By: Sophie Chen, Grade 8
For Object’s February workshop, Deirdre Findlay shared her experiences as the CMO of Condé Nast as well as a board member of Sonos. As a marketing leader for popular magazines such as Vogue and Vanity Fair, she discussed how she deals with consumer feedback and how to gain confidence over time.
As magazines are turning into online content, Deirdre shared how she learns to be creative and think of outside-of-the-box solutions. She says she “likes to put herself in the shoes of a consumer,” and focus on consumers’ engagement with brands today. To make sure Condé Nast’s marketing efforts are successful, she gets lots of feedback from her users. While it’s easy to dwell on negative feedback or take it personally, Deirdre says that when consumers give suggestions, it is best to listen.
Deirdre considers collaboration to be critical as Condé Nast pivots to becoming a digital-first media company. She shares that in order to be innovative and creative, you have to be flexible and work well with your peers.
Growing up as the only black girl in her school, she often told herself “I shouldn’t be here.” She built her confidence over time by not second guessing herself and instead focusing on what she brought to the table. Preparation also plays a big role in confidence: even when it looks like others are experts, the key is to keep practicing. Deirdre shares that the key is to learn from both the highs and lows.
Lastly, Deirdre advises girls to think about their goals and chart a path for how to achieve them. Deirdre didn’t have a straightforward path, but she had a clear goal that she was working towards.
Here are 3 takeaways from Deirdre Findlay’s talk:
“Feedback is a gift… it means that someone cares and vested in your success, and shows that consumers are engaged.”
“Collaboration is absolutely critical… Innovation doesn’t happen without collaboration.”
“Being very well balanced, figuring out a way to work smarter, not harder, made me a better person all around. It resulted in me being more confident.”
“You learn from the successes and you learn from the failures, but the key is paying attention to both.”