Lydia Chan speaks with Kristen Souders, Senior Director of Global Brand and Content Studio at Hitachi Vantara, to explore what it really takes to create standout storytelling in B2B tech. Kristen breaks down the evolving IT audience landscape, explaining why data leaders and IT professionals are allergic to fluff but still crave compelling narratives that make them feel seen rather than sold to. This insight challenges common assumptions about technical audiences and their relationship with emotional storytelling.

The conversation takes a compelling turn into creative taste and AI-generated content. Kristen argues that taste is empathy with standards, built through exposure, lived experiences, and crucially, failure. Discover why she believes the beauty and memory is always in the mistakes, and why those unexpected moments are what AI cannot replicate. While algorithms can show us patterns, they cannot replace the human perspective that comes from authentic storytelling and collaboration.

Kristen also shares how she builds effective creative teams by creating psychological safety and carving out weekly time for creative reviews where she asks why decisions were made rather than just correcting work. She discusses navigating conversations with leadership by focusing on goals and objectives, knowing when to hold your ground and when to problem-solve your way out of a corner. Her parting advice is powerful: algorithms can replicate patterns but not perspective, so respect your audience, protect your taste, and above all, stay curious.

 

• 06:50 - IT Audiences Crave Stories, Not Fluff: Technical audiences engage with emotional storytelling when they feel seen not sold to
  
  
• 14:08 - Taste Is Empathy With Standards: Creative taste comes from exposure to diverse art, lived experiences, and most importantly failure
  
  
• 23:28 - AI Can't Replace Human Perspective: Algorithms can replicate patterns but cannot replicate perspective––the beauty and memory in storytelling is always in the mistakes and unexpected moments
  
  
• 25:09 - Building Creative Teams Through Trust: Create psychological safety with weekly reviews where you ask why decisions were made rather than just correcting
  
  
• 33:52 - Protect Your Perspective: Algorithms can replicate patterns but not perspective—respect your audience, protect your taste, and above all stay curious

 

00:00:01:03 - 00:00:10:07

Olly

Welcome to the audience connection. This is the podcast where we focus on how businesses can create content that builds more genuine connections with their audience.

 

00:00:10:09 - 00:00:18:11

Lydia

Each episode, we dive into the art and science of storytelling, speaking with the sharpest minds in brand marketing and creative storytelling.

 

00:00:18:16 - 00:00:24:05

Olly

Our guests share their strategies, insights and creative choices that made their audiences care.

 

00:00:24:07 - 00:00:30:17

Lydia

Brought to you by casual, the video partner for global brands with offices in the U.S., EMEA and APAC.

 

00:00:30:22 - 00:00:37:04

Olly

Casual leverages the art and science behind creating impactful stories to drive business results for their clients.

 

00:00:37:06 - 00:00:39:09

Lydia

Where are your hosts? I'm Lydia chan.

 

00:00:39:09 - 00:01:13:12

Olly

And I'm Oli Atkinson. This is the audience connection. Hi and welcome back to the Audience Connection and the last episode for 2025. Today we're diving into what it really takes to create standout brand storytelling inside B2B tech. And our guest, Kristin Souders, brings a genuinely unique perspective. She leads the global brand and content studio at Hitachi Ventura, and she had this rare ability to turn deeply technical ideas into stories that feel human, cinematic, and emotionally resonant.

 

00:01:13:14 - 00:01:34:17

Lydia

Yeah, and we know from working with a lot of technical clients, this is definitely a difficult thing to do. I really enjoyed this convo with Kristin because she she just keeps it real and has a deep passion for making sure creatives standards still have a seat at the table. I mean, especially now in this day and age where, you know, I think creative is being truly undervalued.

 

00:01:34:19 - 00:02:02:12

Olly

Yeah. Yeah, there's so much conversation around that at the moment. And and Kristin shares that B2B audiences absolutely will engage with emotional storytelling as long as they feel seen and not sold. To which I completely agree with. And the key is understanding this particular audience, because the IT audience is smart, but completely overloaded and often allergic to fluff, and she breaks down how to creatively balance all of that for sure.

