Brands don’t win because they post more content.
They win because they own something no one else can copy.

That “something” is IP — stories, characters, worlds, systems, and cultural assets that compound into long-term value.

Intellectual Property (IP) is becoming the core strategic asset behind modern brand entertainment and cultural ecosystems.

For over 20 years, I worked inside some of the world’s most influential entertainment and consumer brands — Disney, Warner Bros., Nickelodeon, PUMA — shaping global franchises, managing multimillion-euro IP portfolios, and learning how brands evolve when they move beyond campaigns and into entertainment, culture, and ownership.

Today, as the founder of unmtchd., I work at the intersection of brand, entertainment, and IP — designing IP-led, entertainment-driven ecosystems as long-term strategic assets.

My work sits at the intersection of three pillars:

→ IP & Brand Strategy
Identifying and structuring what makes a brand truly unmatched — its unique assets, meaning, narrative, and signature.

→ Brand Entertainment & Ecosystem Design
Turning IP into characters, formats, products, content, partnerships, communities, and scalable revenue streams that live far beyond social platforms.

→ Cultural Positioning & Future Readiness
Helping brands evolve intentionally so they remain relevant, differentiated, and culturally meaningful in a fast-shifting world.

The outcome?
Brands that don’t just participate in culture — they build it.
Distinct by design. Scalable through IP. Built to last beyond the algorithm.

If you’re a brand leader or founder exploring how to move from content to IP, from campaigns to owned worlds, let’s connect.

Oana Leonte 💬

I need to be honest… 
I have mixed feelings about this.

I’ve worked for PUMA for 10 years.

I know the brand well — 
its internal tensions, its unreal creative firepower, and the gap between what PUMA is and what it could be.

That’s why I was hoping for a different buyer.

Because this move isn’t just about money.
And it’s not just about distribution.

It’s about what kind of future you create for a brand when you truly understand IP.

PUMA doesn’t lack awareness.

It doesn’t lack product.
It doesn’t lack athletes, moments, or cultural relevance.

And it certainly doesn’t lack legacy. 

What it has always struggled with is clarity around its core IP:

what must stay sacred
vs. what can hype, license, evolve, and compound.

Because PUMA is not just a sportswear company.

It’s a brand ecosystem that spans:
– sport
– fashion
– performance
– music
– heritage
– street culture

Handled well, that’s an incredible IP engine.
Handled poorly, it becomes one of many.

I say this with lots of care and love for the brand.

PUMA’s potential was never about being a “winner”.

It was about going back to its essence.

More intentional about the space it owns.
More disciplined about what it builds.
More confident about what it stands for. 

This is why these moments matter so much for a legacy brand like that. 

Who owns the brand determines:
– how IP is protected
– how meaning compounds
– how legacy survives leadership changes

I want PUMA to win.
Deeply.

But I also know this:
brands like PUMA don’t need “operators”.

They need IP architects.

Curious to hear other perspectives,
especially from people who’ve lived inside legacy brands and felt this tension firsthand.

Oana  Leonte

IP is the new influence → Brand Entertainment & IP Monetization Strategy → Founder of unmtchd. • Ex-Disney, Warner Bros., Nickelodeon, PUMA • Speaker

Simon Jacquemus just named his grandma the official face of the brand.

And it says more about brand meaning than a thousand celebrity campaigns.

To be clear, 

this isn’t a PR stunt.
It’s not “authenticity” as a tactic.
It's not "let's make an emotional campaign".

It’s simply brand coherence, 
and consolidating his brand IP.

Simon isn't borrowing meaning.
He formalised what was already there.

In the announcement image which you can see here, Liline Jacquemus is carrying The Valerie Bag, a bag inspired by her daughter. Simon’s mother.

The product isn’t just a product.
It’s a vessel of memory.
Of family.
Of continuity.

You can’t fake this kind of meaning.
You can’t replicate it with influencers.
You can’t outspend it.

For years, his grandmother has been part of the Jacquemus universe:

the south of France,
family tables,
sun-bleached memories,
Simon's childhood folded into fashion.

By naming her officially, Jacquemus did something very few brands dare to do:
→ turned emotional truth into owned brand equity.

No influencer could replicate this.
No campaign budget could manufacture it.
Because this only works when the story is real and repeatable.

Because this is what real brand IP looks like:
– emotional truth
– encoded into product
– scaled without dilution

Jacquemus isn’t selling just good fashion.
He understands that what fashion needs is meaning.

And that’s why it works.

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What The Duck Workshops

𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽𝘀 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗘𝗚𝗢® 𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗢𝗨𝗦 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬® 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱.
𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗟𝗦𝗣 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵:
- Creative Strategy
- Team buildings
- Ideas generation
- Cross-teams collaboration

CHIEF DUCK 🦆

Rovio Entertainment Corporation

Creative strategy and transmedia content 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗿𝘆 𝗕𝗶𝗿𝗱𝘀.
𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲  𝗗𝗘𝗜 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 

𝗔𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦:
- First ever Angry Birds 3D billboard in NYC Times Square
- 25M+ organic reach with the 2023 Pride campaign (including posts going viral on thePinkNews.com)
- Created the very first non-binary Angry Bird as part of the pride campaign.
- Successfull roll out of a partnership with Earthday.org that included a cross game execution as well as a full on SoMe campaign and also a NYC Times Square billboard!

