Mehnaaz Ahmed joined Sydney-based uberbrand in 2021 as a senior brand and marketing strategist, bringing her experience from Kimberly-Clark Australia and Johnson & Johnson in South Africa.
Ahmed spoke to Mediaweek about her journey through the industry, the key to a successful strategy and her advice to up-and-coming strategists.
Ahmed on her career journey, being part of uberbrand and the key to successful strategy
“I’ve always had a passion for the industry and have been lucky enough to work across all spheres, which has proved well in terms of understanding the industry and needs of all parties that many don’t often see,” she said.
Her journey began on the advertising agency side in client service at Saatchi & Saatchi before moving into quantitative and qualitative studies at a research agency and learning to analyse data and gain consumer insights.
Ahmed shifted to the client side, where she spent most of her career with brand management at Johnson & Johnson. She said: “After ten years on the client side, I made the shift back into agency, with a strategic brand role focus.”
In joining the branding agency, Ahmed noted the people and being part of a diverse, tight-knit, experienced team passionate about brands as a positive.
“This is mainly driven by our CEO Dan Ratner, and CFO and COO Clinton McMahon, who drive a very collaborative, caring and safe atmosphere,” she said.
Ahmed also revealed that the key to a successful strategy is “making the seemingly complex simple and clear.”
“Setting a clear pathway for a brand or a company, futureproofing their positioning, that is uniquely them. One that is able to crack the balance of both business, customer and stakeholder needs,” she added.
See also: Dan Ratner discusses uberbrand’s philosophy and resolving ignorance in the industry
The importance of a good strategy foundation and framework
As a senior brand and marketing strategist, Ahmed highlighted a particular burning industry issue on her mind and how it could be solved.
For her, it was the lack of understanding of the importance of setting the right brand strategy foundations and model framework. She noted that this includes testing and refining before launch, ensuring the foundation is set across commercial, audience and product needs and that the brand is represented visually and verbally.
“When this happens, who you are and where you are going as a company becomes more than just lip service, but truly embedded into everything the brand does.
“Brand strategy, or directional thinking, is often perceived as a logo or big awareness communication work or something that you do and forget about,’ Ahmed said.
“A brand strategy is something that is alive and always present in your company internally and externally, and needs to balance staying consistent in your approach and relevant in market,” she added.
Ahmed shares her career highlights and her advice to young strategists
While being incredibly proud of all of her work to date with uberbrand, Ahmed highlighted her work on the strategy and rebrand of MoneyMe as a particular highlight.
Ahmed explained: “This involved assisting the team with a revived brand strategy, updated brand model and new brand architecture, and consolidating MoneyMe’s various sub-brands into one holistic ecosystem – all beautifully coming to life with an updated brand logo and visual identity that fits in with their strategic trajectory as a company and challenger brand in market.”
Among Ahmed’s career highlights has been working on the Johnson’s Baby brand in EMEA. While working with the baby brand, she grew market share year-on-year in Sub-Saharan Africa and developed innovation and campaigns driven by consumer insight.
Ahmed shared: “Developing the first Johnson’s Baby ethnic hair care range for babies – discovering the need, convincing the global team of the opportunity, and developing the range that is still present across Africa and the Middle East.”
Meanwhile, for young strategists coming up in the industry, Ahmed encouraged them to keep an open mind and to learn about different people, cultures and industries.
“The start is not always where you will end up. The best strategists have a wealth of experience across various roles and industries.”
Ahmed noted that young strategists should gain experience in different areas such as research and the client-side perspective, process, and commercial pressures. She explained that it is when answering client and customer needs.
“If you have a passion for people and brands and are keen to make a difference in society through strategic thought – brand strategy is for you!’
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Top image: Mehnaaz Ahmed