I had the pleasure of interviewing Colin Chow. Colin is CEO of Redscout, a brand strategy, design and innovation agency with offices in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Redscout works with visionary leaders facing a world of possibility to create ideas worth fighting for. When he’s not accruing frequent flyer miles, Colin chases around his two kids and dreams about snowboarding.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I wish I could say I followed a brilliant master plan to get here, but like most people, it was a lot of figuring it out along the way. As a left-brain/right-brain hybrid, I studied art history in college because I had a deep appreciation for art and design, and then I went to law school thinking I would either go into public interest law or entertainment law, which gives you a sense of how undecided I was! I ended up doing neither. Instead, I became a management consultant at McKinsey & Co. and found my way to brand strategy, where I found the perfect mix of creative intuition and strategic rigor.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
It’s embarrassing how little I knew about brand strategy when I started out. In my very first interview, the hiring manager was explaining how the strategy process often includes deeply immersive, ethnographic interviews to understand consumers. I said, “Oh that sounds fascinating. Who does those interviews?” After recovering from momentary shock at my ignorance, she looked me in the eyes and said “You do.”
And I did. Since then, I’ve been in hundreds of consumers’ homes, digging in their closets and fridges to turn up insights that inspire strategy and innovation for brands like Nike and Quaker Oats. The lesson I learned is to always be open to new experiences — and to actually prepare for every interview.
A memorable retail experience should feel like a great book with a beginning, middle and end.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
Redscout is best at transforming the futures of ambitious brands and businesses. We work with the C-suite and marketers at companies like PepsiCo, Google, Best Buy and Kate Spade to define brand strategies and to create new products, services and experiences that drive their businesses forward.
A classic example of this is when we helped Gatorade transform from a sports drink company to a sports fuel powerhouse. Back in 2008, Gatorade was in need of a new game plan, as it suffered a double-digit sales decline. Redscout was hired to develop an innovation strategy to spark new growth. The unlock came when one of our Scouts observed a professional NBA athlete passing out peanut butter and banana sandwiches to his teammates before a game. That observation led to a provocative question: What if Gatorade could fuel the needs of competitive athletes in every way, not just hydration? The result was the development of the G Series: Prime, Perform and Recover. Not only did this drive sales growth and build brand equity, we created an innovation framework that continues to reinforce Gatorade’s position as the worldwide leader in sports fuel.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
We are lucky to do incredible work for some of the world’s most admired businesses, but it creates a tremendous amount of pressure too. I believe we’re at our best when we get out of the office and out of our comfort zones. “Scouting” the world around us is something anyone can benefit from. Whether it’s taking an Uber to Queens to taste the local cuisine, taking a trip to rural Japan to become immersed in an entirely different culture, or taking a coffee break with colleagues, we’ve found taking time to get out and Scout recharges our teams and keeps us energized in our work.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
While I’m grateful to so many people who helped me along the way, the first person to take a chance on me was Alpa Pandya, who hired me as a brand strategist even though I had no direct experience. A couple of years into working together, she supported my desire to move to the West Coast, even though it didn’t benefit her at all. I also owe a great deal to Austin McGhie, who was my boss and mentor for many years. Believing in someone can be the greatest gift, and I can never thank Alpa and Austin enough for their generosity in teaching and supporting me.
Are you working on any exciting projects now?
We have so many exciting projects going on at Redscout, many of which we can’t even talk about! We recently partnered with Quaker to launch a new nutritional product line for kids that just launched in China, and we have created several products for OXO. We are also currently helping celebrity pastry chef Christina Tosi design and grow her imaginative Milk Bar empire, and we are partnering with Fox Sports to unlock a deeper understanding of all the facets of sports fandom, to name just a couple things in the works.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
Jonah Disend, who founded Redscout nearly twenty years ago, deeply believes in empowering both our team and the brands we work with to do more good in the world. We feel it’s so important to carry on that belief. As a few examples, last year we partnered with Bombas to support their platform of giving back by helping distribute thousands of socks to the homeless, we created holiday cards in support of God’s Love We Deliver, and rather than hosting an extravagant holiday party, we collectively made a $20,000 donation to the victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.
