As I sit in The Value Engineers’ tranquil and airy office (think exposed brickwork, skylights, modern furniture, and a much-loved snack cupboard), I reflect on the journey that has brought me here.
Anyone who knows me will know that I’m a big people person. Growing up in a mixed-race family, I was taught the important Indian value of building relationships with family, friends, and strangers alike. This in turn has led me to be fascinated by people – how they think, feel, and connect to each other and to brands.
As brands move into the “human era”, we connect to them like people.
The first brand I remember feeling “different” from the rest was Innocent. The packaging print felt akin to a funny note from a friend which instantly caught my attention (my 6-year-old self was right to find the “stop looking at my bottom” text on the bottom of the cartons both hilarious and ingenious). Little did I know this was just the beginning of “human era” brands; those that are open, honest, and even flawed.
As brands have become more human, I have become ever more fascinated. We connect to brands as if they were people. We comment on their posts, message them privately and retweet their tweets. And yet, true consumer to brand connections are inevitably complex. Why do we connect to some brands and not others? Why are the consumer expectations between brands so different? These questions led to me into the world of advertising where I worked as a Strategist with some well-known and loved brands from FMCG giants (Mars, Unilever, AG-Barr) to Travel and Beauty brands (Expedia, Airbnb, NIVEA).
While advertising was an invaluable steppingstone into the brand universe, I wanted to dig deeper into what really grounded brands, what made them sing and succeed. I didn’t just want to tell a brand how to run a great campaign, I wanted to challenge them and ultimately help them reach their full brand potential… enter The Value Engineers.
Since becoming an Engineer, I have been getting to the heart of consumer decision making, and in turn have been tackling complex questions and driving real brand change. This is being done, all the while, with a group of like-minded, supportive, and incredibly bright individuals. So, I really do feel as if I’ve hit the career jackpot. With exciting work and a fabulous team, I am ready to continue driving brand success and to excel on my TVE journey.