This interview is with Claudia Hickey, Product & Brand Marketing Lead Specialist at QNY Creative.

Claudia Hickey, Product & Brand Marketing Lead Specialist, QNY Creative

As a Product and Brand Marketing Lead Specialist, can you walk us through your journey in the industry and how you developed your expertise in product launches and integrated marketing campaigns?

My journey in product and brand marketing began at L’Oréal UKI in Dublin, Ireland, where I worked across four leading FMCG brands: L’Oréal Paris, Garnier, Men Expert, and Ambre Solaire. During that year, I contributed to over 30 product launches, gaining hands-on experience in trade marketing, 360° campaigns, and product management. Working in a smaller but highly competitive market taught me to think strategically, manage multiple priorities, and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams. The role was remote, so I often had to think outside of the box and come up with solutions on my own.

After completing my Bachelor of Commerce at UCD, I was awarded the William J. Glynn Marketing Medal as the top overall marketing student, which reinforced my commitment to a career in brand and product strategy.

Following graduation, I moved to New York City, the top global hub for innovative marketing, where I joined QNY Creative. I started as a Social Media Manager, recognizing its importance in modern-age marketing. This role allowed me to build a foundation in social strategy, influencer marketing, and campaign performance analysis, helping brands grow across digital platforms, as well as my knowledge of the US FMCG market, in comparison to the UK and Ireland. As my role expanded into Product and Brand Marketing Lead Specialist, I began leading full-scale product and brand launches across the FMCG and beauty sectors. One of my early projects, a complete beauty brand launch, received international recognition at the NYX Advertising and Design Awards. This brand’s success opened doors to additional food, beverage, and beauty product launches, where I applied my combined expertise in brand positioning, digital storytelling, and go-to-market strategy.

Over time, I’ve led integrated launch campaigns that unite creative direction, data-driven insights, and social engagement. My work has been recognized by global programs such as the AVA Digital Awards, Vega Awards, W3 Awards, and GDUSA Health + Wellness Awards for excellence in product marketing, brand marketing, launch campaigns, and social strategy.

Each new launch has strengthened my understanding of how to build brands that connect with consumers and succeed in competitive markets. My approach blends strategic analysis, creative leadership, and collaborative execution to deliver launches that are not only award-winning but also commercially successful.

Can you share a specific example of a challenging product launch you’ve managed and how you overcame obstacles to ensure its success?

One of the most challenging product launches I’ve led was for a ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage entering the U.S. market through a membership-only warehouse club retailer. The product had no prior brand awareness and a limited trial window to prove its performance. Launching a new brand in such a competitive category required a strategy that connected digital visibility directly to retail sales, all within a short timeframe.

As the Product and Brand Marketing Lead Specialist, I was responsible for building the entire go-to-market plan from the ground up. This included defining the brand’s positioning, voice, and messaging, while simultaneously leading the social media, influencer, and retail integration strategy. The key challenge was balancing the retailer’s operational requirements with the need to build fast, authentic consumer engagement.

To meet this, I developed a social-first campaign that combined data-driven targeting with creative storytelling. We implemented a three-tier influencer strategy, activating over 50 key opinion leaders and lifestyle creators to introduce the brand across digital channels. This approach generated significant early awareness: over 8.6 million impressions, 3.4 million reach, and 100,000 consumer interactions across Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, with engagement rates exceeding 8%, well above industry benchmarks.

I also coordinated linking social media channels to the integrated retail plan that linked online and in-store activity. This included digital promotions through the retailer’s e-commerce platform and same-day delivery options to convert online engagement into sales. Community management played a major role; I personally oversaw daily interactions, responding to thousands of comments and messages to build trust and drive retention.

The results were measurable and immediate. Social media drove total purchases, with a number of customers expressing intent to repurchase. The campaign exceeded the retailer’s sales velocity benchmarks, securing an extended shelf presence and national rollout.

This launch later received multiple awards, including recognition from the AVA Digital Awards, Vega Digital Awards, and W3 Awards, for excellence in brand marketing, product launch strategy, and social campaign execution. More importantly, it demonstrated how a focused, insight-driven launch can turn a completely unknown product into a high-performing national brand.

In your experience, what’s the most underutilized aspect of social media marketing that brands often overlook, and how have you leveraged it to drive measurable growth?

In my view, one of the most underutilized aspects of social media marketing today is community management: the real, human connection between a brand and its audience. In 2025, many brand managers are still focused on perfect visuals, celebrity collaborations, or paid media performance, but the real long-term growth comes from building and sustaining a community that genuinely loves your product.

At QNY Creative, I lead a team that manages social media for more than 30 brands across food, beverage, and beauty. Over time, I’ve seen that a beautifully designed feed or a high-budget campaign can only take a brand so far. What consistently drives measurable growth is community engagement, the people commenting, tagging, and sharing because they believe in what the brand represents.

