Lulu Raghavan, President of Landor APAC, is a globally recognized brand strategist with over two decades of experience shaping some of the world’s most influential brands. A strong advocate of design-led thinking, she has been instrumental in redefining brand transformations across industries. In this interview with Adtech Today, Lulu shares why brands must go beyond logos and harness the power of iconic assets-visual, verbal, and sonic to stay relevant, resonate emotionally, and build enduring connections in today’s fragmented, fast-moving marketplace.
Leading the APAC region comes with its own set of challenges and opportunities. How has your journey shaped the way you approach brand transformation across such diverse markets?
Brand transformation must always be in service of the business. If you think about the role of brand and brand positioning, it is essentially the message between the business and its customers. When leading a brand transformation, it becomes vital to approach it with empathy for all stakeholders involved.
It begins with internal stakeholders, listening carefully to their perceptions of the brand, what it currently stands for, and what they aspire for it to become. Getting a pulse on these perspectives provides the foundation for meaningful change. At the same time, it is equally important to take an outside-in approach, ensuring the transformation reflects not only internal aspirations but also external realities.
That means listening to all stakeholders, customers, partners, and in some industries even regulators, to understand their views, expectations, and needs. Combining this inside out and outside in lens helps ensure that the transformation is authentic, relevant, and future ready.
Ultimately, the journey has taught me that brand transformation is not about imposing change but about co-creating it with empathy, inclusivity, and a deep understanding of both business priorities and market dynamics.
How is the brand showing up? What is the narrative? How is it perceived, and where do they see it going?
Looking at both the inside out and the outside in perspective gives a strong understanding of the audience. We also assess competitors, study benchmarks, and do some future gazing. From this, we arrive at strategic brand platforms that serve as the anchor for transformation.
Working across diverse markets has reinforced how important the stakeholder perspective is. Listening carefully, gathering insights, and reflecting on what the brand stands for today and what it needs to stand for tomorrow are essential steps. Introspection comes first, followed by outward expression.
It is about going in deeply before going out. When the internal and external perspectives align, the brand narrative is stronger, perception is clearer, and the path forward is defined.
One of branding’s most powerful outcomes is internal alignment. How do you guide organizations to ensure their external brand story also reflects and inspires their internal culture?
Well put — the external must always inform the internal. Our founder, Walter Landor, who established the firm more than 85 years ago, said, “A brand is a promise, and a great brand is a promise kept.”
It begins with defining the promise we make to our customers. Once that is clear, the focus shifts to how we deliver it. What needs to happen internally? What is the role of each department, and how do they come together to fulfill that promise? For us, it always starts with clarity of the promise and then rallying the organization around it.
One of the most effective tools we use is customer journey mapping. By examining every interaction and touch point a business has with its customers, we identify which parts of the organization contribute to each moment. When these roles are defined clearly, people understand their responsibility. They recognize, “This is my role; I need to live the brand,” ensuring customers experience it consistently and meaningfully.
For companies entering new markets, how do you determine whether to extend an existing brand or build a new one to meet local expectations and unlock growth?
Unlocking growth is key. Twenty years ago, the Western playbook emphasized global standards. A brand stood for one thing consistently across all markets, and local needs were considered less important. That approach has now been disrupted. Today, it is essential in local markets to build a cultural connection and truly understand how consumers think about the category- how they shop it, their anxieties, and their aspirations — and then adjust accordingly.
Even very large global brands have embraced this shift. For example, 30 years ago, McDonald’s looked the same everywhere. Today, the McAloo Tikki and the Maharaja Mac, both created in India, have made their way to the United States, a powerful example of reverse innovation. Starbucks offers another case. A decade ago, a Starbucks outlet looked the same around the world. Now, particularly in Asian markets such as Korea, Japan, and India, the design aesthetic and local sense of place are prioritized, while still delivering on the “third space” promise.
Brands have realised they cannot remain purely global and homogeneous. They must be globally recognised but locally relevant or better still, locally loved.
What branding strategies work best in high context markets like China or Japan?
More than specific branding strategies, much depends on how organizations make decisions internally. In many companies, the vision of the leader cascades down. By contrast, in several Eastern countries, decision-making tends to be more consensus-driven, which shapes how branding is executed.
What is clear, however, is that these markets are deeply local. Understanding cultural nuances is critical. There is strong national pride today, whether in being Korean or in being Chinese, and tapping into that identity is essential for relevance. Global luxury brands offer good examples. Louis Vuitton, for instance, presents itself in China with a distinct aesthetic that resonates with the local audience. The brand has recognised that young Gen Z consumers in China are not simply looking for international labels; they are seeking experiences that feel unique, special, and tailored to their individual identities.
How should branding strategies shift when approaching more direct markets like Australia?
The Australian market has its own distinct nuance. You cannot be a brand that shouts too loudly or makes exaggerated claims. Australians are straightforward, what you see is what you get and they value honesty above all. Humor is also an important part of the culture and is often appreciated in brand communication. To succeed, you have to be direct, authentic, and real. Anything that feels overstated or artificial will quickly lose trust.
Another key factor is that Australians do not place much importance on whether a brand is globally recognized. What matters is how it behaves in their market and the value it brings locally. In short, Australia is a unique market where credibility depends on plain speaking, genuine actions, and a tone that reflects both honesty and cultural relevance.
In today’s crowded, fast-moving marketplace, what do you think is the most underrated factor in building a brand that truly stands out?
I believe the most underrated factor is a brand’s iconic assets. These include its visual, verbal, and even sonic assets. Too often, brands rely on the old playbook of simply slapping their logos and identities onto everything. But today’s consumer lives across multiple platforms, with an attention span famously described as shorter than that of a goldfish.
To attract them and remain emotionally resonant, brands need more than just a logo. They must create a recognizable “vibe”, whether on TikTok, Snapchat, or any other platform — because in these spaces, brands are constantly being squeezed between all kinds of content.
Underleveraged assets like visual language, tone of voice, and sonic identity are what truly cut through.
Take TikTok as an example: sonic identity is incredibly powerful in driving instant recognition. Brands must play up their iconic assets in versatile ways across many platforms, ensuring consumers not only recognize them but also understand what they stand for and the feeling they evoke.