 

00:02:02:14 - 00:02:22:03

Lydia

And we also dig into how this it audiences is evolving. The role of taste in creative leadership, how failure shapes great creatives, and also what AI means for the next generation of talent trying to build their own P.O.V., when creating for this particular audience.

 

00:02:22:04 - 00:02:44:13

Olly

Yeah, and I love her take on AI and you know, now she said that algorithms can replicate patterns, but they can't replicate perspective. And I think that frames this entire episode perfectly. So with that, let's get into Lydia's conversation with Kristin.

 

00:02:44:15 - 00:03:09:12

Lydia

Kristin, it's great to have you on the show. So Kristin is a creative executive with extensive experience and brand strategy, storytelling, and team building. She's currently the senior director of Global Brand and Content studio over at Hitachi Ventura, a global technology company that helps businesses unlock the power of their data. So, Kristin, welcome to the show.

 

00:03:09:14 - 00:03:12:15

Kristen

Thank you for having me, Lydia. It's great to be here.

 

00:03:12:16 - 00:03:34:00

Lydia

It's amazing to have you. I'm really excited to, dive into, really how your approach to storytelling, and how to identify the right creatives to do so. But first, let's start with, you know, with you, a brief background on, you know, how you got into this world of creative leadership. And you know, what led you to where you are now?

 

00:03:34:02 - 00:04:04:10

Kristen

Really I'm a creative leader, and storyteller. And over the last decade, I've been leading global brand and content studios inside B2B tech companies, building in-house creative teams that operate with sole and speed of agency, but with more of the intimacy of an insider being in-house. And my focus has always been in translating complex, often very technical ideas into stories that feel human, cinematic and emotionally resonate with audiences.

 

00:04:04:10 - 00:04:17:02

Kristen

And the funny thing is, is that I actually started out in film and video production, which probably explains why I'm a little obsessed with the craft and emotion behind every brand story.

 

00:04:17:04 - 00:04:47:04

Lydia

Yeah. And, for those of you who, are, you know, not watching this on YouTube, Kristen has an amazing kind of background of cameras. You know, and. Yeah. On her shelves. So you can, you can tell that she's a filmmaker at heart. So, Kristen. Yeah, as you said, you know, your work is about taking complex and, you know, really technical content and for for you guys, you know, think think about that infrastructure, you know, cloud tech.

 

00:04:47:04 - 00:05:06:05

Lydia

Right. And really transforming it into stories that actually connect with people. So for our audience, you know, let's identify who these people are, right. Or we're we're a show about audience connection and that the core thing is really understanding your connection. So who is the core audience for the content that you create?

 

00:05:06:07 - 00:05:32:12

Kristen

Yeah. So in the data infrastructure space, it's really, data leaders, it's IT professionals, practitioners. It's the C-suite, which is CIOs, CTOs and as well as data architects. So really, that entire group of people of, you know, the I.T, the IT storage and IT infrastructure buyer is really who were marketing to.

 

00:05:32:14 - 00:06:00:03

Lydia

Yeah. And maybe I mean, correct me if I'm wrong. Right. When people think about this type of audience group, they think really technical. Right. Like really maybe left brain sort of content focus. But from your experience, what what type of content do they do they actually engage with right. And and why? You know, it does maybe more like emotive storytelling actually connect with this audience too.

 

00:06:00:04 - 00:06:04:02

Lydia

Like, are we, you know, missing that part of it?

 

00:06:04:03 - 00:06:30:06

Kristen

It's really a mix. And so depending on who you're speaking to. Right. So if you're talking to CIOs, then you're talking about thought leadership content. You're looking at what's the latest, that's happening within infrastructure and data storage, but also through cost and analysis. If you're talking to it practitioners like IT directors and managers. It's really about, you know, what does it do?

 

00:06:30:06 - 00:06:50:02

Kristen

How is it going to make my life easier? How am I going to get my weekends back? And then, you know, it's kind of the whole mix in between. But I'd say overall the audience is one this smart, is that has a lot on their plate as it budgets shrink and teams start to shrink with automation. But they've got to do more.

