Ugly Conversations
– Episode 1 –
Battling tides of change

As we stare into the relentless uncertainty of 2024, brand and business leaders are faced with an undeniable need for creative problem solving to tackle their biggest and most important challenges

In an effort to offer perspective, insights and help to those struggling with daunting challenges, Born Ugly hosted this discussion with C-suite leader who know ‘how?’ and ‘what?’ it takes to invite creative problem-solving into a business, and more importantly what the results are that follow.

Meet our panel of creative problem solvers:

• Penny Brook, Chief Marketing and Experience Officer, Canada Goose
• John Marshall, CMO at innovative healthtech brand, MitoQ
• Vivienne Heffernan, Founder, Plan V Communications, currently freelance Director of Internal Communications at Mambu
• Wander Bruijel, Senior Partner & Head of Provocation at Born Ugly

Key takeouts from our Webinar
In today’s competitive business landscape, business leaders are embroiled in battling challenge ater challenge, struggling to stay relevant and have a clear focus. Our ‘Battling tides of change’ webinar brought together global industry leaders to share their insights on how businesses can best navigate the state of perma-crisis to win big in 2024 and turn crisis into a great opportunity for growth.

The discussion, facilitated by our CEO, Sarah Dear, provided valuable insights for businesses seeking to win in 2024.

1. Consumer attitudes have changed forever
Brands must understand the new normal and accept that things will never go back to how they were. Consumers are more and more discerning about the brands they want to spend time and money on, looking for products that help them, their community and add value to the planet. Brands need to do more than simply create a product or they risk being let in a purely transactional position, when consumers want more.

2. Nurture your brand as the valuable asset it truly is
Marketing budgets are too oten seen as a cost rather than a growth driver. Too much emphasis is placed on performance marketing, neglecting your brand in the process. While performance marketing may generate short-term results, it’s your brand that will stand strong over time. To succeed, both performance marketing and brand marketing must work together.

3. The fundamental importance of embracing creative problem solving internally for future success
Hampered by siloed thinking and internal politics, businesses are struggling to nd a sense of agility, being seduced into focusing on the short term. Businesses need to navigate through their internal challenges in order to face their external ones. By adopting creative problem-solving, organisations can promote collaboration and introduce real long-term change.

In today’s competitive business landscape, business leaders are embroiled in battling challenge ater challenge, struggling to stay relevant and have a clear focus. Our ‘Battling tides of change’ webinar brought together global industry leaders to share their insights on how businesses can best navigate the state of perma-crisis to win big in 2024 and turn crisis into a great opportunity for growth.

4. Simplify your purpose
Too often, businesses overcomplicate their purpose, with a significant gap existing between how they see their brand compared to how their consumers see it. Businesses need to have a simplified reason for being that is understood throughout their organisations, not just in the boardroom. Your proposition needs to be relevant and easy to understand wherever and whoever you are.

5. Use data to test and learn to bring creativity into your business
Data allows you to be agile and exible to see where your business can improve. Where there’s no data, there’s a lack of creativity. Things won’t instantly transform overnight so your business needs to take things one step at a time. Adopt a test and learn approach to nd what works best for you. Introduce something new, look at the data, think creatively to make tweaks and build condence in the fact that your business is improving every day.

Battling the tides of change is not without its’ challenges but by accepting consumer attitudes have changed, looking ater your brand, embracing creative problem solving internally, simplifying your purpose, and taking things one step at a time, your business can win big in 2024.

At Born Ugly we are creators of change, powered by truly open minds and diferent perspectives. We get to the heart of a challenge to help clients unlock the opportunities of tomorrow and create real growth so that they and their business can transcend today. We’d love to uncover your ugly truth so you can keep ahead of change.