Aaron Lau

CEO & Founder
Gusto Collective

Hong Kong

“The PR industry needs, first and foremost, to be unhappy with the status quo. Because the work is no longer engaging the audience as it used to.”

After a career that included leadership roles at some of the world’s biggest advertising agencies, Aaron Lau founded Gusto Collective in 2020 to bring together creativity, storytelling and technology in a distinctly Asian holding group. Lau’s work has become increasingly focused on the future of immersive customer experiences,often involving VR/AR/XR, blockchain and the metaverse — a model that he describes as ‘brandtech’. Gusto’s footprint now features more than 200 people across Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and London, and Lau’s previous experience with digital marketing firm Bravo Asia — which he ultimately sold and integrated into Korean ad agency Cheil — suggests that he is once again developing a model that is ahead of the market.

How do you define innovation?
The way I look at innovation is somewhat simplistic. Innovation, to me, is about taking things that exist and putting together in a new way. Take, for instance, the business that Gusto is in....the idea of Brandtech, which we define as storytelling powered by technology. As we know stories have existed since the days of cavemen many centuries ago. By putting together the latest immersive technologies with stories that we love, we give storytelling fresh impetus to engage with the audience.That’s an example of innovation in my industry. There are many others in almost all industries that constantly recreate themselves by combining things that exist in new ways.

What is the most innovative PR or marketing initiative you've seen over the past 12 months?
There are many innovative marketing initiatives that break new ground. One, in particular, that I would like to share here is the Danish toymaker, Lego. This is a company that has always put innovation and marketing at the center of their business model, and used innovation to conquer the toy industry. The specific example I’d like to share is their Braille Bricks initiative. Fully compatible with existing Lego toys, the Braille Bricks are molded with studs that match Braille letters and numbers, and therefore helping visually impaired children to learn Braille through play, the Lego play! An initiative like this ticks many boxes like serving a new group customers, harnessing the company’s vision of ‘learning and creating through play’ and reinforcing the company’s ESG credentials.

In your opinion, which brands and/or agencies are most innovative in their approach to PR and marketing?
The brands that come to my mind are the usual suspects like Nike, Apple, Lego,Ikea, etc. I am sure that are many more that I have not cited here. But these companies are differentiated in that marketing and innovation are front center of their business.

Describe a moment in your career that you would consider to be innovative.
‘Necessity is the mother of invention’. Let me cite a recent example of how I found innovation. And, it is the Web3 marketing program we did for the blockbuster movie,Warriors of Future’. The campaign was conceived and developed with Web3 customers in mind almost exclusively when we did the planning for the project.However, the movie was delayed by the Covid lockdown in China and Hong Kong.By the time the movie launched, which was in August 2022, the Web3 market experienced a massive downturn. Within a short period of time, we put our innovation cap on, and worked through the midnight oil, to help pivot the initiative to those who are not Web3 savvy. As a result, we created an initiative that is phygitaland straddles between Web2 and Web3 with content and experiences. I am glad to report that the marketing initiative is a massive success with the film reaching the second all-time highest box office receipts and still counting in Hong Kong. If the crypto winter didn’t set in, we probably would not have innovated so much to plug the hole!

Who do you admire for his/her approach to innovation?
Without a doubt, my role model would be Steve Jobs. I don’t think anyone has created so many successful products and businesses, and in the process of doing so, changed so many people's lives!

How do you get out of a creativity rut?
When I experience creative ruts, I would try to get out of them by forcing a change of scene. It could be going to a movie to take my mind off it, or hiking my usual trail close to where I work. I found it very useful that a change of scene often invigorates brain activities that help get one out of a creative rut.

What advice would you give to the PR industry around embracing innovation?
Once again, the phrase, ‘necessity is the mother of invention’. The PR industry needs, first and foremost, to be unhappy with the status quo. Not because margins are falling, or new competition is setting in. But because the work is no longer engaging the audience as it used to. Then, take small steps to experience new and innovative ways to engage. And when these innovations work, scale big and fast.

What would you be doing if you weren't doing your current job?
I always wanted to be a musician and a composer.

Which book/movie/TV show/podcast/playlist/other cultural source has provided inspiration over the past year?
I just finished watching the new movie, Blonde. A movie about the life of Marilyn Monroe. It explores the ‘inner demons’ in her that haunted her life and might have contributed to her suicide. It inspired me to think about my own ‘inner demons’ that resulted in me giving up a comfortable and well-paid global job to start GustoCollective!

How would you like to see work culture, and the role of the office, evolve?
We need to be more inclusive and more diverse in our work culture so the industry could truly embrace innovation. We also need to put the customer back in the center so that our innovation, our services, our brandtech solutions serve the customer.

How can the PR and communications industry harness innovation to make more progress on diversity, equity and inclusion?
Just be! Walk the talk!