 

00:06:50:02 - 00:07:12:03

Kristen

And so in that respect, they're allergic to fluff. And I think that that's a really important aspect of it is that. But you've still got to make it compelling. So there are interesting subcultures that exist within the I.T space and the IT audiences. And it's about tapping into that, and not doing it in a way that feels fluffy or over marketing.

 

00:07:12:04 - 00:07:23:07

Kristen

They definitely want something that has sizzle and polish at times, but other times it's like, let's just get into the guts of what we're doing and what we're selling or what the problems that we're solving.

 

00:07:23:09 - 00:07:41:16

Lydia

I, I really want to dive deeper into the, the fluff. Right. They're allergic to the fluff. I mean, to a certain extent, I'm allergic to fluff. But I also I love engaging stories. Right. And when told really? Well, it really pulls you in and, you know, it. It latches into your memory. So, I don't know.

 

00:07:41:16 - 00:07:54:22

Lydia

Let's let's unpack that a little bit. Right? Like how, like maybe give some examples of, what, you know, isn't for for when fluff works. I mean, yeah, whatever route you want to take that.

 

00:07:55:00 - 00:08:17:21

Kristen

I think people assume just overall that B2B audiences don't care about creativity. They just have zero tolerance for a lot of noise, which is, I think what we're seeing today, for the it, for the it audience that we serve, sell, engage when they feel seen not sold to. And I think that that's a really important differentiation.

 

00:08:17:21 - 00:08:38:23

Kristen

And so there's a lot of play that you could have there depending on again, the level of the audience that you're talking to, whether you're talking to C-suite or whether you're talking to a practitioner. So this is something that we like to explore some of the things that we found, you know, the it, audience is also changing and evolving in a wonderful way, around diversity especially.

 

00:08:38:23 - 00:09:15:19

Kristen

I've been in this space for around ten years. And, you know, the traditional model was it was, you know, kind of older white guys that, that that ran the data centers, that has changed. And it's really fantastic to be able to see that in the way that I've personally seen. That is through user conferences, through the different companies I've worked for as we've gone ahead and put these conferences together and bring people out, you see that shift in that change, and that allows for a much bigger space to be able to tell a story, to be able to curate both, from a generational aspect, as far as you know, there's definitely, you

 

00:09:15:19 - 00:09:36:20

Kristen

know, a vintage flair that can happen or what I call vintage, which if you're looking at like 80s, 90s pop type culture pieces, but also your geos. So, you know, you've got a really large, it audience in India, for example. And what's going to resonate with them is very different than what's going to resonate in the U.S or in the UK.

 

00:09:36:20 - 00:09:47:02

Kristen

So it's an exciting space to be in. As you know, data is somewhat of the lifeblood right now. And so it's it's really exciting to see those changes.

 

00:09:47:04 - 00:10:24:18

Lydia

Yeah. Now for for sure. And I love that you, you know you talked about just how how segmented like we can get right with our different types of audiences. And I think what I've found, is, is still this kind of mindset of, hey, let's, let's produce a piece of content that talks to everyone. And, I, you know, how do we advocate for, hey, if we're talking to, you know, x, y, z in this geo, we need to put the time and budget and consideration and making specific content for them.

 

00:10:25:00 - 00:10:43:11

Lydia

And then here's another specific content for this group. Right. Versus because it's always a budget conversation. But you know, I think people don't realize that actually it's an outcome. And a, yeah, an a mindset conversation. And how do we move towards that versus thinking about budget first, perhaps?

 

00:10:43:13 - 00:11:09:21

Kristen

Absolutely. I mean, it's really about what's the story you're wanting to tell. But even before that it's what's the for for a business? What's the problem you're solving. Yeah. And so figuring out, you know, for the brand what that differentiation is. And then being able to build story around that. And then from there, if you've got a strong story and you're telling something compelling, then you can go ahead and create different facets.

