Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to William Owusu. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, William thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry? Any stories or anecdotes that illustrate why this matters?

Corporate America gets a lot wrong about marketing/advertising to Gen Z. The biggest crime brands commit is trying so hard to sound like a ‘chronically online’ teenager—it doesn’t work. The biggest reason why is that people hate ads and tend to tune them out. We all know this, and it’s even easier to ignore them now, especially since most ads appear on social media platforms. Getting rid of them is as simple as swiping up, left, or paying a fee. Consequently, Gen Z is fully aware of content created for entertainment and sales, and they can see right through it.

In recent memory, the launch of Meta’s ‘Threads’ app proved that brands don’t get it. The amount of “hey besties” I saw was unbelievably painful. It seems like they don’t understand that one tone of voice may work better for one brand versus another. In my opinion, the best way to reach and authentically connect with Gen Z is to find a niche and tone that resonates with the audience you’re attempting to engage and, most importantly, hire people who are a part of the audience you’re speaking to! The best way to reach an audience is to have someone from the audience reach out.

William, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Absolutely! My name is William Owusu. I’m a recent graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), specializing in digital marketing, art direction, and graphic design.

From a young age, I knew exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up, and that passion has never wavered. Pop culture has always been a driving force in my life, fueling my insatiable hunger for creative expression. Although I couldn’t articulate it back then, I’ve always been captivated by the world of visual communication, specifically CDs/Vinyls, movie posters, motion graphics on TV, YouTube thumbnails—you name it.

This fascination has led me on an incredible journey within the creative industry. I created my first Photoshop project in 2014 and dedicated my time in high school to learning the craft of graphic design. It was through a college fair that I learned about SCAD. I realized that creative marketing was the perfect industry for me to plant my feet in and stay plugged into pop culture.

I always strive to push boundaries and seek innovation. As a multidisciplinary creative, I am most proud of my ability to soak up inspiration like a sponge and constantly seek new ways to challenge myself. My ultimate career goal is to craft solutions that not only meet my client’s needs but also have the power to reset culture—think ‘Twilight: New Moon’ or ‘Barbie’ marketing campaign level reset.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The biggest lesson I have had to unlearn is perfectionism. Throughout my creative journey, I have always been my worst enemy due to my desire to consistently strive for perfection. Reflecting on my time in college, there were several projects for which I wanted to achieve perfection, but, in the process, I ended up ruining them. Every time I showed my work in progress, I discovered that my peers and professors were reacting to an earlier iteration of a logo or campaign concept that I thought was not good enough.

I’ve since learned to reach a point where I can be complete, present, receive, and implement critique. I now understand that it’s always easier to add than it is to take away!

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I recommend that young creatives consult books and physical media for inspiration. As digital natives, it is easy for us to stay online and complete our brainstorming digitally. One night, while grinding out a project, a friend showed me this section of graphic design archives in our library. From that moment on, I really started to pay attention to alternate sources of inspiration. You may find things that will never make it onto the internet, and I enjoy the splash of uniqueness it adds to creative solutions.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://williamowusu.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wkowusu/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamowusu/

Image Credits
Personal Photo Credit: Kyle Klose (@kyleklosephoto on Instagram; https://kyleklosephotography.com)