This Strategist Wants to Take Everything a Little Less Seriously
A Hong Kong native, Le Truc’s SVP, strategy director, Jessie Chen, has worked under the Publicis umbrella for nearly a decade. Her ability to unearth unique insights for brands was borne from the “intrinsic multiculturalism” of her upbringing, as well as a natural curiosity – and more recently, a love for comedy.
This past year, Jessie has been instrumental in Le Truc’s creative work for Pop-Tarts, particularly with the partnership between the breakfast brand and Jerry Seinfeld’s ‘Unfrosted’ Netflix film, which she describes as “anti-collaboration collaboration”.
To discuss that campaign and more, LBB’s Ben Conway caught up with the strategy director, who shares how Le Truc’s structure allows creatives and strategists to collaborate seamlessly, why she’s embracing light-hearted fun and chaos, and how the industry can stop reinforcing “systemic underrepresentation” of Asian talent and other marginalised groups.
LBB> What creative content inspired you most growing up? How did Hong Kong’s movies, ads and wider culture influence your creative outlook?
Jessie> While Hong Kong-native content played a role in shaping my creative outlook, the bigger influence was the variety of content accessible to me that, despite being from all over the world, felt native to Hong Kong given how intrinsic multiculturalism is to the city. We watched Mandarin comedies, listened to Cantopop, and watched Wong Kar-wai films, but all of this was contrasted by British teen magazines I picked up on the way home from school, teen dramas from America, or bloghaus music from all corners of the internet. Being able to have these worlds collide in front of me in such an organic way has shaped my tendency to look for tension, contradiction and contrasts where possible.
LBB> Having worked in the US for over a decade now, how has being a Hong Kong transplant shaped your career? How do both these cultures combine to provide you a unique strategic viewpoint?
Jessie> During my time at Publicis Groupe, I’ve had the pleasure of working on many iconic all-American brands – ironic because I didn’t really grow up with any of these brands. Growing up in Hong Kong allowed me to know a little bit about a lot of things, while not fully being biassed to one specific corner of the world – and that’s the kind of thinking I try to bring to these brands. Removing preconceived notions about brands and people, and finding interesting tensions that open up new avenues to address age-old business challenges.
Above: Le Truc's 'Magnifying Glass' for Pop-Tarts
LBB> You started as a strategy intern with Sew in LA and haven’t looked back – what do you enjoy about strategy so much?
Jessie> I’m a naturally curious person and I’ve miraculously found a job where I can get paid to do something that feels instinctive. I get to observe and absorb the world around me, consume as much film, music and art as my heart desires, meet interesting people and debate ideas and concepts, and entertain half-serious thoughts like ‘how funny would it be if we…?’. Sign me up!
LBB> Are creative and strategy getting more closely intertwined? How has strategy evolved as a discipline since you were an intern?
Jessie> Strategists are creative – everything we do involves creative thinking, be it how we interpret business problems, how we get resourceful with research, or ideation. I see our functions as inherently intertwined, and the closer we are, the better we can all be at doing what we do.
The industry is starting to embrace this too. Take Le Truc, for example. We’re not billed as an agency but an experimental creative collective that no one can really define, and that vagueness is our strength. We don’t have account managers (only strategists, creatives and makers) and we may never be ‘done’ defining who we are, so it frees us of unspoken structures that silo off strategists and creatives. We co-create and cross-over into each other’s lanes frequently, and actually work better that way.
LBB> What was the first professional project or moment that you felt changed your career? Or one that gave you confidence in your abilities and potential as a strategist?
Jessie> It’s so hard to pinpoint one moment, as where I’m at today is a cumulation of a lot of challenges, people and projects that have enlightened me. But if I had to point to a recent vignette in time, it would probably be the pandemic – a combination of having incredible coworkers, the equalising force of everyone (regardless of age, title, or how intimidating their aura is) turning into little rectangles on the screen, and really unique projects at work, that helped me finally get comfortable with calling myself a strategist. But I don’t see myself as ‘done’ growing yet, so I feel like these life-changing moments still occur on a frequent basis.
Above: Le Truc's 'Hand Me' for Pop-Tarts
LBB> Where do you look today for insights and unique strategic perspectives? Do you have any unconventional sources of inspiration? Or techniques that help you refresh your thinking?
Jessie> I’ve started turning to comedy – standup, sketch comedy, or comedic writing – as sources of inspiration for unique perspectives. Comedians are masterminds of social and cultural commentary, unearthing norms we all take for granted, and unpacking current trends with self-awareness. All things strategists do, but with fewer punchlines. I recently started comedy writing classes, and while I quickly realised humour can’t be taught to terribly unfunny people like myself, I’ve been able to learn a few tricks from comedians that are super fun.
