MANILA, PHILIPPINES — On a Friday morning at the newly-opened, Singapore-grown Tiong Bahru Bakery in Bonifacio Global City, brought to the Philippines by Jollibee Foods Corporation, the adobo Magazine team sat down with the VP and Head of Marketing for Chowking, Jia Du. Jia squeezed in an hour for us ahead of a busy day, before heading over to SM North EDSA for the opening of the first standalone store of JFC milk tea brand Milksha. Amidst all these news about new business in JFC, one could ask: how does a 40-year old brand like Chowking stay relevant in the Philippine fast food space? After an hour were Jia, this curiosity turned to confidence and anticipation for what the brand has in store for the months ahead.
Through our short time together, we got to know Jia as a bold and adventurous, yet earnest and caring individual, in and out of work. She shared that outside her busy schedule, her family’s favorite pastime is exploring play rooms in malls for her two young children, going on date nights with her husband, discovering new bars around the Metro, and a 2025 resolution of coming back to her love for sports and fitness — having been a varsity basketball player in her university years. Her days are often filled with adventure and exploration within and beyond her office desk, and as the Head of Marketing for one of the oldest fast food chains in the Philippines, these two things are never lacking.
Something to note of Jia is that she may give off a strong and determined demeanor, but when asked about something people might be surprised to learn about her, she insisted that she’s actually a big ol’ softie who cries easily at commercials, movies, and random heartfelt moments with loved ones. “Over the smallest things, I cry,” she mused. “Any work of art, video, film, or moment that captures the human emotion, it really resonates with me.”
“I think tough-looking people like me [who] can feel deeply, we’re perfect for marketing,” she joked.
In terms of being a leader, this is shown in the way she stands firm in decision-making and brave in her directions, yet empathetic with her people and hands-on in her approach. Simply put, she’s a well-rounded leader; and it shows in her piloting of Chowking’s overall brand story.
Lessons in marketing
Jia was appointed to her current role in February 2024, after successfully heading marketing for several JFC brands two years prior. She’s a marketer through and through with nine years working and leading a variety of Procter & Gamble brands and over two years of expanding WarnerMedia’s business in the Philippines as Country Manager.
“My favorite thing about working in marketing is how it seamlessly combines science, art, and heart. It’s a field where data-driven insights meet creativity, and where every decision you make has the potential to touch lives,” she opened up. With a bachelor’s degree in Management Engineering, Jia thrives in the science of marketing, but she particularly loves taking it a step further with insights to fully shape the campaign. “Of the three, it’s really the heart of marketing that fulfills me. It gives you a moment to turn that understanding [of the consumers] to experiences of joy. Marketing really combines the left brain, right brain, and puso (the heart).”
With close to two decades of experience under her belt, Jia has seen the industry go through many transformations. But she emphasized one thing that hasn’t changed: “In order to stand out, you have to stand for something.”
“Consumers gravitate towards brands who are true to themselves, especially now in this world where trends evolve rapidly, the brands that really resonate are the ones that stay authentic to their values, their purpose. And with that authenticity, that’s how they connect with their consumers.”
She furthered, “They connect to you, but consumers are also your partners. You grow and evolve the brand based on that partnership, and I think that relationship is what makes them feel seen. And that will never, ever change.”
Jia understands this symbiotic relationship between brands and consumers as truly the ultimate guidebook in marketing, so much so that her guiding principle that she’s maintained throughout the years has been to “think big, act small.” This means bringing to life ambitious ideas for the brand, but ensuring that it’s broken down into bite-sized steps for consumers to truly feel and experience it. “Any leader has to put importance on both the ambition and the execution,” she stressed.
Integrity and people-first mindset are also core pillars in Jia’s leadership style, prioritizing what’s good for the brand through the lens of what’s good for its consumers. And for Jia, consumers don’t only mean buyers or customers, but also the people she serves internally in her team. “The incremental steps you take with the team — it’s through them that you make it happen. It’s through the people that you serve. That’s where the magic happens.” This ties perfectly with her “think big, act small” principle which really highlights a more grounded approach to everything she does as a marketing leader.
Jia’s Chowking story
In order to stand out, you have to stand for something.
For Chowking, Jia believes that it’s something that the brand has strived for since the very beginning: “Chowking has always been about opening up possibilities – being the pioneer of offering craveable and delicious Chinese food in a fast-food format.” She noted how the brand has changed the way people perceived rice in fast food, from plain white rice to savory fried rice courtesy of the iconic Chao Fan; how it introduced vegetables to the fast food segment — still being one of the very few fast food brands that offer them; and the only one that has a six-in-one meal like the Lauriat, to name a few. “The core of it is really challenging what’s possible, and uplifting the taste and palate of Filipinos through the fast food experience.”
