Former Star Media Group marketing chief Christine Chang clocks in at Engage SEA

Christine Chang, Star Media Group's former group marketing officer, has joined reputation management and brand communications firm Engage SEA as MD. She is responsible for strengthening its senior counsel to clients in Malaysia and the region.

Chang (pictured) will work with Rajan Moses, country director of Engage SEA, to consolidate the existing reputation and digital offerings into the agency's proprietary digital reputation and influence tool. She will also strengthen capabilities in the areas of analytics, creative content, social media management and influencer marketing.

Chang left her role at Star Media Group in June. Prior to that, she was GM of Havas Media and was also with Edelman Malaysia for about a year. Chang also helmed the role of group account director at Leo Burnett. During her time there, she managed the McDonald's Malaysia account, her LinkedIn said. She also worked as a senior account director at Y&R for more than seven years, managing brands such as Astro, OCBC, NEC and Cerebos. Throughout her career, she has worked with clients across industries such as FMCG, electronics, finance, broadcast and entertainment, QSR, hospitality and retail.

In a statement to A+M, Chang said her role is to cultivate a consultancy that drives measurable and tangible outcomes for clients developed by senior cousel who understands what it takes for a brand to achieve sustainable success.

"It is never about 'just a campaign', but the ability to understand where a client's brand stands against current market conditions, how to grow, protect and insulate a brand from a possible crisis or moving away from short-termism," she added.

When asked what were some of her takeaways during her time at Star Media Group, Edelman and Leo Burnett, Chang said at the core of everything is the true purpose of a brand and the consumers. Understanding real consumer insights is key to growing and building a successful brand, she added.

"I plan to leverage on my past experiences to develop strategies that ensure brands are where the consumers are (online and offline), be relevant to them and be a purposeful brand that empowers consumers in their personal lives. These make the difference between a brand that people love and a brand that just exists," Chang explained. Engage SEA currently works with clients in the telco, oil and gas, plantation, manufacturing, tech and eCommerce, and automotive sectors.

According to her, Chang explained that relationships have been tested during this difficult time and people are looking for solutions or help. Brands that have a real purpose, and stay true to it to bring value to Malaysians will be well received and not seen as opportunistic, she added.

"Everyone wants to be digital and wants data, however, data needs to have context, we need to be able to connect the dots, to have the right people who understand how to make sense of the data and drive real outcomes, failing which, it becomes just another 'investment' that brands would have made with no real ROI against the business," she added.

Moses, who joined the team in March this year, said Chang's proven pedigree in building high performing teams and trusted client relationships that are focused on outcomes will bolster its leadership team.

"Our solution is unique as we have deep government, corporate, brand and sustainability expertise, that are based on data analytics and supported by crisis management and influencer engagement. We are a senior team with a proven track record, and we look to work with clients that appreciate our ability to achieve results," he added.