Strands of Genius: Whitney Bryan + Kentucky Fried Chicken® Brand Compendium
featuring: an interview with our guest editor and a research report
Welcome to the Bonus edition of Strands of Genius! On Fridays, we’ll be publishing interviews from our guest editors, and sharing a research report. Thanks for being along for the ride. Oh and by the way, you look great today :)
:: STEAL THIS THINKING | RESEARCH REPORT ::
The brandbook and story you didn't know you needed until now. We hope you enjoy reading the story of the Colonel, Harland Sanders, proud founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken®.
Give it a read, enjoy your fancy spaceships and wacky futuristic hairstyles, then get back to the kitchen--there’s work to do!
:: DIVE IN | THE INTERVIEW ::
WHITNEY BRYAN, HEAD OF STRATEGY, THE GATE NY
>> Whitney Bryan guest curated Strands on May 2nd. Read it here.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what keeps you busy. How did you end up doing what you’re doing today?
Like most strategists, my path into strategy was definitely non-linear and has taken some twists and turns while I've been in the industry. Going waaaaaaaaay back to my college days, I was a Theatre and Communications major, with a minor in Spanish. I went from thinking that I would sing and dance on Broadway (despite being far from a triple threat) to wanting to go into journalism to looking into getting an M.A. in Latin American studies before finally settling on pursuing an M.A. in International Public Relations post-college. I had a VERY brief (just under 2 years) career in PR in London; during the middle of the second year, while I was suffering a professional existential crisis, a very dear friend who is a strategist said to me "I think you should be doing this." He put me in touch with some of his friends in the industry, I went to the Miami Ad School, and here I am 14 years later! I've worked as both a brand and comms strategist at full-service agencies, media agencies, 600 person agencies, and outfits with less than 10 people. I now lead the strategy practice at The Gate New York; we're roughly 50 people in total and I'm the first full time strategist they've ever had - so in addition to client work, I've been standardizing the strategic process,, training the rest of the agency on how to use strategy, and slowly but surely building out my team.
What excites you most about what you do?
I love being the bridge between a business challenge and a creative solution. I like to ground strategy in a simple human perspective - when you boil everything down, what is it that the audience really wants and how do we get there?
What beliefs define your approach to work? How would you define your leadership style?
Compassion, Creativity and Tenacity. I think agency cultures have evolved tremendously since I've been in the industry, but many times I still think we struggle to understand that great work can get done without holding people's noses to the grindstone. And in fact, rest, outside interests, and social connections that have nothing to do with work are critical to our ability to perform at our best. To that end, I really try to be accommodating and take everyone's full lives and perspectives into the equation, but at the end of the day, we do have to be accountable to each other, to the work, and to our clients.
What has been the most rewarding project you’ve worked on and why?
When I was at McCann NY, one of my clients was Annovera, a vaginal birth control ring. They were owned by TXMD, a very small pharmaceutical company specializing in women's health care. It wasn't a client with a big budget, so we didn't have the same eyes on us internally in the way a blue chip account like Verizon or Mastercard might. But the team was absolutely amazing - account, brand, and creative collaborated with the sort of intelligence, respect, and passion that should be the norm in this industry. And, our campaign for Vagina Appreciation Day (yes, this is a real day) in 2021 ended up winning a Cannes Silver Lion!
We are big believers in diversity -- Not only because we believe in equality, but because we also think it’s better for business. How do you frame these kinds of conversations, both internally and with clients? Is there an emphasis on action, or are the conversations really more about communication?
The thing about diversity isn't just that it's the right thing to do from a moral standpoint, it's good for business. Inclusive teams are over 35% more productive and diverse teams make better decisions 87% of the time; there are also piles of studies linking diversity and creativity. I think it's important to appeal not only to people's value set, but to demonstrate how diversity helps everyone be better at what we do.
Switching gears a bit, how do you find time to balance personal interests with your career? Do you believe work/life balance is possible? Anything you’ve implemented that you recommend that others try?
I am a firm believer that what we do outside of work is just as important as what we do during work. All aspects of our lives are interconnected, whether we're conscious of this or not. For me, having a creative practice that has nothing to do with work ultimately makes me better at what I do. Writing poetry and screenplays provides me a sense of creative autonomy that can be sometimes hard to experience in our industry, and that in turn hones my skills that I need for my job, and also helps me have a better overall perspective about the ups and downs that we encounter day to day - my sense of self isn't entirely wrapped up in whether I succeed or fail in the workplace, so it makes it easier for me to learn from setbacks and take them in stride.
What’s your media diet? Where do you find inspiration?
I like a little bit of everything, and I go through phases where I'm especially drawn to one type of music, or art, film, etc. Right now, I've been revisiting classic romantic comedies (I recently read the screenplay for My Best Friend's Wedding and it's... genius) for an idea I'm working on; in terms of stuff more closely related to the industry, I'm a big fan of the After School newsletter and pretty much anything that Baiba Matisone publishes on her LinkedIn feed.
What’s the best piece of advice/knowledge you’ve stolen, and who/where’d you steal it from?
"Interesting isn't something you are; it's something you do." I think this is from Russell Davies but came across it via Praveen Vaidyanathan. I love it so much. It's a great reminder to stay curious and open-minded about the people and environments around you and to de-center your own ego as much as humanly possible.
You can keep in touch with Whitney on LinkedIn.
If we can ever be of help to you, even outside of a formal engagement, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
rockON,
faris & rosie | your friends over at geniussteals.co
(still want more? @faris is still “tweeting” while @rosieyakob prefers instagram stories)