Member Interview with Candice Tobbo

We are delighted to bring you a Member Interview with Candice Tobbo, Global PR and Communications Manager 

What’s your golden rule?

My golden rule is to stay true to myself. If I had to apply it to a brand that would be to let the brand stay true to itself. Trends come and go but my values and the ones of brands that I am representing are staying.

Who has been your biggest influence?

I have several influences and I find it unfair to pick one.

Some of these influences are from my professional life, others from my personal life. Yet, I admire all of them for the personal values that they embody and the depth of their minds.
They influence me to be smarter, think broader, and remind me that the world is limitless.
 

What is your most hated business expression?

I am not a fan of the “let’s circle back” expression. However, I do love “blue sky thinking” and “deep dive” since they refer to limitless possibilities and depth of thought.

What’s the smartest business idea you’ve ever had?

I have not launched a business yet, so it’s too early to tell!

Which leader do you admire most and why?

I am privileged to be surrounded by incredible leaders. My CMO, my Marketing Director and leaders at my previous roles ignited admiration from my part.

My current CMO is extremely passionate and selfless. I admire his leadership style where he leads by example and I must admit that his passion is contagious.

I also admire my current Marketing Director for his “pedagogy”. This leadership style based on learning makes me flourish as I absolutely love to learn.

I also want to name two of my university Professors that to this day generate a huge amount of admiration from me.

Mrs Merle is a French Academician that did not only learn and master Mandarin but also taught Sociology in Mandarin at one of China’s most prestigious universities. I learnt a lot by being her student but I was most importantly taken aback by what she embodied: intellectual depth and possibilities that I didn't even know were possible at the time. I also admire Professor Zhang Lun for his leadership that still marks me to this day. I admire how he created a space for me to learn and grow while being cared for, supported and part of a tight-knit community of students.

If you look at all of those leaders, they do have some traits in common that are passion, growth mindset and the capacity to share. I believe that these very traits are what sparks admiration on my side.
 

What is on your mind the most right now as a marketing leader?

As a marketing leader, AI is what is on my mind the most.

I recently took a course delivered by Kantar and MIT Horizon to deepen my knowledge on the topic and I keep myself abreast of what is happening in the AI scene. I followed closely what was being said at the Paris AI Summit, attended an AI-related event in Sao Paulo, Brazil and I regularly read about the topic to find out all about the numerous use cases that are now possible.

As Marketers, it can feel incredibly scary to see AI happening. Be it in copywriting, graphic design or other parts of our discipline, many changes are coming leading to some profound questions such as creativity being replicated .. or not.

To me, at this stage, which I believe is still early days of AI, I am interested in seeing how we can apply it to marketing. AI is not only generative, it is also predictive and highly analytical. I am curious to see how it can help us build campaigns, provide data in real-time on the performance of campaigns etc…
 

Why is being part of The Marketing Society important for your career?

Firstly, I must say, I truly enjoy being part of The Marketing Society. To me, this is important because it enables me to do two things that I highly value: to learn and connect. I attended several events now and every single time, I left feeling inspired and proud to be part of that industry. I learnt from brilliant speakers and connected with lovely professionals with a very collaborative and inquisitive mindset. As a very curious person, I always leave those events with a smile on my face after learning so much.
 

Why does marketing matter to you?

Marketing matters to me because we can use it to tell stories and to spread a meaningful message.

From a young age, I understood the power of Nike’s “Just Do It”. How did a brand manage to unlock so many emotions and values within me while I was that young? Well, that’s the power of Marketing. To me, Nike meant “courage” and surprisingly, it still does. I remember seeing athletes wearing it and I used to associate Nike with being a champion.
 

Tell us something that’s not on your CV

I hosted a podcast for over two years covering social issues, politics, psychology, etc… I interviewed entrepreneurs, psychologists, professors, peace activists and the list goes on. I found it so enriching and fulfilling to meet so many fascinating people and to be privileged enough to have answers to all of my questions!
I do miss it very much so I might start it again soon!