Becoming the Brand’s Local Guide

The travel bug caught me very early in my 20s. Since then, all my travels come with a pattern. An almost obsessive desire to see a place not as a tourist, but through the eyes of someone who lives there.

Sure, touristy checklists are fun. But their thrill wears off quickly. What stays with me longer is when a local helps me find the pulse of a place—the hidden rhythm, the lived-in charm, the small moments that don’t show up on search results. That’s when a trip becomes immersive, emotional, unforgettable.

In 2014, while planning my first-ever trip to the U.S.—a work visit to represent Nat Geo India’s marketing campaign, which had been selected among the year’s best regional campaigns alongside Turkey’s—I found myself completely overwhelmed. There was much to prepare for the work part of the trip, but it was also the explorer within me who wore the researcher's hat on. Where do I begin? What should I not miss?

Friends and family poured in with long lists. Everyone had their favourites.And while their excitement was heartwarming, I was still unsure of what I wanted my experience to feel like.

That’s when I discovered Spotted by Locals—a brilliant little app curated by handpicked locals in 60+ cities.Fresh, personal, no fluff.I pounced on it like a child spotting her favourite orange-minty candy tucked away in a cluttered aisle of imported chocolates.

I could’ve easily saved this story for a travel blog.But here’s why I’m writing it here: because that app reminded me of what we often forget when we build brands.

We chase visibility, awards, algorithms.We worry about Brand Preference scores.We work hard to be seen—but not always to be relevant.

But the truth is: relevance is what makes brands unforgettable.And relevance doesn’t live in generic personas or polished decks. It lives in the felt experience of your audience. In the real, messy, curious world they occupy.

Here’s the challenge:

You can’t stay relevant if you don’t see like a local.

And that means going beyond surface-level data:

• Not just demographics, but deep psychographics

• Not just what people buy, but what makes them feel

• Not just where they live, but what they long for

  
  

Are we asking the right questions?Are we listening hard enough?Are we paying attention to what doesn’t show up in the brief?

If we want our brands to feel real, coherent, and alive across mediums, we need to stop being distant strategists.We need to become insiders. Curious, emotionally tuned-in, slightly obsessive ‘locals’ who can spot the smallest cues and use them to shape better, truer, more resonant brand experiences.

The best brand builders aren’t just marketers.

They’re anthropologists. Listeners. Observers of everyday magic.

They follow gut and instinct—not just industry trends.

They’re not afraid of odd ideas that don’t fit the mold at first glance.

They care.Deeply. Consistently. Creatively.

And that, to me, is the real craft: Helping your brand show up like a local—relevant, rooted, and ready to connect.