Thus, when she was appointed to lead Chowking just a year ago, she was excited and eager to elevate the brand. But first, she needed to fully understand what makes it so iconic. “If marketers are brand builders, I had to first be a brand archaeologist.”
“As a legacy brand, that was the first thing I had to do. This was the starting point — respecting the heritage, understanding it, then building upon it. What really excited me was to build on that legacy, while also innovating with my team to reach a wider and younger audience, and really broadening the appeal.”
Jia shared that her first year was really about modernizing the Chowking story. This entailed making it relevant to today’s culture, leveling up the quality of the product, and launching new ones that can further elevate it. On the flip side, however, in working with such a classic brand, there is the challenge of balancing familiarity with relevance. How can Chowking stay true to its brand while still cementing its place in the hearts of Filipino consumers amidst all the changes and competition around it?
“To me, the key there is to elevate in ways that amplify what people already love about the brand, while introducing fresh elements to surprise them. It’s like a relationship or a partnership! After years together, you still find ways to keep it new and exciting that feels authentic.”
During the pandemic, it was digitizing the brand experience through the app; now, stores have self-ordering kiosks; a refreshed menu has also been introduced with exciting new products and highly requested comebacks; the brand has participated in many viral pop culture moments on social media with “Chowludo” and the “Labuchi”; and a redesigned space has been introduced with the Marcos Highway branch’s concept, which will be rolled out to more stores in the next months. These are just some of the ways that Chowking continues to delight its loyal customers with a modern twist, and Jia assured us that there’ll be many more to come as it approaches its 40th anniversary, and beyond.
Chowking: Timeless and timely
Arguably, every Filipino has a Chowking story. For this writer, it’s ordering Chao Fan and kangkong for lunch with my team on Fridays to celebrate the end of a week with our favorite comfort food. For some, it could be the hearty offerings of a Lauriat meal to reenergize during a heavy school day. For Jia, it dates back to her university days before milk tea had its boom in the Philippines. She shared that, as a non-coffee drinker, milk tea was her saving grace to push through all-nighters and busy schedules — and Chowking was the one of the only stores that offered it at the time.
It’s experiences and stories like these that really fuel the unwavering love affair Filipinos have with Chowking, and through the brand’s continued efforts to innovate, it doesn’t look like this partnership will falter any time soon.
“As our President in Chowking always says, “Malayo na, pero malayo pa,” Jia stressed — we’ve gone a long way, but there’s still a long way to go. She underlined that although her first year has introduced a lot of new milestones for the brand, she’s still very excited to dive deeper and go further with the Chowking legacy. And she teased that plans are already moving for some surprises in the next few months.
To wrap up our conversation, we asked Jia what she thinks the “Ideal Chief Marketing Officer” looks like. And among the many traits she mentioned, the underlying thread is a focus on people. Firstly, a CMO acts as the connector between many departments in the organization, so it’s crucial that they’re able to connect the right people in the right way.
She also believes that marketing leaders, especially at this level, should have a hands-on approach in everything from strategy development to product testing. “It gives you credibility and empathy. I can only push my team if I understand what they’re going through.” With this, she noted that one of her favorite experiences as the Chowking Marketing Head involves being in the stores and fully immersing as a crew member, helping out with cooking and cashier management to understand the full experience.
Furthermore, CMOs should have the ability to create a sandbox space for people to play, be innovative and to experiment. “I always tell my team: ‘Okay, let’s try this way. If it doesn’t work out, let’s have a backup plan. It’s okay, I got you,’” she shared, underlining the importance of adaptability and relevance in marketing, which can only be achieved by being open to trials and risks.
Lastly, customer-centricity: “The role of the CMO is to protect and improve the customer experience, and it’s done through product, store design, service, everything. We need to represent the voice of the consumer; we have to be the champion of that within the C-Suite.”
“To sum it all up, the ideal Chief Marketing Officer is someone who can blend strategic clarity with creativity, and uphold excellence in execution — keeping the consumer at the heart of everything. It’s a mix of being a visionary, creative and empath — all of these combined can really elevate the brand to its fullest quality.”
With that, consumers should anticipate more exciting things to come from Chowking on its 40th year and beyond, especially with Jia at the helm making sure the brand continues to surprise Filipinos and comfort them with the same brand we all know and love.
Don’t miss out on Chowking’s surprises at https://www.facebook.com/chowkingph/
The post Timeless and Timely: VP and Head of Marketing Jia Du on paying homage to Chowking’s legacy and transforming for the future appeared first on adobo Magazine Online.