An Interview with Payal Vaidya, Founder of #ExperienceBrandThinking
As Spinster continues to empower underrepresented startups around the world, we are here not only to support their business foundations and growth, but to utilize our resources and network to ensure each of our clients are granted the up close and personal, unique experience of Spinster.
With that said it makes perfect sense to partner with Designer, Strategist, and Founder of #ExperienceBrandThinking, Payal Vaidya. Through her immersive workshop series, entrepreneurs will learn design and brand thinking skills with a focus on embracing a human-centered approach. Participants can expect an experiential, hands-on session where they will better comprehend how to connect with consumers and sell their products and services.
“I intend to share cutting-edge techniques derived from the latest in design research, innovation strategy, branding and marketing, for a fresh perspective on building purposeful brands,” she says. Continue below for an exclusive interview with Payal Vaidya on creating #EBT and what she has planned for her upcoming workshop - Taste of Fall!
Spinster: What inspired you to create a workshop based on how we think about brands?
Payal Vaidya: Through my experiences working with large agencies to early-stage startups on various advertising, branding, innovation, and design projects, I learned what goes into building successful brands. From creating the product or service to launching in the market, the journey is anything but a smooth sail.
I often meet people who think about brands in a very unidimensional way - branding as a logo, or content for social media, or just the look and feel of the brand, but it is so much more. It is almost like a multi-dimensional person, that has a personality. I want companies and entrepreneurs to think about how it looks and feels, to how it speaks to and engages with customers. Why does it exist? What is its purpose? Is it solving a real problem? Is there a need? Is it differentiating enough? Who are the customers? How do they interact with the brand?
I am trying to shift the focus from a brand-centric to a human-centric approach for my clients and believe more founders can benefit from this.
Spinster: How did you begin your career working with brands?
Payal Vaidya: While studying for my undergrad with a focus on business and commerce, I started working at a playschool with kids where I created environments and experiences to teach them things they would remember. My interest in creating things took me to advertising and design firms where I had great opportunities to work with Fortune 500 companies like L'oreal, P&G and Unilever amongst others. One thing led to another and I’ve been working with brands for more than 15 years.
Spinster: What makes your role in creating brands and campaigns different than other strategists and designers?
Payal Vaidya: I started my journey as a designer, creating identities, advertising campaigns and marketing material and grew to lead creative teams as an Executive Creative Director at the top three agencies. Along with creative work, I enjoyed working on strategic development as it gave more meaning to my work as a creative. I then went on to do a Master’s in Design with a focus on strategy, human-centered design, and design thinking.
Spinster: What is the biggest mistake you find founders and entrepreneurs making early on when they are developing their brand?
Payal Vaidya: I love how passionate and hard-working entrepreneurs are. They take huge risks while developing their businesses. Often times they lack guidance and support due to financial constraints and do not have enough knowledge or skills required but are willing to learn and do more. The most common mistake I have noticed is building brands from their (one-dimensional) perspective, they often miss looking at the customer’s and market perspectives - who they are going to sell, where and how? And in today’s competitive market it is so important to understand your audience, being able to walk in their shoes and thinking of brands outside-in versus inside-out.
Spinster: What are you most looking forward to for the next #ExperienceBrandThinking event, “Taste of Fall?”
Payal Vaidya: Holidays are a great time to bring in the moolah, and it is cut-throat business time to attract customers for companies. I am looking forward to an engaging afternoon where founders get hands-on experience to open their minds, use different senses to experience both familiar and new ideas. They will learn to identify the sameness in the market and work on developing differentiating ideas for the holiday season which will help them to boost their revenue in the long run. Lastly, I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with!
For tickets to Taste of Fall, please visit our event page and to keep up with Payal follow #ExperienceBrandThinking on Instagram here!