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Interview with Sidra Zia
DIFFERENTIATE TO DEFINE YOUR BRAND (AND YOURSELF)

Last week, as you gathered around watching the Super Bowl, I bet you were impressed by the ad Coinbase aired. The ad was so successful that the app crashed, and it’s still receiving a lot of hype. We were lucky enough to interview Sidra Zia, ​​who is part of Brand Marketing at Coinbase. For 8+ years, she’s worked with some of the most iconic brands, and here’s what we learned.

Your biggest weakness can be your strength

Imagine moving to a foreign country to pursue your dream. This is exactly what Sidra did when she decided to come to the United States on a Fulbright Scholarship. Sidra recognized her lack of cultural understanding, which fueled her learning. She said, “ I think a big cultural bridge is giving yourself time to adjust. It didn’t happen overnight. It’s taken me four to five years.” She had to unlearn things to relearn about the culture in the United States. She is constantly trying to learn through newsletters, and other sources, to be on top of trends and see what’s coming. She turned what once was a weakness, she turned it into a strength.

 

Knowing your crowd

America is a big melting pot, and there isn’t any one-size-fits-all when your brand marketing. Everyone has different definitions of what brand marketing entails. Sidra’s definition is essentially how you present yourself and brand in a unique way to who you are. Questions to ask yourself are:

  • What insights do you have on your consumer?
  • What is the pain point for the consumer?
  • What are your competitors doing?
  • How could you differentiate yourself?

Sidra said, “So all branding is essential, an exercise in differentiation in setting anchors and then differentiating yourself against them. That’s my definition of branding.” These questions will allow you to see where you are in the marketplace and how you can stand out.

Overall, it’s important to have diverse employment where people can come together to create brand awareness tailored to the uniqueness of the consumer. Each brand will have different circumstances and target audiences. However, as we seek to learn from them we can create killer campaigns. Now, go try it! ✌🏼