That’s why I tell my team to look beyond metrics and aesthetics. I encourage them to actually enter the comment sections, reply to DMs, and recognize loyal followers. We analyze who is organically talking about our products, tagging us in content, or defending our brands online, and we make sure those individuals feel seen and valued. Whether it’s resharing user-generated posts, responding personally, sending PR packages to fans, or creating fan-driven moments, these authentic exchanges are what convert casual followers into advocates.

This approach turns social platforms into living communities rather than static marketing channels. When a follower feels heard, they’re more likely to engage again, recommend the brand, and ultimately purchase. For one of our RTD beverage clients, this focus on community interaction directly influenced retail performance, with a number of purchasers traced back to social media engagement.

Community marketing builds what paid reach can’t: trust, advocacy, and retention. It’s slower to scale but far more sustainable. A strong brand community not only fuels engagement but also informs creative direction, product feedback, and campaign ideas. I often say that while trends change weekly, the people who comment, message, and tag your brand are the real constant.

That’s the mindset I bring to every project, building brands that listen, respond, and grow alongside their audience. Because in the end, success on social media isn’t defined by followers or aesthetics; it’s defined by the strength of the community that stands behind your brand.

You mentioned your background in award-winning work. Can you tell us about a campaign you’re particularly proud of and the key factors that contributed to its success?

A campaign I’m especially proud of was the limited-time U.S. launch of a European ready-to-eat dessert brand. It was a fast-paced, high-stakes project. The product had no existing awareness in the U.S., was only available for a short time, and had to connect with a very specific market: New Yorkers who love food.

We needed to translate a beloved European brand into a New York success story — building excitement, driving attendance to the launch event, and creating lasting awareness that would extend beyond the campaign window.

Strategy

We developed a 360° marketing plan centered on the summer energy of New York City. The strategy combined content planning, influencer collaborations, local partnerships, and a street-level activation to create buzz and real-world visibility. On launch day, 30 nano-influencers queued outside the Manhattan retailer before doors opened, sparking curiosity and social proof both online and in the street. Collaborations with NYC-focused media pages and a viral on-the-street interviewer amplified the moment across TikTok and Instagram, turning our campaign into a citywide talking point.

Results

The event had lines wrapped around the block and full attendance. The buzz extended across social platforms with a surge in user-generated content, brand mentions, and influencer engagement. Foot traffic exceeded projections, and the retailer extended the brand’s in-store feature due to the campaign’s success.

Why I was proud of it

This launch was personal for me. When I moved to New York, I dreamed of working on campaigns that reached the people who make this city so dynamic — and this was one of those moments. Standing in the crowd at the event, watching New Yorkers line up for something that began as an idea on a strategy deck, was incredibly rewarding. Seeing real people excited about a product we introduced — not just through metrics on a screen but in person — was a full-circle moment. It was proof that our strategy worked: we didn’t just sell a dessert; we built a community of fans around it.

This campaign reminded me why I love brand marketing — it’s about creating genuine connections between people and products, and seeing that connection come to life right in front of you.

How do you approach aligning product innovation with strategic storytelling? Can you provide an example where this alignment significantly impacted a brand’s market success?

For me, aligning product innovation with strategic storytelling means connecting what makes a product unique to what makes it meaningful for consumers. Innovation on its own doesn’t build loyalty; it’s the story behind it, the “why,” that turns an idea into a brand people care about. My approach always begins with understanding the consumer insight that inspired the innovation and then building a narrative that communicates it clearly across every touchpoint.

A strong example of this was a Gen Z–targeted FMCG beauty brand whose innovation was pH-based skincare. The challenge was translating something scientific and technical into a message that felt fresh, fun, and accessible. My role focused on leading the strategic storytelling, brand positioning, and market research and development, ensuring that the science behind the product connected with the emotion behind the purchase.

I started by conducting market and consumer research to identify how younger audiences were approaching skincare, not as a luxury, but as a form of self-expression. From there, we built the story around personalization, color, and individuality, framing the brand as approachable science designed for real people.

Working closely with the design and strategy teams, we developed a bold, color-coded brand that communicated personalization at a glance. Each product’s look and language reinforced the idea that no two routines are the same, your skin’s pH and your identity are both unique. Including packaging design, it didn’t just catch attention on shelves; it told the story of the brand in an instant.

The result was a beauty brand that stood out visually, resonated emotionally, and gained international recognition for creative and strategic excellence. More importantly, it connected with consumers who felt seen and represented by its message.

This project reinforced what I believe to be the foundation of great brand marketing: that storytelling and innovation should never exist in isolation. When they work together, the brand’s science becomes its story, and its story becomes the reason people remember it.

