#BehindtheSelfie: Haydn Henning, brand manager at Lift

Haydn Henning is a brand manager at Lift. Source: Supplied.

Three words people would use to describe you?

Creative, curious and ambitious.

What’s the one thing about your job that people don’t expect?

That “brand manager” at an airline isn’t just about pretty pictures and slogans. I’m equally in boardrooms debating strategy as I am on the tarmac making sure a photoshoot happens between flight schedules. It’s part creative director, part air traffic control.

What’s the weirdest or most unexpected place you’ve ever had a work idea hit you?

In the queue at Woolies, staring at a tub of hummus, when it hit me. Not necessarily a food promo, but the perfect hook for a winter flight campaign. No idea why chickpeas unlocked my brain, but here we are.

If your career were a flight, what destination are you heading to next – and what’s been your layover?

My destination would be New York. It’s unapologetically loud, full of opportunity, and demands you bring your A-game every single day. That’s where I want my career to be. In the middle of the action, making work that turns heads and starts conversations.

Who or what is currently influencing your approach to marketing?

I’m inspired by brands that lean into emotive storytelling, like how it was done back in the day.

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Campaigns that make you feel something before you even realise you’re being marketed to. Real humans, real stories, no glossing over the messy bits. When marketing taps into truth, the kind that makes you nod, laugh, or cry, it creates a connection that lasts long after the ad’s gone.

That’s the energy I’m chasing.

What’s one marketing trend you wish would take off – and one you hope we leave on the runway?

Take off: Storytelling that feels real and unpolished. It needs to be less “perfect” brand-speak and more “you’re in the moment with us.”

Leave behind: Slapping an AI-generated visual on everything without thought. It’s a tool, not a personality.

What’s your go-to way to lift your mood after a hectic day?

Switch my phone to flight mode, pour a glass of wine, and cook something elaborate I absolutely did not have time for.