What’s the hardest part?

What do you love about your job?

Being a part of a brand that is actively driving change within a category, shifting perceptions and creating a beautiful space for consumers to enjoy and interact has been an honour. Courvoisier has demonstrated that cognac isn’t just a night cap, consumed by men in a dark cigar room, but rather a vibrant, sessional drink that is to be enjoyed by all.

The most difficult aspect of brand management is creating campaigns and strategies that resonate with consumers, while ensuring we maintain brand ethos and spirit. Localising global strategies and guardrails ensures that we maintain our South African flair.

What are the biggest misconceptions about brand management?

That it requires sitting in the office and choosing pretty pictures. Brand management requires one to understand consumers, trends and data and create communication that takes all these into consideration, while still being in concert with broader organisational goals.

What media do you consume?

A mix of traditional and digital media. I listen to the radio to keep up with current affairs and breaking news. I listen to podcasts for inspirational or topical information and I read online publications to ensure I am a wellrounded individual.

A few of the best projects or campaigns you’ve covered to date?

Courvoisier has just undergone a global repositioning that required South Africa to create a whole new throughthe-line campaign to communicate this to our consumers… The most exciting aspect of this was the ability to bring our consumers along on the journey.

How has brand management evolved in recent years?

There is an understanding of the importance of creating local relevance for markets across the globe, taking into consideration economies, life cycles of brands and the evolution of consumers… There is no time to be stale or irrelevant as consumers are constantly moving and are exposed to communication far past the orders in which they reside. They want to contribute and affect the narrative of a brand.