WhatsApp Marketing executive Vivian Odior explains how some of the messaging platform’s most effective marketing projects were put together. WhatsApp Global Marketing Director Vivian Odior manages global marketing campaigns to encourage the messaging network’s more than two billion members to celebrate their diversity.
Odior, a former global marketing director at Johnson & Johnson, has effectively pushed limitations to address people’s difficulties with identification and representation. SeRealMe campaign, which featured transgender activist Jazz Jennings, 14, and received a lot of media attention.
Odior recently met with Inc. to discuss how to create an effective global marketing strategy. — Xintian Tina Wang was made aware of this.
How has your background influenced your career?
Nigeria was my birthplace. I am the second daughter of my parents’ five children. People in our society aspire to have a son. Despite the fact that not many people were interested in me when I was born, my parents told me to always pursue my dreams.
He studied advertising and broadcast journalism at the University of Houston. I vowed to everyone that I would follow in the footsteps of Oprah Winfrey by opening on television and influencing people. During that period, I took several marketing and sales classes.
This was where I first learnt about consumer psychology and behavior. I learned that telling a story is critical for company success. I wanted the opportunity to do so in an ethical manner since I was aware of how brands have influenced my opinions in a variety of ways.
How has your stint at Johnson & Johnson informed the way you build marketing campaigns now?
At J&J, I learned the fundamentals of brand management and customer service. By employing narrative, I can better understand how marketing strategies meet client wants.
He had the opportunity to address family and body care while working with Tylenol. I had the opportunity to discuss motherhood while working with the newborn brand Johnson’s Baby. I spoke to adolescent girls about body acceptance while working for the skin care firm Clean & Clear.
When approaching campaigns or communications from a brand, one of the things I now do is conceive of them as long-term debates or chapters rather than a single piece of information.
Because a conversation has a beginning, middle, and end, I believe company owners should consider architecting a discussion over the course of a year or a few months to genuinely take people on a journey.
They are initially drawn to something, and then you pitch yourself as the solution, intensifying the debate and gaining people’s full attention.
What additional tips do you have for companies trying to engage their customers through storytelling?
Consider your target audience. Many people feel that everything is available to everyone and that everyone can access and accept anything, particularly in today’s internet-based world.
However, you produce your best work when you have a specific person in mind, take the time to properly understand that person, and then center your business, storytelling, and engagement model on that person.
Think on what would amuse, intrigue, or draw in the audience and how they would respond.
For instance, it was crucial to understand what makes people happy and unhappy as well as their challenges in the present zeitgeist when I used to work for a painkiller company.
Imagine someone in excruciating pain and what they would do when forced to choose a painkiller; that is one thing.
What current campaigns is WhatsApp running to reach a global audience?
I make it a point to tell stories that promote many different identities from across the world and spotlight underrepresented groups.
In February of this year, we announced a collaboration with the adored NBA player Giannis Antetokounmpo for the 2022 All-Star Game, which piqued the curiosity of millions and sparked a discourse with multicultural people all over the world.
The Application discussed his mixed childhood in a Nigerian family, as well as how the app keeps him linked to his cultural roots.
He also managed the Nigerian Independence Day campaign “Naija Spirit” by making a music campaign film with well-known singers such as Rema, Tobe Ngigwe, and Cuppy.
We value cultural relevance since our organization serves so many diverse groups and cultures. We unavoidably promote fairness and equality in the neighborhood by doing so.