 

00:11:09:21 - 00:11:30:09

Kristen

And those facets might be geo, those facets might be C-suite versus practitioner versus channel partner. That's a really interesting triangle that happens a lot. And then there's times where you have to be like, no, I need to protect the integrity of this piece, of this piece of storytelling. And it is only for this type of audience or this subset.

 

00:11:30:11 - 00:11:45:02

Kristen

And then, you know what? We can go create this over here because we're not talking to to these folks over here, and we need to create something there. So it's really about that, that level of of understanding what's right for home and then building upon that.

 

00:11:45:03 - 00:12:01:11

Lydia

Yeah. Yeah. And I think this is a great segue in talking about, you know, good creative. Right. How how do we cultivate and, and even define. Right. What, what good tastes and good creative is.

 

00:12:01:13 - 00:12:23:13

Kristen

It so subjective? Yeah. Especially in this time and space. And so I think at the end of the day, for me, it, it my point of view is, is that it's about good taste. And taste really comes from a couple different things, right? It comes from exposure and being able to have exposure to a lot of different type of art.

 

00:12:23:15 - 00:12:47:07

Kristen

And experiences, lived experiences, friendships. And then it also comes from failure and being able to try to build and fail. And that is one of the greatest teachers I've found, in my career so far. So it's about, you know, building that and just kind of continuing to, build upon that type of, experience to bring that forth in the work.

 

00:12:47:09 - 00:13:05:06

Lydia

Know for sure. And I guess, you know, in your role as a leader, how do you how do you approach finding, you know, the right talent, right, that that has the right tastes? For the, the particular, you know, brand that, that, that, that you're trying to create content for.

 

00:13:05:08 - 00:13:26:23

Kristen

Finding the right talent, is a process. And, you know, it's one of those things where there's certain levels of it that you can definitely teach depending on, you know, what the role is. But I think that it's about a person's ability to edit, to be able to bring the message through. Do I understand the idea?

 

00:13:26:23 - 00:13:51:05

Kristen

Do I understand the point of view? Is this technically proficient? That's a really important one. I think, especially in this time and space where we're just kind of like learning things quickly and doing that, that technical prowess that comes for us. And again, that comes forth through building and feeling and then building again and having different mentors and inspirations.

 

00:13:51:05 - 00:14:07:22

Kristen

And so for me, as I look at it as a leader, I'm one of the and one of the milestones on the path for creatives to go through and to be able to build through. When it comes to the matter of taste, which is something that I do believe and which sounds probably a little can can rub people wrong, right?

 

00:14:08:03 - 00:14:35:23

Kristen

But my view is, is that taste isn't elite, is, it's empathy with standards. And so I think that the more that we dive into the world of AI specifically, it's really about bringing forth that taste level, and each person's taste is going to be different. And that's what actually makes it really cool. Because it's, it's one of those things where you've got standards and those standards attract and detract.

 

00:14:35:23 - 00:14:49:00

Kristen

And so that that's where as creative leaders, we need to see what is the branded and where is the brand out right now, and how do we bring the right stories forward, and then how do we curate and cultivate that in a way that makes sense to our audience?

 

00:14:49:02 - 00:15:11:13

Lydia

Yeah. I'm glad you brought up the the AI conversation, because that that's where, well, where my brain was headed as well as, as, as, you know, you are speaking, because you know what, what we learn, as filmmakers and, content creators, we learned to experience. Right? And like you said, like what has worked, what hasn't?

 

00:15:11:18 - 00:15:39:05

Lydia

Being in the industry for decades, really? Right. Between us and my concern with AI is that it is, to a certain extent, removing that experience for, say, kind of like the entry level folks. Right? And, I'm really curious to see like how that changes, the way people approach creative.

 

00:15:39:06 - 00:16:00:20

Kristen

I'm with you on that. I feel the same way. There is a part of me that wants to see a tactile revolution, where we just go completely, into hands on pen and paper. Let's go and let's build, but I know that that's a utopian dream. But it is something that I think, you know, I've got kids.

