Jan 05, 2026

The Secret Lives of Brands

Yo Santosa

About this video

Description

Why do some brands feel so alive you want to text them back? That emotional jolt you get when a brand totally gets you, on every level, isn’t random. In this talk, Yo unpacks why some brands spark obsession while others flop trying to reinvent themselves. Why a headline, a look or a friend’s “this is so you” can flip you from “maybe” to “I want in.” It’s about digging deep, connecting unexpected dots, drawing from culture and other brands and shaping an emotional space that feels both true and new. No business degree required. Trust that your personal lens is your biggest superpower. Part storytelling. Part unpacking. Part hands-on in creating brands that feel human. Because brands have secrets and Yo’s here to spill them.

Yo Santosa

People don’t fall in love with businesses, they fall in love with personalities. Brands aren’t just built—they’re felt. The great ones stick, not because of flashy logos or clever taglines, but because they have a personality. And let’s be honest, people don’t fall in love with businesses (unless you have some deeply concerning feelings for a corporate entity). They fall in love with the spark, the story, the thing that makes a brand feel like a charismatic dinner guest rather than a boardroom full of PowerPoint slides. Yo has worked with visionary founders, ambitious CMOs and wildly talented creatives across DTC, food, retail and entertainment—basically all the fun stuff. Clients include Pinkberry (the yogurt that launched a thousand cravings), Evite (because sending paper invites is so 1800s), Winc (for those who like their wine with a side of convenience), Disney, NBC’s The Today Show and Turner Networks. Her work has been featured in GQ and Fast Company, and she’s been nominated for three Emmys, which is a fancy way of saying I’ve almost won—thrice.