Dynamic duo strikes again

New directions: Tino Soon (left) and Allan Chan, whose creative motto seems to be 'go big or go home'.

Business savants Allan Chan and Tino Soon continually aim to make strides in the local retail industry.

IF change had a poster child, it would undoubtedly resemble entrepreneurs Allan Chan and Tino Soon. While most accomplished people their age (50+ or 60+, it’s anyone’s guess, as the duo are ever so youthful) would have happily kicked back with a glass of champagne or even call it a day, they’re doing otherwise.

The pair – who have amassed legions of fans and friends from their decades-long experience in the fashion retail business – are busy forging a new direction in life. They’re starting afresh as retail consultants with AT RetaiL ConCepts, their latest venture aimed at orchestrating a host of clever marketing solutions – from coming up with attention-grabbing campaigns to launching a party and writing newsworthy press releases – for the local retail scene.

However, it’s difficult to speak about what they do best without going back – way back – to the days when Chan created his first buzz. It was the 80s, the golden decade of the department stores. A young, inexperienced Chan – who was working with Mun Loong, one of the retail giants of the time – had just taken over the advertising and promotions department within four months of being a management trainee.

“That was the tipping point in my life,” he recalls. “It was a make or break situation. I had six months to push and prove myself.” And that he did.

 

After poring through a plethora of marketing tomes, Chan came up with an idea: simplify Mun Loong’s magazine ads. One might call it revolutionary; back in those days, department stores would usually make the most of advertising spaces by featuring dozens of items on one page. The result? “Cluttered” and “unattractive” is Chan’s tactful way of putting it.

Initially, Chan’s bosses were not at all delighted with his proposition – one page dominated by a single thematic image seemed to be such a waste of space! They had every right to be worried; no department store had ever done it before.

Still, they were willing to give the ads a trial run and, lo and behold, the readers loved it! Sales shot up soon after that and Chan’s clever ads began popping up around the city, from billboards to fashion magazines.

But if Chan had the business smarts and intellect, Soon – who was also making a name for himself in Mun Loong at the same time – was the creative tempest that propelled them both into the limelight. Soon, you see, is a raging innovator, and an irreverent one at that. He is of the opinion that “everything is boring”, and would obsessively – and unapologetically – search for ways to improve what he sees. “I’m always thinking, ‘Hmm, this would be much better if it were like this or that’,” says Soon. “I’m always tweaking and fine-tuning the ads I see, in my own mind. Heck, I even arrange my own food to make it look more appetising!”

Mavericks in the making

The following years saw a new trend of shopping in large malls, leading to the eventual fall of Mun Loong and other department stores.

This change, however, affected Soon and Chan little. They were soon talked into collaborating on a women’s wear label, Salabianca, in 1999 by retail consultant Jimmy Chiam. An admirer of their work with Mun Loong from afar, Chiam was on the lookout for fresh ideas and concepts to be incorporated into the newest, biggest and shiniest kid on the block – Suria KLCC – at the time.

Soon and Chan were perfect for the job in his eyes. He was right.

“Their foray into retail injected some much-needed vibrancy and excitement into the local retail scene. They managed to get the shoppers excited over their window displays,” says Chiam.

Chan and Soon – whose creative motto seems to be “go big or go home” – went big with their very first display: By stacking dozens of cans of lychee and abalone mushroom, one on top of the other. This strategy, so simple and yet so effective in its execution, made such an impact that “people still talk about it thousands of years on”. The crowd was hungry for more.

The men eventually responded with a slew of colourful, thematic campaigns, almost always inspired by the different countries they’ve visited. The “country promotion” became an annual affair; thus far, campaign shoots have been photographed in various locales across the globe, including Indonesia, Japan, Italy, India, China, Australia, France and Britain. The main mien of their earlier shoots was Amber Chia, who was on track to achieving top model status.

The most memorable campaign to date, in Chan’s opinion, was China Champ, held in conjunction with the 2008 Olympics and shot in Beijing. For the Kuala Lumpur showcase, performers and models dressed as imperial-era opera stars and Mao’s Red Guards took turns on the stage to demonstrate the evolution of the People’s Republic.

Something special

As a result of Chan and Soon’s hard work, Salabianca did remarkably well for a local brand. The duo eventually launched philosophy-Men in 2001, and Graffi Tee six years later.

Much of their success, of course, can be attributed to their unconventionality and Mad Hatter’s way of doing things. Chan has his raison d’être: “Ever so often, people spend a lot of money on advertising; they look good but not one of them sticks in your memory. What’s the point?”

Soon agrees. “We don’t just follow the marketing campaigns employed by the big boys. We’re always trying to create something special, something that people can remember us by,” he says.

While Salabianca’s rah-rah days might be over – these days, none of the local labels are exempt from the crushing weight and might of international brands – both men look like they’re just getting started. But first things first: They will be downsizing their stores.

 

“We’re a little sad but we’re also excited at the same time to be starting on a new project,” says Soon. “Consumer products have become so banal and mundane. Shopping malls have become the same everywhere. That’s where AT RetaiL ConCepts comes in – to help these companies distinguish themselves from others.”

Soon, who believes that fast fashion is unsustainable in the long run, hopes to reverse this trend.

“As brands compete to see who can churn out clothes more quickly, less is spent on image and brand building. That’s the main reason why consumer spending – which was previously 17% of personal income in the 50s – has dropped to a mere 3% of personal income today. People are buying for the sake of buying; there is no meaning attached to it anymore,” says Soon.

And while they do possess the necessary expertise in fashion, the pair is also hoping to expand their horizons. “There are cars, consumer products properties ... the possibilities are endless,” says Chan.

A natural transition

One of their many long-time friends, CEO of Embun Elite, Sue Ong, claims that this venture is a natural transition for the duo.

She says: “I met them while I was working with Estee Lauder. In a way, they aren’t heading in a completely new direction with AT RetaiL ConCepts; it’s what they’ve been doing all along. They are genuine friends and hard-working men, not to mention extremely creative as well.”

Entering a different phase in life they are, but the duo remains as inseparable as Castor and Pollux, the twin brothers in ancient Greek mythology. Chan does not work without Soon and vice-versa.

Having worked with the duo on several projects together, brand general manager for Clinique and Origins, Sharyn Wong can attest to that: “Tino is extremely creative, and Allan is strong in operations and marketing. They complement each other very well, and I think there are numerous other opportunities to work with them again in the near future.”

Of course, they do bicker sometimes, states Chan. “But when it comes to work, we’re pretty much on the same page. We constantly brainstorm and push each other in the quest for better ideas.

“And sometimes, when Tino gets overly imaginative, it’s my job to reel him in.”

Soon, meanwhile, acknowledges that the creative process – which begins with internalising a company’s DNA, coming up with punchy words – can be a rather challenging one. Good ideas don’t always come by easily, and that there are numerous times in which the duo have found themselves stuck in a creative Sahara.

“But then inspiration hits – in the car, in the office, at home, whatever – and it almost feels Godsend sometimes,” he says, likening the feeling to “hitting the jackpot”.

So far, the duo has landed a few projects with different companies. The future, it seems, also looks promising.

Concludes Soon: “Where do we ideally want to be in the near future? In the next five years, there will be an addition of seven million square metres of retail space and 70 new malls in the Klang Valley, on top of the existing ones. That’s where we want to be.”