#Interview
2017.04.13
Paul Kang, the head of Amorepacific Marketing Strategy Unit
Interview with executive members to share the vision of leaders and promote smooth communication between teams/groups
It's said that today's leaders need more than anything to be a coach. It's the leader who helps and guides others to unlock their true potential, make plans and work toward an engaging goal. Amorepacific has such leaders as well. Here we introduce Paul Kang, the head of Marketing Strategy Unit, has been called a smart leader, a thoughtful leader and an encouraging leader.
Q. Hello. You moved to Marketing Strategy Unit from R&D Unit as you got promoted early this year. Could you tell us how your work has changed after relocation?
A. R&D Unit develops technology fulfilling the needs of customers, turns it into formulas, optimizes mass production and studies their effects and safety. And that's not to mention the study of seed for fast time-to-market through forward-looking research and development. In terms of R&D, it's very important to ensure the same reproducible result every time through trial and error. In other words, the R&D Unit makes slow and steady progress.
Marketing Strategy Unit, on the other hand, covers a wide scope of work. It performs various tasks, in both the short term and long term. It works with many more organizations, in and outside the company than the R&D Unit does. That is why I take different approaches to the work at the Marketing Strategy Unit, for example, the way of working, making decisions, setting priorities and communication, and I am still adjusting to my new position with a flexible, open mindset. In fact, I'm not very new here because I worked at the HQ office from 2008 to 2013.(Laughs)
Marketing Strategy Unit, on the other hand, covers a wide scope of work. It performs various tasks, in both the short term and long term. It works with many more organizations, in and outside the company than the R&D Unit does. That is why I take different approaches to the work at the Marketing Strategy Unit, for example, the way of working, making decisions, setting priorities and communication, and I am still adjusting to my new position with a flexible, open mindset. In fact, I'm not very new here because I worked at the HQ office from 2008 to 2013.(Laughs)
Q. In the New Year's Message, the CEO said that we are standing on the cusp of a new epoch era where only prestigious products with style and emotional appeal are sold. What do you think the Marketing Strategy Unit need to do in this regard?
A. It's difficult to build up prestigiousness, but what's more challenging is that seeing, feeling and judging our laboriously-acquired prestigiousness come easily to customers. Customers experience the prestigiousness of our company, brands, products, stores and services through communication with sales representatives and/or counselors.It's somewhat easy to understand the importance of prestigiousness, but it takes years of effort to attain excellence and yet keep the basics to become truly prestigious. As this requires a customer-oriented goal as well, I think only a small number of companies in the world are today worthy of being called prestigious. To make Amorepacific prestigious, it's very important to bring up creative masters capable of building a prestigious company, brands, products and services. It is important to organically combine individual elements of prestigiousness from the viewpoint of customers in order to offer the total prestigious value. These are the tasks given to the Marketing Strategy Unit. By performing tasks, we will contribute to make Amorepacific a global prestigious company.
Q. Please, share your vision for the Marketing Strategy Unit.
A. I must first understand how Amorepacific could create sustainable future growth in the face of the changes of our times : for example, digital transformation. To do so, I will create an interactive digital space to catch signals from outside, grasp the wants of customers in connection with beauty and effectively provide Asian Beauty Solutions. I will put greater effort into developing more specialized stories and contents of brands for better customer engagement through innovative communication. Moreover, I will offer more practical proposals and customer data for the various brands of Amorepacific through the market intelligence research of innovative new product development. Last but not least, I'm working at the moment to explore and identify new growth engines through in-house Lean Startup by NGI Division, support and investment into good startups outside the company. The sole purpose is to make significant contribution to Amorepacific achieving its future vision by 2020 and by 2025, together with all members of the Marketing Strategy Unit.
Q. Amorepacific has the vocation for changing the world through beauty. What's your philosophy toward work?
Q. The next question is a little personal. What's the most memorable moment after joining Amorepacific in 1995?
Q. Which of the 10 AP Minds is your best and which is your weakest?
A. It would be the principle of 'Think More, Question More'; I think more of what the Marketing Strategy Unit must do and ask more questions to members of our unit.To think more and new, I spend much time reading, seeing, experiencing and talking to expertsin and outside the company. While doing so, I write a memo of important things to read it later and, when I find something curious, I ask questions about it. I like to discuss it and such a course of action is itself useful and interesting to me.
