The Power of Polarization with Tom Suharto
b"Tom Suharto leads global strategy at Forsman & Bodenfors where his clients include Volvo, Crocs, Baileys, and H&M. Prior to that, he was at Wieden+Kennedy working on iconic brands like Nike and Disney. We discussed all of this and more, this week on the On Brand podcast.\\n\\nAbout Tom Suharto\\nTom Suharto leads global strategy at Forsman & Bodenfors, one of the most creatively awarded agencies of the past decade. His clients at Forsman include Volvo, Polestar, Crocs, Goldman Sachs, Baileys, and H&M, to name a few. Before joining Forsman, Tom spent a decade at Wieden+Kennedy, starting in their Shanghai office where he helped to launch Shanghai Disneyland and led strategy on Nike China. Then in Portland, Oregon, where he worked on Nike Women and Just Do It campaigns, helped launch Samsung flagship phones, and led strategy on Facebook Groups.\\n\\nEpisode Highlights\\nThe Crocs brand is certainly having a moment \\u2026 Following a recent trip to New York where my daughter was most excited about visiting the Crocs store (!), I had to talk to Tom about his work with Crocs. \\u201cWith the pandemic, people started prioritizing comfort and Crocs leaned into that. And being unapologetic about being who you are.\\u201d\\nThe power of polarization. \\u201cWe talk a lot with Crocs about polarization\\u2014how you want people to (ideally) love you or (not-so-ideally) hate you.\\u201d But you want that strong emotional response.\\nThe staying power of Just Do It. This work is cited so often, I wanted to dig deeper with someone who worked with this campaign while at Wieden+Kennedy. \\u201cFor something like this to work, you need context. There needs to be a moment to meet. You also have to know your audience.\\u201d For Nike, this has always been the voice of the athlete. \\u201cThat\\u2019s why Just Do It works.\\u201d\\n\\u201cStrategy in turbulent times is about prioritizing,\\u201d Tom shared of the uncertainty around a pending recession. \\u201cBut brands adding value to people isn't going out of style\\u2014even in a recession.\\u201d\\nWhat brand has made Tom smile recently?\\xa0\\u201cI\\u2019m going to share a brand that made my kids smile, which, in turn, made me smile.\\u201d Just like my Crocs story! Tom told the story of the IRL \\u201cMrBeast Burger\\u201d that he and his kids love at the American Dream mall in New Jersey.\\nTo learn more, check out the\\xa0Forsman & Bodenfors website and connect with Tom on LinkedIn.\\n\\nAs We Wrap \\u2026\\n\\n\\nListen and subscribe\\xa0at\\xa0Apple Podcasts,\\xa0Spotify,\\xa0Amazon/Audible,\\xa0Google Play,\\xa0Stitcher,\\xa0TuneIn,\\xa0iHeart,\\xa0YouTube, and\\xa0RSS.\\n\\n\\nRate and review the show\\u2014If you like what you\\u2019re hearing, be sure to head over to\\xa0Apple Podcasts\\xa0and click the 5-star button to rate the show. And, if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review to help others find the show.\\n\\n\\nDid you hear something you liked on this episode or another?\\xa0Do you have a question you\\u2019d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.\\n\\n\\nOn Brand is a part of the\\xa0Marketing Podcast Network.\\n\\n\\nUntil next week, I\\u2019ll see you on the Internet!\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices"