As you walk through the doors of the Omnicom Media Group (OMG) Hong Kong office, the gleam of awards is blinding.
The sheer number of trophies for OMG agency OMD as ‘Media Agency of the Year’ and ‘Marketing Excellence’ adorning the walls is a testament to the creative and strategic geniuses that work within the agency and the group – some of whom we were lucky enough to meet.
OMD Worldwide is part of the Omnicom Media Group (OMG) network which specialises in advertising, media planning & buying, marketing, PR and digital services. The agency embraces an integrated and holistic approach to media solutions to ensure brand messages have greater impact on consumers. As Business Director Jan Harling explained, “brands rely on OMD to increase engagement and revenue and that is what we strive to do.” Within the OMG network there are a variety of specialised agencies including phd (media), Resolution (search), Accuen (programmatic buying) and Airwave (mobile).
As I am about to start an internship at OMD Brisbane through the Media Federation of Australia internship program, I was excited to gain an insight into how the Hong Kong office operated in an economic environment that differs from Australia.
The Head of Mobile at OMG Hong Kong, Bradley Dowding-Young introduced us to the multitude of media platforms available within the Chinese market to reach consumers.
A channel that has significantly changed the way Chinese consumer behavior and interaction with media is mobile app WeChat (or Qiye Weixin). With over 700 million active users in China, the app provides the capability to text, call, share, play and work and has revolutionised the way people receive marketing messages within the digital space.
WeChat has unlocked a world of media opportunities for brands to reach consumers in a dynamic, interactive and highly populated digital environment – a space that is saturated within China. Accuen Account Director Adrian Teh explained the OMD uses the app to collect data on Chinese consumers to better target and market its media campaigns.
We learnt more about the opportunities that WeChat provides for marketing and advertising in Hong Kong during our visit with Professor Kara Chan at Hong Kong Baptist University.
Hong Kong is arguably one of the most competitive advertising markets in the world. From our visit to OMD, it is clear that the Omnicom Media Group is leading the way in delivering innovative marketing strategies to help brands succeed. Meeting the Hong Kong team has ignited my passion to work within the industry and experience the OMD approach myself.
So what makes an award winning campaign? Jan Harling believes it all comes down to three things: strong consumer insights, integration of the marketing strategy elements, and effective consumer engagement. OMD excels at all those.
Top tips for getting an agency role in HK:
- Educate yourself on the Chinese market – it is in a constant state of change and trends are important to follow for potential opportunities!
- Grow your local market knowledge and develop strong working relationships within the agency.
- Leverage your professional networks for opportunities to enter the market and stay open-minded.
- Learn an Asian language – it makes liaising with clients and colleagues that much easier.
All images are property of Tiana Reimann Photography 2016
2 Comments
Fantastic blog Isabella! You have convinced me to go overseas as part of my degree as well 🙂
I’m glad to hear Emily! It seriously gives you an edge when you graduate and makes your degree stand out from the crowd. Good luck with your studies 🙂