Managing Businesses & Talent in Low Growth China - Mark Wang of Grace Blue
October 19, 2023
For 20 years, China was about speed and scale, but it seems now that era has ended for many agencies and companies. Sales are dropping; budgets are being cut. Project pitching is now weekly for many agencies as brands focus solely on performance marketing. How should China businesses adjust for times that may not go as quickly as before? This week we speak to Mark Wang, Senior Consultant at Grace Blue, focusing on executive talent in marketing and communications in China. Mark previously led Edelman China and was Managing Director at OgilvyOne Beijing. Mark has also held positions at Lenovo, IBM and Dell.
For 20 years, China was about speed and scale, but it seems now that era has ended for many agencies and companies. Sales are dropping; budgets are being cut. Project pitching is now a weekly thing for many agencies as brands focus solely on performance marketing. How should China businesses adjust for times that may not go as quickly as before? This week we speak to Mark Wang, Senior Consultant at Grace Blue, focusing on executive talent in marketing and communications in China. Mark previously led Edelman China and was Managing Director at OgilvyOne Beijing. Mark has also held positions at Lenovo, IBM and Dell.
1. How do your experiences in tech helped you transition to roles in Ogilvy and Edelman?
2. How different is it managing agencies versus managing business on the client side?
3. How do you see the recent China economic trajectories influencing China's market & communications landscape?
4. How will strategic planning impact businesses? It's about getting back to the core.
5. How have the agency CEOs reacted to the market and reacted to the changes?
6. Do local agencies have advantages over international ones during these times?
7. What strategies are you recommending to advertisers and advertising agencies for hiring talent in 2024?
8. Any advice for those looking for a job out of college?
9. A/B Test: People as a Service! Shenzhen & Shanghai (It depends)
Mark Wang on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdwang/
About Grace Blue: https://graceblue.com/
For everything ShanghaiZhan: http://zhanstation.com/
ShanghaiZhan Theme Music: by Bryce Whitwam
https://soundcloud.com/bryce-r-whitwam/bad-cough-syrup?si=cfb30a6e0c0e459da78b912bf60825ac
Bryce on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brycewhitwam/
Ali on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alikazmi/
1. How do your experiences in tech helped you transition to roles in Ogilvy and Edelman?
2. How different is it managing agencies versus managing business on the client side?
3. How do you see the recent China economic trajectories influencing China's market & communications landscape?
4. How will strategic planning impact businesses? It's about getting back to the core.
5. How have the agency CEOs reacted to the market and reacted to the changes?
6. Do local agencies have advantages over international ones during these times?
7. What strategies are you recommending to advertisers and advertising agencies for hiring talent in 2024?
8. Any advice for those looking for a job out of college?
9. A/B Test: People as a Service! Shenzhen & Shanghai (It depends)
Mark Wang on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdwang/
About Grace Blue: https://graceblue.com/
For everything ShanghaiZhan: http://zhanstation.com/
ShanghaiZhan Theme Music: by Bryce Whitwam
https://soundcloud.com/bryce-r-whitwam/bad-cough-syrup?si=cfb30a6e0c0e459da78b912bf60825ac
Bryce on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brycewhitwam/
Ali on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alikazmi/