 

00:16:00:20 - 00:16:21:18

Kristen

I'm a, a boy, mom, and I've got a 13 year old and an eight year old. And it's amazing to me to see them just pick it up. My son uses blender all the time. He has his cap cut, he's putting things together. He's shooting stuff on his phone. And it's one of those things where I love being able to see the way in which he's putting some of these things together.

 

00:16:21:18 - 00:16:59:17

Kristen

Now, this isn't AI specific, but it's still adjacent to it in the access, the democratize, the democratization of the tools of video, in particular, has been massive. And so what many of us normally went to film school for, or took film intensive courses is now able is readily available. Right. But the ability to be able to collaborate and I think that that's the thing as I bring it back to AI, the collaboration with others is really where you learn how to be a better professional, a better person, a better communicator.

 

00:16:59:18 - 00:17:31:08

Kristen

And so that's where it's going to get really interesting, because oftentimes I can be when we're talking about creativity and AI, it can be a very singular, siloed process depending on the situation. Not always right. But I think that this is where I think community is really important. As we continue, as we look at the younger generation and being able to show their work, receive critique in a valuable way and be able to say, hey, what is it about this that's resonated with me?

 

00:17:31:10 - 00:17:48:07

Kristen

And where does this feel like a mimic and where does this right? It's that whole process. And so in some ways, I guess I'm coming back around to the standards are still the same. The tools are changing and shifting. But at the same time, at the end of the day, we all got to get out and touch grass.

 

00:17:48:09 - 00:18:10:07

Kristen

And I think that that's a really important part of the process so that we're not creating just this, like, I work slop as it's being called, and this kind of sludge. So I'm excited about the future of what's possible. But I also want to be able to bring back to people and to, to the younger generations that are doing this, the tactile nature.

 

00:18:10:10 - 00:18:28:19

Kristen

I want them to be able to understand what these cameras are. I want them to be able to understand the the feel of, you know, the smell of fixer and, the feel of film. And, I because I think actually that gets super excited about it. So, I know I've just tangent a.

 

00:18:28:21 - 00:18:55:03

Lydia

No, no, I think it was like it was a great tangent. I mean, I think that I think the more anything's steers in one direction, the more people find joy and love in the other direction. Right. And you mentioned AI slop. So I think truly kind of human led, human made content is going to, if anything, come at a premium, right?

 

00:18:55:05 - 00:19:23:16

Lydia

You know, with AI also and to a certain extent making everything look quite similar, then you've you've kind of broken one of the laws of marketing, which is differentiation. Right? So, you know, I think it's it's pulling us in one direction, but also going to pull us back in in a different direction. One of the things that you mentioned that, you know, I want to, touch a bit more on as well is, you know, touching grass, but also touching it with people.

 

00:19:23:16 - 00:19:50:15

Lydia

Right? It's this, this whole building community and then having, a really good feedback loop. You know, when we talk about, creating really effective teams. Right? So what I found was, you know, folks need to really be in environments with other people and understand how to critically think about, finding solutions for a piece of feedback.

 

00:19:50:17 - 00:20:19:08

Lydia

Right. And I think we're losing that a bit with, you know, being able to just type in a question or type in a directive into, into ChatGPT you know, instead of using your mind to really critically think about, okay, what's going to make this edit a bit more emotive, what's going to solve this? Stakeholders feedback. Right. But in, in a creative way that drives better engagement within the video to content that you're creating?

 

00:20:19:10 - 00:20:41:23

Kristen

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think that there's also no better adrenaline rush than being able to have what I call a hive mind with other people. Oftentimes with creatives, with creative teams that I lead, that's one of my favorite outcomes is to be able, for all of us to kind of put different work together, show it.

 

00:20:42:01 - 00:21:21:07

Kristen

Some of it's come through, you know, I generation or efficiency models for sure. But being able to have that, that feedback loop, as you've said, is an exciting it is an exciting experience, especially then when you put it into market or you share it with the audience that it's intended for, because then you get to see how is it resonating and then to do that with a group of people and for that, that data to come back, and then each person is going to interpret that a little bit differently, then it's like it's going to be able to to build upon in a way that's going to that's going to further the

 

00:21:21:07 - 00:21:51:04

Kristen

storytelling. Yeah. So I think, I think it is something that is really important. And I think that it's one of those things where, you know, where I think with what you were sharing, when it becomes safe and generic, and I think generic is what we're mostly afraid of as creatives, is the white noise that's happening that, yeah, you know, we see and it's like everybody knows the look of Midjourney.

