JWT Shanghai advances Eugene Chew to newly created Chief Digital Officer position
Eugene Chew has been promoted to the newly created role of Chief Digital Officer at JWT Shanghai. The move underscores the exponential growth of the agency’s digital business and services. Chew (left) joined JWT Shanghai as Director of Digital Strategy in 2011. In his new role as Chief Digital Officer, he will drive digital capability and revenue growth across the agency.
“JWT Shanghai has gone through a major transformation over the last two years, and has established its reputation as a creative agency that can deliver effective, engaging digital work as part of holistic communication solutions for clients. This new role shows how critical digital is to what we do, and will help us take it to the next level,” said JWT Shanghai Managing Director Dan Ingall.
Unlike other agencies that opened specialist digital shops or sub brands, which puts digital expertise into silos, JWT Shanghai chose the patient game of integration aimed at achieving sustained long term growth. The agency’s ‘diffusion’ approach sees its account service and creative talent organized into integrated brand teams, and every team is expected to be digitally capable. The agency has achieved this by hiring more digital talent across the organization, providing digital training, and through the consistent top down mantra of “integration, integration, integration.”
This approach has paid off. All of the agency’s brand teams are now engaged in digital work, and JWT Shanghai has tripled its digital revenue in as many years, winning digital AOR from Starbucks, Estee Lauder Group, Bayer and Tencent, while delivering integrated campaign work for Ford, HSBC, J&J, UniPresident, Friesland Campina and Unicharm. JWT Shanghai’s digital work ranges from mobile apps that utilize QR codes & augmented reality, to branded content and social media management. This year, the agency has strengthened its performance marketing capabilities with investment in user experience and data analytics experts, tools & partnerships.
“We are a channel agnostic agency with a digital heartbeat. The CDO has to evangelize digital, push for structural change and inspire innovation; but at the same time, it’s largely about keeping everyone happy,” says Chew. “Our people and culture are very important to us – it is what differentiates us and enables us to constantly evolve and bring the best possible solutions to growing our clients’ brands and businesses.”