Women to Watch 2022: Sharon Ho, Digitas

Sharon Ho

Managing director
Digitas
China

Sharon Ho took the bold move to delve into digital in 2007 and hasn't looked back. Joining Publicis Groupe in 2012, she has diligently pursued a path in leading digital transformation, and today oversees a diversified team of strategists, technologists and content creators at Digitas China where she helps clients like Visa, Danone, Mondelez, and Apple explore the connection between brands, consumers, and innovations.

Despite uncertainty around business development last year, Ho used her knowledge and skills to bring both her clients’ business and her agency activity back to growth and profitability.

One of the ways Ho has been able to drive business growth during a challenging time is through redefining the role of digital. For instance, Ho worked hand-in-hand with Danone to deploy a US$3 million effort to shift the role of social content from share-of-voice to an in-depth dimension of driving resonance, preference and purchase intent by deploying proprietary automation tools and bite-sized content. This impact to brand resonance increased by 30%, purchase intent increased by 30%, and Tmall search index increased by 85%.

Ho and her team also achieved a 70% increase in revenue for Digitas working for Visa to launch a fit-for-business three-stage data application model to provide a tailored buying experience to every Visa card-holder. Plus, she deployed a broad-based planning model which resulted in a win for the global US$14 million Crocs business.

Ho's focus on finding ‘the solution after next’ keeps her one step ahead of the industry. Her efforts led the agency to finish 2021 and the first half of 2022 with an overall increase in billings of over 25% while maintaining a healthy margin.

As a leader, Ho is the ultimate ‘silo-buster’ and has eliminated one-size-fits-all business offerings across Digitas. On top of this, she supervises a monthly symposium to inspire lifelong learning, is a sponsor of the Groupe’s long-term project ‘Publicis Women to Watch’ to support women employees, and is a coordinator of the Groupe initiative ‘Project Roar’, which boosts junior and mid-level staff to excel in their careers. In addition, Ho has guided students as a guest lecturer and programme co-designer with New York University Shanghai and has published two thought-leadership papers at core media and online conferences to inspire break-the-norm thinking.