 

00:21:51:06 - 00:22:11:11

Kristen

Right. And that's okay because I feel like that now becomes a point in time. Right. It's like when, you know, certain types of filters came out in Final Cut and premiere and like you had this these like certain types of looks, they become they, they become a point in time. And so the question is really around Will was the story good?

 

00:22:11:13 - 00:22:30:10

Kristen

Because at the end of the day, what I've learned over time, I was so caught up in the esthetics of something and oh, it needs to look this way and it needs to be this way, and that can be true. But it's really about the truth of the storytelling. Am I telling a compelling story that's always going to win over any of this?

 

00:22:30:12 - 00:22:38:04

Kristen

And so the compelling story, which oftentimes is the simplest, is the one that will always cut through to the soul.

 

00:22:38:06 - 00:23:16:00

Lydia

You know, a lot of our work, involves, you know, people who are in the stories, right. And, and being able to bring you know, that's alive. And it doesn't always have to mean bring out the best cameras. The best lens is the backsliding. If anything, you know, you want to come at a pretty, pretty light because you don't want to detract from them telling their truths and like feeling comfortable and being able to also be nimble and captured the, the visuals that that are also needed to to tell that story and not have to do it over like five days.

 

00:23:16:00 - 00:23:28:03

Lydia

Or you can do that over a day. Now. And the way you structure that story and put it together is, is going to lead to how effective it is. Not, again, not all the money that you spent kind of putting it together.

 

00:23:28:05 - 00:23:50:23

Kristen

And that's the human experience. Because those moments, whether you're shooting something in and you're getting something unexpected a moment, an outtake that actually makes it in, those unexpected moments and the way that you can structure a story that's again, that's point of view and that's taste in its own way, and that's something that I can't replace.

 

00:23:51:01 - 00:24:09:10

Kristen

They can only show us the patterns. Right. Like so that's, I think, a really important, reminder for creatives that are feeling threatened about future technology because it's really the beauty and the memory is always in the mistakes.

 

00:24:09:12 - 00:24:30:21

Lydia

Yeah. No, I like that you bring that up as, as the last thing you said because there's, there's an episode in and I maybe I'll remember later which episode it was that, Ali had. But we talk about just like the, the little mistakes that people make that are that actually, lead to better engagement for the audience.

 

00:24:30:21 - 00:24:54:03

Lydia

Right. Because it makes it makes you look human. I want to go back to that. The hive, mind and the high that, you know, teams get when, when they're just in this amazing kind of brainstorm session. How do you what what are the things that you put in place to facilitate that? Right to to make sure that that happens and that we carve out time for that because things are moving so fast.

 

00:24:54:03 - 00:25:08:23

Lydia

We, you know, our teams here are casual. We have a million projects on at once. We try to get like a creative brainstorm in. But calendars don't fit, yada yada. Right. So how do you as a creative leader, make sure that that happens?

 

00:25:09:01 - 00:25:27:08

Kristen

Well, it's a great question. I mean, I think first of all, trust is the most important part you have to have, you know, the team needs to feel trust to be able to come bring their ideas. And the way that I try to start things off, assuming we've got a brief that's not always the case either, especially for in-house things or just sort of ad hoc at times.

 

00:25:27:10 - 00:25:28:20

Lydia

At the house. Now, two.

 

00:25:28:22 - 00:25:47:12

Kristen

Out of house two. Yeah. It's one of those things where, you know, we start with there's no there's no bad ideas. We start out, there's no you know, there's no sacred cows that come into this sort of situation. We're going to just put everything out there and start to work back from, you know, what are the goals and objectives.

