This indication of how modernization brings about changes in traditional language is but a small facet of a larger picture. The job market in Taiwan is being radically altered with the influx of new technology and occupations thoroughly new to the island, and each new field demands a specialized vocabulary far different from the dialogue in The Dream of the Red Chamber.
The entrepreneurial spirit, for which local Chinese are well known, has embraced new professions with gusto, and Rex Don, whose English transliteration of his Chinese name even has an AE ring to it, represents afresh direction in career development not even dreamed of by his parents. The content of his job, and his attitude toward it and his own future, give instructive insights into how Chinese yuppies are making it in Taiwan's hot economy.
In the past, advertising agencies in Taiwan played the relatively limited role of advertising broker, buying and selling time and space for commercial advertisements on television and in the pages of the print media. At that time account executives were mainly responsible only for budget control. Because of recent rapid developments in the mass media, and greater sophistication in marketing, the importance of advertising has increased tremendously.
To keep pace, advertising agencies in Taiwan are expanding their capabilities, and now offer project planning, marketing, creation and production of advertisements, sales promotion, and public relations, in addition to budget control. Agency clients utilize several or even all of these services, and it is the account executive who plays the critical role of coordinating the various service functions involved in the handling of client accounts. In a sense the AE is the prop of the company organization.
During a rare pause in the workday, Don admits: "I don't know whether this is a good choice of life style. It's all work."
Rex Don, Account Manager of Kuo Hua Advertising, Ltd., says: "The term 'account executive' is actually inadequate to describe the scope of an AE's job. These days, accounting is only one aspect of his job. An AE has to play a number of roles. The major one is that of salesman—he sells his company's advertising ability. Then he plays the role of coordinator, acting as the bridge between his company, the client, and the mass media. Lastly, he acts as budget controller for the client, and it's his responsibility to see that the best advertising possible is created at the least expense."
But even if he were an octopus, handling an entire project on his own from A to Z would be "mission impossible." When he wins or is assigned a case on an account, the AE must organize and coordinate an effective team of specialists from the agency's various departments. In addition, there are five main steps that he must follow in the course of completing a project assignment.
First is to clearly understand his client's marketing and advertising plan for the product concerned. He must know the nature of the product, when and where will it be advertised, the target audience, the budget, and other key facts.
The second step involves developing a marketing strategy. His team has to analyze the competitive environment—to compare the client's product with similar products already on the market, and then present the uniqueness of the product in a compelling manner so that it will stand out better and be more appealing to customers. At this stage the team will conduct a consumer survey via group interviews or polling to learn what consumers think about the product and why. Then the AE will draw up a report on his findings, based on an analysis of the facts and figures derived from the consumer survey, and on his own professional experience. The latter is a key to success. "There are so many variations in the consumer market that keeping your information up-to-date is absolutely essential," Don says.
The third step is a meeting with the client to discuss report findings. Here the AE describes the current market situation and gives an assessment of the best manner of penetrating it. If the client is launching a new product, the AE may even suggest that its introduction be postponed if market conditions appear unfavorable. Should the prospects be evaluated as positive, and the client decides to go ahead, the AE will be involved in every subsequent step from naming to packaging to pricing. In short, he will oversee the creation of a total image for the product.
Next comes coordination of the actual advertising. The AE's team includes an art director, copywriter, producer, one or more media planners, and others depending on the size of the account. The AE acts as the communication link between his team members and the client. Don elaborates on the procedure: "Say that we're asked to create a television commercial for an international magazine. In his brief to the agency the client states that the purpose of the advertisement is to, say, create an image of the magazine as a cultural exchange tool. Based on this brief, I will work out an advertising proposal with my team members. After we discuss our proposal with the client, we will probably make a few revisions based on client feedback, and come back to the client with a fully-developed creative idea.
"After fine-tuning, our final idea for the commercial could go something like this: zoom in on the magazine, then cut to a shot of New York city, where the magazine is superimposed on the upper-right corner of the screen. Then cut to a Tokyo street scene where a Japanese is reading the magazine, then to a shot of Johannesburg and a close-up shot of one of the magazine's reporters talking with a local resident. The last shot is a fade-out on the magazine with a voice-over driving home the quality and usefulness of the magazine with a short, snappy phrase.
"Once the client gives his final go-ahead, we gather the team together and shoot the film. I'm in charge of supervising the schedule, the producer is responsible for the quality of the film, and the media planner has to arrange the media schedule. The other team members stand by ready with constructive suggestions. "
Once the advertising is on air, there is still a last, very important step to be carried out: evaluation of the effectiveness of the advertising in terms of generating sales. This is done through tabulating the results of store checks, consumer interviews, and other methods of sales verification. Further revisions to the advertising may be necessary if sales do not match original targets.
