Market Research Consultant, Innovator, Creator, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Ms. Wendy Cochrane was nominated for her creative work pursuits and innovative approaches to solving problems, as she says, African-style. Wendy, a South African who grew up protesting apartheid, branched away from the traditional market research avenues, and delved into more collaborative, people-focused research projects. One of the recent initiatives she contributed to was Campaign Zero, Cape Town’s attempt to manage water crisis period of severe water shortage and drought.

A passionate risk-taker, Ms. Cochrane early on decided to break out of her “middle class white South African bubble”, embraced social and environmental activism, and crossed racial lines to understand and represent all parts of South African society in her everyday work. Ms. Cochrane has lived a thousand lives, and I’m so happy we have crossed paths so I could spend some time hearing about them.

1. Name.

Wendy Cochrane.

2. Where is your hometown?

Cape Town, South Africa.

3. What is your profession/career/title/self-label/designation?

Founder of Big Mama’s Famous Truth Shop - an insight agency that helps solve problems, African-style. We mostly offer research studies and workshops, using filmed interviews in people’s real lives to discover insights that help us spark ideas and strategic solutions to all kinds of African challenges – big and small. It’s a fresh business model – collaboration with experts on a project by project basis rather than a formal business structure, and I find that liberating. It frees me up to play many different roles and to balance my personal life.

What does your average day look like?

Every day is different. Usually I’m snooping around other people’s lives - interviewing, filming & photographing people in their homes, work & play places. Mostly working on private research briefs, but also on “big issue” projects where we team up with social activists to learn how people are affected by and dealing with the issues in everyday life to inspire practical solutions.

I enjoy the field days the most. Having conversations in such different places with people I wouldn’t usually meet – exploring their diverse perspectives on issues as big as environmental crises or simply how to improve a humble bar of soap. Every project is a gift as we learn so much from each person we interview. Our own perspectives are challenged constantly, and it influences how we solve our own personal problems.

I love taking photographs, and this work gives me the opportunity to get out often and shoot in all kinds of environments from townships, rural, suburbs and cities. I’ve been fortunate to travel to many exciting places in Africa and abroad to do this, but my favourite place to spend a day remains my birthplace – Kwa-Zulu Natal. People there are usually warm, colourful, open and down to earth.

Ultimately, we’re gathering footage that is analysed, edited and embedded into a presentation. In our workshops we have fun helping our funders get back to earth, open up and see their problems differently.

Our clients range from corporate brands, creative agencies & activist organisations, so during a span of one day I could be in a boardroom, swanky conference centre, theatre, or quiet café having meetings, presenting, facilitating workshops or motivational events.

I also spend time developing models that help make sense of overwhelming complexity and guide strategic thinking. I enjoy doodling these- often on planes on the way home from a project. Our models include a “World View” model that explains simply the evolution of human values, building an understanding of diverse perspectives and how to connect in dynamic times. We’ve also developed a “Contagious Change” model that maps a process for sparking viral social change. It starts with exploring the “ Great Barrier Wall of Truth”- the practical and psychological blocks to making changes in our daily behaviour. Each model is inspired and earthed by the conversations we have with real human beings.

I love days spent with our project teams. We are a collective of experienced freelancers and meet in coffee shops and each other’s homes to work on projects and they always feel like family visits. We have a small core team, with field activists that help us recruit and gather content. Every project is a fresh adventure.

We’ve recently begun an exciting project in collaboration with experienced activists and creatives. It’s an educational comic story with characters and story inspired by people we interview. Each story helps spark change on a big issue. Brands advertise in the comics to fund their distribution. 

Our first @Big Mama’s comic story was created to help drive behaviour change during the Day Zero water crisis in Cape Town, funded by Sunlight 2 in 1 washing powder and distributed by local popular tabloid, the Daily Sun- an influential media platform with print and digital formats. The story is set in a village where all the characters are affected by the crisis and ultimately come up with practical ideas to solve it. Those days are lots of fun and stimulate the creative juices.

So, in a nutshell, we are using powerful tools that have been developed for marketing brands, and now applying them to projects that have a positive sustainable impact on people, societies and the environment.

There are also many boring days, the admin, bills, writing proposals, answering emails. And of course, the everyday juggle & joy of all the other demands of family. Somehow it all works.

4. What did you study in school?

I went to a very strict private high school with a strong academic focus, and chose maths, accounting and geography. In primary school, I loved art, music and drama, and so I guess all these things have come together. I went on to study Commerce at University, but couldn’t wait to leave and travel.

I majored in Marketing and Economics. I did a lot of short courses in photography too.

5. What was the journey like to get where you are (in life and career-wise)? Write about some of the achievements that you are most proud of. What was the breakthrough moment for you (in your personal life and/or career?) that set you on the current path in life?

