🧃006: The Juicy Chat - Ochuko Akpovbovbo of As Seen On
Ochuko Akpovbovbo breaks down monoculture, media myth-making, and why brands need to touch grass.
In this series, I’m chatting with insiders across beauty, retail, wellness, and investing — the ones in the trenches. This isn’t your typical “tell me how you did it” interview. I’m asking ✨ what you wish you knew, 😬 what got messy, 👀 what people never see - hoping to provide deeper insight into what often looks seamless from the outside.
Each conversation follows a 5-question format, plus two recurring bonus questions I ask every guest. If there is someone you think would be great for this series (or you), message me 😊.
I recently spoke with
fellow substacker of . If you are not already familiar with her Substack it is a great look into all things cultural from tech, to fashion, and beauty where she unapologetically says how she feels. She provides great takes of often overly simplified views of ‘Gen Z’ and does not shy away from saying when she thinks ‘the media’ or a ‘big corp’ has just got it wrong…or right. Additionally, she has the added perspective of being outside the US, which can provide a refreshing perspective. Ochuko is also an avid reader, providing recaps of her monthly reads. I really appreciate her views and also her candid humor she brings to her writing.
🔴 JUICY BYTE: Ochuko, you're known for spotting cultural currents early—but also for calling out when brands are getting the cultural narrative totally wrong. What do you look for that others often overlook?🔵 Ochuko: The thing I have most fun with and that I think (hope) makes my writing interesting is being able to connect dots across categories and industries. That's where the real insight comes from. Because the world moves so fast, its so easy to be reactive but waiting that extra week or month to take the temperature on a trend or a moment can be all it takes to see a narrative for what it really is. Also, I'm Gen Z so lived experience makes it pretty easy to call out BS when I see it. 🔴 JUICY BYTE: You live outside the U.S., but most of the trend world is U.S.-centric. How does being physically outside the echo chamber change how you perceive what’s relevant or overhyped?🔵 Ochuko: That’s a great question. First of all, living outside the U.S. and writing this newsletter has been a great proof point of the chokehold monoculture has on all of us—and how much the algorithm shapes how we see the world. My algorithms somehow never caught on to the fact that I’ve lived in Germany for almost three years, which I think helped a lot.
The most literal way being outside the U.S. helped is that if a trend, brand, or news item made it into my group chats (my friends are mostly in the U.S.), I knew it was newsworthy. If it was a trend so big I could see it come alive on the streets of Nuremberg, I knew it was worth writing about.
But mostly, there’s something about having one foot in and one foot out that can offer real perspective—if only because it gives you the space to actually think and consider.🔴 JUICY BYTE: Something I love about your work is you’ve called out companies / brands talk about Gen Z / Gen Alpha/ or Black consumers as if they’re a monolith. Why do you think this flattening happens so often, and what should brands be doing instead?🔵 Ochuko: Well, it's pretty obvious that someone made a strategy deck about Gen Z a while ago that all these companies keep recycling. Our reliance on "insights" and "foresight" makes it so easy to take for granted the slow but rewarding work of close listening, observation, or just touching grass.
What is Gen Z? People born within a specific time frame. And within that cohort, we’ve all experienced the world and life events differently, depending on any number of factors—and therefore behave and think differently. I think brands need to focus more on solving actual problems young people are facing, while realizing that from generation to generation, young people are not all that different from each other. Gen Z isn’t as special as you think they are. The problems to be solved—and the jobs to be done—are likely not all that different than they were a decade ago. As someone who's lived in four countries over the last ten years, I can assure you that being young in many ways is a pretty universal experience. So many companies are being built "for the moment", which is such a dangerous line to be walking.🔴 JUICY BYTE: Trend forecasting used to come from expensive decks and legacy firms. Now, it’s more like: Who has the sharpest Substack? What do you think has driven this shift—and what do the new experts understand that the old ones missed?🔵 Ochuko: What these new experts offer is a distinct perspective and worldview that comes from actually living out the culture they write about. The takes are nuanced, adjusted at the speed of culture—or at least close to it. There’s a name behind these words, which, like you said, are beginning to carry a lot of weight. So I believe there’s an extra layer of care and thoughtfulness when ideas and predictions are put into the world. It can be very rewarding when you’re right.🔴 JUICY BYTE: If you could get in a room with the marketing team at a big brand, what’s one thing you wish you could shake them into understanding about culture today?🔵 Ochuko: I'll reiterate what I’ve already said—don’t sweat the small stuff (like chasing trends). Focus on doing the work and telling stories that can be amplified within the “moment,” but also stand fully outside of it.🌟🌟🌟BONUS ROUND🌟🌟🌟🔴 JUICY BYTE: What’s a product you resisted buying... and now you can’t live without?🔵 Ochuko: honestly I dont have a good answer for this :(🔴 JUICY BYTE: What’s a brand you’re low-key obsessed with right now — and why?🔵 Ochuko: rhode. they are such a buzzy brand but now theyv'e been acquired by e.l.f. I'm keen to see what steps they take to build something that can stand the test of time Thank you for reading along!
💡 Stay tuned for more!
- Anne
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Thanks for having me Anne :)
I basically get all of my book recommendations from her now - love the monthly reading recaps!