5 Minutes with… Frankie Fung

Creatives rarely deal in straight lines, and Frankie Fung’s career is a great illustration of just why that is. The creative has weaved his way through most of the highest-profile agencies in Hong Kong and China, and then back again - picking up a cascade of awards in the process.

Today, Frankie is the CCO at DDB Hong Kong, leading the agency’s creative team at an unprecedented moment - both within our industry and Hong Kong’s history. 

But a creative life wasn’t always on the cards for Frankie. A graduate from the prestigious HKUST Business School, it looked like a career in one of economics, maths, or physics looked like the most likely path. But he couldn’t help taking a chance on creativity, and the result has been a career path that’s produced standout work for clients as varied as McDonald’s, Volkswagen, HSBC and the South China Morning Post amongst countless others. 

To reflect on his unique story and how he’s orienting the team at DDB Hong Kong, Frankie sat down with LBB… 

LBB> Frankie, you started your current role at DDB at a time when the agency had just undergone a global repositioning, and Hong Kong was experiencing a lot of change. How did you find settling in during that period?

Frankie> The fundamental DDB belief that creativity is the most powerful force in business is such a strong and compelling argument, and I believe will always underpin how we operate. Here in Hong Kong, it has been a particularly interesting time these past few years. With the political unrest and protests, as well as obviously covid and the government rules and regulations in response to managing that, Hong Kong has become a lot more insular – both a cultural reaction, as well as a physical one forced by strict border control. There was a particular period where brands were getting caught up in the political fire, and first and foremost we needed to deal with perception and in some cases rebuild brand images. So clients wanted creativity, but nothing that felt at all “risky”. Creativity often requires a bit of a leap of faith, and it just hasn’t felt like the right time to do that for a lot of clients. 

So while we really aspire to do the most creative work that becomes world famous, it has been crucial for clients that we work off extremely localised insights and ensure not only relevancy with HK people on a personal level, but just in general tune into the cultural pulse with the aim of avoiding risk for brands. This means that even though as creatives we are usually wanting to push the limits and put breakthrough creative out there, and we know clients come to DDB for this, the recent reality has made everyone a bit more cautious. 

LBB> And of course, this isn’t the first time that you’ve worked at DDB! What is it about the agency that keeps pulling you back?

Frankie> Yes, the first time was back in 2000! Honestly, back then, when I first started as a copywriter, the place felt a bit factory-like…. but I soon witnessed a transformation here. Very quickly it became an agency on the rise. We were winning award after award, momentum was building and, alongside this, a strong culture was developing. It went from being a big advertising agency to a big, award-winning creative agency, as well as a really fun place for people to work. Along with it, my own confidence grew. I won some great awards and I just loved working here. I loved the people and I loved the opportunities – I knew it was a great place to grow. 

This is now actually my fifth time back at the agency, and there have been a few things which keep bringing me back. First and foremost, it’s just such a great culture. Somehow, DDB, despite its size and status in the market, is just a really friendly company. There are no politics, no disputes, no egos. Everyone works together and supports each other. Secondly, having been in the industry for a while, I know a lot of the people and have worked with some of them before. I knew I was coming back to work with some agency folk I really loved working with – who I really respected and importantly, who I really liked as people. Another main reason I have to admit is that I just really love working on the McDonald’s business. It’s one of the market’s biggest and most successful marketers. I’m kind of addicted to its pace, the variety and intensity, and I’ve been around long enough now to know how unique the opportunities that you get working on this brand are, and how special our client-agency relationship is. 

LBB> And since joining the agency this time around, what have been your proudest achievements and why?

Frankie> Like I mentioned before, it’s been an interesting past few years in this market. My proudest achievement during this time has actually been building and protecting the brand image of McDonald’s. Putting work out that was so carefully thought through, albeit in record-time, and with a highly empathetic consideration of the consumer amidst political disruption and then the pandemic. The collaboration between agency and client, creative and strategists, in often stressful circumstances, was a special experience, and where only by coming together were we able to forge a creative communications strategy for the betterment of both customers and the brand. 

Of course, the awards along the way have been nice too – they are always special, but creatively solving business problems for our client in such unchartered territory has been really rewarding. 

LBB> How did you first get into advertising? Was it an industry you actively pursued, or was it more of an accidental thing?

Frankie> I think it was probably always in my heart to be creative and people-focused, but I had to head down a different path initially - both in order to satisfy my parents, and for me to realise just how passionate I was about doing something else. So, I started off doing “the right thing” by studying business at university and although I had always had an interest in economics, mathematics and physics, it turned out I was mostly interested in the psychology of people behind everything that I was studying. 

