Exit interview: UEM Sunrise's Kenny Wong on retirement, the industry and its future

Kenny Wong is a veteran within the marketing industry in Malaysia, having worked across verticals such as consumer goods, telco, entertainment, aviation, human capital development and most recently property in his 34-year career.

Largely credited with transforming UEM Sunrise's marketing into a digitally driven one, Wong said his experience with the organisation has been nothing short of amazing and that he had major respect for the board, management, staff, and of course, his team. In fact, attending his last awards with UEM Sunrise at MARKETING-INTERACTIVE’s recent Loyalty and Engagement Awards 2024, Wong and his team took home the gold award in the Best Card-Based Loyalty Programme category.

Wong was also instrumental in the re-launch and birth of "FIND YOUR HAPPY" as UEM Sunrise's brand tagline – including the smiley icon, which is now synonymous with the brand. With his last day as CMO of UEM Sunrise being on 30 June 2024, Wong sat down with A+M to share some of the experiences that have shaped him to be the marketer he is today, and his choice to leave the organisation.

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Turning 60 last year, Wong said it would be more accurate to call his departure a retirement rather than a resignation. “Honestly, I had simply reached Malaysia’s retirement age in 2023; and at the time, UEM Sunrise graciously extended my contract for another year, which happens to end on 30 June 2024,” he said.

“But of course, no career is without its challenges. Take the pandemic, for instance, which hit everyone hard, but especially the property industry in particular. All that being said, I admit it will be nice just to have a bit of a breather,” he added.

Moreover, on a personal front, with the passing of his wife of 36 years this April, Wong felt that “a bit of time away from work” simply felt like the right decision to heal and process the grief.

Staying ever optimistic, he added that he doesn’t expect to be “retired” for long. “I still feel very energetic and raring to go,” he said, adding that he’s been taking the downtime to regain his fitness levels and explore some long-postponed road trips around Malaysia.

“Frankly, I see myself as the kind of person who can’t rest on my laurels for too long. At the absolute maximum, I hope the break lasts for a few months. I still have a few solid years left in me, and I am the kind of person who loves to learn new things. I am excited to welcome opportunities shortly from businesses who could use someone with my background and experience,” he said.

Challenges facing marketers

With so many years and industries under his belt, we asked Wong what he thinks some of the biggest challenges are that marketers face.

“Given that marketing is broad-based and subjective, everyone has an opinion – which they’re entitled to – but individual, anecdotal opinions are not conducive to effective marketing strategies,” he said. This means marketers must put themselves in the shoes of every single person who is part of the targeted demographic. Which might eventually mean:

Your personal opinion, in many ways, is the least important.

He added that it is never easy, no matter at which stage of your career, to stand in a room full of people who think they are marketing experts as well and convince them that you know best accordingly.

Moreover, the constant changing of consumer trends especially in digital marketing and on social media where anyone can be a publisher, can take a toll. Content, and what gets people’s attention is always changing, so there is no one rule book to guide marketers. This means, like consumers, marketers need to also always be “on” to find new ways through the clutter.

Within the property industry, he added, a major challenge is in finding new and fresh ways to breathe life into the brand - while also maintaining and upholding traditional and appropriate consumer values that match the corporate standing and culture.

But regardless of industries, Wong said his challenge has always been having to learn on the go and deliver results almost immediately “I’ve worked in many verticals and for each industry, you are afforded a different level of creative license and freedom of expression,” he said, which all requires a certain level of adjustment. Having said all that, what is rewarding is the constant learning, and applying those lessons to appeal to your target audience.

“The listening, learning and responding loop is constantly fast-moving! It has also been rewarding to feel like my approach can remain relevant, having gone through what was an era of mass marketing in the 80s and 90s with TV, print and OOH those days, to today’s always-on audiences who need to be targeted on a micro basis.”

Proudest executions at UEM

Wong shared that besides bringing in the sales results, he was extremely proud of the brand re-launch of "FIND YOUR HAPPY", as well as the “CHIEF” brand values (caring, honest, involved, enthusiastic and fun-loving) ethos that added a human element to the property player. He also orchestrated the introduction of the hUb Prop mobile app that assisted property investors and homeowners in navigating their end-to-end homeownership journey.

Knowing the power of content, Wong and his team also launched Happy+, a product branding series designed to sort UEM Sunrise’s residential products into five broad categories according to the target audience's lifecycle stage and/or lifestyle. These are:

• KASIH Series: A starter homes programme focused on encouraging community-centric lifestyles in line with the Government’s initiative to help Malaysians realise their dreams of owning a home;
• RISE Series: flexible and agile spaces, able to shape and shift to suit one’s lifestyle with more built-in values;
• NEST Series: conceptualised for the ultimate comfort of everyone in the family, with multi-generational design at its core;
• CLUB Edition: curated residences with a beautifully designed and hospitality-inspired environment, offering high-end features emphasising prestigious resort living; and
• LUXE Collection: unique and exquisite products emphasising crafted, sophisticated, and privileged living

“We implemented aggressive and relevant social media engagement that enhanced brand awareness and saw an uplifted customer experience to the highest ever levels where results came in at 80% in 2023, the highest since 2015,” said Wong proudly.

The future of marketing?

A futurist at heart, Wong is adamant that marketers cannot ignore the rise of artificial intelligence and its integration into marketing. Nonetheless, he emphasises that marketing at its core, is intrinsically about staying human and forging a connection.

“While AI is fantastic for automation and efficiency, we must evolve with AI instead of solely relying on it. Like any new tool or technology that the world has adapted to, I think there is a sweet spot to balance using AI productively while maintaining that genuine, heart-to-heart rapport with consumers,” he said.

He also added that brands which are true and sincere in paying attention to environmental and diversity matters are also likely to capture more attention and appeal.

“My take is that brands with a genuine values-driven ethos – that practice and uphold these values through every inch of the business – will resonate more authentically with consumers, especially as buyers become infinitely purchase-savvy with how much knowledge is constantly available at our fingertips,” he said.

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