Rising marketing mind Tammy Kuo shares why she’s championing the narrative on stories that truly make a diffe

What’s the story? Young marketer TAMMY KUO believes it’s the heart of matters and is determinedly championing this narrative.

Having dreamed of becoming a novelist, screenwriter, painter, film director or even the person who writes cool taglines like ‘Just Do It’, Tammy Kuo has always had a passion for storytelling. “I see it as in integral part of society and of being human,” she says.

It was her creative flair that led her down the design route at Victoria University of Wellington, but when she picked up a marketing course as an elective, she says things just clicked. “Marketing encompasses creative problem solving and connection, and connection is the essence of the human experience. Since then, I feel like I’ve grown into it naturally and I’m utterly in love with it.”

Tammy’s first marketing role was with Retail NZ, for whom she criss-crossed the country talking to business owners about e-commerce and social media marketing. “It was a really rewarding to impart my skills on people who’re already doing amazing and delightful things in the retail space — I loved being able to help them take it further,” she says.

After five years, Tammy felt a change was in order and took up a Marketing Advisor role at her old stomping grounds. “The exciting thing about being a marketer at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington is the rich variety of talent, environments and things to do in such a significant institution on the cutting edge,” she says. “Every day is stimulating in myriad ways, whether

I’m contributing to strategy with the team, interviewing changemakers out in the world, whipping up compelling content or building processes into fresh new ground. We’re part of a person’s journey in making a life-changing decision in higher education, so looking beyond quick wins and being part of the bigger picture really excites me.”

Since joining the university’s marketing team in December, Tammy’s already worked on some amazing campaigns, including a video introducing the tertiary institution’s new minor: Business Ethics & Sustainability Management.

“It’s a sign of the times that students can now take this as a minor for their university degree,” she says. “We’re in a climate crisis, so I’m very grateful to everyone who got involved in the making of this video, including our awesome film crew and the visionary individuals I interviewed. I’m really looking forward to sharing it with the world.”

Tammy says that during her career so far, she’s learned the importance of creative storytelling in effective marketing communications. “Storytelling is how humans have connected with one another since the beginning of time, and our hearts and minds continue to relate to narratives. Take your clients, your audience, your customers and your users on a journey and build a two-way, interactive relationship with them. When you truly listen to their stories, they’ll hear you when you share yours.”

To this end, Tammy is a host of Creativemornings, an international network of creative communities with more than 200 chapters around the globe. The Wellington node runs breakfast networking events on the last Friday of every month that feature inspiring entrepreneurs, artists, dreamers pioneers and inventors. “If you’re doing something awesome, then our audience of creatives wants to hear from you,” says Tammy. “So grab a Supreme coffee, grab some Fix & Fogg peanut butter toast, and join us at [co-working and event space] two/fiftyseven for the best way to start your day.”

Through her work, Tammy hopes to cultivate a more sustainable, accessible and invigorating world, something she believes is entirely possible thanks to new technologies popping up all the time. “I’d love to bring meaningful solutions to the forefront of people’s lives,” she says. “Maybe something yet to be invented, maybe something that harnesses the power of quantum computing, or AI, or biotech.” Watch this space.