The retail scene continues to evolve in Indonesia and so do the leaders. Fortunately, one expert has stepped up to ensure that leaders like him are also evolving and is hands on when it comes to collaboration, creativity and teamwork. In its latest feature, Rockbird Media is excited to present Kelvin Hong, the Director of Brand Marketing of A&W Restaurants International. Kelvin’s interview is one that inspires especially those of young and aspiring marketeers. With his 20 years of experience covering APAC, he shares his experience of how he climbed from the ground up.
During the discussion, we sought to understand his contribution as a leader to keep abreast and ahead of the industry and how it influenced his leadership in his own organization. He mentioned that people are independent as individuals, but are equally interdependent and dependent upon each other. He recalled: “I was once a young marketeer, just like everyone else, and we see how the world has evolved today into becoming a more digitally inspired or tech-based marketing. And things are really different from the traditional days where it used to be just classical or conventional marketing.”
Trends are continuously changing every year and for a company to stay abreast and ahead, it is natural to adapt to the trends and accept fresh new ideas. Kelvin mentioned: “As marketers, we should always allow co-creativity and ideas and always give ourselves as well as our fellow team members, colleagues, and agency partners the opportunity to co-create and to build ideas that build the brands and shape the brand forward.”
To remain informed and proactive regarding these trends, continuous learning is a must. Continuous learning is vital, even for those in high positions. Learning is essential to understand the trends especially now that having the need to meet the evolving consumer demands are growing and always the top priority of companies. He specified that one being complacent may not always be a good thing as it means that people keep doing the same activities in the same way. Kelvin recalls how he always welcomes ideas and inputs from his team and is always brainstorming as a unit.
The ability to recruit and retain digital-savvy talents today and having someone like Kelvin Hong as a leader for the brand makes a big difference honing potential leaders in the future. He stressed how important it is as a mentor to inspire the younger generation with great creative ideas so that the world of marketing will continuously bloom. He expressed that fostering collaboration and creativity inspires greater teamwork towards working on the common goal.
Which brings in the last question to cap off the interview, what impact does he hope to have on future generations in his industry? The answer? Simple, to inspire the aspiring marketers to keep the baton alive. As Kelvin quoted: “I hope to leave an impact as a mentor and a coach whom is able to inspire a younger generation of future marketeers with greater creative ideas and whom are able to then make their own stamps or milestones in whichever industry they may be, whether in corporations as well as startups. I think it is important to keep the baton alive or to pass the baton to the next batch of aspiring future marketeers so that the world of creativity and the world of marketing continues to be brimming alive with ideas, with inspirations, and with a lot of jazz.” Kelvin emphasizes the importance of staying connected to one’s roots and the interdependence among individuals. He reflects on how continuous learning has been instrumental in shaping him into the leader he is today.
He is ready to set foot for this year’s Retail & E-Commerce Summit Asia 2024 Indonesia. Join the gathering and grasp together some interesting and enticing insights on November 21, 2024, at the Ritz-Carlton, Jakarta. Gain valuable insights from some of the top leaders in the marketing industry, it’s an event you don’t want to miss!
