In this edition of I Am Merkle, to celebrate Lunar New Year, we get to know two members from the asian@dentsu identity group, Phisan Laosuwannapong, Enterprise Solution Lead, and Ray Leung, Director of Techical Operations and Support. Read on to hear about their professional journeys, their experiences celebrating Lunar New Year, and more.

1. Tell us about yourself; where did you grow up? Where do you live now? What’s your cultural background or heritage?

PL: I grew up in Thailand, where I enjoyed the rich culture and beautiful nature. I moved to Oregon when I was 18, and I now live in a wonderful town surrounded by mountains and rivers. My cultural background is Vietnamese, and I am proud of my heritage and traditions. 

RL: I grew up in Brooklyn and live in Queens now – both of which are outer boroughs of New York City. I can’t imagine living anywhere else – this city is rich in nearly all cultures of this globe, representing the true face of the United States, the Americas, and Earth as a whole. My cultural background is Chinese.

2. What drew you to your career? How might your values or cultural influences have influenced your career choice?

PL: I was drawn to my career as an enterprise solution lead at dentsu because I wanted to use my skills and passion for technology to create innovative solutions for businesses and organizations. I value creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving, which are essential for this role. My cultural influences have also shaped my career choice.

RL: When I graduated from college, I was willing to try marketing as a career choice. Ad and tech ops were unexpected choices, but given how the Chinese have historically contributed inventions, science, and technology to civilization, I am proud to continue that tradition, bringing innovation and opportunity to an uncertain digital marketing world amidst cookie and signal deprecation.

3. If you could have any occupation in the world, what would it be?

PL: My dream job would be to join the Justice League and be friends with Superman and Batman. I think it would be awesome to fight crime, save the world, and hang out with the coolest superheroes ever.

RL: My dream job would be a starship captain, like the ones you see in Star Trek and various sci-fi shows. You get to explore strange new worlds and learn new things every day.

4. What is your biggest accomplishment?

PL: My biggest accomplishment so far is graduating from college with honors while working as a volunteer tutor for underprivileged children. I majored in computer science and minored in education, and I was passionate about both fields. I wanted to use my skills and knowledge to help others and make a positive impact.

RL: My biggest accomplishment to date is gaining acceptance to Dartmouth, an Ivy League university, and then graduating with honors while walking among “giants,” who were my classmates.  Everyday felt like a battle or a competition, particularly because the classes were full of highly motivated and extremely smart students, pushing me to excel.

5. To date, what has been your biggest learning or teaching moment?

PL: One of my biggest learning moments was when I participated in a generative AI workshop with the dentsu global team and joined a hackathon with Google. I learned how to use various tools and frameworks to create innovative and engaging content based on natural language processing and computer vision.  

RL: One of my most significant teaching moments has been the realization that fostering positive change in perspective requires a blend of time and patience. It often involves presenting alternative viewpoints, especially for those who may be more hesitant to embrace change.  

6. What is a moment in your life that defined or shaped who you are today?

PL: A moment in my life that shaped who I am today was navigating the cultural shock and a language barrier of adapting in my new environment when I moved to the US. I learned to embrace diversity, respect differences, and communicate effectively with people from various backgrounds. I also developed a strong sense of curiosity, resilience, and independence.  

RL: Teaching students compared to training or being a career advocate to your more junior teammates are two different scenarios but have both shaped me into a more empathetic and resilient person. They are two different general cohorts of people that learn at overall different paces, with their unique requirements.  

7. What inspires you about Merkle’s workplace culture and how does this align with your values?

PL: Merkle’s culture is molded by its vision of creating meaningful and personalized experiences for customers, employees, and partners. I share this value of putting people at the center of everything I do, and I am passionate about using data, technology, and creativity to deliver impactful solutions. I also admire Merkle’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and its support for employee growth and development.

RL: Merkle’s workplace culture closely resembles what my years in high school and college were – I am surrounded by extremely intelligent people who push the boundaries of this industry every day.  Like in years past, this culture encourages me to excel and try to innovate daily.

8. Does Year of the Dragon have any significance to your zodiac?

PL: Year of the Dragon has a special significance to my zodiac, as I was born in the year of the Monkey. According to the Chinese horoscope, Monkey and Dragon are compatible signs that can form a strong bond based on mutual respect, trust, and admiration. They also share a sense of adventure, curiosity, and creativity, and can inspire each other to achieve their goals.

RL: Much like any zodiac sign and its corresponding birth year, the Year of the Dragon suggests no specific significance, only to continue to forge ahead, business as usual. Avoid any huge risky changes.  

9. Do you have any specific rituals, customs, or family traditions that make your Lunar New Year celebrations unique?

PL: One of the rituals that I cherish during the Lunar New Year is writing and exchanging red envelopes with my family and friends. Red envelopes are symbolic gifts that contain money and auspicious messages, and they represent wishes for happiness, prosperity, and good luck. I enjoy writing personalized notes for each recipient, expressing my gratitude, love, and hope for their future. I also appreciate receiving red envelopes from others, as they make me feel valued and connected. Red envelopes are a way of sharing joy and blessings with the people I care about.

