Speaker interview with Rohan Lightfoot

Can you give us some insight into what Mindshare do and how they differ from other media agencies?

Mindshare was born in Asia Pacific over twenty years ago and has been the leading media agency in the region since birth. Our leadership position is consistent across the region, so we've been a the forefront of the emergence of the digital economy in China, India and across South East Asia that will shape the future of global growth. Being the leader in the engine of global growth gives us real advantages in understanding how the landscape is changing and also allows us to have a (tiny) effect on those changes.

You’ve worked with some incredible brands including Adidas, Pernod Ricard, Unilever and Coca-Cola. Do you have a standout campaign you’ve worked on?

My time in Asia has allowed me to work with some of the world's leading brands, but it's really impossible to top being part of the 2008 Beijing Olympic campaign for adidas. China and Asia have changed a lot since then, but it really felt like we were all part of a moment that could reshape the future.

On a personal level, where do you draw inspiration from?

My inspiration comes from everywhere. I'm always inspired by great work and great ideas from my colleagues and other clients and agencies. I find music a constant and never ending source of inspiration and also, I'm immensely fortunate that my wife is an artist and art teacher. Her way of finding beauty in the world still surprises me after more than twenty years together.

Can you tell us a little about what Precisely Human Intelligence is and how you use it?

Precisely Human Intelligence is about marrying the motivation for action with our ability to reach the person taking action. The media industry has had a habit of focusing a little too much on the accuracy of targeting, but not enough on the empathy of understanding motivation. Precisely Human Intelligence is about matching motivation with precision to help us understand how to get people to take action at scale.

Are you seeing any new trends in the digital marketing space emerging due to the pandemic?

Obviously, we all understand that the pandemic has been an accelerator of digital adoption. Barriers to entry on entire categories of commerce have been obliterated and that will make it easier to get people to try new products and services in future. For example, in many parts of Asia a physical wallet is no longer a necessity. Social commerce is exploding and brands are exploring new routes to market on a daily basis.

Gaming is another area that blossomed when we were all confined to our spare rooms and that has been a contributing factor to the emergence of the Metaverse as an actual thing.

I think the more interesting question is what trends will remain beyond the pandemic. We're seeing how investors have responded to Netflix losing subscribers in their last set of results. Competition for time and attention is going to get tougher again as people are able to emerge from their homes and return to experiencing the world and each other irl.