In the ever-evolving digital landscape, how do you stay ahead of trends and ensure your marketing strategies remain effective and relevant?

In today’s digital landscape, it’s impossible for one person to keep up with every trend, especially when overseeing over 30 brands across multiple industries. That’s why I focus on building a team culture of constant observation and collaboration. I encourage my team to stay active online, not just as marketers but as participants in the social space. Whenever someone spots a new trend, even if it doesn’t immediately fit their own brand, they share it with the group. A trend that might not suit a food client could be perfect for a beauty or wellness brand. This open communication allows us to adapt quickly and apply insights across categories.

I also believe the best way to stay ahead of trends is through community awareness, not just platform monitoring. Being in the app daily, reading comments, tracking fan content, and noticing shifts in tone or interest, provides more valuable insight than any trend report. Social platforms are living focus groups, and the behavior of your audience often signals the next direction before analytics do.

Whether it’s a change in pop culture, an economic shift, or a growing social conversation, these moments within a community should guide strategy. Understanding how people talk, what they care about, and how they interact with brands allows us to adjust tone, creative direction, and messaging in real time.

Of course, tools like TikTok Studio and platform analytics are useful for tracking momentum, but nothing replaces community management as the most effective trend-forecasting tool. Trends start within communities; if you’re listening to them closely, you’ll always be ahead of what’s coming next.

Can you describe a situation where you had to pivot a marketing strategy mid-campaign? What led to this decision, and what were the outcomes?

During the launch of an FMCG brand positioned around “natural” flavors, we encountered an unexpected challenge that required an immediate strategic pivot. Our team had developed and received full client approval on a campaign built around the brand’s natural ingredient story. However, just a few days after launch, a consumer commented online noting that one of the ingredients listed on the packaging wasn’t fully natural.

After reviewing the concern with the client team, we learned that a late-stage ingredient adjustment had been made prior to production but hadn’t been communicated to our marketing team. As a result, our approved campaign went live using messaging that no longer aligned with the updated product.

It was a difficult moment because the campaign had just started gaining traction. Rather than ignoring the comment or trying to minimize it, we went into crisis management mode. My team and I quickly reviewed every post, comment thread, and paid ad to identify and address misinformation. We publicly acknowledged the error, clarified the ingredient details, and apologized to followers for the oversight.

Once the immediate issue was contained, we shifted the entire communication strategy. Instead of continuing to highlight “natural ingredients,” we reframed the messaging to focus on transparency, quality sourcing, and taste. This pivot turned a potential setback into an opportunity to strengthen consumer trust through honesty.

Although it created extra work, the outcome was ultimately positive. The campaign recovered, engagement stabilized, and several users even commented that they appreciated the brand’s transparency. Internally, it reinforced an important lesson for me and my team: even when assets and messaging are client-approved, constant fact-checking is essential.

This experience taught me that agility is as important as creativity in marketing. Being ready to pivot with integrity not only protects a brand but can actually deepen its relationship with its audience.

Looking back on your career, what’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned about brand marketing that you wish you’d known when you first started?

The most valuable lesson I’ve learned in brand marketing is to look into the eyes of the consumer. It’s easy to get caught up in the moving parts of a launch: product timelines, creative approvals, packaging design, influencer partnerships, retail coordination, and client deadlines, especially working at a New York City agency known for its fast-paced FMCG launches. In that kind of environment, you’re constantly focused on creative, performance, and delivery. But in the middle of all that, it’s possible to lose sight of the person you’re ultimately doing all of it for: the consumer.

I’ve learned that even the most data-driven, beautifully executed campaigns can miss the mark if they don’t truly connect with the customer’s real-world needs. One example that stays with me was a packaging relaunch for a consumer brand that proudly promoted its new recyclable materials. The campaign messaging focused on sustainability and responsibility, but once the product hit shelves, consumers quickly pointed out that the new packaging affected the taste and smell of the product. It was a reminder that what matters most isn’t how something looks or performs on paper, but how it’s received in the hands of real people.

Since then, I’ve made it a rule to pause at every major milestone and ask: Why would I buy this? Who am I buying it for? Does this story make sense outside a strategy deck? Thinking like a consumer grounds the strategy in reality and makes the marketing human again.

Across my career, from launching a Gen Z-targeted beauty brand built around pH innovation, to introducing a European dessert brand to New York, to leading the award-winning RTD beverage campaign that gained national recognition, that perspective has shaped every success I’ve had. Those moments worked not because they followed every trend, but because they spoke directly to what people cared about.

If I could go back to the start of my career, I’d tell myself that marketing isn’t about the launch, it’s about the connection and the conversation. The most effective campaigns are the ones where strategy meets empathy, and where the consumer feels seen, not sold to.