Visionary Minds 🇺🇸 ANA ANDJELIC (Esprit) - How to Build Brand Gravity in a World Obsessed with Virality?
Dec 16, 2025
Ana Andjelic, Global Chief Brand Officer and sociologist turned cultural strategist, explains why brands must operate as cultural systems. She discusses building brand gravity over chasing virality. Conversations cover cultural programming, CMOs as producers, aligning creativity with commercial metrics, and measuring culture as business capital.
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Rebuilding From Brand Origins
- At Esprit, the brand's center of gravity was bold art direction and graphic identity from its early days.
- At Banana Republic, imagined worlds and handwritten catalogs were the core aesthetic to rebuild around.
Let Financial Targets Drive Creative Briefs
- Start with hard financial targets then derive creative briefs from required product volumes and channels.
- Prioritize audiences by value and influence, then target creative and advertising to them.
Measure Creativity With Realistic Timeframes
- Creativity can be measurable but needs realistic timelines and early indicators.
- Ana warns reinvention takes years and short-term quarterly views can misjudge long-term brand work.