Joseph Wang would be the first to confirm that financial necessity and the hand of fate can reorder even the best-laid career plans.
The chairman and chief executive of Ogilvy & Mather for Shanghai and Southern China never intended to go into the advertising business. His dream had always been to work in the aviation sector and, with a degree in civil engineering, his intention in the early 1970s was to return to the United States after a break in Hong Kong to follow up leads with the likes of Boeing and Lockheed.
He first had to earn the price of the airfare. So, when two summer job options came up, the choice was easy. Mr Wang took the one that offered slightly more and, for HK$600 a month, found himself working for the McCann Ericsson agency.
The very first day was an eye-opener. He walked in, saw a sequence of storyboards illustrating the making of a commercial and said, 'I can do that.' Save for a couple of diversions along the way to set up a casual wear company and to try his hand at real estate investment, Mr Wang has been proving the point ever since.
'I soon found that, in advertising, you meet a lot of fascinating people from different industries,' he said. 'You are also able to create pop culture and exert a social influence.' He noted the campaign for mobile services he ran a few years ago featuring Canto-pop star Leon Lai Ming.
'Those pieces had a tremendous impact. People would sing the songs and they still remember them,' he said.