All or nothing
by Caitrina Cody
At ALHAUS, we live and breathe brand storytelling so when the chance came along to speak to a marketing maven like Ana Andjelic, we were all ears. Author of The Business of Aspiration, Ana has been named one of the most influential CMOs in the world by Forbes; here she talks motivation, sustainability and pandemic-inspired opportunity with ALHAUS magazine.
ALHAUS magazine: As the CMO of various fashion labels, what was your daily routine like?
Ana Andjelic: There is no routine! It would be a good thing if there were, but you never know what’s gonna come at you. There is always something that has to be dealt with immediately or something that has to be followed up on — something that no one expected and prepared for. It’s quite dynamic and the best skill is to be able to process a lot of information and make decisions quickly.
AM: Name a favourite recent project — and why it stands out for you.
AA: I don’t play favourites with my projects! If I decide to take a project on, this already means that I am passionate about the brand and its products and that I believe in the team. I want everyone to succeed and I immerse myself fully in every single project. Whenever I am working with a brand, it’s all or nothing.
AM: Can you tell us about The Business of Aspiration? How was it inspired?
AA: The Business of Aspiration is about the shifting status symbols of consumers and their impact on business and brand strategy. New status symbols include taste, aesthetic innovation, curation or environmentalism and they create the modern aspirational economy. In contrast to the traditional economy, in which consumers signaled their status through collecting commodities; Instagram followers; airline miles; and busy back-to-back schedules; in the modern aspirational economy, they convey it through collecting knowledge, taste, micro-communities and influence.
This new capital changes the way businesses and entire markets operate, yet the modern aspirational economy is still an under-studied area in business and culture. My book aims to change that. The inspiration behind it is my work, in which I was challenged to figure out how to grow a brand in the modern aspirational economy. I wanted to share my inputs.
AM: The book has been very well received — do you think it's captured a mood?
AA: Absolutely. A day doesn’t go by when I don’t get a note from someone who has just either finished the book or received the book or ordered it. Those who have finished it usually say how much they underlined and highlighted and earmarked pages, which is exactly what I was aiming for — for it to be a practical guide for professionals in their everyday jobs. I also love when people send me photos of the book in their home settings, you can see how they arrange it nicely; the light is just so and the composition is beautiful. I absolutely love that and always repost on Instagram.
AM: What was your writing process like?
AA: I wish I had an answer for that; the closest I am to having an insight into the process is showing up for it. I have to show up every day and be disciplined and power through times when I don’t feel like writing until I do. Ideas and insights don’t come on schedule, so it’s the discipline and work that brings them forth. The secret is to just keep at it even when it’s going terribly. It always gets better.
AM: How do you stay inspired and motivated?
AH: I am lucky to be easily motivated and my inspiration changes all the time. The key is not to look for external inspiration but to find it internally — in thinking, connecting things that we already know but never link together, or just letting the mind flow.
AM: What have been the major challenges for you as a marketing specialist during lockdown?
AA: I was writing a book during the lockdown and then working on projects and also writing a newsletter, which is free, and which I directed towards everyone who needed free advice or methodology or help or encouragement. There are many more people who had bigger challenges than I did during the lockdown.
AM: How has the pandemic affected the needs of your client base?
AA: They have seen a shift in their e-commerce versus physical presence, obviously, but for most of them that was a wildly positive thing as their sales soared. They are also looking into brand communication that is more sensitive to community, society and culture and that is creating value beyond the economic. A lot of unexpected ideas happened.
AM: Have travel restrictions affected the way you work?
AA: Absolutely. I used to travel all the time, all over the world, both for work and for speaking engagements. However, there is never any office and my work has always been a mix of teamwork and solo work, so it was manageable.
AM: What have you learned, in terms of the last nine months, about yourself?
AA: My superpower is the ability to tune out reality.
AM: How important is sustainability to your work?
AA: For the longest time I have been involved with sustainable fashion projects and that has always been a big part of my brand, product and marketing strategy. I approach it from different angles, from materials innovation to devising communication that doesn’t scare us about our (scary) future but inspires and conveys the sustainability message in a fun way that creates action.
AM: What have you missed most during lockdown?
AA: Friends. Travel. Going out. The same things as everyone else. Social contact above all.
AM: Favourite city?
AA: New York. Berlin. Tokyo. Copenhagen. Madrid. Milan.
AM: Ambitions for 2021 — personal and professional?
AA: BIG.