 

00:25:47:17 - 00:26:11:01

Kristen

So creating that, feeling for the group allows for expansion. And so I think that, you know, one of those things too, is to be able to as you get to know each other as creatives, understanding where certain people are going to go with the way in which they're going to influence or the stylization that they might bring to the table.

 

00:26:11:01 - 00:26:40:17

Kristen

And so you start adding to that. And really, it's like a cake. I mean, it's like there's the baseline. I'm, you know, I'm trying to bring the base layer, but it's really the rest of the creatives that add to it and bring that together. I think something that's really important for that is also to have, time with creatives to be able for them to be able to show their work for you to be able to as a creative leader, to be able to do reviews with them, share with them what you think works, where you think it falls apart.

 

00:26:40:19 - 00:27:06:12

Kristen

Ask some questions around that. Don't just correct their work. Ask them why they made those decisions. These are kind of the basics, but I think it's something that gets lost often in the urgency and the the agile. Let's move. Move fast, you know, let's just go, go, go. And so oftentimes it can be robotic. And I think that that's where all of a sudden you find yourself just in a place of of again generic thinking.

 

00:27:06:18 - 00:27:30:23

Kristen

And so I like to be able to have that time weekly with my creatives, to be able for them to be able to show me what they're working on, whether problems they're trying to solve, oftentimes also as an in-house leader, a problem that somebody on my video team is solving for and then one of my writers or on the design team, these are separate projects that often cross-pollinate.

 

00:27:31:01 - 00:27:42:20

Kristen

And so to be able to connect those dots is really important. And it's one of the things that I, I do feel that for the teams that I lead, we're able that's a superpower of ours. So it's pretty exciting.

 

00:27:42:22 - 00:28:04:18

Lydia

Yeah, I think that's that's great. That you do find time to do that, right? Because it is it's hard work and I can I can definitely, sympathize with that. So I think that's great. I love to pivot a little bit to, you know, we talk about, we said the word generic a lot, right? Throughout this conversation.

 

00:28:04:18 - 00:28:17:16

Lydia

So what I guess to you, what is a sign that a brand has truly elevated its storytelling? And then what's like a red flag that it's it's stuck in that generic safe zone.

 

00:28:17:18 - 00:28:45:02

Kristen

When it comes to brands being stuck in a safe zone, it is. It is just that it is pretty generic. It looks like it's probably mimicking its competition. Or it's just not standing out. It's, it just doesn't have an authentic voice or point of view that is resonating with its audience. And that can happen for a number of different reasons.

 

00:28:45:03 - 00:29:08:09

Kristen

But I think that the, the way that I see brands standing out is when they're taking risks. And those don't always have to be bold. It's just more in is it good storytelling? You know, is the brand journalism hitting it with the way that they're reacting to some of the topics? And does this feel authentic? And I think that that's really where it comes down for me.

 

00:29:08:15 - 00:29:28:03

Kristen

When I see a brand taking risk, there's an authenticity to the way that they're telling the story or the way that they're showing up. And it could be something as simple as their LinkedIn feeds just looking cohesive. It it can be so many different things. But it's one of those areas that I think is authenticity is so important.

 

00:29:28:05 - 00:29:51:15

Kristen

And it's really hard to get because I think in order to be authentic, you need to know who you are as a brand. And then your creative team and your product team and your engineering team also need to be able to understand who that is and what that is. And so that's where a lot of times there's tension, because product marketing might see things in a totally different way.

 

00:29:51:15 - 00:30:13:01

Kristen

And so how do you navigate that. And it's really one of those things where you've got to without being, you know, especially for creative teams without being seen as, an agency of no, that's something that for in-house teams, they navigate often. I've always found that in, you know, pressures to move fast or to skip discovery or testing.

 

00:30:13:03 - 00:30:40:20

Kristen

That's where creative leadership really gets tested for a brand. And my instinct is to slow down just a, just a beat to enough to protect the quality and, the alignment. And, you know, you can say yes to the outcome, just not to the shortcut of getting there. And so oftentimes I find that what's happening is, is there's a request for shortcutting and there's moments where you can where that's okay.