My profession didn’t exist when I studied, and so I’ve played a role in inventing it and I’m very proud of that. 

I travelled abroad after graduating- all around the time of the fall of Apartheid in South Africa- it was a very scary and uncertain time – many believed we were at the brink of civil war, and so in a sense we were young refugees. I’m glad I chose to settle back in South Africa and experienced the joy of the birth of Mandela’s Rainbow Nation.

A memorable life changing moment was buying my first camera and signing up for a photography course. I built a darkroom under my house, and took my camera with me to work.

Career highlights have included working as a brand manager for Unilever and learning how to connect & build useful products and brands. It was there that sowed the seed for what I do now - we would spend a lot of time getting out into homes and it was always exciting to meet people and explore homes and everyday life in townships and rural areas- zones that would have been no go areas in the dark days before as they were violent and unpredictable. It was something of a novelty then for white people to visit black people. We were warmly welcomed and each experience was a window into a new world. And an opportunity to shoot pictures.

I left Unilever to join a small agency in Cape Town that was pioneering a research technique called Ethnography. We were corporate ‘refugees’, shooting from the hip, challenging the status quo of the conventional research world and getting our boots dirty. We worked with organisations across all industries – from big brands like Coca-Cola, Johnny Walker, OMO washing powder, to fashion magazines, you name it. It was a great experience and blew my mind open.

I became very passionate about the power of brands and media, and the unquestionable influence they have on society - how they become role models and drivers of change and social perspective.

I increasingly felt an ethical conflict with some of the projects we were working on- those that were simply hungry for growth and using the method to exploit, and I was drawn to working with the organisations and brands that were embracing the new movement of sustainable development and brand purpose.

I began to do freelance work, which included working with a network of social and environmental activists as well as lectured at a tertiary college, experimenting with how this technique could be used positively and greatly inspired by youth and their ideals.

For a short while, I took on the role of Director of Strategy for a global advertising agency, a role which was stretching, but highly creatively stimulating. I met and learned from great creative minds – how to turn insight into potent communication.

The breakthrough moment was seven years ago, when I found a street artist to paint the first Big Mama’s signboard - not even sure yet what this shop was about. Perhaps it would have been more comfortable & secure to have stayed in a corporate position, cushioned from the headaches of cash flow by a fat steady salary. But despite the roller coaster ride of managing my own business, with its stresses and scary moments, I am so proud of the work I do today and grateful for the people that I get to work and spend time with. Our clients are our allies, team mates are family. I believe in what I do, there is no more conflict, and that is everything to me.

My children surviving me is however my greatest achievement. Above all I am proud of them. Who knows, maybe one day they may find a role in this rapidly evolving business.

6. How is your life different from what you pictured at 20?

To be very honest, at 20 I did not give my future a moment’s thought. I often bunked lectures as I ran a student commune, sold roses in restaurants and spent time in dodgy bars watching live music with my friends. I didn’t give a damn about a career then, but the experiences of my 20’s opened up to enable what I do today. Growing up in South Africa was a bit like living in the “Truman Show”. It was a bubble, and if you were middle or upper class you pretty much lived in a bubble. In my twenties that popped. A dusty road it has been, filled with unexpected twists and adventure. I think 20-year-old me would be happy.

7. Was there a time when life knocked you down or out and how did you get back up on your feet?

Many, many times. There have been so many disappointments along the way – partnerships that failed, projects that flopped, big dreams dashed. I have memories of lying in a bathtub wondering what on earth to do next- should I surrender? Take the easier road?

I’ve had health issues too – triggered by extreme stress. Blackouts… getting stuck in foreign countries because I’m too weak to fly home.

But today, I am strong thanks to the people that never stop believing in me and day by day, help me believe too. It’s such a mind-game. So many things happen to make you doubt, you have to draw on inner and outer guidance, work always with what is real, and learn who to trust.

I have a life coach now, who gives me practical methods for coping with stress on a mental, physical and spiritual level. My family and team are great support.

When I fail, I try to remember that I’m human, and not to let myself get stuck in the swampy muck. Looking back, those darkest days were often the catalyst for something wonderful that happened next.

8. Advice for other women?

Seek out people that appreciate who you are and work that allows you to be true to yourself. If you are unable to do this, take a risk and change until you do. To compromise constantly is to disconnect from our spirit and ultimately damages us and all we touch.

Bring your soul to work.

9. Knowing what we know now in a current political climate, can women be "all that we can be" in today's world? What is the way forward, as you see it, for "feminist values"?

The world needs to urgently re-value the feminine, and restore balance in many of our institutions, most especially in influential organisations, media, politics and religion. This is not about old school feminism for me, but a restoration of the natural order and balance of feminine and masculine values. Many men need a revolution too. Especially in Africa.

