Balancing work & health : A self-described workaholic, Sora Kaitkanarat has learned to pace himself as a strategic plannerz

Balancing work & health : A self-described workaholic, Sora Kaitkanarat has learned to pace himself as a strategic plannerz.

It was an unusual work ethic for an employee in his late 20s to be admitted into a hospital once a year after non-stop 48-hour working sprees to win pitches for his advertising company.

Sora Kaitkanarat, 33, vice president of Lowe Worldwide in Thailand, admits that in past years he was a workaholic who ignored his health.

"Sometime I would work for 48 hours straight at the office before pitching a job. As a result, my health deteriorated and I was admitted to hospital once a year," he says, adding that he once fell unconscious at his desk. Doctors treated him with eight IV bags.

This was Sora's most life-changing experience, when he was working at Dentsu Young and Rubicam, now renamed Young and Rubicam (Y&R). Over the past seven years, he has concentrated more on his health. But he still spares nothing as strategic planner for his company in creating the best product for clients.

Sora was the key man who led Lowe to win the pitch among 11 competitors for Thai Airways International's global communications deal in December 2005.

It was his company's deal of the year to win a three-year contract, with an average annual value of Bt300 million.

To win the big account, 80 staff had worked from August until December without holidays. In particular, near pitching day, most of the staff worked all day and night to ensure the best presentation.

As the company's strategic planner, Sora's responsibility was to identify the theme, create the brand and business issues and determine the direction of the advertising. For THAI, the global communications deal would promote the airline in every corner of the world.

"My boss said to our team that we had to win this account," Sora recalls.

Sora was also the key figure in presenting the advertising concept on the day of the pitch to THAI's top management. Despite being very excited, Sora was confident in his presentation after several trials at the office in front of the company's heavyweight management - both Thai and foreigners.

Many of the comments from the top management allowed him to learn more presentation and pitching techniques. These he applied and matched with the advertising concept to win the account.

"We had a big celebration after the successful pitch. Everybody on the team was very happy with the result and proud of the job they had done," he says.

Sora says strategic planning is a behind-the-scenes job in setting up the direction for an advertisement. The job relies mainly on analysis, focusing on marketing, individual consumer needs, brand and business issues in creating an advertising series.

The position requires the setting up of a long-term strategy for the customer rather than a short-term plan, he adds.

Sora's successful performance has benefited such leading brands as Nike, AIS, MK Restaurant, Xerox, TMB, HSBC, Fuji Flim, Nokia, Coca-Cola, Samart Corp and Ericsson.

Graduating with a bachelor's degree in mass communications from Bangkok University in 1994, Sora went on to gain two master's degrees - in liberal arts and marketing - from Oklahoma City University in 1997.

He returned to Thailand in 1997 during the regional financial crisis. He had nothing to do but complete jigsaw puzzles at home while pondering the purpose of his life. Finally he applied for a job at Y&R.

At the beginning, Sora worked as a freelancer in the account service department for Bt350 a day. After one-and-a-half months, he moved to work closely with the strategic planning department. After eight months, he was approved as a permanent employee with a monthly starting salary of Bt15,000.

Sora worked hard as strategic planner at Y&R for three years and accumulated experience in many customer categories, broadening the scope of his job.

"I worked very hard at the company until my health turned bad and I was admitted to hospital," he says.

In 2000, Sora resigned from Y&R to follow his department head, who had quit the company to open Big Bang Everyday, a consulting firm and part of the Lowe business chain.

At the company, Sora took responsibility for training a marketing team. This new role encouraged him to learn more about communications and marketing.

A few years later, Lowe decided to merge Big Bang Everyday into the parent company's operation. As a result, Sora was automatically transferred to Lowe's staff.

As strategic planner at Lowe, Sora has to focus on brand-building and market research. He conducts two market research projects per month.

After joining Lowe, his main responsibility was to concentrate on new beverage development for Coca-Cola. Sora has to test-market the new drinks and create product concepts and packaging.

"I have a new experience every time I have a new job description and a new boss. This allows me to broaden my knowledge. However, it also makes me feel more of a fool," he says.

So far, Sora has taken charge of such Unilever brands as Breeze, Citra body lotion, Clean & Clear facial cleanser, AXE men's deodorant, Rexona women's deodorant, Sunlight dish cleanser, and Close-up toothpaste.

Despite being well-known brands, Unilever wanted to promote them to rural consumers to boost sales. Sora not only drew up the plans but also identified the theme for these brands to attain "critical mass".

A few months after winning the THAI deal, Sora was promoted to Lowe's vice president in charge of a core business unit to find new markets.

"I have to concentrate more on aggressively analysing potential clients who will become the company's new customers," he says, adding that the company will provide both consultants and creative advertising campaigns.

Sora wins a new customer every month.

Lowe Bangkok is also the regional headquarters for Southeast Asia, so Sora also has to support and work closely with its network in the region.

As a successful strategic planner, however, Sora had a communications problem - particularly with the company's creative team - when he first started working there. He tended to over-explain, which made easy things become more difficult.

"I had to speak with my girlfriend before presenting ideas to the creative team and clients to make sure they would get the concept," he says.

From a starting salary of Bt15,000, Sora now gets an average of Bt150,000, following the increase in his responsibilities. His ambition is to join the company's top management.

Sora also wants to become the managing director of his own company in the long run.

But his ambitious plans also include setting up his own private free-of-charge kindergarten, or working with a non-government organisation such as Unesco.

"I will make my dreams come true when I've accumulated enough," Sora says.

Achara Pongvutitham

The Nation
Friday January 12, 2007