In addition, Redscout developed the strategy for “Beyond I Do” to bring attention and awareness to ongoing discrimination faced by LGBT Americans, in partnership with the Ad Council, the Gill Foundation and creative agency CP+B. I’m so proud of our team that worked tirelessly on this incredibly important issue. To learn more, check out: https://beyondido.org/
Can you share 5 examples of how retail companies will be adjusting over the next five years to the new ways that consumers like to shop?
There’s been so much noise made about the “death” of retail, but I strongly believe consumers are actually craving in-person connections more than ever before. Retail companies must shift from simply selling, to creating compelling experiences that will ultimately be more meaningful to both the consumer and the brand. Here are five things we see retail companies successfully doing to evolve:
Stores need a story
A memorable retail experience should feel like a great book with a beginning, middle and end. I love how Casper recently launched The Dreamery, a sleep lounge where you can experience their mattresses in person. As you enter the darkened entryway, with lights that evoke the night sky, everything lulls you into the right mindset. Then you change into PJs and settle in for a nap on a comfortable Casper mattress in a beautifully-designed pod. When you awaken, you can enjoy a coffee to ease your transition back to reality. It’s a magical narrative that takes visitors from night to day and dramatizes Casper’s belief that a better night’s sleep leads to a life well lived.
Keep it realer than real
In a world where “authenticity” is so played out, retail brands have to go beyond the surface to create a deeper connection. I love what Aerie did a few years ago, leading the charge to promote body positivity by swearing off photo retouching in its ads, and then more recently by highlighting real people with common disabilities and ailments as lingerie models. When other brands copied its move, Aerie doubled down on its commitment by redesigning its entire store experience to promote body positivity, from the fitting rooms to the tools they use to determine the best bra fit.
Be everywhere…
As shoppers, we are spoiled for choice and believe we have the right to buy anything, anytime. Smart brands are experimenting to find ways to reach the consumer wherever they like to shop. In the footwear category, Allbirds launched online as a DTC (direct-to-consumer) offering, parlayed that success into flagship retail locations, and then reached a wider audience through its recent pop-up shop within Nordstrom. Or look at how Nike simultaneously sells directly to consumers through its own channels, but also made its products officially available through Amazon. They also just launched Nike Live on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles that takes localization to the next level by using digital commerce data to constantly calibrate its assortment.
…But don’t be for everyone
I hate when I hear about a brand trying to target Millennials or Gen Z, because it presumes that everyone in a generation is created equal. Retail brands can only succeed if they make a clear choice about who they are for. For example, I’m really excited about what Gymboree is doing since emerging from bankruptcy last year. Gymboree knew that it had fallen behind the times and needed to connect with a more modern mom. Rather than targeting everyone from trendy fashionistas to bargain hunters, Gymboree defined a clear vision of the specific type of mom it wants to create for. Now it’s rolling out a new store concept, incredibly cool products and fresh marketing that signals an entirely new era for the brand.
Shopping is best as a team sport
We talk a lot about social media, but we don’t talk enough about social shopping. In ancient times, people gathered in the marketplace not just to buy things, but also to see their friends, catch up on news and make new connections. Online shopping and DTC strip all of that away — so while they give us amazing convenience and value, they are also a lonely pursuit. We’ve lost the power of shopping as shared entertainment. Whether it’s in-person or online, there’s a big opportunity for brands to innovate in this space and differentiate from the competition.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I would start a movement around radical empathy, to treat people as humans, not data points, and to celebrate our commonalities, not our differences. This is an idea that is motivating several exciting projects happening within Redscout. It’s hopelessly idealistic but it is hard to believe we live in a world where people are so divided.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Keep tabs on what Redscout is up to and what we are Scouting on our Instagram (@redscout_) or follow us on LinkedIn.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
