Behind the malls of Frasers Property, we have a group of dedicated individuals working tirelessly to bring our shoppers the best experience. As part of our People Story series, we bring to light some interesting insights and anecdotes from the individuals behind the scenes, speaking to them to find out more about their jobs and interests outside of work.

This month, we spoke to Wayne Huang, Senior Manager of the Strategic Marketing and Digital team. Wayne joined Frasers Property Retail in April 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and brings with him 14 years of extensive digital marketing experience.

What do you do as part of the digital marketing team in Frasers Property Retail? 

Facebook and Instagram always come to mind whenever digital marketing is mentioned. However, there is so much more to it than just that. Digital marketing has evolved greatly over the years and has now expanded beyond just social media. 

My role at Frasers Property Retail involves pushing out social media content, and also content creation for the Frasers Experience (FRx) website and app, the latter of which houses Makan Master and the newly launched Frasers eStore. 

I also work closely with the marketing team to automate our digital marketing efforts by using Boostcom. This is a new tool that we started using in April last year. Though Boostcom, we are able to target and push out curated and personalised content for our shoppers. This optimises our marketing efforts and brings greater value to our shoppers. 

How did you get started in the digital marketing industry?

I have been in the digital marketing scene since my first job at Tiong Bahru Plaza in 2007, where I managed their social media. While digital marketing was not as prevalent then – Facebook Pages were not even a thing yet – there was a trend of shifting to mobile and it was exciting to pioneer these online initiatives. I personally prefer completing tasks on my mobile phone and that naturally led to my interest in using social media as a tool to reach out to customers. It was something that I was already very familiar with and was the most accessible digital platform to connect with shoppers back then. 

As the years went by, I picked up new skills along the way such as social media analytics and Google Ad Buy so as to ensure that the effectiveness of my digital marketing campaigns is always maximised. With the ever-evolving nature of the digital marketing space, it is very exciting for me as there is always something new to learn!

What was it like to start a new job amidst the pandemic?

When I first joined the company, Singapore was in the midst of its Circuit Breaker and a large majority of my colleagues were working from home. Even though the digital marketing industry was not unfamiliar to me, I still felt quite uncertain and did not know what to expect on my first day at work. There was also the fear of the unknown, not knowing how the COVID-19 situation would unfold and what it would mean for the retail scene in Singapore. 

It was also an interesting experience working with people that I have not met face-to-face before. Although there are online conference tools like Zoom, it was not easy reading my colleagues’ body language through the screen. Bonding over meals was also out of the picture so I had to find alternative means to connect with my team such as using work as an excuse to contact and check in on them. We also stepped up on our digital marketing efforts during that period, and the frequent virtual meetings and discussions gave me the opportunity to get to know them better.

When the Circuit Breaker ended, I finally got to meet my colleagues in real life and it was quite a unique experience having to identify them through their WhatsApp profile pictures. 

What is an important skill that a digital marketer should possess?

Always be open to ideas and be willing to learn. This sounds like a given but it is especially important in this industry as the digital landscape is always changing rapidly. To stay up to date, I read widely and constantly keep a look out for the best practices across various industries. 

Digital Doughnut and Social Media Examiner are some of my top resources when it comes to navigating the ever-changing social media landscape. Of course, simply scrolling through social media channels to see what is trending is a great way to keep up to date as well. 

COVID-19 has only served to accelerate the growth of digital marketing. Live-streaming, which was once seen as a niche, quickly became mainstream during the pandemic. Despite all these changes, the basic approach to digital marketing remains: it is all about making your content relevant to your audience and being aligned with the current social situation. 

What was the most memorable moment you have had since joining the company?

My most memorable moment thus far would be conceptualising and executing Frasers Live, our first ever Facebook live-stream event. This was the first major campaign I worked on since joining the company and also my first time organising a live-stream sale. Since this event was the first of its kind for Frasers Property Retail, there was definitely an added pressure to pull off the live-stream successfully and to provide our tenants with the right exposure.

Beyond making sure that everything ran smoothly on the digital marketing front, I am grateful to the tenants and malls for supporting this event and ensuring that all the items sold were packed and ready in time for delivery. 

What is one lesson that you have learned from your job? 

There is no one right approach for digital marketing. 

Take live-streaming for example, there are so many ways to execute it! You can choose to live-stream using a greenscreen or a staged set, a single camera or multiple cameras, in a gameshow format or otherwise. For Frasers Live, we decided to bring on more than one host to keep our audience engaged throughout the two hour-long session. 

Another important lesson that I’ve learnt is that what may work for one brand may not work for another. You really have to look at your brand’s objectives and come up with a digital marketing strategy that works for you.  

What do you do to relax?

I enjoying listening to music, watching shows on Netflix and catching up with my close friends over dinner and drinks. Some of my favourite Netflix shows at the moment are Start-up and Billions. I also enjoy jogging and playing football, though now I mostly watch football rather than play it. 

What are some causes you feel strongly for?

This is not really a cause but I am a fan of crowdfunding projects. The wallet I use is from a Kickstarter project called Suave by Filippo Morato. Unlike regular wallets, this can hold over 40 items and has features like secret slots, a key slot, and a space for your SIM card and SIM pin amongst other features. My home laptop and work bags are from crowd funded projects too! 

Personally, I enjoy supporting new and innovative ideas that fill a market gap and are created with the community in mind. Perhaps that is why I enjoy being in digital marketing so much as well given its strong focus on building and connecting communities!