Ananthu Vasudev
Brand & market strategist. He writes most of what is filed under Our Thinking.
Most of the thinking starts here.
Ananthu writes most of what is filed under Our Thinking. He works on positioning and market strategy — the part of the job that happens before anyone opens a design file or books a media slot.
He has been inside healthcare, education, retail, hospitality, FMCG and emerging tech, usually in the room where the decision gets made rather than the one where it gets executed. That range is why the writing moves between an ayurvedic hospital, a Zomato placement and an AI platform in Gothenburg without changing its footing.
Before the collective existed he spent five years building The Evolvers Project on his own — strategy, identity, content and digital presence — running experiential learning programmes for students, job seekers and professionals.
Ananthu Vasudev on LinkedIn →Roles, not a résumé.
Every piece on this site is written from somewhere. This is where.
Head of Brand & Market Strategy
Brand strategy and market positioning for an AI platform built to make household mental load visible. Go-to-market, segmentation and competitive differentiation for its Nordic launch.
Founder
Built the brand solo. Experiential learning programmes that reached more than 500 people directly, one of India's earliest long-form educational vlog series, and a mental health leave policy adopted in 2020.
Consultant, then content lead
General manager in 2016, consultant since 2017, leading content since 2021. The longest continuous engagement behind the collective.
Brand and campaign work
Allen & Habour Opticals, Malabar Village Luxe, Alisha Travels, Petklin, Sreedhareeyam Eye Hospital, Victoria Realtors and others across Kerala.
23 pieces. In the order they were written.
- PerspectiveBefore You Choose a Marketing Channel, Decide What You Are Trying to BuildChannels are the easy part now. Decide what the brand is trying to mean, who needs to believe it and what behaviour to change — then pick the channel.
- PerspectiveWhat Is the Actual Job in an AI-Assisted Workplace?AI removes manual work before it removes responsibility. The useful question isn't whether AI can do a task, but whether that task is why the role exists.
- PerspectiveCreative Teams Need Systems TooSystems don't tell creative people what idea to have. Clear briefs, approvals and timelines are what give a team the room to take creative risks.
- PerspectiveWhen Businesses Keep Going Because They Have Already Invested Too MuchPersistence responds to evidence; attachment responds to history. How to tell whether a business is continuing because it works or because it already paid.
- ObservationThe Next Battle Between Instagram and YouTube May Be About Social, Not VideoThe next platform battle may be about the social layer around the video, not the video. What that means for how brands brief and measure content.
- ObservationMost of Your Customers Aren't Ready to Buy YetMost people meet a brand long before they need it. Why some marketing plants a memory rather than triggering a sale, and how to judge each on its terms.
- PerspectiveDigital Marketing Is Still MarketingRunning ads or making reels isn't the same as knowing how to market. Why understanding people should decide what the tools are for, not the reverse.
- PerspectiveThe Segmentation Blind Spot: What People Are Willing to SpendIncome tells you what a customer can spend. It doesn't tell you what they're willing to spend on. A more useful way to segment: by priorities and value.
- ObservationPeople Are Already Being Influenced. The Question Is by What.Customers are part of the distribution system, not just the audience. A Maharani Wedding Collections campaign built on how people already sway each other.
- Case studyGood Ideas Are Not Single-UseHow one Malayalam eyewear idea for Allen & Habour Opticals moved from Zomato's order-tracking page to a restaurant screen without being reinvented.
- PerspectiveA Campaign You Don't Like Can Still Be a Good CampaignNot liking an ad doesn't make it ineffective. Why marketing judgement needs distance from personal taste, and better questions for a creative review.
- Case studyDesigning for Context: The Malayalam Ad on Zomato's Order-Tracking PageA case study on treating a Zomato order-tracking placement as part of the idea, not just inventory, with a Malayalam ad for Allen & Habour Opticals.
- ObservationA Logo Does Not Become a Brand Just Because There Is Space for ItA brand exists in customers' minds, not in the approval meeting. Why a logo should be judged by what it makes people think, not by who likes it.
- Case studyWhen a Marketing Idea Moves Faster Than the Campaign CalendarA Women's Day campaign for Malabar Village Luxe went from idea to client approval in hours. What it shows about fitting the process to the idea.
- ObservationSometimes the Billboard Next to Yours Is Part of Your CampaignOn a road, people see billboards together, not one at a time. Why contextual and reactive outdoor advertising is an underused opportunity in Kerala.
- Perspective“AI-Free” Is Not a Creative StrategyAvoiding a tool doesn't make work original. Why 'AI-free' is a badge, not a creative strategy, and what actually decides whether work is good.
- ObservationAI Is Becoming a Team Tool, Not Just an Individual ToolGood AI output rarely comes from one perfect prompt. It comes from iteration — and collaborative AI turns that into a shared workspace for team thinking.
- ObservationThe Best Business Automation May Not Need New SoftwareA tyre shop's follow-up trick shows automation doesn't need new software. Start with where the business keeps losing time or follow-up, then build small.
- ObservationA Good Product Can Become Unpopular Because of How It Is SoldInsurance is useful, yet widely avoided in India. How the way a product is sold can shape how a whole category is seen, and what that means for trust.
- PerspectiveSales Is Not the Last Department of a BusinessSales is where a business hears what the market actually thinks. Why it belongs alongside marketing and product as a market intelligence function.
- ObservationCustomer Experience Starts Before the Product DoesA visit to River's Kochi showroom shows customer experience begins at the car park, not the product. Every small interaction is part of the brand.
- PerspectiveWhy Should Businesses Be the Only Ones Being Rated?Customers rate businesses, but the rating rarely runs the other way. A case for symmetry, accountability and worker dignity in review systems.
- Case studyRethinking How a New Product Gets Noticed on ShelfPackaging case study: how EYL's Type-C cable stood out on a crowded electronics shelf by removing noise, and turned a spec into "I'm your type-C."
All 29 pieces, filed by format.