Women in the Industry: Jean Lin

A 19-year industry veteran, Lin has been Isobar’s global chief strategy officer since last year. Having attended journalism school in the US, she claims to have been motivated by a desire to influence people from an early age. She began her career in account servicing with Ogilvy & Mather in her native Taiwan, later becoming director of training and development for Greater China.

In 1999, Lin left WPP Group to establish wwwins Consulting in Taipei. The agency expanded to Shanghai three years later, and subsequently to Beijing. Prior to the opening in Beijing, wwwins became part of Aegis’ Isobar network. The acquisition of Ion Global in Hong Kong spurred the development of a branch in that market in 2007, and in Guangzhou the following year.

Since founding wwwins, Lin has worked with many high profile multinational clients, including Coca-Cola, adidas, HSBC, eBay, Kimberly-Clark, KFC, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Lipton, Johnson & Johnson, American Express, Phillips, Nokia, Sony and Tetra Pak.

Lin resides in Shanghai and seems to have lost none of her passion for entrepreneurialism. While noting that China has a disproportionate number of senior female executives, she acknowledges the inherent difficulties that come with the status and credits her family with helping her maintain a stable life.

How did you get into the ad industry?

I knew when I was a young kid that I was good at communicating with people and influencing their thoughts and behaviour, and since then have been interested in marketing communications. The power of influence always fascinates me. I believe Influence is more important than control, and that is what advertising and marketing communications are all about.

I graduated from university around the time when international advertising agencies were entering Taiwan. I read some books about David Ogilvy, decided that I liked his sense of humour and his looks, and sent my resume to Ogilvy in Taiwan; that was where I started my life as an advertising woman. I was assigned to work on the account of Philips domestic appliances. The second day on this job, I was sent to attend a photography session to shoot for the baking oven catalogue, and was washing dishes for eight hours at the shoot. That day I realised that this business is not only about what you see on its glamorous surface, but also about cleaning up the mess behind the scenes!

Who was you career inspiration?

There are a few imaginary friends from my childhood who always inspire me to become a better person rather than just a smarter woman.

What is your advertising philosophy?

‘Listening first, Selling second.’ Consumers are smart. They know when you are just trying to sell them something. And they know when a brand advocate pretends that he is a normal consumer trying to make friends with you on Facebook.

Why aren’t there more women at the top in advertising (specifically in the creative field)?

I knew many distinguished women at the top in the advertising field in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong; actually there are more in the Greater China markets compared to some of the others. However, this is a business that requires concentration and dedication beyond the usual standard, and it takes a supportive and loving family to ensure that you can strike a balance between career achievement and life.

Is the industry doing enough to attract female talent?

I don’t think the industry does anything in particular to attract female talent. Actually I do not think any industry has done anything in particular to attract female talent!

What advice would you give to young women looking to advance their careers in advertising?

I know why I stay in the business. I enjoy creating new things and cannot stand repetition; that’s why I never complain when my life gets too exciting. You need to know yourself better, know what makes you happy every morning when you wake up, and just focus on that and disregard all the unhappy irrelevant. Quieten your risk-averse lizard brain, and be brave enough to express yourself in your own unique way.

What was your biggest challenge in 2009?

In 2009 I took a global role at Isobar (parent company of wwwins Greater China) and the biggest challenge was to understand how I could help bring in more consistency and coherence to the network, while retaining and empowering the entrepreneurial spirits in the Isobar agencies.

And your biggest achievement?

To see wwwins China, the company I founded, become Creative Agency of the Year in 2009 China Interactive Awards. This is the first year for a non-local Chinese company to winning that honour and recognition. Knowing that my team is better than myself is what I considered to be the biggest achievement.