Kirsten Ludwig
“You've got to be brave enough to realize that you can't, and shouldn't, try to be everything to everybody.”
Kirsten Ludwig is a Brand Builder, Cultural Curator and Co-Founder of IN GOOD CO, a global brand consultancy igniting challenger brands with fearless positioning.
Prior, Kirsten was Chief Creative Officer at SET and led the agency to a successful acquisition by WPP. Kirsten built her reputation as an influential creative in the fashion and retail space, leading brands Ralph Lauren, Anthropologie, American Eagle Outfitters, Fred Segal, and Stella and Dot to stand out.
She’s been featured in Forbes and regularly writes for them, judged Cannes Lions, and is a frequent speaker on stages including Brands & Culture, Worthy Women, and Creative Week. She is the podcast co-host of GOOD THINKING and Lit From Within.
A lover of life, constant optimist, and wellness nut. She lives in LA like every ex-New Yorker as a thriving single mom with two kids, Hudson and Sailor.
You cohost the excellent GOOD THINKING podcast. What are some of your favorite moments or guests?
Sometimes we have guests, and sometimes it's just my co-host, Chris Danton, and I talking about what we're seeing emerge, a trip we took, trends in business, experiences, and so on. Oftentimes, those are my favorite episodes.
We recently had Ryan Berman on, who is an incredible human and talks a lot about bravery and courage, which is a conversation I love to have often. He's the founder of Courageous and has counseled leaders at notable companies such as Snapchat, Kellogg's, Kraft Heinz, and Bausch & Lomb.
Jasmine Bina is another one that comes to mind. She's a fantastic strategist. We delved into how shame is the final frontier for brands, and there's an article she posted on LinkedIn that you should read. That was a really insightful, very inspiring conversation.
You've worked with many challenger brands. What do you tell them now about positioning that's different from what you would have said even 2-3 years ago?
Your brand strategy positioning has never been more important, especially since AI is only getting bigger and bigger.Knowing your brand is critical because that's what actually feeds AI.
Understanding and having a firm strategic positioning of your brand is fundamental. Having a brand that really means something is intentional. You've got to be brave enough to realize that you can't, and shouldn't, try to be everything to everybody.
The other end of that is speed. No one can wait around for your strategy to come together a year from now, because the world will be a completely different place a year from now. So you've got to understand that strategy is a moving, living thing. You've got to act quickly or you will fall further and further behind, at a faster and faster pace.
“Genuine authenticity requires vulnerability and transparency. That's what people want. They don't want you to simply say you're authentic, they want to know why you do the things you do.”
Is there a common pitfall you counsel challenger brands to avoid?
It's great to be aware of what's happening in the zeitgeist, for sure, but you can't chase it without a plan. That's why brand strategy is so fundamental, because it's really about understanding whether something is right for your brand or not.
There will always be something new - a trend, a platform, a visual style - that covers your entire feed. So FOMO sets in on an individual level and in group thinking. So going forward, it's essential to know what to say no to as much as what to say yes to.
What's an industry buzzword or phrase that needs to go away?
A word that needs only to be used in the right way is authentic. You see it everywhere, and it's become an easy go-to for brands. Like, come on, guys, we can do better. People just can't stop saying it, so it's losing its power.
When I do see it, I immediately think, "Tell me more about what your version of authenticity means, exactly?" Let's dig deeper, because genuine authenticity requires vulnerability and transparency. That's what people want. They don't want you to simply say you're authentic, they want to know why you do the things you do.
We always hear, "Wow, you guys dig much deeper than others." We don't do surface level, because for us, it's really about understanding the why behind something, then matching that with the consumer's why. We're all here to create something that's going to be impactful, something that the people actually want and resonate with. We've all had brands that touched us like that. Ultimately, you want to share it with others.
You were recently a Young Lions judge in Cannes. How did you approach the judging process? And were there any ideas that surprised you?
It was a magical experience for me. The Cannes team is a fantastic group of open, collaborative, present, and creative people. They're organized and on it, so the minute you get there, everything is set up. There's an iPad for you, there's the brief, you meet your fellow judges from everywhere in the world.
The fellow judges are an amazing, diverse panel, which is the best way to get great work. Everyone is dialed in, including this young, emerging talent coming in and giving you their all. English was not their first language in many cases, but the finalists presented their ideas in tremendously creative ways to bring them to life.
The judging itself was not easy because it's tough to choose a standout from such a wealth of talent, so there was a lot of conversation. The brief was complex, and the turnaround time was 24 hours. I came in with no expectations, but a lot of intention. But it was healthy to balance out everybody's opinions and perspectives. It was such a beautiful process.
Is there something creative that you've never done before that you'd like to do?
There's so much. I think a lot about transformation, and I'm constantly looking for innovative ways to transform companies.
A big passion of mine is working within shadow conversations and getting to the heart of something real. There are so many women's health brands, menopause brands, and it's exciting to think about leading those companies into the future. Not just being status quo, but really empowering company employees and consumers and communities to be part of something. Helping a brand like that to truly be a leader in the category is exciting.