with the staid image of IBM.
"It was a risk. It could have gone both ways, but it worked,"he notes.
"When you get that anxiety in your gut, that's when you know you're doing something right. If you don't, chances are you're not being cutting-edge. Some of the large companies fall into a safety net that prevents them from taking risks and being edgy."
Consumer marketing certainly has its perks, particularly after seven years spent marketing to the enterprise at IBM. "We have a greater degree of flexibility in making decisions,"explains Advani, who has used the freedom to - quite literally - set in stone Lenovo's brand positioning.
?ou have to first internalise the brand essence before you build it externally,?he says. ?e had a stone carved with our company values and positioning, and had senior employees endorse it with their thumbprint.?
The concrete slab is now exhibited in Lenovo's North Carolina HQ, a tangible reminder of its 'best engineered PCs' brand promise.
Advani's methods may seem unorthodox, but they are also in some demand.
He is a frequent speaker at forums and conferences across the globe, and has delivered a series of leadership talks at Wharton Business School - advising young executives that "paranoia is healthy".
His advice to the next crop of business leaders also comes with the concept of 'Energy management' - which Advani recommends rather than yesterday's paradigm of managing time demands.
"There are things you do that give you energy and others that take energy way,"he explains. "You need to do enough things that give you energy. Things that you are passionate about."
And what about press interviews? Energy-gaining or energy-draining?
"For me it's definitely energy-gaining. I've been fortunate in that most of the interviews I've done have been a fairly accurate reflection of what I've said,"Advani says.
Spoken like a true diplomat.