RL: My family and I follow the usual customs and traditions of Lunar New Year. However, because my parents’ families came from two different provinces in China, we would have more varied food dishes during Lunar New Year. Some examples include stir-fried sultry (typically native to Shanghai) as opposed to sweet rice cake (typically native to Guangdong and Hong Kong), stuffed sticky rice dumpling (typically native to Guangdong and Hong Kong) boiled in hot water only, as opposed to unstuffed sticky rice dumpling (typically native to Shanghai) boiled in fermented rice wine and canned fruits in syrup.

10. Rapid fire, Lunar New Year Edition: 

Phisan:

a. What food do you eat for the Lunar New Year?

One of the foods that I eat for the Lunar New Year is the Vietnamese sticky rice cake, or bánh chưng. It is a square-shaped cake made of glutinous rice, mung beans, and pork, wrapped in banana leaves.

b. Favorite activity to participate in during the Lunar New Year?

My favorite event to attend during the Lunar New Year is the dragon dance, or múa lân. It is a lively and colorful performance that features a large dragon made of bamboo, paper, and cloth, controlled by several dancers. The dragon dance is believed to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits.

c. What is your zodiac?

I was born in the year of the monkey, according to the lunar calendar. This means that I am curious, witty, and adventurous.

d. Favorite Lunar New Year Tradition?

One of my favorite Lunar New Year traditions is giving and receiving lucky money in red envelopes. This is a way of wishing prosperity and good fortune to my family and friends. 

e. Best advice or mantra for the new year?

I think the best advice or mantra for the new year is to be grateful for what we have, and to be compassionate to others. Lunar New Year is a time to reflect on our achievements and challenges, and to share our hopes and dreams with our loved ones. It is also a time to celebrate our culture and heritage, and to honor our ancestors and traditions. I hope that the new year will bring us peace, happiness, and health.

Ray:

a. What food do you eat for the Lunar New Year?

Lunar New Year’s Eve, my family and I have a feast that usually consists of an abundance of dishes. On Lunar New Year’s Day, we tend to stick to vegetarian dishes, stemming from Buddhist beliefs for good luck, karma, and paying respect to Buddha. Towards the end of the Lunar New Year season (the 15th day), we would have stuffed sticky rice dumplings (汤圆/湯圓) boiled in fermented rice wine (酒酿/酒釀) and canned fruits in syrup. All throughout the season, there may be sticky rice cake (年糕), whether it’s stir fried-sultry or sweet.

b. Favorite event to attend during the Lunar New Year?

Heading out to Chinatown in Manhattan to watch the parades and roving lion dance groups, as well as visiting Buddhist temples, paying respects to passed ancestors, and Buddha.

c. Favorite activity to participate in during the Lunar New Year?

Visiting family and having Lunar New Year or Lunar New Year’s Eve dinner with them.

d. What is your zodiac?

I was born in the year of the dragon, according to the lunar calendar. While there are other factors that contribute to describing a dragon, they are usually leading, ambitious, imaginary, and smart.

e. Favorite Lunar New Year Tradition?

My favorite tradition is receiving red envelopes, given by married couples to children and folks who are still single – who doesn’t like money?

f. Best advice or mantra for the new year?

I think the best advice or mantra for the new year is “be kind to your fellow person, do not be mean.” 2024 will be a wild year, particularly in the realm of politics. Take care of your health, and I wish everyone peace, health, and happiness.

About Our Authors

Phisan Laosuwannapong is an Enterprise Solution Lead at Dentsu, where he helps clients design and implement innovative solutions that leverage data, technology, and analytics. I have over 10 years of experience in digital marketing, customer experience, and business transformation across various industries. I am passionate about learning new skills, exploring new cultures, and supporting social causes. I was born and raised in Thailand, where I celebrates the Lunar New Year with my family and friends every year. I enjoy the traditions of praying, giving red envelopes, and eating delicious food during the festive season.

Ray Leung is the Director, Technical Operations & Support within Merkury.  In his role, he is a main point of contact for all technical, data, operations architecturing and delivery needs with external publisher and platform connections.  In addition, he provides tactical consultancy on how to best activate people-based marketing using Merkury as needed.  Ray has been in the digital media operations space for over 10 years on the agency side.  Prior to Merkury, he was part of, and led, the Media Platforms & Operations team, and also an alumnus of Dentsu Aegis Network – Carat, working on various accounts from different verticals.  He has experience in representing and immersing the community-at-large about Chinese and Japanese cultures while at Dartmouth College.  Ray had also taught Chinese to elementary, middle, and high school students in Saturday language schools in Hanover, New Hampshire, and New York City for over 10 years.