Summer 2023 is a busy and different period for me. I have participated in a few more diversified digital marketing projects outside Norwich. This year also marks my 2+ years working full time, 4th years living in the UK, almost 10 year after my first undergraduate 2012 . I would like to note some work experience – lessons learnt between East Asia & UK – surrounding two topics:
- Digital marketing, project management soft and hard skills for non-European professionals
- British business culture: procedures, systems and bodies or stakeholders around one job
#1 Do you think digital marketing is flatter than the global trade?
Compared to my previous projects, almost my current one in the UK is relatively different. Firstly, the area is more around one province with around a 10-20-mile radius; more is about digital marketing rather than integrated marketing campaign nationwide. See my portfolio here.
The scope of work is more specific in one or two sectors with more specific information. Except industry insights, I still can use the campaign planning and execution process, templates from reality show production planning & digital marketing (social and paid ads) to do the jobs in the UK. The more I work and discuss with marketers/agencies in Norwich and London, the more I realise that digital marketing is absolutely flat. Especially with performance marketing on search and social platforms like GG, Facebook, Tiktok, Asian ex-colleagues seem more flexible, adaptive, think-out-of-the-box quickly like e-commerce and gaming livestream.
Is it simply because we use the same platforms: Google, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube globally? I know that there are only some more features available in specific markets such as Google Shopping or Products with limited adoption by some big e-commerce.
Do you think digital marketing is flat, even flatter than the world trade?
#2 English working style
English appreciate professionalism and punctuality
These values reflect clearly in my small team as we have successfully built trust with each other and been committed to work. During pandemic when remote setting became a new norm, I felt surprised to see how team at the head-quarter adapted quickly. Up to now, hybrid working (a mixture of work from home and office) becomes a trendy benefit for many job adverts. In addition, being the only Asian, I never felt different and even my Asian mentality has been listened in a kind manner.
There is an emphasis towards work-life balance.
English appreciates healthy work-life balance with more flexible working schedules and employee well-being. Sometimes it causes me …o.O’ as the work flow is delayed for weeks due to staff’s summer holidays and then covid-19 outbreak. It was such an endless summer in Norwich 2022 when I counted day by day to wait for email replies, until school day. Don’t get me wrong, I support work-life balance but I love working [a bit more addict :D]. In Vietnam/ China, the maximum delay is a few days only :D. Possibly, it is the reason why startup works well with me: higher working speed, work load, higher salary regardless imbalanced work-life.
Working style in London is such an experience
However, only by working on freelance projects in London could I feel that working vibe in Ho Chi Minh City. There, working speed is much quicker and colleagues are flexible, adaptive, performance-driven, willing to work overtime weekly. It has more dynamic lifestyles as well. I got these impressions when working with cameramen & PPC campaign managers as a freelance digital marketing manager. They are open-minded with my suggestion (based on market research & sales data analysis) and discussion before any execution. That’s the work spirit that I want to be a part of.
Later, I realised that it’s popular in the UK but not in the big corps, in big cities, and at the higher positions in which professionals tend to be more committed to work.
#3 East Asian & European project management snapshots
I have been fascinated with lean production and agile manufacturing since undergraduate. [I even won the Third Prize in a Young Researcher contest about logistics in 2011 and spent almost 2 years working for the biggest global 3PL logistics/ Supply Chain in Vietnam). Possibly accepting that agile is new and strange among Vietnamese SMEs , I still feel surprised to know:
- In the UK, enterprises adopt a variety of systems, platforms or SaaS that help track workflow, performance effectively. The ubiquity of SaaS requires employee to learn and adapt to new things continuously. Self-training becomes a must-have part of daily job. Experience with specific tools appears to be competitive advantages towards others.
- UK SMEs frequently adopt best practices guided by government bodies or industry/ professional organisations or purchase software/ SaaS with integrated solutions. You practice some of Agile methodology or lean production, kaizen but you might be unaware of these terms.
- I have a feeling that my project management hard skills and experience in Vietnam works well here. They are still about objectives, scopes, resources (labor, cost, time), and execution planning & management. It still follows the same procedure but just different in human interaction.
- The disadvantages I accept as a foreigner’s disadvantage is social system understanding, for instance: tax, payroll, healthcare, etc. After 2.5 years working under the Managing Director dealing with daily managerial issues of two care homes, I realise a fact that the system is complicated but well structured with guidelines to go with. The complicate and continous change are to tackle with more heteorogeneous society and globally diversified demographics. Local authorities or civil servants are relatively responsive (as much as they can, I know it might be slow). Of course, it takes more time for any work process in the UK. Just keep calm and prepare the right time for the work.
If working in the UK, I do hope to work on more challenging complex projects, more Agile practice, or learn new technical skills rather than deploying current skills & knowledge.
London, August 2023 [updated October 2023]
Kate N.