TCO launches new Brand Insight offering, led by Helen Job, Former Head of Futures at Flamingo
Helen joins TCO to be first Head of Insight in the company’s 13-year history.
TCO, the media owner behind youth culture brand Huck and film and entertainment magazine Little White Lies, is launching an insights division drawing on their unique access to stories and talent across the cultural landscape.
The move comes off the back of recent growth driven by UK and European brand campaigns including Nothing Beats a Londoner for Nike, She Moves Mountains for The North Face and This is Off the Wall for Vans.
Head of Insight Helen Job will be drawing on the company’s ability to reach early adopter audiences through editorially led content. The division will carry out research and offer campaign and creative strategy for brands who want to identify the most relevant and credible areas of culture, with a focus on brand purpose.
Helen is a trailblazer in her field, having worked in the world of youth culture trends for two decades leading multi-disciplinary, global insight and brand strategy teams for Flamingo and WGSN in New York and London. She was previously Director of Trends at MTV and also co-founded disruptive insight and strategy collective The Akin. Over the years, Helen has collaborated with the likes of adidas, Sonos, IKEA, the British Council and many more. Helen also conceptualised the Global Trend Forecasting Curriculum for Parsons School of Design, in New York, and was recently named one of The Drum’s 50 best female speakers in the UK.
Helen said TCO's credible understanding of subcultures and purpose-driven approach to content was a key factor behind the move: “Marketing has irrevocably changed, and empty comms or campaigns are no longer acceptable. Through Huck and Little White Lies, TCO has fostered a global network of wave-makers and an ability to foresee cultural change before it spreads. I’m thrilled to be able to work closely with this network, and with the brilliant content and creative teams at TCO, to enable brands to not only connect with relevant audiences but to work with them to bring their campaigns to life in a way that actually matters”.
Simon Baker, TCO's Managing Director, said: “Brand purpose is no longer optional. As a strategic partner, ultimately we have a responsibility to help the brands we work with to truly matter while connecting with the right audiences in a credible way. We are excited to have someone of Helen’s calibre to join us at a time that brands are exploring progressive change”.
