Nicholas Chin, national head of performance at OMD, told Mediaweek he was humbled that industry icons awarded him Media Agency – All Agencies at the Next of The Best Awards.
“It will definitely motivate me to keep pushing the boundaries,” he added.
Mediaweek caught up with Chin as he shared his thoughts on his achievements with the agency, the mantra that shaped his entire career and the importance of giving back to the industry.
The awards have been judged by an all-star line-up, what does it mean to you to be recognised by this group?
When I found out who had judged the awards, I was pretty shocked to have had my work reviewed and appreciated by such a high calibre of leaders. It is incredibly humbling that these industry icons saw merit in my work and really helps to validate the effort and dedication I’ve put in over the years. It will definitely motivate me to keep pushing the boundaries. So, thank you!
What’s been your proudest achievement as national head of performance at OMD?
This is easy, it is 100% the team and performance community we have developed at OMD. I’m extremely proud of what we have achieved as a group and I’m fortunate to work with the best and brightest in the industry every day. Setting up a playground for my team to deliver has been a big part of my role, but from there they do such a remarkable job of getting results for the brands we work with. They don’t see performance as just “hitting a CPA”. They’re our business super sleuths, uncovering the right clues, finding the best people to speak to and building a business strategy that drives a better result. I’m constantly amazed by the things they do and achieve.
In three words, how would you describe the OMD performance team?
Very clever cookies!
What is a piece of career advice that still resonates with you today?
“Ask questions and be a nuisance”! I was facetiously given this advice by a marketing director early in my career and has driven me to remain curious and not let anyone put a stop to my pursuits. That mantra has shaped my entire career.
Possibly to the annoyance of my colleagues, that curiosity means I’m always looking for a better or different way of doing something. It pushes me to think outside of the box in everything I do and make sure that I’m not perpetuating the same things that have been done in the past. In a tight-knit industry, it means we can sometimes repeat the same thinking over and over. I believe we can do better so I’m always pushing for that.
Being Next of The Best – what can the industry expect next from you?
I’m very focused on giving back to the industry that has supported me for many years and I think there are a couple of areas that we, as an industry, could come together and think about differently. Across every business, our younger generation of marketers are still delivering manual tasks while brands are expecting better decisions at a faster pace. In 2024, let’s collectively solve for this with automation, analytics and AI. The opportunity is so great for marketing that we should be combining our efforts to create this change as an industry.
On the OMD front, I’m lucky enough to work with some of the greatest brands and media partners on the planet, so there’s a lot to do! I hold the philosophy that “performance is both direct response and brand” and we should be driving outcomes across all our work – whether that is sport, content or search. So, you can expect to hear more from me about full-funnel, omni-channel measurement this year!
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Top image: Nicholas Chin