Don summarizes: "We are not just advertising a product—we are creating an image for the corporation. So we have to learn about every aspect of the client's business in order to understand the 'corporate culture.' As a result, it's important that the AE and his client establish a rapport based on mutual understanding and reliability. It's quite a close relationship."
Because the job is in many ways both complex and detail-oriented, a difficult client may challenge an AE with a whole range of problems. The constant flux of the market environment presents yet another set of problems, often making it impossible to predict the direction it will take, or the sorts of advance precautions that should be implemented to forestall failure. It is the AE's job to constantly monitor the market to be aware of changes as they occur, a task achieved only by plain hard work.
"Although we have regular office hours, I'm usually not aware when it's quitting time," Don says. "I usually stay late at the office wracking my brain for a name for my client's new product, or reading over reference material on current projects. Even when I'm at home, I'm usually watching TV advertisements-which isn't a hobby, but work. I'm at the office five days a week. On Saturday afternoons, I go to the movies to relax. But to tell the truth, I'm probably a little obsessed with my work, because even when watching a movie I'm constantly taking note of the filming techniques and any other new trends we should be aware of. When Sunday comes, I sleep all day because I'm afraid that if I go out I might be too tired to work on Monday."
Pressure is a way of life. First there is the pressure of competition, the constant companion for all AEs. The profession is "full of Darwinists," he says. "They believe in the theory of natural selection, and their actions correspond to the golden rule of Darwinism: 'Only the fittest survive.'"
To this is added the pressure of keeping track of the rapid changes in the market. The AE has to keep constantly abreast of the latest consumer trends. Don says: "Current consumption trends differ from those of the past. Traditionally, to sell a product, we would emphasize its practicality. For instance, the typical slogan for a watch would be 'a reliable time-teller.' Nowadays, thanks to technological advances, watches of every brand are supposed to be precise.
"With our GNP surpassing US$5,000 and predicted to reach US$15,000 by the year 2000, consumers here no longer consider only practicality—they also want a product to appeal to them emotionally. This is especially true of younger consumers. They are impulse shoppers. They shop for the product that creates a touch of fashion."
Effective coordination between company and client is one of the primary roles of an AE, and the most difficult task to master.
Don speaks from personal experience, for the 30-year-old AE is himself such a consumer. He half-mockingly says that when he buys a car he wants one with super high-tech 'wing' doors "because they make me feel good."
Despite the job's inherent pressures, the occupation also has its pleasures. Don flashes a vivid smile: "The kind of satisfaction we get out of our work is like the satisfaction of a midwife assisting at the birth of a new born baby. Our client produces the product and we get to deliver it!"
Strictly speaking, a successful campaign depends on the success of the ad itself. "A successful ad is one audiences enjoy seeing and listening to. This kind uses the 'sincere persuasion' approach. It avoids a 'hard-sell' image—that's an out-dated technique. Also, aside from its commercial message, the advertisement must have a certain artistic flair, and it should be tasteful. People today really care more about taste."
There is evidence that advertising agencies in Taiwan are increasingly following these principles. A recent poll conducted by a group of college journalism students stated that 58 percent of consumers agree that TV advertising is becoming more pleasant to watch. Even the advertising of patent medicines, which has been a subject of criticism in the past for being exaggerated and unbelievable, is now more credible. But no matter what people think about advertising, whether they view it as a source of information or of pollution, the poll indicates that advertising thoroughly permeates modern daily life. As the frequently quoted advertising maxim says: "You might not notice it, but it's affecting your life."
The poll also concludes that consumers mark credibility as one of the most important factors in a good advertisement. This obviously shows a heightening of consumer awareness, and should result in an expanding market for advertising agencies. As this occurs, there will be an increasing demand for good advertising people.
Don encourages newcomers about the wide possibilities of the field: "You can learn to fit in. In this business, ability is derived from experience." But there are some disadvantages to the profession as well. "For married people, it's a costly job. I'm a good example. I've been married for over six years, but I'm not prepared to have children yet. And my wife is complaining. I simply can't afford the time and energy," Don says with a slightly worried look on his face. "Sometimes, I don't know whether this is a good choice of life style. It's all work. But then again, since I was promoted to Account Manager this past year the situation has been improving somewhat."
Don entered the advertising field right after graduation from university. A Chinese literature major, he initially thought he would make his living by his pen. His first contact with the profession was as a copywriter. Gradually, his innovative approach to advertising problems resulted in his being offered a position in the Account Services department. He has now been with the agency for over seven years, six of those working as an AE.
Don is confident that the advertising profession has a bright future and will become progressively more profitable as there is greater internationalization and liberalization of the domestic market. And as the Taiwan advertising world becomes more competitive, it will increasingly attract the best and the brightest to try their hands at proving that the advertising profession in Taiwan, at least in Darwinian evolutionary terms, is capable of producing superstars.