Before launching The People, Kian Bakhtiari’s journey was deeply rooted in a desire to create meaningful change. With a degree in Sociology from the University of Leicester, He began his career in politics, working as a researcher at the House of Parliament. There, he focused on assessing the impact of government cuts on local communities, drafting speeches, and collaborating with stakeholders. Despite the work’s significance, he grew frustrated with the slow pace of progress. This led an unexpected detour into the world of media and marketing, where he discovered the power of storytelling, strategy, and diverse perspectives while working at Fortysix, a trailblazing agency under the global network Dentsu. It was here that he started questioning how the tools of marketing could be repurposed to drive social change—a question that eventually became the foundation of The People.
- What was your background before you launched The People?
I studied Sociology at the University of Leicester. After I graduated, I wanted to make a positive impact on the world. My big passion was fighting social injustice, and I figured that politics would be the best place to make an impact. I ended up working as a researcher at the House of Parliament. My responsibilities included looking at the impact of government cuts on local communities, writing articles and speeches for debates and liaising with external stakeholders. Although the work was meaningful, I became frustrated at the slow pace of change in politics and decided to explore other options.
Then, I randomly stumbled into the world of media, marketing and advertising in the summer of 2016. I worked at a new startup agency called Fortysix, a new kind of agency created to use the power of diverse perspectives to solve business problems. Fortysix was part of Dentsu, which is a global advertising network. During this time, I learned about insights, strategy and the power of storytelling. I had the chance to learn from some of the smartest and most creative people and work with some of the biggest brands in the world.
But I also discovered that millions of smart and creative people, spending billions of hours and dollars to generate consumer demand. The question I asked was what if we used the same tools to accelerate social change? For the last eight years, I’ve dedicated my life to
answering this very question with The People. We’re on a mission to amplify the voice of young people and futureproof companies.
- What impact did attending One Young World Summits have on you?
Attending One Young World in Ottawa completely transformed my life and worldview. This is something you will hear from many One Young World Ambassadors. Like spiritual enlightenment, it’s hard to describe the summit, you need to experience it firsthand to truly capture the energy and impact.
As a One Young World Scholar, I had the opportunity to meet fellow Ambassadors creating change from all over the world from Guyana, Belize, Papa New Guinea, Kiribati and much more. It was a place where young leaders from all over the world gathered to share stories and collaborate. For the first time in my life, I realised that I’m not deluded. That collective change is possible.
During the summit, I also had the opportunity to attend a workshop facilitated by Professor Muhammad Yunus on how to build a social business. I still remember Professor Yunus sharing his vision for “A World Of Three Zeros” – Zero Poverty, Zero Unemployment and Zero Net Carbon Emissions. The workshop has directly influenced how I approach business and social impact at The People.
- What is “The People,” what impact is it going to have?
The People is a Gen-Z consultancy powered by a global community of 1000+ young changemakers. We exist to amplify the voices of young people and future-proof companies. Historically, young people and the global majority have not been involved in the creative and decision-making process. Our unique community-powered co-creation process changes this reality. We make sure young people have the opportunity to actively shape the future they want to see. This is good for business and good for society. It’s a win-win but it does, however, require a mindset shift from a “top-down” management model towards more collaborative and inclusive business models of the people, by the people, for the people.
- You recently wrote the book called Marketing for Social Change. Why did you think the book was necessary?
The book started with a question. What is the role of marketing in the 21st century? Which then made me reflect on another question. What if the same tools used to sell more products and services could be harnessed to accelerate social change? We know that business as usual isn’t an option anymore.
Consumerism is the dominant ideology and main engine of economic growth. We are stuck in a system that measures progress using the total products and services created within the economy. But what if we valued community, wellbeing and humanity? We are not passive subjects but active agents of change. We are not powerless. We are powerful. The world isn’t fixed, motionless or unbending.
We have the power to shape the world around us. We can create social change. Marketing for Social Change is a practical book on how to use the power of marketing and communications to positively impact business and society.
I wanted to share my experience, lessons and tools from working with some of the world’s biggest advertising agencies, Fortune 500 companies, FTSE100 companies, national governments, international organizations and charities. Many of these
lessons come from launching a mission-led start-up (The People) challenging
the conventions of the marketing industry.
