"Diversity is what makes us great" - Heidi Brauer

August is both #WomensMonth and time to celebrate creativity across Africa and the Middle East, with the Loeries. As a result, I merged these two themes and caught up with Brauer ahead of her judging the categories of shared value, service design and effective creativity.

Heidi Brauer, chief marketing officer at Hollard and Loeries 2017 effective creativity and shared value and service design jury panellist.

As a marketer, Brauer says both of these – effective creativity and shared value and service design – are what it’s all about for her, every day. Our purpose must be to communicate so that there’s a win for everyone – consumers, shareholders, communities and employees. Little wonder as Brauer serves as a mentor, mentee and collaborator, a lover of challenge and change, and deep believer in the power of brands and humans, as it takes a village to raise a brand.

Marketing

[Behind the Selfie]... with Heidi Brauer

Leigh Andrews  11 Mar 2015

No newcomer to the role of creativity assessor and analyst, she has judged the Association for Communication & Advertising (ACA)’s Apex awards, Prisa Prism awards, Financial Mail AdFocus awards and the Amasa Roger Garlick Innovation in Media award. Here, Brauer shares her personal female business mentors and the need for better female representation in the creative industries…

Explain your personal Loeries highlights over the years – your best moments from attending, and work that won.
I was a late, but punchy, starter and in my first year I was lucky enough to represent two great brands – Kulula.com and Slow lounges – and we left with a load of awards, including Grand Prix. But I was most proud when the last Loeries chair, Xolisa Dyeshana, let me know that all my social media rants had been worthwhile when the announcement of awards now named brands as well as agencies, because it’s the whole truth that if there’s no brand, there’s no work and then no win.

Wow. Talk us through the need for better female representation in the creative industries.
If the world is made up of roughly half and half men and women (actually, in SA we are 51.7% female), how can we possibly not need a balance of energies and perspectives and approaches? Yin and yang. We bring different stuff to the world. We aren’t the same and we shouldn’t try to be. The balance of these energies and perspectives can only make our work stronger and results more meaningful.

How does being a Loeries judge tie in with that and what else should be done to ensure more empowered females shine in the local creative industries?
When we are in the jury rooms we have to all be conscious of hearing the voices of all of the people at the table. I don’t believe that it is only for women to lift women up; men need to be conscious, too. This is true in every context. Diversity is what makes us great.

That’s for sure. Who are your personal female business mentors?
Shirley Benney, my former partner at Markinor, made a huge impact on me and I’d race beside her into a fire anytime. Arianna Huffington and Sheryl Sandberg both make me think really hard.

That’s what I call inspiration all round. Follow Brauer ‏on Twitter, click through to her MyBiz profile for more, and keep an eye on our Loeries Creative Week Durban special section for all the latest updates! Loeries Creative Week Durban takes place from 14 to 21 August 2017.