Ly Bach Ngo

A copywriter by craft, a brand builder by trade and a storyteller by nature with a creative oeuvre that spans two decades of award-winning work. While the pen is my weapon of choice, my dual expertise in both art & copy brings the world of creative together. I spent my time in agencies pitching my heart out while running on tequila in 5 inch heels. Then spread my wings and brought my creative and strategic abilities brand-side. In-agency, in-house or as a creative consultant — it’s always about what you bring, not just deliver. For me, it’s an injection of pure energy, a new POV and a feeling of excitement. From uncovering the right positioning statement to the perfect personality, hilarious social reel or content strategy that can reduce a client to tears. I show brands and clients that every part of creative from the foundational strategy to execution can and is thrilling. Branding and all things brand from strategy to identity to campaign are my greatest love. I’m a proven brand strategist that can dive into insights to find that hidden gem. And an established integrated creative director that can take that brand strategy from expression to amplicfication.

What was your very first Creative job? How have you grown since then?

I got my creative start in the non-profit and cause-related marketing world, wanting to parlay my roots in public service & policy studies to do even more,. City Year gave me my first creative opportunity to create campaigns to recruit and raise awareness. Then, helping to change the overall perception and narrative. All culminating in my first big break - premiering the latest LucasFilms Star Wars installment with a fully integrated campaign. From experiential to PR, sponsorships, celebrity appearances, digital and more. This first experience working with shoestring budgets, little to no media buys, and the slimmest of 'creative' resources paved the way for how I approached creative down the road. Always thinking of the big picture even while working on the details. Taking content and making it usable in numerous channels but always telling the same story.

Tell us about what drives your personal projects.

The opportunity to do something differently or see something typical in a fresh new way. Like taking the same piece of content or typical format and re-imagining it.

What was your most challenging project to work on?

Revolutionizing Samuel Adams beer, an iconic heritage brand with a ton of brand equity, but irrelevant to a new generation of drinkers. This was my white whale - re-imagining the brand from the ground up. Laying down essential brand strategy to really connect the brand to it's true essence and audiences. Then evolving the brand visually and verbally without losing the core of what makes Sam Adams so amazing and loved.

Was there something specific about Creative Direction that made you realize it was the path for you?

I think of Creative Direction as subliminal problem-solving. Being able to evoke an action or emotion through a concept brought to life is a powerful thing. Whether it's an article, ad, video, POP, OOH or tweet.

How do you lead and mentor a creative team? Can you give an example of how you've helped develop the skills of a team member?

Leading a creative team is a fine balance of knowing when to lean in, lean back, or lead by example. You want to harmonize and get the best outcome from each individual that needs to come together to create something bigger. Like fitting together puzzle pieces. All while mentoring the capabilities and skills of each team member, ensuring they are challenged and growing to their fullest potential. Allowing them to own the work and pursue greater skills. I've worked with so many teams either establishing creative teams or growing existing ones - helping evolve junior talent into larger roles. And fine-tuning and picking out their best capabilities to hone in and develop.

Every Creative has their style but it can be difficult to bring that style to different projects with different clients, all with their own styles. How do you bring the two together?

The most skilled creatives are chameleons. While some do have an inherent or distinct style, it should never be overt. Because every client is different and what should be most prevalent is what is most important to the brand. I pride myself on being a chameleon, being able to focus on the brand regardless of industry or type. Whether it's healthcare, financial services, sports, CPG, beauty or tech - my ability to become part of that brand is what stands out.

When creating a brand identity, how important is target audience research?

I am a true brander and brand strategist in every sense of the word. This means audience research isn't just important, it is essential. All branding projects start with a foundation of in-depth research and knowledge of the audience from qualitative to quantitative. I love ethnographic research as part of the overall insight and ongoing focus groups, 1:1 and community-based inputs to always be on top of what audiences are thinking and feeling.

What is your dream project?

Creating a disruptor brand or bringing back a heritage brand.

With the rapid advancement of digital tools and technologies, how do you balance traditional design principles with the integration of new techniques and software?

Part of being a creative is evolving with how people consume content as well as keeping up with new facets of tech, design and thinking. Not only is it about being more efficient, it's about evolving the mediums and messages we deliver to audiences. AI is the biggest buzz in the creative community from helping to research and direct content to creating efficiencies in design, video and animation.