Afdhel Aziz is a brand strategist and marketer who has worked for blue-chip companies such as Procter & Gamble, Heineken, and Nokia in London and New York. He is currently Brand Director for Absolut Vodka in the USA. He is an expert on how to deliver cutting-edge campaigns, content and experiences that harness popular culture, working with world-class artists such as Lady Gaga, Swedish House Mafia and Kanye West, as well as diverse partners like the TED Conferences, Art Basel, Coachella Festival, London Fashion Week, US Open Tennis and the Andy Warhol Foundation. He has been a featured speaker at SXSW, Advertising Week and the Social Commerce Summit, and has been fortunate enough to collaborate with world-class agencies like Sid Lee, Wieden + Kennedy, Mother and Naked, on award-winning work which has been featured in the New York Times, Vice, Fast Company, Coolhunting, Billboard, Hypebeast and more. He is also a published writer ('Strange Fruit'​), poet ('China Bay Blues'​) and is currently working on a book about social intrapreneurship called 'Good is the New Cool'.

Good is the New Cool: How Great Brands Should Optimize Life @ ‘Good is the New Cool’ is a book project to inspire marketers to be better citizens, by balancing profit and the needs of their consumers and communities; whilst still innovating and harnessing the force of popular culture. The book is an exploration of ‘purpose-driven’ marketing, showcasing examples from such innovative brands such as Warby Parker, Zappo’s and Citibank. From January 2013 to Present (3 years) Brand Director, Absolut Vodka @ From legendary artists like Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Damien Hirst, to icons of culture like Jay-Z, Tom Ford and Spike Jonze, Absolut has had an inspiring history of iconic collaborations. As Brand Director, I provide strategic direction for the Absolut Vodka brand in the United States, managing internal and external cross-functional teams to ensure it remains the No. 1 Premium imported vodka. I worked on the foundational consumer insights and execution of the 'Transform Today'​ campaign, featuring Woodkid, Aaron Koblin and more, which was launched globally with a multi-million dollar campaign in December 2013. As of April 2015, I will be heading up Absolut Labs, an internal think tank and start-up incubator. With offices in NYC's Dumbo's tech district, and satellite presence in Silicon Valley and Los Angeles, the new venture will be partnering with innovators, entrepreneurs and other brands at the intersection of 'music,art and technology'​ to create utilities, experiences and content with the goal of 'making nightlife better.'​ Key 'moonshot'​ concepts will be beta-tested and rapidly prototyped , with successful ones scaling to monetization and new revenue streams for the brand. Other recent integrated marketing projects have included : - Lady Gaga : Creative collaboration with one of the most transformative artists of our time, with deep integration into brand experience (US tour) and massive social media amplification. - Absolut Warhol: Initiated partnership with Warhol Foundation that lead to 4 million bottles of Absolut Warhol Limited Edition being launched in Christmas 2014. Lead conceptualization and execution of 360 amplification program with ATL, BTL and TTL elements. - 'Absolut Greyhound'​ , the multi-disciplinary collaboration with Swedish House Mafia, which resulted in more than 30 million video views, and the most Shazam'd TV ad of 2012 and partnership on a sold-out US tour that reached half a million people. From March 2012 to Present (3 years 10 months) Brand Director, Heineken @ I led strategy and planning for Heineken's sponsorships portfolio which includes partners like the US Open, Tribeca Film Festival, Coachella, Ultra, Outsidelands and the Bowery Presents, as well as experiential programs like Heineken Red Star Soul and Heineken Inspire, featuring artists such as Kanye West, Rick Ross and Nas. I also led Digital, PR and Social Media strategy, planning and execution, driving the creation of rich, innovative and scalable digital experiences for our consumers, such as the 'Discotecture' collaboration with Vice to create a six part online documentary on the history of Nightlife Design. From June 2009 to March 2012 (2 years 10 months) Senior Marketing Manager, Global Sponsorships and Partnerships Team @ Strategic Product Marketing role around Nokia Music Store and Comes with Music programmes. Creating and managing innovative own-brand platforms like Nokia Trendslab and Nokia New Years Eve. Negotiating and managing external properties like Cannes Lions Advertising Festival , TED Conference partnership, Pangea Day From September 2005 to May 2009 (3 years 9 months) Marketing Manager, Kiss 100 and Mixmag @ Working on Mixmag, the world's biggest electronic music magazine and Kiss FM, the number one youth station in London: Focusing on integrated 360 marketing campaigns, strategic business development, and new product development. From 2002 to 2005 (3 years) London, United KingdomBrand Management @ Brands: Max Factor and Vidal Sassoon. Focusing on integrated 360 marketing campaigns, retail programmes, pricing strategy and sales promotion, and managing London Fashion Week sponsorships. From 1999 to 2002 (3 years) Journalist @ TV Presenter. Radio Host. Weekly Columnist on Music, Arts, Food and Film. From September 1994 to September 1997 (3 years 1 month)

Msc, Masters Degree in Media and Communications @ London School of Economics and Political Science From 1997 to 1998 BA (Hons), English Literature @ King's College London From 1991 to 1994 Afdhel Aziz is skilled in: Product Development, Public Relations, Advertising, Social Media, Marketing Strategy, Integrated Marketing, Sponsorship, Digital Marketing, Digital Strategy, Mobile Marketing, Brand Development, Marketing Communications, Digital Media, Consumer Insights, Online Advertising