Joseph Pek — Dragon #10

If you’re doubting the power of TikTok and raw honesty, meet Joseph.

I admire Joseph’s ability to unapologetically be himself. His raw honesty is unusual — not only in the professional world but in a more traditional culture like Malaysia. Passionate about his craft, he’s vocal about the importance of a dedicated TikTok strategy for the future of marketing.

What’s an unusual fact or story about yourself that not a lot of people know?

My surname/last name, Pek was an error by the hospital’s administration side, and my dad. It was Peh but my dad’s cursive writing made the “h” look like “k” so Joseph Pek it became.

Is there one thing about your morning routine that you can’t live without?

I need to take a scroll across TikTok, Instagram and Linkedin.

What books have influenced your professional life the most and why?

This is super unconventional but Joan Rivers’ Diary Of A Mad Diva.

I read almost exclusively books on mythology so not so much on entrepreneur and leadership books like most people my age. So back to Joan Rivers; I’ve always felt like she’s an immortal but then she died and reading her autobiography, you could see how she is unbashful and really couldn’t give a care what others think of her. She was good at what she was doing and people needed her for her expertise.

And that’s where I want to head towards; working in the social media space and leaving a legacy. It gives me almost like fuel to really embrace who I am, be unapologetic, and be remembered for what I do best.

What quality do you look for when hiring someone for your team?

With social media, I am always on the lookout for someone who wants to create for the platforms and not see it as a “posting” job. Most importantly, I look for the hunger and ambition to always want to stay ahead of their own game. Social media is not a dumping ground for key visuals.

One key point I can’t stress enough is talent doesn’t necessarily need to be from the industry. I’ve hired individuals that came from culinary, fashion, engineering backgrounds and they are some of the most creative people I’ve worked with.

What’s the worst advice someone’s ever given you?

“You should go into client servicing, account management, be a generalist”.

I get that a lot and I understand where people are coming from, to future proof your career. I see it differently, however. I saw that a lot of my peers were heading into being a generalist and I could see there would be a big gap for specialists and that’s where I come in.

Till today, when people ask me what am I doing next and when I say “Social”, they’d say “you really love Social, huh? You’ve been doing it for a while” — because most people are generalists so everyone will have to come to a specialist like me. I also find that by sticking to a speciality, I get to really challenge myself from going crazy over aesthetics on Instagram brand building to now growing brands on TikTok which requires a completely opposite strategy.

Is there anything that has improved your life since the very first lockdown? It could be an investment of money or time, or a new habit, a gadget.

I have some savings now thanks to the lockdown! And TikTok, as Gen Z as that sounds, I got into the rabbit hole that is TikTok for research purposes to understand the platform better and now I am an advocate for the platform and I can talk to you for days about how content should be unique and brands need to take risks there (just not dance challenges all the time).

What do you do when you feel stressed and overwhelmed at work?

I take a break, watch a couple of minutes of reality TV (I love my Real Housewives). One thing I’ve learned in my 30s is that it is OK to not be productive on some days. You don’t need to be an overachiever or constantly be busy. We as advertising people especially need to take time off and not be so hard on ourselves.

If you were a marketing tagline, what would it be and why?

Don’t overthink it.

The best ideas come from sitting on a toilet bowl (at least for me). With social media, people want to feel relatable. They want to feel that they can also create the same content you put out. They want to know you are potentially going through the same thing as them. So don’t overthink it. If you put out a brief that says “I want the big idea to go viral”, it will never go viral.

Where can people find you?

On Linkedin where I talk about people, culture, and toxic work environments that need to change in Malaysia, sharing social media insights/learnings. I get transparent and vulnerable about my own experiences.

On TikTok where I take dark humour, advertising/workplace humour, social media tips and pivot it into any weekly trends.