I recently left Yaxingtong after a year and a half with the company. Since quite a few people online have recently been interested in and wanted to learn more about Yaxingtong, I’d like to share my experience with everyone while it is still fresh in my memory. Although I held only one position during that year and a half—“Online Marketing Consultant”—the clients had large budgets, which gave me many opportunities to collaborate across departments. As a result, I experienced and observed quite a lot. What kind of company is it? What are its advantages and disadvantages? What can I learn after joining? What are the promotion opportunities, salary, benefits, and so on? I’ll share what I saw at Yaxingtong from a job seeker’s perspective as much as possible. However, I’m not in HR, so I can’t provide professional and accurate figures. At most, I can tell you what I know and try to describe what the company is like from a third-party perspective. If this can be of even a little help to your career search, then the money spent on this cup of Louisa’s hot Americano on a weekend afternoon will have been well worth it!

Company name: Yaxingtong Co., Ltd.

Company business model: Direct Marketing (D2C)

Company’s primary languages: Japanese / Chinese

Company owner: Teppei Fujiwara (Boss Pingping)

Average employee age: Oh—more than 80% probably aren’t married!

Company slogan: Change the world through Direct Marketing

Company philosophy: BeSTAR

Employee nationalities: Taiwan:Japan:Other / 7:2:1 (approximately)

Company departments (positions)

1. Online Department (Sales, Planning, Design, Media)

2. OPD (CRM) Department (Sales, Planning, Design)

3. TV Department (Sales, Planning, Media)

4. Taiwan DMG Department (Sales, Planning, Design, Media)

5. Overseas Department (Sales, Planning, Design, Media)

6. The Logistics Team! (HR, Accounting, General Affairs)

The first three departments and the Overseas Department basically support Japanese clients’ businesses in Taiwan and overseas (outside Taiwan and Japan). Taiwan DMG supports Taiwanese clients’ businesses. Together with the Logistics Team and a mysterious in-house department, these branches make up Yaxingtong!

【What kind of company is Yaxingtong?】

The departmental structure has already been introduced above, so here I’ll analyze the pros and cons by highlighting the key points. Let’s start with the good news, then move on to the harder parts XD

・Company advantages

A. Equal and open management

Yaxingtong is a company that places more emphasis on substance than seniority and hierarchy. For example, employees are regularly encouraged to submit proposals for improving the company each month. Department heads also place importance on feedback from the front line. Whether you are a newcomer who has been here for one month or a seasoned employee who has been here for several years, if your proposal is worth trying or could make the team better, the company is very willing to change! Of course, I can’t say that every department manager is equally open-minded, but because the owner leads by example and encourages a culture of continuous improvement, employees feel empowered to voice their ideas. This not only allows the company to improve, but also helps employees feel valued and recognize their own worth.

B. Responsibility and fast promotion

For ambitious colleagues who have the short-term goal of becoming managers, Yaxingtong is a very good place to work. Because the company is continuously growing rapidly, it continually needs people to take on responsibility. During my year and a half there, I saw someone become a department manager within two years. As everyone knows, promotion depends not only on your own effort and performance, but also on whether the company has opportunities available. When I joined, the company had around 80-something employees; a year and a half later, it had grown to more than 120. With more people, managers are naturally needed. At the same time, you have a great opportunity to be entrusted with major responsibilities soon after joining—for example, independently presenting reports to Japanese clients after just two months. Compared with stable, large companies elsewhere, this is definitely a company where you can grow quickly and make the most of your abilities.

C. Good working atmosphere

Because of the company’s philosophy, workplace power struggles like those seen in TV dramas rarely occur. After all, we barely have enough time to complain about our clients XD. Seriously, the company hires primarily based on values. For example, during interviews, it tries to understand how candidates would respond when problems arise. If someone tends to shift responsibility onto others, it would naturally be difficult for them to get hired. Having a group of good colleagues with whom you can work hard and grow together when you are young makes work more enjoyable.

Of course, no one is perfect, and the company is no exception. I’ve also listed two shortcomings that I have in mind.

・Company disadvantages

A. Balancing ideals and speed

Because the company emphasizes speed—or, one could say, because the entire advertising industry emphasizes speed—employees are often asked to produce materials, submit proposals, and respond to clients quickly. As a result, quality may relatively decline. For people who pursue ideals and want to present everything perfectly, this may be a disadvantage, and they may not be suited to Yaxingtong or the advertising industry.

B. Salary increases

Yaxingtong’s salary adjustment system provides raises every six months based on performance evaluations. However, because the criteria for raises are diverse and rigorous, consistently meeting the standards for an increase is fairly difficult. As a result, after working for some time, your salary may not change very much. Of course, as I mentioned above, if you are truly ambitious, capable, and driven, you can advance quickly; once you become a manager, your salary will increase considerably. Until then, however, you may need to wait patiently. (I heard that the HR department said it had received related feedback and was considering updating the salary adjustment system.)

【Knowledge gained】

Because Yaxingtong is an online advertising company that makes effective use of Direct Marketing, its marketing functions are divided very specifically. Below, I’ll use my former role as an “Online Marketing Sales Representative” as an example and give two classic examples. For other departments and job types, we may have to chat privately!

A. Learning how to use online marketing media and understanding their characteristics

In addition to the major media platforms commonly seen in daily life (Google/Facebook/LINE/Yahoo), you will basically learn about all of them. Even though sales staff do not operate these platforms themselves—the Media Department does that—they need to understand them in order to report to clients, so they must grasp the important functions and directions. You may also encounter many emerging advertising technologies, such as big-data-based solutions and conversion-driving mechanisms. In terms of paid media, the learning resources can therefore be described as highly diverse and abundant!

B. Business planning

As a dedicated consultant (sales representative) for Japanese clients, you must clearly understand their goals in Taiwan and plan an appropriate business roadmap. For example, if a client’s Taiwan business must turn from a loss into a profit within one year, you need to clearly plan and forecast various indicators, including product pricing, media selection, budget planning, new-customer rate, and retention rate. The knowledge you learn and apply during execution, as well as the sense of achievement you gain, are our most valuable assets.

【Conclusion】

I have always believed that there is no single “best job” in the world. Everyone has different interests and areas of expertise. In addition to personal factors, environmental factors such as the company’s growth potential and the colleagues around you are also very important. A job may be good for person A but not necessarily for person B. What does not change is that as long as you establish clear goals for your work, work hard to achieve them, and gain a sense of accomplishment, it can be considered a good job!

The department introduction, analysis of the pros and cons, and summary of the knowledge gained about Yaxingtong above are all based on my personal experience and things I really wanted to share with everyone. If they can help even a little with your life plans or help you better understand whether Yaxingtong is right for you, then it will have been worthwhile. After all, spending one afternoon to exchange it for one correct and wonderful year—or ten years—of your life? XD That would be very worthwhile and a great bargain! Finally, I hope everyone can find work they love and enjoy life to the fullest!