Our business policy for this year is 'Back to Basics.' I abbreviate this to 'B2B' and explain that 'B2B is B2C (Back to Customers)' to members of the unit. It is indeed related to 'Customers Decide,' one of the AP Minds. Cosmetics are typical consumer goods and sometimes we make a decision based on the viewpoint of company and/or expert without thinking about customers. Experts have different views as their fields are different and it makes it difficult to make a decision. In such cases, I ask this question: what would customers do?
Our business policy for this year is 'Back to Basics.' I abbreviate this to 'B2B' and explain that 'B2B is B2C (Back to Customers)' to members of the unit. It is indeed related to 'Customers Decide,' one of the AP Minds. Cosmetics are typical consumer goods and sometimes we make a decision based on the viewpoint of company and/or expert without thinking about customers. Experts have different views as their fields are different and it makes it difficult to make a decision. In such cases, I ask this question: what would customers do?
Q. What kind of leader would you like to be?
A. Today, I want to be a leader who helps to foster the leaders of tomorrow. The leader ought to help his/her team members understand exactly what they are given and how they contribute to the company through their work. That is how you motivate others; that's the key to motivation. Another important duty of the leader is to give a chance for fully motivated members to become a future leader. By encouraging them to do their job without a fear of failure while offering many valuable chances, the leader can grow. As the Marketing Strategy Unit is required to make new attempts, I provide full support for all members to learn a valuable lesson from the failures and build up the required experiences and capabilities for their future success.
And I will run my race as a learning leader for more effective communication with members having different ideas. I keep the teaching of Prof. Shin Youngbok: study starts by breaking away from old ideas and ends with making changes and creation. At the same time, I want to always be considerate towards members, so that they can develop the ability to present complex matters lucidly, with the requisite imagination to see the big picture from little details and execute flexible thinking.
And I will run my race as a learning leader for more effective communication with members having different ideas. I keep the teaching of Prof. Shin Youngbok: study starts by breaking away from old ideas and ends with making changes and creation. At the same time, I want to always be considerate towards members, so that they can develop the ability to present complex matters lucidly, with the requisite imagination to see the big picture from little details and execute flexible thinking.
Q. Many asked about the secret of your extensive reading. Which book would you recommend to AP members? Can you share with us your techniques of reading and remembering what you read?
My recommendations from everything I read in the last six months are The Intellectual Capital by Muneaki Masuda, CEO of Japanese bookstore chain Tsutaya, Day 1 with seven of letters by Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon for stockholders, Guns, Sails and Empires : Technological Innovation and the Early Phases of European Expansion by Carlo M. Cipolla about technological innovation behind the West outrunning the East between 15th and 18th century, Discussion that is the last lecture by Prof. Shin Youngbok, Branded Beauty : How Marketing Changed the Way We Look presenting the history of large global cosmetics brands. I read the original version in 2011 and there is also the Korean version Beauty to Brand published in February 2017. It will help you better understand about beauty. Marketing 4.0 : Moving from Traditional to Digital by Philip Kotler about marketing approach to the 4th Industrial Revolution is one of my recent readings and How I Predict the Future is the book I'm reading now to share ideas with NGI Division under the Marketing Strategy Unit as it strives to discover future growth engines for Amorepacific.
I read deep insightful and inspiring books several times and Platform Revolution: How Networked Markets Are Transforming the Economy--And How to Make Them Work for You is such a book of this year for me. It explains about the platform business that's getting more popular along the 4th Industrial Revolution, how traditional hotels and taxi service providers are under threat from newly emerged Airbnb and Uber, how pipeline business model like ourselves must understand and use platforms and what the important elements of the platform business model are. I'm planning to share readings with leaders of the Marketing Strategy Unit and discuss what and how we should do.
It's not exactly the technique for extensive reading, but I have my own way of reading: read at regular hours. I normally read one book in 2–3 days, between 10 and 12 p.m. after work. And I read while I wait for my flight and during the flight for business travel. For instance, I read 2–3 books on business travel to the United States. I read in my spare time, though it's as short as 10 minutes. You see, when you combine all your spare times, you have enough to do some reading.