Marketing for Social Change is a playbook on how to challenge the status quo, find your community and accelerate social change.
- How do you incorporate Gen Z into The People and your public speaking engagements?
We always try to involve community members in conferences and panels. When the talks are more international, we try to include their voices and ideas via video. Ultimately, my role is to bring the voices of young people into rooms that might not always be included.
- What are some major themes you address in your public speaking engagements? What are some of the major events that you have taken part in?
The People is powered by our community of young changemakers, and we often research topics that young people care most about. This is often at the heart of most of our public talks. Topics include the following…
How to connect and communicate with Gen-Z?
Gen-Z is now the largest generation globally (40%) with the fastest-growing income worldwide and is expected to account for 27% of the workforce by 2025. We offer a practical framework on how to attract Gen-Z consumers, employees and advocates based on 5 years of in-depth research and over 25+ global projects.
Marketing for Social Change
How can we use the power of marketing and communications to positively impact business and society? We deliver a playbook on how to challenge the status quo, build a community and accelerate social change based on my book: Marketing for Social Change.
How to build a brand community
In a new era of people-powered marketing, a brand is no longer what companies tell people, but instead, what people tell their friends. That’s why some of the world’s innovative companies are investing in building communities, not customers. But how do you build a community around your brand?
- Can you tell us more about your TedX talk and the impact that it made?
My talk at TEDxBrighton was on the Power of Human Imagination. We tend to think of imagination as the opposite of reality. But imagination creates reality. Imagination is a unique human capacity. Humans are the only species that can voluntarily conjure up things that don’t yet exist. I designed the talk on imagination to get people to think differently, boost creative problem-solving and expand possibilities.
The primary ingredient for creating change is imagination. If we can’t imagine a more desirable future, we certainly won’t be able to create it. Imagination is the foundation of creation. Everything in the human-made world has been imagined into reality. But we somehow view the world as fixed, constant and unbending. What if we viewed the world like playdough? Flexible, fluid and malleable. Kids have an abundance of imagination – continuously questioning social norms – but this curiosity is beaten out
of us as we get older. Adulthood is marked by conformism and acceptance of convention. We learn the rules but lose our sense of wonder and imagination.
The talk has become the spark for a wider conversation on how to expand our collective imagination.
- What are some of the major themes in marketing that you envisage for brands that are attracting Gen-Z buyers?
The traditional markers of adulthood are no longer achievable or aspirational. Young people aged 16 to 24 are more likely to work in unstable jobs within the gig economy. Homeownership is down in most developed countries. Nearly 50% of young adults (18 to 29) in the U.S. and 30% of young adults in the U.K. (25 to 29) live with their parents. Marriage is on the decline and only 55% of Gen-Z and Millennials plan to have children. Birth rates are falling in Japan, South Korea, the European Union, China and the U.K.
Using the traditional metrics, young people are growing up at a slower pace than previous generations. But young people’s economic reality is incommensurable with the post-WWII generation. There is a fluidity and uncertainty to modern life which can’t be accurately captured in these linear life stages. Millennials and Gen-Z are the first generation worse off than their parents. Wage stagnation, job insecurity and a shortage in housing have created a generational wealth gap. The work hard, you’ll succeed promise is broken.
The notion of life stages is being challenged and reshaped. There is no longer a neatly defined beginning, middle and end. Companies can’t afford to plan future activities using out-of-date demographic data. Using data such as age, marital status and homeownership to make decisions is at best useless, and at worse misleading. Brands need to co-create with communities and conduct qualitative research to understand the shared values, interests and motivations of their ideal audience.
- Are you a fan of any other people, companies and programmes in the DEI field?
There are so many people who I find inspiring! My friend Scott Salleé at Dentsu (currently on parental leave). The amazing Caroline Nankinga who is DE&I Director at NBC Universal. The wonderful Maria Petnga-Wallace is a caring DEI Leader. The indomitable Thanh Catachanas leads the Reach programme at JCDecaux which has been created to help Ethnic businesses flourish. OYW Ambassador Priya, Global Brand Director at WUKA on a mission to break taboos and accelerate a sustainable world. Mahari Hay, CEO of Community, Corporate & Culture Awards – championing the people who contribute to the development and success of others.