At the end of the day, I realised I was just too interested in the way humans think and behave, and also that perhaps my strongest skill was in fact storytelling. Recognising that combining the two would give me the power to make people feel something for a living ultimately proved too irresistible to me. I know plenty of people that stuck with the more traditional path and whilst they are probably more financially successful than I am, I honestly believe I am more fulfilled. I really have no regrets. 

LBB> In your view, what separates amazing writing from the merely ‘ok’?

Frankie> Insightful storytelling. Advertising doesn’t need to be academic, and writing doesn’t need to be long pieces of prose using big words people don’t really use or even understand. Most of the time, the fewer words you can get across an idea in, the better. 

Stand-up comedians nail their craft. They tell stories in everyday language based on real human insights. That is actually the job of a copywriter, too. 

LBB> Looking back, were there any ‘crucible moments’ or challenges in your career that really stuck with you and helped shape you into the person you are today? 

Frankie> There was a time when my agency had lost some business, and we needed to let people go. It was without a doubt the toughest period I have faced in my career but it made me realise the fact that people really are the single most important part of our business. At the end of the day, you spend more time with your colleagues than your family so I choose to make that time as enjoyable as possible and end up building strong relationships with people. The experience of losing staff that have become your “work family” is a kind of heartbreak.  

In general though, as strange as it might sound, I actually treasure the tough times. The times you’re really in the trenches together with your colleagues. There’s no BS – it’s just heads down and let’s get this done. It’s not easy - it tests your character, and it tests friendships. It’s so satisfying to come through it though, and you always end up feeling closer to each other. When times are challenging I always look forward to that, knowing that moment is on the horizon. Being able to look back with your team and marvel at what you achieved together is always special, and makes the hard times feel worth it. But times that are so tough that you have to get rid of people? No thanks. 

LBB> And what campaigns from across your career are you proudest of and why?

Frankie> Probably the McDonald’s campaign, “I’m Amazing”. The premise was encouraging kids to be kids. Hong Kong is the land of the tiger mum. In general, parents are hard on kids, concerned about academic achievements and future opportunities and there is little time and space for creativity. The McDonald’s brand gave kids a stage to shine by allowing them to be creative and, importantly, really celebrated that creativity. 

I think the campaign spoke to the inner child in all of us, but given my background I felt especially passionate about it. I was academic but I broke the mould and decided to pursue a career in creativity… and I have no regrets because I enjoy what I do so much. It felt great to be showing kids how fun and rewarding creativity can be, and how it’s a part of business too. 

LBB> As your career progressed, how did you figure out what sort of leader you wanted to be?

Frankie> It’s a careful combination of really wanting to achieve great things and enjoying working with my team and them being able to enjoy working with me. It’s important to achieve goals but I want us all to have a good time doing it, not just because that is more enjoyable for everyone but because I truly believe success is easier to come by when you have a passionate and happy team. 

Being liked as a leader is important. It helps the team get to their goals and you get to yours. I am happy to nudge people because I want them to realise their potential, but I want them to always feel supported. This is a hard job in that it forces you to be vulnerable, to wear your heart on your sleeve and egos are so clearly on the line every day. Add in a couple of years of challenging times here in Hong Kong and people are even more fragile. I feel my role is to nurture, because encouragement and positivity is conducive to better work. I don’t ever want my team to feel embarrassed or awkward to say whatever they think or feel, so I work hard to create an environment where people can truly be themselves. 

Alongside this, everyone needs to be conscious that we are in a commercial world and we are here to do a job to the best of our ability. I think this understanding is an important part of being a creative and our own business aside, I’ve found clients really appreciate a commercial sense from our side of the business. 

LBB> And what advice would you give to any creatives looking to develop their career?

Frankie> Don’t wait for things to happen and don’t restrict yourself to your job description. This is an industry where you can create the work of your career at any age. And more and more, people can get very senior regardless of years of experience. Do that breakthrough work as soon as you can… but you need to be on the lookout to spot the opportunities. Find the interesting briefs and consider ideas for brands you may not even work on, then take initiative and ask to be involved. Quite simply, if there is an opportunity to shine, shine. 

LBB> What are the big topics getting the local industry talking right now?

Frankie> Hong Kong advertising has been dominated by boy bands recently. I think this trend has lasted longer than most people would have predicted… everyone has been wondering how much longer it will last, and of course, what’s next?

LBB> Finally, how do you fuel your own creativity outside of work?

Frankie> Listening to young people. I especially love hearing my young daughter’s view on everything. Adults are so conditioned as to what they consider to be right or wrong, whereas young people are so carefree and with no inhibitions come the most unexpected answers or thoughts. I often write down things my daughter says and share them with the team – I think doing this can spark creativity, or at least inspire the team to freely voice their own thoughts.