For centuries stories of powerful women have been suppressed. But today there are too many examples of women all around us who are examples and living proof of what women are capable of.

I draw inspiration constantly from the real women I meet that shatter stereotypes and do surprising things. Three inspiring women I have met include a young girl from a rural village that today facilitates UN conferences, a stay at home mother in a township who taught her community how to read water meters when Cape Town faced the Day Zero crisis, and a nun that left her order and was ordained a priest, defying centuries of authority. One is a team member, the second a person we interviewed, and the third, my life coach.

10. Where in the world do you feel “tallest” (i.e. where is your happy place)?

We sometimes facilitate big events to share some of the insights from our big issue projects. For example recently we held an event in an old Victorian theatre in Cape Town’s vibrant Long Street. We shared insights from our current big issue study – Leadership SA - with a mixed audience of politicians, social activists, students, advertisers, marketers and musicians. The events are the cherry on the top as people get very inspired to apply the insights in their work and everyday lives.

11. What extra-curricular activities/hobbies are you most proud of? Why?

I love photographing people and bringing out a glimpse of their character. I enjoy spending time in nature, long walks on beaches, and road trips in an old VW kombi, ideally without a set destination. My children are my most absorbing hobby right now though and playing games with them is a good way to de-stress.

12. What do you want to be when you grow up? Future goals/challenges?

I would love to study again- juicy subjects this time like art, history, social anthropology. Write poems. Learn more skills. Play the piano. Dance under the stars barefoot. Travel more with my family.

13. What fears are you still hoping to overcome?

I have a fear of losing hope. In South Africa we are on a constant roller coaster between hope and despair. Many friends and family have emigrated and it always feels tragic. My roots are deep here, and so I hope that I can always remain positive about this beautiful place, no matter what life throws at us here.

14. Anything you'd do differently, if you had another go at life?

I would have learned more practical skills at a younger age. Studied subjects I loved rather those that felt safe. I would also take better care of myself much earlier in life, and spend more time with people that matter.

15. What inspires you?

Quiet moments of deep connection.

Authentic eccentric people.

16. What are you hopeful about?

I think hope is a word loaded with the niggling doubt that it may not be.

What lights me up is knowing that because of what we have already overcome, anything is possible tomorrow. It is pointless to worry - fear paralyses us. I truly believe that every problem has a solution if we start with facing the thing that we fear most- the truth. It’s rarely easy, often painful, but steadily the lights switch on and we move forward.

17. What are some ingredients to a good life?

While I would love to find the recipe for the perfect life, I know that it must include good people, stretchy experiences, and plenty of pauses for reflection and thanks.

18. What are (at least) three qualities you most love about yourself and why?

Oh boy, do I have to answer this.

I enjoy my mad sense of humour as it keeps me sane in crazy times.

I like being able to help people see things differently.

I love that I can be brave when I am actually very scared.

19. What advice would you give your 14-year-old self?

The size of your bottom is not a problem.

20. What are you reading now? (what books do you gift most and what are your favourite reads?)

I’m slightly obsessed with Beat generation poetry. The writers that inspired the greatest shift in human world views on earth by influencing artists, musicians, story tellers and even us without us even realising it. They challenged us to question the status quo and to live an authentic life.

National Geographic is also a favourite read. The latest one is on my bedside table waiting to be devoured.

21. Who is a WOW Woman in your world who inspires you and why? Can you nominate three (or more) women you know who perfectly fit WOW WOMAN description? What would you tell them, if you had an opportunity, why you admire them?

Patricia Crawley – my mom. Single mother, who went on to break through the glass ceiling and become a big cheese in the male dominated world of banking. She pioneered and led the team that launched electronic banking in South Africa. She has also been a successful entrepreneur, and is currently a politician and humanitarian of note- she started a home for HIV orphans amongst many other heroic achievements. She is also my most loyal cheerleader and support.

Dr Ann Ralston - Was a Catholic nun, today in her eighties a GP, and recently ordained (and controversial) Roman Catholic Woman Priest. She continues to live a life of service and is an inspirational guide to many, including myself.

Noluthando Nzimande – social activist who grew up in rural kzn, a small village and a hut on a remote hill. Today she attends global climate change conferences and is a positive activist in her community for youth. We work together on big issue projects and comic development. A humble young woman with a huge heart and smile. You would never know her successes.

22. Where can others find you/your work (links to websites, blogs, etc.)?

LinkedIn: @WendyCochrane

Facebook: Big Mama’s Famous Truth Shop

Instagram: @big_mamas_cupboard and @wendycochrane123

Website: www.famousbigmama.co.za  (website currently under renovation)