Preetesh Sewraj is the CEO of The Loeries, Africa and the Middle East’s premier creative awards platform celebrating excellence in brand communications. An experienced business leader and trusted advisor on creativity, branding, and innovation, Sewraj has appeared on global media outlets including CNN, Campaign Middle East, Marketing Edge Nigeria, SABC News, and The Sunday Times. He has spoken at high-profile events worldwide, from the United Nations in the USA to TEDx in South Africa, as well as Cannes Lions in France, and represents The Loeries on the UN Women’s Unstereotype Alliance. In addition to his leadership roles, Sewraj is a board member of ACASA, Shift Impact Africa, and the MAC Charter Council, and is co-author of The Book Every Marketer Should Read. He shared with Shivangi Agarwal of The Himalayan Times his insights on building meaningful brand communities, balancing global and local relevance, and leveraging creativity for both social impact and commercial success. Excerpts:
You lead one of the most important creative awards platforms in Africa and the Middle East. How do you see your experience in creative communications helping brands build meaningful communities today?
A brand needs to connect with consumers to be successful and the work that I do is rooted in ensuring that brands truly understand whether they are creating meaningful connections with people. Through a robust research process, we are able to help brands, and agencies, understand how their creative communication is building consumer trust which ultimately leads to strong brand advocates who unite as champions for the brand within their lives.
With your background in brand communications and judging creative work, how do you think brands can connect with audiences in ways that feel authentic and purposeful?
Brands need to focus on increasing their creative innovation. It is impossible to bore someone into buying your product yet many brands create advertising that lacks the ability to draw the attention of consumers. A brand needs to remember that it needs to build a personality that resonates with consumers and this can only be achieved through sustained communication focused on the brand values coupled with innovative creative techniques.
Over the years, you have witnessed campaigns across diverse markets. How do you advise brands to balance global relevance with local resonance?
Brands should be rooted in culture but present it with a global lens. Brands need to understand that consumers are not monadic in their thinking – they are now exposed to the best global thinking but they also retain a distinct local heritage. This is an asset for brands as they can connect with consumers utilising the media strategies that are employed by some of the biggest global brands yet they also have the ability to utilise local nuances that ensure that consumers feel a sense of connection with the brand.
From your perspective, what are the key elements that make a brand’s messaging foster a sense of belonging among its audience?
The key elements are relevant local insights and touching on themes that are important to their audience. Many brands try to create communication based on their deliverables (category passports, range communication, distribution etcetera) but shifting the focus to themes of importance to their consumer base will translate in a deep acceptance of the brand which ultimately builds loyalty and the connection that ensures a sustainable brand/consumer relationship.
How can brands leverage creativity and storytelling to drive social impact without compromising commercial objectives?
Consumers are interested in and impacted by various social causes and they want their favourite brands to show up in these spaces. Brands cannot abdicate their responsibility to be socially responsible citizens and pursuing such a path adds another lever through which consumer trust can be built. It is an exercise in balance as a brand also does not want to only focus on social causes – having a strategic approach to such causes, in relation to brands objectives, will ensure that a brand can build a sustainable economic platform while also doing good for society.
What is one insight or message you hope participants at BrandFest 2025 will take away from your session on ‘branding in the age of belonging’?
I would love participants to leave with an understanding that brands occupy a trusted position in the lives of their consumers and that they need to maintain that trust not just through communication of the brand intrinsic or category passport elements but also through a deep-seated focus on creative innovation. This will drive a higher degree of consumer obsession, instead of brand obsession, enabling both consumer and brand to win in the process.
