Top 25 eCommerce leaders 2022: Ng Jit Hoong

Boasting a robust portfolio in eCommerce and hospitality, Ng Jit Hoong (pictured) is an all-rounded ace with his most recent role being the former chief marketing officer of Hoiana Resort & Golf, a premium full-service beach resort in Vietnam.

His journey in crafting holistic experiences started within the advertising realm having worked in companies such as Bates, XM, Ogilvy, and DDB, before heading over to the client side.

In his first client-centric role, he was the assistant senior vice-president – resort marketing services at Galaxy Entertainment Group, Macau – where he deep-dived into operating the marketing world of integrated resorts, retail, dining, and gaming facilities. On top of this extensive insider look into the hospitality industry from both client and agency viewpoints, he is well-placed to know the cultural nuances across Asia having worked in markets such as Vietnam, China, Macau, and Malaysia.

In his role at Hoiana Resort & Golf, he led his team to drive growth and visitation of the resort by increasing room occupancy, food and beverage usage, and casino play. The role, however, came with its own set of challenges, inherently on the sensitivity of advertising casinos and the association to gambling. Ng and his team knew that discretion and creativity was key to thriving in this business.

“Building a team of creative solutions providers became a requirement in our business, and at every turn, we constantly asked ourselves if we could do it better,” he said.

This need to do better also pushed him and his team to develop an eCommerce campaign that invigorated travellers to flock towards the Hoiana Resort & Golf website to readily book their rooms.

Sharing more insight on the execution, he said that through extensive research the team was able to pinpoint its target audience’s primary concerns – fear of committing to an expensive holiday, and not being able to get their money’s worth.

To combat these concerns, the enticing campaign, aptly titled “Live like a Billionaire”, reassured potential visitors there would not be any upfront payments nor any penalties in case they had to back out of the holiday at the last minute.

A series of banner ads was released onto the pages of customers who frequented travel sites. The ads displayed unique features of its resort such as golf balls coated in gold, to develop a creative branding that would distinguish Hoiana Resort & Golf from its competitors. The theme of its campaign, conjuring imageries of richness and decadence, also insinuated casino elements without blatantly promoting gambling, thus not compromising its family-friendly image.

When asked for his ethos as a leader, he said:

“As a leader, I have always advocated my team not to jump into tactics, but take sufficient time to explore the data, understand our customers and put ourselves in their shoes. Only then, can we create a formidable solution that changes the conversation.”