Raising the digital bar

In 1999 Jean Lin sketched an idea for a digital agency on a napkin to impress an angel investor. Called wwwins Consulting, its success soon saw Isobar, the digital operation under Aegis Media, take over the company. Today it is a network of 500-plus tech heads across Asia.

Marketing's group editor Matt Eaton caught up with Lin at a cafe outside the agency's office in Kuala Lumpur to talk about its evolution and how the democratisation of digital and social media has created new opportunities.

What are some of the industry's toughest challenges?

Digital is such a new industry and it is changing every day. It is almost like waking up in the morning and saying to yourself ‘I know nothing, everything I knew yesterday has changed'.

It's moving that fast?

Yes, it's really exciting. I do learn new things everyday, I think that's why I'm still here.

You started the business in Taipei in 1999, how did that come about?

I was running training and development for Ogilvy Greater China, leading Unilever and American Express at the time. I always needed to create new training documents, looking for new angles and new things, and digital and the internet were just starting. After researching and spending time hunting for global case studies, I realised everyone was saying the same thing. I think this is an industry where you do have to do it in order to make sense of what is going on.

There were many different ways I could have gone about it. I could have done it at Ogilvy - at the time I did like Ogilvy a lot as a company - but I thought I should try to do something different in an environment that did not have a strong advertising culture. I saw technology needed to be at the core and I'm not sure technology wanted to join the advertising agency.

And you struck out on your own?

There was a partner at the beginning, but they just wanted to do banner ads. When I think of digital I think of it as a totality - something that can change culture, behaviour and business. So we were thinking of different things.

We started with a few people and luckily, some angel funds. When I joined ad:tech in San Francisco I sat beside someone who asked me what my business was. I drew on a napkin the model I was thinking of and told them what I wanted to do. She said: "You know what, it's fascinating. If you need funds, here's my card." I went home and thought, you know what, I do need funds, so we put our business plan together and then organised the funding, and some additional funding from the Koo family in Taiwan, and launched the first stage of the company.

The company was acquired by Aegis in mid-2004, why did you sell?

A few companies came to our door at the time, but we chose Aegis because of the Isobar vision and the culture. There was more freedom in their thinking about digital as a media channel and content tool, rather than just advertising and communications.

Looking back was it the right decision?

Around the world we have 2,000-plus people in 32 markets and in Asia we are 500-plus, and more if you include Mitchells (recently acquired by Aegis). It's been a fascinating journey. I always believed digital would be something that changed how the old models work and we're seeing it now with social, mobile and online transactions coming into the picture. From a business evolution point of view, we think the web is at around 4.0; applications and consumer conversions are driving everything.

Do your clients see the world changing as fast as you do?

In 2009 I took on a global strategy role and met with many global clients, and I do think their mindset is changing. In the past, digital was seen as something locally relevant, because the digital landscape is so different from market to market. But in the past 18-24 months, we have seen global and international clients changing the way they do digital. Clients know the world is changing and know consumer behaviour has changed, but budget allocations haven't changed that much. They're asking us how to build a brand more efficiently in a smarter way, with some consistency around the world, while allowing for locally relevant content.

It's a big ask. Does technology allow that to happen?

Yes, it does. Technology is at the core of the whole game. But that is not how marketing organisations are used to doing things. Many clients understand consumers do not see the world online and offline. There is no line. Where is the line?

What exciting things do you see in the pipeline?

I think something cross-platform, but powered by mobile access. Mobile is a tricky thing that is changing people's lives. I've been taking pictures at friends' places where guests sit down and take out their iPhones and start to check in, or tell someone they're here. I have so many pictures, regardless of their a ge bracket. It's fascinating. It's almost become a remote control for your life. Actually, I don't care if it's digital or not.

How is it changing your business model?

I know people still put us in the category of a digital agency, but I believe in a few years time there will not be a digital agency. Agencies need to be digital. We see ourselves more as a communications agency with digital at its heart. It's where we are from. What agencies and brands are doing is trying to find ways to bring people and brands together like never before.

How influential will social media be in facilitating this?

It's already happening. Social and search are two things that need to be embedded into the content and creative development process - it shouldn't be seen as something that stands alone. Within all the branded content there should be a social element, be it social media, a social function or a social app. You have to enable people to do these things.

Do you ever see yourself moving into content creation?

We are already in the branded content area, but what exactly is content? Is an event content? Our colleagues recently did a two-year project for FIAT in Brazil where they crowd-sourced ideas for the entire car design and then they built it. Was that an event, or a campaign? It depends on how you dissect it. These are things we only imagined in 2000 and there, it happened.

The mystique behind digital and how you create these campaigns is now much more democratic. How do you deal with that?

As a brand, you have to accept the consumer is in control, not you. I think the same thing applies to management, not only in digital agencies, but to managing smart people who grew out of this free environment. We have to change our style to get the best ideas from smarter, younger and more dynamic people who want to try new things. It's almost like having a teenager at home. You will actually be better off if you listen to the ideas these young people have.