 

00:30:40:20 - 00:30:57:19

Kristen

But a lot of times it's not because what it's going to do is it's going to paint you into a corner. And so again, that's going to bring you into red flag space over time. And so it's the balance between creative instinct and business urgency that I think the creative leader and the creative teams are, are under right now I guess.

 

00:30:57:19 - 00:31:09:20

Lydia

What is the conversation with the other side? Right. With, with, you know, the leadership team, the, product team, how do you navigate that balance? That conversation?

 

00:31:09:22 - 00:31:36:02

Kristen

It comes back to goals and objectives. And the thing that is going to sound this is going to sound so business catchy of me, but it's about the RACI who's responsible, who's accountable and who's, you know who's the ultimate decider. And so if we look at again what's the objective that we're trying to achieve here, I think you'll find that most, leaders, most executives, it makes sense.

 

00:31:36:04 - 00:31:55:18

Kristen

There's always those times where it's personal, you know, where it's personal, and you've got it's it's what is that song like? You to know when to hold and when know when to fold. And know when to walk away. Hopefully you never have to run. But it's, one of those things where there are moments where you just have to say, hey, I'm going to give this up to you.

 

00:31:55:20 - 00:32:23:12

Kristen

That's fine. In the background, most creative leaders are saying, okay, how are we going to work out of that corner? And that's kind of the job. And so there's a lot, again, in this creative space, we're working with subjective emotions and feelings towards these things. But our role is really, in-house and agency. It's, you know, really to be able to connect the dots to our audience.

 

00:32:23:14 - 00:32:31:03

Kristen

And so that's where the job really gets difficult. But it's also a really exciting challenge. And I think it's why so many of us are in this space.

 

00:32:31:03 - 00:32:54:15

Lydia

Very, very well put. I think, we're all problem solvers. And that is one of the highs that at least I get right. When you're backed into a corner, there's all these constraints. And then the team thinks of an idea that like literally checks those boxes, but does it in such a creative and engaging way and it's like high fives everywhere, right?

 

00:32:54:15 - 00:32:55:17

Lydia

Because you're like,

 

00:32:55:19 - 00:32:56:15

Kristen

You know, we.

 

00:32:56:16 - 00:33:24:05

Lydia

Got it. So I think, yeah, that's that's really well put. And, you know, us as creatives where we're problem solvers at heart. And, you know, I think, we we're always fight the good fight. Well, and this was such an amazing conversation and I guess to, to wrap things up, you know, we we talked about AI, we talked about, you know, how basically you can't create soul and authenticity.

 

00:33:24:05 - 00:33:43:05

Lydia

And, you know, that's why having creative leaders like yourself is just so important. So what's what's your kind of lasting advice to our listeners who just continue to cultivate this? And as I just kind of said, like, fight, fight the good fight of like, you know, making sure that we're thinking of the outcomes, we're thinking of the audience.

 

00:33:43:05 - 00:33:52:21

Lydia

And then there's the taste, that creative element that binds that all together and makes that lovely wedding cake that we all want to take a bite out of.

 

00:33:52:23 - 00:34:20:11

Kristen

I think it's two things. I think for creatives, it's algorithms. They can replicate patterns, but they can't replicate perspective. And so that perspective is yours to cultivate. And so as you're doing that, number two is respect your audience, protect your taste. And above all, stay curious. That's that's really the the curiosity is what's going to continue to break you through to the next level.

 

00:34:20:13 - 00:34:24:17

Lydia

All right, Kristen, well, thank you so much for joining the show. Is great to have you.

 

00:34:24:19 - 00:34:28:16

Kristen

Thank you, Lydia, for having me. This was great. I really enjoyed it.

 

00:34:28:18 - 00:34:47:20

Lydia

Thanks for tuning in to the Audience Connection podcast. If you enjoyed today's episode, don't forget to subscribe and leave us a review. If you'd like to connect with me about how I can help you tell their stories and connect better with your audiences, drop me a note Lydia at Casual films.com. We'll be back with more episodes soon. See you next time.