LBB> What are some of the projects you’re proudest of since joining Le Truc? You recently worked on Netflix’s ‘Unfrosted’ partnership with Pop-Tarts – tell us a bit about that and any others that come to mind!
Jessie> Le Truc is a weird, wonderful place where we have such a contrast of clients and problems to solve. At one moment, we’re feuding with Jerry Seinfeld, at another, we’re launching the first global creative platform for Four Seasons, an icon of luxury travel. Both of which are projects I’m super proud of and showcase the versatility of what Le Truc can do.
Everything about the Netflix partnership came together in record time – ideation, production, editing – and even the case study film we turned around in days to submit for Cannes Lions, where we won Bronze. Both us and Jerry were adamant about ‘Unfrosted’ not becoming another ‘Barbie’-esque collaboration extravaganza, so initially a formal partnership didn’t feel right until we came together and asked ourselves, what would an anti-collaboration collaboration look like?
Above: Le Truc's 'Unfrosted' campaign for Pop-Tarts
We defied all the tropes of brand collaborations and landed on this feud where we ‘stole’ from each other, allowing us to tap into a trove of Seinfeld equity and fandom, while still staying true to the brand heritage of challenging conventions. None of this could’ve been accomplished without brave clients who worked fast and went along with risky jokes that I’m still not sure how we got away with.
In 2021, post-pandemic revenge travel was picking up, and the Four Seasons Hotels wanted to take advantage of this moment to launch its first global creative platform. As one of the leading luxury hospitality brands, this was no easy feat. Our idea was inspired by something unique to the Four Seasons experience – unscripted acts of love and care the staff extends to its guests. We created a distinct visual identity, brought true stay stories to life, and modernised the brand for a new era of travel.
LBB> In 2021, you wrote about ‘the bamboo ceiling’ – how Asian business people are held back from leadership/executive roles because of stereotypes about Asian workers, and misconceptions around what makes successful leaders. Can you share some of your own experiences and insights around this? Three years on, is the industry supporting its AAPI people sufficiently?
Jessie> I wrote that piece after the mass shooting in Atlanta where eight Asian women were killed. In the aftermath of that tragedy, I read various think pieces about how Asian people need to speak up more, be proud and stop acquiescing – it didn’t sit right with me, as an already outspoken Asian woman, and felt adjacent to girlboss and Lean In efforts, which had their merits but only to a certain audience.
It was and is important to me to shift the discourse away from so-called ‘identity politics’ and unearth a deeper provocation: does our industry value certain leadership traits that only allow specific kinds of people to succeed, and consequently reinforces systemic underrepresentation? I spoke earlier about how wonderful things come out of tension – don’t the pervasive traits of strong-willed, contrarian, bold leadership we typically see also deserve the contrast of soft-spoken, calculated and reserved leaders?
I’m speaking out for Asians because of my background, but I’m cognizant there needs to be a universal understanding that until we can address fundamental inequalities faced by the most marginalised groups, there will be no resolution to systemic racism in the industry and world, let alone the ‘bamboo ceiling’. We cannot keep asking marginalised groups to be louder, assimilate, or change, and it all has to start with your immediate sphere of influence – the people on your team and in your community.
LBB> What’s the most important lesson or piece of advice you’ve received in your career so far?
Jessie> Everybody has a little bit of imposter syndrome – *darts eyes around the room* – right?
LBB> What are your current goals - both professionally and personally? And what currently inspires and motivates you?
Jessie> I want to take everything a little less seriously and bring some lighthearted fun into the world – which is what we’ve been doing at Le Truc with our client Pop-Tarts. In a world that’s so rigid, serious, and structured, Pop-Tarts is the perfect antithesis to all that with its crazy colours and flavours. It’s the ideal brand to rise to the occasion to deliver the dialled up humour, absurdity and indulgence people are desperately craving. Working with Pop-Tarts has afforded me the opportunity to explore these edgeless boundaries and have fun with my ideas. I hope to be doing more work like this with Pop-Tarts and inspiring Le Truc’s other clients to break the mould and embrace a more chaotic, good energy.
Personally, I’ve been inspired by cooking and hosting. I love labouring over an intensive recipe, putting on some music my neighbours probably despise, and having lively, random conversations with interesting people. We’ll gossip, exchange ideas, talk about films, have healthy debates about politics, and share music. It’s energising, motivating, and often leads to the most memorable nights.
