Coworking with Vanessa Chin

Each week, we spotlight Marketing Brew readers in our Coworking series. If you’d like to be featured, introduce yourself here.

Vanessa Chin is SVP of marketing at System1, a UK-based market research platform that measures creative effectiveness. She was previously marketing director and in-house studio lead at Aldi US, and she has also worked at agencies including Leo Burnett, Marc USA, and BBDO.

Favorite project you’ve worked on? My favorite project has to be the annual System1 Super Bowl analysis, which we are in the process of planning as we quickly approach February. This is where the dream job sets in. For “work,” we watch all the ads leading up to the Big Game and during, get them into testing, review the results within hours, and then talk about how amazing they were. The surprise moments. The celebrities. The nostalgic favorites. The song that we can’t shake from our subconscious (I see you, Mountain Dew.)

What’s your favorite ad campaign? One of the most powerful campaigns in recent years is Always’s “Like a Girl.” As both a woman and a mother to a four-year-old daughter, I deeply appreciate how Always leveraged its platform to challenge stereotypes and empower young girls. This campaign shed light on the real impact that dismissive phrases like “throwing like a girl” have on self-esteem during formative years.

Beyond Always, this ad has inspired a wave of similarly powerful messaging. In the past year, brands like e.l.f., Dove, and even the NFL have followed suit, addressing crucial topics such as women’s confidence and social bias in their advertising. Dove’s “These Legs” Super Bowl ad tackled the role puberty and societal stereotypes play in undermining young girls’ self-confidence. Nike’s “So Win” and the NFL’s Flag 50 campaign took center stage during last year’s Super Bowl, championing the same message through the lens of athletes and bringing women’s flag football to all 50 states. I was thrilled to see the NFL recently release their purpose spot called “Inspire Change,” continuing their social justice initiative from last year’s “Somebody.” While sports are just one avenue for these discussions, it’s inspiring to see brands using major cultural moments like the Super Bowl to drive awareness and spark conversations.

One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile: I have two kids under five, so when I’m not talking about ads, writing about ads, or analyzing ads, I’m probably striking up a conversation about ads with parents on the playground.

What marketing trend are you most optimistic about? Least? One trend I’m especially optimistic about is the power of consistent branding. Last year System1 conducted research titled The Magic of Compound Creativity that shows maintaining a stable creative foundation, whether through a familiar fluent device (like the Geico Gecko, Flo from Progressive, or KFC’s Colonel Sanders) or a long-term creative agency, pays off significantly. The data suggests that it takes around three years for brands to fully reap the benefits of consistency and ad wear-in (wear out is a myth!).

This research has gained strong traction among brands and agencies, fueling important discussions on long-term creative strategy. I’m hopeful that more brands will embrace consistency as a long-term investment rather than opting for frequent reinvention. You’ll see this theme continue in our upcoming research, too.

What’s one marketing-related podcast/social account/series you’d recommend? I have to give a shoutout to Uncensored CMO, hosted by my boss and friend, Jon Evans, System1’s chief customer officer. The UK’s No. 1 marketing podcast, it delivers weekly episodes featuring top CMOs, diving deep into the realities of marketing beyond surface-level discussions.

A social account I highly recommend is Breaking and Entering. They do an incredible job connecting the advertising and marketing industry through a mix of podcasts, videos, blogs, and strategic collaborations. But their fresh, in-your-face approach resonates with the next generation of marketers, blending insightful commentary with humor and a pinch of chaos. I’ve had a few great conversations with Geno and Jack, and their daily ad updates are something I look forward to every day!