Jason Cheung.
This series of articles looks at the world of the account manager.
This time it's Jason Cheung, Senior Strategy Manager at Impressive.
How did you end up in account management? Was it by design or a cosmic accident?
It was a bit of both. I was always curious about marketing and advertising, but was unsure what I wanted to do. When I asked my mum what I was good at, she said "talking," and advertising felt like a natural next step.
I chose to study advertising at university. After graduating, I luckily fell into digital marketing, which was a cosmic accident in its own way, as I didn't know the difference between media and creative at the time. I've since picked up skills in performance marketing and account management, and I've found my home at Impressive. I've been loving every moment thanks to an amazing leadership team (shoutout to Rob, Rebecca, and Jasmine), culture, and clients.
Balancing clients’ objectives and creative vision can be challenging. How do you deal with that?
This is the best part of the job: integrating a media strategy with creative. I've been fortunate to work with some of the best creative agencies and brands to bring their vision to life. The key is to keep it simple and sharp, as humans are creatures of convenience. We want things to be easily digestible, whether it's a simple brand font, a colour template, or the messaging itself.
This simplicity should also extend to the client's objectives. It's crucial to streamline the process between media and creative. If the client's goal is to grow revenue by a specific ROAS, make that the primary KPI when ideating creatives. The most important thing is for the account manager to maintain this simplicity across all stakeholders. Too many cooks in the kitchen can lead to differing opinions, so alignment is crucial to balancing the core needs of the KPI and the creative vision.
What strategies do you employ to clearly convey creative ideas to clients and address client feedback?
Simplicity and transparency are key. Most of our clients at Impressive are business owners and marketing managers who rely on us to guide their digital strategy. Time is a commodity, so getting straight to the point is crucial.
Most importantly, you must actively listen to a client's feedback and think about how it impacts their long-term objective. In my experience, a client's feedback is the most important element, as no one knows their business like they do. How we use this feedback and apply it to the long-term plan between media and creative is crucial in our roles. Every piece of feedback is important, but always validate your answers with external learnings or data and simplify it so the client can easily digest it.
How to build strong relationships with clients?
In my opinion, trust is the most important element to build relationships with all my clients. At Impressive, one of our core values is "Fiercely Accountable," which we embody for all our clients. I see this daily with my team members, from Rob and Bec talking at a leadership level to Hardik and Henry building strong relationships with their clients.
This open communication builds a degree of trust. If performance has been negative, we discuss the factors impacting it and, more importantly, what we're going to do to fix the issues. When performance is up, we celebrate the wins with our clients but also talk about what we'll do to further build on this momentum. This shows our genuine care for their business needs.
Do you have any go-to tips for navigating challenging conversations with clients? And effectively selling an idea.
Be calm, clear, and concise. Our clients look to us for new ideas, which ties back to the trust and transparency element – your client can sense whether you believe in your own idea or not.
Ideas may work in theory, but may not always lead to the intended outcome. Ensure you flag all factors that could impact the end result so the client knows what to expect. If there's pushback, validate your idea with data, but also try to incorporate their feedback. Client management is a two-way street, not a solo dance.
Are there any emerging trends or challenges in the industry that account management teams should be prepared for?
AI and automation. To me, AI is one of the most exciting but terrifying inventions to emerge in the past couple of years, particularly given the sheer speed of its development. I'm a big believer that AI will change how we work, similar to how the internet and social media changed advertising. However, I also believe that right now, it's overhyped.
AI's full capabilities are still being figured out, and it's not a silver bullet that can automate all our tasks. AI development is still in its infancy, and its capabilities are often overblown. This will change in the next couple of years, as the speed of development and pace of output fundamentally change how we operate as an industry, whether it's campaign creation, ideating new creatives, or strategising media approaches.
The key challenge with this emerging trend is how to prepare on a personal level, as most companies are already figuring it out on a business level. Many tech entrepreneurs say you should prepare for AI or be left behind. I believe this is true, but exactly how to prepare is still being figured out. My recommendation is to absorb all the knowledge that is out there and think long-term about how you can add AI best practices to your role in account management.
What advice would you give your younger self when you first started out in account service?
Go back to basics and call your client. There's nothing more powerful than picking up the phone to build trust and a partnership. So much tone can get lost in email back and forth, so adding a human element, such as a voice, can significantly build trust with your client. It shows them you know they exist.
Work-life balance is also key. I've experienced both client and agency sides, and I definitely love agency life. The whole reason I love working at Impressive is that we work at breakneck speed, but we also champion stopping to smell the roses. Whether it's going home and watching Love Is Blind with my partner or getting a drink with workmates on a Friday night, always finish on time.
Finally, be a sponge. I've been lucky enough to have strong mentors who have guided me, and no two days are the same. I'm still surprised at how much I learn from each team member on an individual level.
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