At New York University, I was a part of a business fraternity called Phi Chi Theta. This community is filled with bright and helpful individuals, and Jane Si Young Chyun is one of them. After graduating NYU Stern, she worked at Interbrand, Singapore for a few months before transitioning into her role TBWA.
Jane, tell me about your current role at TBWA?
I am currently working as a New Business Executive in TBWA Singapore. With Singapore being the hub for TBWA's 13+ offices in Asia, my role is to support and coordinate new business initiatives for the region. A major chunk of my role is to assist large scale pitches that happen centrally in Singapore, but also involve different Asian markets. There are different steps that are taken prior to pitching.
As a part of the pitching process, clients ask for participating agencies to fill out and submit necessary information (like financial and legal documents.) After which, few selected agencies will be given a brief and will be asked to submit a proposal and a final presentation (all within the span of two to three weeks.) My role in this entire process is to ensure that our deliverables, from the beginning to the end, point back to client’s business objectives.
What are some things you love about your job and some challenges that you face?
What I love about my job is that it is very forward-looking and fast-paced, with little to do with the day-to-day operations of managing clients. Also, I appreciate how my boss provides me the opportunity to take on different projects and to learn from other senior colleagues, who have now become some of my closest friends in Singapore.
A key challenge I face at work is that we cannot anticipate the arrival of new opportunities. This means that we always need to be ready to take on any challenges and to work efficiently in high-pressure situations.
What attracted you to your job at TBWA?
Before working at TBWA, I was a strategy intern at Interbrand, a Global Brand Consultancy. Although, I enjoyed doing research on a brand-level, I wanted to work at a company at which I could see the actual execution of solutions that were provided to the client - work that goes beyond the conceptual territories. This is primarily the reason I started to look for a role in an advertising agency.
When I visited TBWA for the first time, I was amazed by the open and youthful energy of the company; it felt like I was at a college campus all over again. Additionally, it has always been my dream to work at a company that has a flexible and collaborative culture. So, I immediately knew that I wanted to take the next step in my career by joining TBWA.
You’ve been at TBWA for more than 2 years - can you shed light on the different roles available at an advertising company for college students/anyone who are looking to explore this field?
The internal structure of the advertising agency generally involves 4 key departments: Account Management/Client Servicing, Creatives, Strategy, and Project Management. Account management/client servicing team serves as a bridge between the agency and the client, and their main role is to manage day-to-day operations of clients’ needs. Creatives have a wide range of capabilities - from UI/UX, Design, Art Direction, Copywriting, Post-production and Content. Strategy department is the one that digests the client’s problem further by conducting meaningful research to get customer insights in order to simplify all the information for creatives. A role in project management including the managing of the entire internal workflow, resources, and traffic to ensure that the work gets delivered on time.
Other departments within the advertising agencies include Public Relations, New Business team and the emerging role of data.The data team is the key driving engine that is currently disrupting the advertising industry. It provides added credibility to the creative concepts for clients.
What is the impact of COVID-19 on your industry and on your role?
At a macro-level, this Circuit Breaker period has negatively impacted the advertising industry as a whole, as many existing clients are currently cutting down their marketing budgets. The silver lining here is that this situation is providing agencies a chance to focus on revamping their digital and data capabilities.
As for COVID-19’s impact on my role: As there are less new business opportunities, my daily work routine has shifted from preparing for pitches to Public Relations. I conduct research on brands that are coping with the current issue in a positive manner. Also, I find it interesting how client meetings, even though done virtually, are still a channel for personal and meaningful relationships to grow (just as much as face-to-face meetings were).
It's common now to see kids (of clients or people in my team) running around in the background during virtual meetings - so, we have learnt to become more tolerant and empathetic towards each other.
Outside of your job, how do you like to spend your time?
Outside of work, I spend most of my time outdoors - meeting friends and doing all kinds of fitness activities: from running, yoga and dancing to spinning. With the COVID-19 breakout, however, these hobbies have taken a backseat. Now, I focus more on self-care and enjoy my quiet time. I journal and clean, which provide internal alignment, peace, and a sense of achievement.
From Korea to New York to Singapore in the past few years - where do you see yourself in the next couple years?
I believe that such questions and uncertainties about the future is one major concern many people are grappling with, especially with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. I, too, wonder everyday about whether I should go back to Korea to be with my family or to further enhance my career in Singapore. For now, I choose to and will continue to submit and trust God to guide me towards the right path.
Any advice or tips you'd like to give the readers?
As the role of the Search and Data teams in advertising agencies grows, knowing how to use digital tools to communicate will be crucial. Also, knowing how to tell a compelling story from data is an important skill that every marketer should have.
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