REGGIE Brand Catalyst Awards Grand Jury

JANIQUE HELSON

Head of Brand Marketing, Content & Creative
Volvo

BIO

Janique Helson is an accomplished marketing executive currently serving as the Head of Brand Marketing at Volvo Cars USA. With a deep focus on the intersection of storytelling and brand identity, she oversees the creative direction and strategic positioning of one of the world’s most respected automotive brands. She has been instrumental in modernizing the brand's narrative, emphasizing its heritage of safety and sustainability while elevating its visual and emotional appeal. She is known for her collaborative approach and curiosity to produce high-impact campaigns that resonate with a contemporary audience.   Before her current role, Janique built a reputation as a forward-thinking leader capable of balancing data-driven results with artistic integrity. She remains dedicated to creating work that is as aesthetically beautiful as it is commercially effective. 

Q&A with Janique Helson

Please provide one word that defines great brand leadership today.  

CURIOSITY. 

Please share one trend you are watching closely. 

How upcoming generations live their lives, interact with each other, use technology, and consider values/what's important in human terms.  

In one sentence – What will it take to make an entry worthy of a REGGIE Brand Catalyst award?  

An insight-driven campaign that connects the brand to its desired audience in a way that goes beyond talking at people but instead makes people feel/pause/connect.  

What advice would you offer to teams preparing submissions for the REGGIE Brand Catalyst Awards? 

Make sure the insight is presented in a way that is as interesting as the campaign.  

Why do awards programs like REGGIE Brand Catalyst matter to the health and progress of the marketing industry?  

Because with AI, and so much duplicative advertising/marketing out there, we need to ensure that we are using our curiosity and creativity to breakthrough.  

What distinguishes exceptional brand-building work from work that is simply “good”?  

Distinct, clear and memorable.  

How have your expectations of great marketing evolved over the past few years— and how does that shape how you evaluate work today?   

It is hard to do something that has not been done before, and great marketing even if similar to something in the past, makes it feel new/innovative and relevant to today.  

When reviewing submissions, what signals tell you that a program is driving real, sustainable business growth?  

Results.  

When you review the “breakthrough insight” or “aha moment” behind a campaign, what tells you that a team has uncovered something truly meaningful?  What do you most want to understand about their thinking in this section?  

I want to understand why this insight is important to the business, to culture, and/or why it will matter to the audience. A great insight is only as good as why it matters.  

How do you balance creative ambition with commercial accountability when assessing great brand work? 

Should work hard in hand. Cannot be one or the other.  

A key section of the case study submission is dedicated to how teams brought their big idea to life; for you as a judge, what details would you consider critical for entrants to include? What will it take for this section to achieve a higher score over other submissions?  

That everything was carefully considered, from insight to execution. The sum of all parts is what matters.  

Risk taking and effectiveness, sometimes friends, sometimes foes. How have you handled the balance in your marketing efforts, and how will you weigh these elements in your role as a REGGIE Brand Catalyst juror?  

In today’s world, risk taking is somewhat mandatory - because there is so much content, marketing materials out there. But the risk does not have to be irresponsible.  

An effective performance evaluation framework is critical to show the value a marketing campaign delivered. What type of evaluation framework do you use when assessing marketing efforts? What metrics and KPIs will you expect entrants to provide in their submissions? 

Depends on the objectives, brand awareness, sales, and cultural impact.

How do you evaluate the role of data, AI, and marketing technology in creating meaningful brand impact?  

It should be fully disclosed, and if used in a way that got to the net result - it should not matter.  

What lessons from your own leadership journey most influence how you assess excellence? 

Every detail matters; do not be afraid of doing something differently and challenging the industry if you need to. 

Get to know the 2026 REGGIE Brand Catalyst Grand Jurors.