As to the technique of remembering, most of us remember what we read for few days, but forget almost all after one month. In my opinion, what matters is how my action and thought change from what I read. But it would not be worth reading, if you don't remember what you read. To give tips : I write memos of ideas off the top of my head while reading or things useful for my work using a memo app or note to read again later. I share what I read with members during meal and/or tea times. Sharing helps you organize and remember longer. It truly serves two ends; providing indirect experience to members and remembering what I read. Lastly, I read about 20 books once and read them again after 3–6 months. In this way, I can see something that I didn't find at first and recall memory of reading.
As to the technique of remembering, most of us remember what we read for few days, but forget almost all after one month. In my opinion, what matters is how my action and thought change from what I read. But it would not be worth reading, if you don't remember what you read. To give tips : I write memos of ideas off the top of my head while reading or things useful for my work using a memo app or note to read again later. I share what I read with members during meal and/or tea times. Sharing helps you organize and remember longer. It truly serves two ends; providing indirect experience to members and remembering what I read. Lastly, I read about 20 books once and read them again after 3–6 months. In this way, I can see something that I didn't find at first and recall memory of reading.
Q. Taking enough rest must be important since you are busy with business travel and work. How do you spend your weekends and holidays?
A. I spend time with family members on the weekend, if at all possible. I talk with them, read books at a cafe and do shopping. I also take a walk around the house on Saturday night to have some time to reflect over the past week. Walking is when I adopt a rather contemplative view. On Sunday evening, I get some time alone, which I use to prepare myself for the coming week. And by reading new books or some of the books I have read, I try to deepen, heighten and broaden my knowledge.
My holidays go almost the same, with my family. We decide when and where to go for our holidays and there are two modes: relaxation at a specific destination or a grand tour around historical sites. Holiday is called Hyuga in Sino-Korean (Korean originated from Chinese characters), which combines Hyu meaning rest and in Chinese and Ga meaning spare time in Chinese. In short, Hyuga is about free time for rest and relaxation. To take a good rest, it's important to escape from the present, both time and location and that's the reason why our family has two holiday modes. And this year, we will be in grand tour mode.
My holidays go almost the same, with my family. We decide when and where to go for our holidays and there are two modes: relaxation at a specific destination or a grand tour around historical sites. Holiday is called Hyuga in Sino-Korean (Korean originated from Chinese characters), which combines Hyu meaning rest and in Chinese and Ga meaning spare time in Chinese. In short, Hyuga is about free time for rest and relaxation. To take a good rest, it's important to escape from the present, both time and location and that's the reason why our family has two holiday modes. And this year, we will be in grand tour mode.
Q. You are known to be very active in interacting with members of AP mostly juniors and also writing comments to News Square. What advice would you give to them?
A. I love spending time with junior members. I deliver a lecture through the new recruit training program and have 1:1 interview to share about the vision. And there are questions I ask them. The first question is where do they expect to see themselves in five years assuming that there are no constraints or the like. The second question is how their future selves are different from their present selves and the last question is what they would do to narrow the gap between their present and future selves. To the first question, most of them give answer somehow but draw the line based on what they have now. That's why they are not excited about their future selves, and as they expect their future to come naturally with time, they don't see any reason to study and explore new ways. In other words, you must look forward to the excitement that you would feel once your future selves become exactly what you have imagined and, moreover, you must have a challenging goal that you can never achieve with what you have right now. If you can see your weaknesses, you will set plans to push yourself beyond where you drew the line. Plans must be specific, for example, annual plan, monthly plan and daily plan, so that you can achieve a daily goal with little effort. It is, however, not easy to continue making such efforts.
It's said that only 1% of the global population lead the life that's recognized to be successful by most. Meanwhile, it's the same 1% of the population who write about their future selves and set more detailed plans to achieve their vision. Dear members of Amorepacific, have you ever thought and written about your future vision after joining Amorepacific? Do you have plans as to what and how you should do in order to achieve your vision? I hope you all say yes to two questions. If you can make effort every day, I am sure that in the future, you will look exactly how you envisioned yourself. (Laughs)
It's said that only 1% of the global population lead the life that's recognized to be successful by most. Meanwhile, it's the same 1% of the population who write about their future selves and set more detailed plans to achieve their vision. Dear members of Amorepacific, have you ever thought and written about your future vision after joining Amorepacific? Do you have plans as to what and how you should do in order to achieve your vision? I hope you all say yes to two questions. If you can make effort every day, I am sure that in the future, you will look exactly how you envisioned yourself. (Laughs)
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