Zoe Hayes | A Masterclass in Brand Success

Zoe Hayes is a QUT alumnus whose career in brand management reads like a playbook for success. Graduating with a Bachelor of Business in 2001, Zoe’s journey has taken her across the world and into a diverse array of industries and brands, from tech giants to fashion icons. Her ability to craft compelling brand narratives and lead transformative marketing campaigns has garnered her numerous accolades, including an ARIA Award and multiple Clio Sports Awards. Zoe's career highlights include revitalising well-known brands like Bonds and Berlei, as well as her most recent work with Google. Her expertise includes creating cohesive brand visions and building high-performance teams that consistently deliver commercial success.

In this engaging conversation, Zoe shares her insights on the art of brand transformation, the power of emotional connection and the role of storytelling in enhancing brand loyalty. Join us as we learn from Zoe’s dynamic approach to making brands resonate in today’s crowded market.

You’ve worked with a variety of big brands such as Google, Bonds, Berlei and SABA. What drew you to work for these companies?

After working on a huge range of local and international brands at creative agencies, I knew when I went ‘client-side,’ I really wanted the opportunity to own local strategy development through to execution for Australian brands vs implementing playbooks devised overseas. Bonds, Berlei, and SABA were all iconic Australian brands with wonderfully gnarly marketing challenges to work on. Bonds had moved the remainder of their manufacturing overseas, and consequently, Australians lost their trust in the brand. Our task was to re-earn their love, which was a mammoth challenge, especially considering at the same time, cheaper house brands were on the rise and then the GFC hit, so no one wanted to pay a premium for undies, if they were buying new undies at all! It was an incredible 5 years with Bonds and I’m pleased (and relieved) to say we rebuilt its brand health, grew sales and graduated from a wholesaler to a retailer. Berlei and SABA needed a unifying and rallying brand vision to inspire all parts of the business and ignite the brand's connection to consumers. The brand strategy element is the part I adore because I get to love and nurture brands to truly live up to their potential. Then the Google opportunity came up and I couldn't pass up the chance to work on such a globally-renowned brand and make the leap from undies to tech! There are many sub-brands within Google, all with very different challenges. So, in addition to working on Google's master brand, the role involved driving the marketing for Search, Android Devices, Chromebooks, YouTube and the partnership with AFL. Wonderfully, Google supports nuanced Australia-led marketing vs a homogenous, one-size-fits-all, globally-led approach.

Google helped me flex an entirely different set of marketing muscles.

Why did you choose to study at QUT, and how was your experience studying a Bachelor of Business with majors in management and marketing?

The proposition of ‘university for the real world’ strongly appealed to me. I was incredibly impatient to get my career kicked off and wanted a degree from a university that would set me up for success from day one, post graduation. The promise of my degree at QUT lived up to expectations - I moved to London straight after I graduated, quickly landed a role working in an advertising agency and was selected for the talent ‘fast track’ which was brilliant!

What real-world experiences did your lecturers or tutors bring to your learning and how did this prepare you for a career in the competitive corporate world?

Funnily enough, my original uni degree choice wasn't marketing. I was studying Information Technology in the building adjacent to Z block, where all the marketing lectures took place. One day, curiosity (and the fact that I.T. and I were NOT a match!) compelled me to crash a marketing lecture on Consumer Behaviour. From the first minute I was HOOKED. The lecturer brought to life case studies in which brands had truly uncovered the drivers behind their target audience’s needs and behaviours to drive success. The part I loved most was that the insight was usually not obvious and there was detective work involved in understanding what makes people tick.

I remember it viscerally - my heart beat a little faster... I leant forward in my seat and I knew I’d found my true career path.

From your vast experience, what advice would you give to brand custodians who aim to create magnetic brands that people want to buy into?

It sounds simple but interestingly after working both agency and client side, I’ve too often observed that brand custodians can forget they’re not the target audience. Don’t make that mistake! Any success I’ve had across my career has been from intimately knowing the target audience and how the brand or product I’m working on can help that specific consumer in their personal quest. Do the research. Dig into the insights. Dig in again 'til you find the insight gold that will truly light your target audience up. Help them be their best self, solve their problems whether they be big or small. Then do the work on putting that solution up in lights, telling your brand or product’s story in a way that powerfully resonates with them.

How can a business strengthen their brand identity to really stand out in a crowded market?

Businesses can often lose their way by trying to appeal to everyone vs really doubling down on their own unique proposition for a specific target audience. If you create marketing that understands and builds to this audience, the campaign will resonate so much more powerfully than a generic one-size-fits-all. Then, from there it’s like any relationship. Introduce yourself in an interesting way, earn their trust, respect their time by making your communication crafted, considered and original! It’s amazing how much same-ness there is out there.

Being wallpaper is NOT where you want to be in this cluttered environment.

Brands often aim to evoke positive emotions in their audience. What strategies have you found most effective in creating brands that resonate emotionally with consumers?

In a noisy world, emotion is an incredibly effective tool to cut- through the clutter. I’m surprised more brands don’t leverage its power! I’ve been fortunate to see emotion deliver outsized impact time and time again in my campaigns. A marketer needs to have the vision to deliver emotion and stick to it, giving that expectation to the team and their agencies. and driving the idea successfully through the business stakeholders. Factual campaigns can be easier to get approved because all parts of the business feel comfortable with facts. But the reality is emotion is the true universal human experience that can be used to captivate your audience, whether it be laughter, inspiration, surprise, and even sadness and shock. The facts can be wheeled out once you have their attention, but cut through and connect, first and foremost.

Your work and campaigns have won numerous awards, such as the ARIA Award and Clio Sports Awards. What’s been your favourite brand campaign to work on, and why?

Tough question! I’m personally very motivated to help other women rise up so it may have to be Berlei’s “Do It For Yourself” with Serena Williams. Through our research we knew women who bought Berlei sports bras inherently understood the joy of self investment and care. We also knew that our ambassador, Serena, loved to dance and it was something she did just to fill her own cup. So, we asked her if she would share that to inspire other women on the joy and reward of self investment… and wonderfully she said "yes!" Berlei had historically done very rational messaging so this campaign was a huge step change for the brand. To cut to the chase - the campaign smashed it on all fronts - went global, brand health skyrocketed, sales rocked across the entire brand, and even better - women were thanking us for the campaign as it inspired them to self care once more.

How important is storytelling in brand leadership, and what role does it play in enhancing brand perception and loyalty?

Brands are all vying for share of their audience’s hearts, minds and wallets. Storytelling is the foundation of earning your audience’s attention creating a bridge between a company and its customers. Stories humanise a brand helping transform it from a logo and a product into a relatable entity with a personality, values, purpose. And it can foster that important emotional connection with consumers. It’s the foundation to strengthening brand perception and loyalty.

What is one goal you'd like to achieve in the next year?

I’m excited to share that I'm returning to the Sunshine State after over 20+ years away! The entrepreneurialism coming out of Queensland is astounding and I’d love to help brands from this State thrive on a global stage!

Just for fun... did you ever take advantage of Google’s sleep pods to enjoy an afternoon siesta at work?

I’ve been so lucky to take advantage of many of Google’s wonderful perks (the free daily breaky and lunches are hard to beat!), but no naps were taken. However, I took advantage of the meditation room, discounted massages, and the onsite gym whenever I had a moment to catch my breath in the warp-speed world of tech.

Zoe Hayes

QUT degree - Bachelor of Business (2001)

Have a question for Zoe? Connect with her on LinkedIn.