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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Strategic and people-driven Business Developer with over 20 years of international experience across the sports and fashion industries. Having built my career in companies like Nike, Puma and Privalia, and later as Founder of Matchmakers, I combine a strong commercial mindset with a deep understanding of talent and organizational growth.

My background spans finance, sales leadership and international business development, giving me a complete view of how to scale brands and build high-performing teams. Known for my entrepreneurial drive, networking ability and strategic vision, I help organizations grow by connecting the right people, ideas and markets. An extrovert, adaptable, sociable and analytical team player. 

Currently based in the Netherlands, I bring a hands-on and multicultural approach to business growth, partnerships and market expansion across Europe. Native Spanish, C1 English and Intermediate Dutch.


How can MatchMakers help you?  

Saving your time, money and mental health humanizing your talent adquisition to drive engagement with candidates and brands by creating trust and helping them to manage expectations during the process.  

I use a people-centric approach and an artisanal way (always quality vs. quantity). My way of working is based on transparency, empathy, a close approach, humility and honesty.

What are you getting from me?

- High performer with a 92% fill rate: I don´t leave a stone unturned until I find your best fitting candidate

- Focus on fitting personalities, soft skills and values, not just the regular matching based on experience

- I become an ambassador of your brand: first impression matters. Give your candidates a great feeling of profesionalism before they join your brand

- Bring an exceptional candidate´s journey based on my human way of working: open, transparent, honest, humble, empathetic and trustful

- Always direct search: I don´t do job postings. They don´t work. I bring headhunting to all type of roles engaging also with passive talent

- Working with high-standards as if it was for myself pushes the level of professionalism and involvement in everything I do

- Hiring in five different markets in Europe (Spain, Italy, France, Benelux and Germany) allows me to relocate talent

- A quick understanding of your needs using my + 20 years experience in the industries to speak the same language as you

- Lots of certainty as I do everything myself from A-Z (I do not work with junior associates) using our hands-on and personalized approach


Drop me a private message and I will be delighted to help you!

taplio

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The Battle

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