Kudzayi Kanyama

Fashion marketing and management

Professor of fashion marketing and management, January 2023–present, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA

Assistant brand manager, 2016-18, PepsiCo, South Africa
Led Doritos strategic agenda as acting Brand Manager for 6 months. Managed Marketing and Innovation Budget. Leveraged consumer and market insights to ideate and develop new product ideas for innovation. Collaborated with Insights and Global on the development and refinement of a 5-year innovation pipeline to secure newness and future growth. Worked with global digital marketing leads, leveraging insights to develop an interactive digital-first 360° campaign that leveraged VR technology to attract a younger consumer (NPD oriented). Developed 360° Doritos A vs. B campaign for cross-agency execution to accelerate double-digit growth, resulting in +30% MOM growth. Recognized for strong business performance.

Junior brand manager, 2014-16, PepsiCo, South Africa
Managed NPD launches for emerging markets and Marketing/Trade Marketing budgets. Responsible for introducing affordable pack formats on Lays to reverse sales decline in soft performing markets, resulting in double-digit growth. Led strategic development and deployment of below-the-line marketing activations for multiple markets, delivering strong results. Identified opportunities to launch social media presence for Lays and Doritos in strategic markets, establishing communities of actively engaged consumers. Worked closely with digital agencies in developing content and channel optimization strategies relevant to each market, increasing engagement.

Assistant product manager, 2012-14, PepsiCo, South Africa
Managed brand refresh on Cheetos working closely with global marketing lead to deliver local assets. Managed project teams to ensure commercial implementation of products within the local portfolio. Supported East/West Africa Marketing Manager in launching new products in white space markets. Supported Southern Africa Regional Commercial Manager with developing and executing the first Doritos campaign in Zambia, resulting in +28% growth.

Marketing and communications intern, 2009, Population Services International, Zimbabwe