Creative director and strategist

SYBO

Creative strategies for organic content to drive discoverability of the 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱’𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲, 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀
- Part of the marketing Leadership Team
- Set Creative strategy for all content (ASO, UA, new game launches, partnerships, new features, live ops promo, store assets), product launches and brand marketing campaigns
- Managed the creative marketing team (2 video creatives, 2 graphic designers, 1 creative lead and 1 producer).


𝗔𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦:
-  I set the creative strategy for the 10th anniversary campaign, leading to a 3x increase in revenue.
- Launched 2 new games, setting creative strategies and GTM plans for all launch stages
- Launched a new Subway Surfers update campaign every 3 weeks: 1 trailer, 50+ graphic assets, and new store assets
- Helped growing organically SoMe channels with new creative strategies (IG grew from 50K to 2M followers)

Creative Director and strategist

King

Creative strategies for the content of King's main titles: Candy Crush and Farm Heroes.

 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴’𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀.

𝗔𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦:
- Farm Heroes Escape to the Country campaign generated a +32% increase in organic social media reach
- Created a 360 strategic framework and process for the Marketing organisation
- Candy Crush Mr Toffee’s campaign achieved +1611.9% organic reach on social media!

Strategist / art director

IKEA Group

𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲, 𝗜 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝗞𝗘𝗔’𝘀 𝗲-𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀.

𝗔𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦:
- New Images TOV (adding more emotions into IKEA’s product images)
- Created over 500 images using the brand-new TOV

Senior Art Director

LEGO Group

This role stands out as one of my most creatively fulfilling experiences. It provided me with valuable insights into navigating new markets and planning the successful launch of global campaigns while adapting to local nuances. Within this capacity, I focused on activations and 360 strategic campaigns tailored for the APAC markets, placing a special emphasis on digital and
social activations. 

𝗔𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦:
- My First LEGO campaign (TTL, Activation, eCommerce and events) increased the conversion
in-store/online from 20% to 36% on emerging Asia markets

Art Director - APAC

Engaging in Activations and crafting 360 strategic campaigns for the EMEA markets, I placed a keen focus on digital and social activations. Contributing to global campaigns like Easter and Christmas, I played a role in the entire process—from conceptualization and development to the seamless rollout across different regions.

𝗔𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦:

- Successfully deployed the LEGO Easter activation mechanic in 569 Tesco Stores and 354 Sainsbury's Stores in the UK, showcasing excellent in-store execution achieved through direct and effective communication with retail partners.

- The LEGO Easter campaign proved instrumental in not only attracting new LEGO Shoppers but also capturing the attention of new toy category shoppers. Impressively, 54% of shoppers who purchased a LEGO SKU were new to the LEGO brand, with 50% being newcomers to the toy category overall.

Art Director - EMEA

ZOORIT

In this creative role I immersed myself in advertising campaigns, Shopper marketing initiatives, and branding projects tailored for the Reunion Island market. Collaborating with great clients such as EDF, Orangina, Diageo, and Schweppes, I navigated the unique dynamics of this market. Noteworthy Achievements: Operating in a French-speaking region provided me with the invaluable opportunity to enhance my language proficiency while gaining deep insights into a new market and its
dynamic landscape.

Once Upon A Time Marketing

I have driven  360 integrated campaigns and shopper’s marketing initiatives for the home entertainment industry and the beauty sector. Notable clients in my portfolio included Disney, Warner Bros, Estee Lauder, Kenzo, Russian Standard Vodka and HMV.
Key Achievements: The HMV Decades campaign won the prestigious BVA Best Retail Marketing Campaign of 2014 in the UK. This groundbreaking initiative expanded beyond its film-centric focus, incorporating additional categories such as music and merchandise. The curated promotion, requiring no special SKUs, resulted in a remarkable 67% uplift in catalogue sales over a six-week period.

Creo

On this role I focused on shopper marketing and activation campaigns spanning FMCG, Entertainment, and the beauty sector, I collaborated with great clients such as Reckitt Benckiser (Durex, Air Wick, Vanish), Universal, 20th Century Fox, SEGA, and COTY. 
Key Achievements: Instrumental in securing the Reckitt Benckiser account through a compelling creative pitch. Subsequently, I assumed the role of lead creative and brand guardian, overseeing all work produced for RB (Durex, Cillit Bang, Vanish, E45, AirWick, Nurofen).

Senior Creative

Kinetic MCD

in this role, I specialized in packaging design for the toys and games industry, collaborating with great clients including Disney, Ravensburger, and Hasbro. Responsibilities encompassed not only the design of  eye catching packaging but also overseeing projects from early conceptual stages to production. Additionally, a crucial aspect of the role involved crafting brand style guides for clients.

senior designer

🌟 20+ Years of Creative Strategies That Sell and Drive Growth

With over two decades of experience, I’ve helped some of the world’s most iconic brands create unforgettable stories and turn them into profitable, strategic campaigns that drive growth. I focus on transforming bold ideas into impactful campaigns by leveraging consumer insights to create emotional pieces of communication.

My secret weapon? Bold leadership, boundless creativity, and the belief that kindness isn’t just nice—it’s the key to high-performing teams. I thrive on collaboration, empowering others, and driving creativity that not only connects but also makes a real difference.

When I’m not creating impactful strategies, you’ll find me chasing my goal of visiting every country in the world (currently at #98!), embracing all things '90s, and living in technicolor. I also run WHAT THE DUCK!, where I facilitate LEGO SERIOUS PLAY workshops across Europe.

Ready to build something extraordinary? Reach out and let’s make it happen.

#CreativeDirector #CreativeStrategy  #Marketing #Leadership #LEGOseriousplay #Gaming #BrandStrategy

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