Rana Cho

Rana Cho is a consumer-focused brand strategist with over 15 years’ experience in high-tech, consumer, and business-to-business industries. She started and ran her own qualitative research agency, Gingerworks, for seven years, creating brand and consumer research strategies for such clients as Zynga, Clif Bar, and simplehuman.

Prior to Gingerworks she managed UI/UX and content strategies for Electronic Arts and consumer product communications strategy and developer community relations for Palm. In addition to Gingerworks, she managed consumer-based brand strategy for clients such as Cirque du Soleil, Teen Vogue, and Gap.

Maintaining a broad palette of clients and research in order to cross-pollinate emerging trends in virtual, interactive, and traditional industriesk, she also encourages companies to create and evolve customer relationships via qualitative feedback and strategic inquiry. She specializes in untapped and potential audiences; for example, she has been a long-time proponent of women in games, as players and industry professionals.

Her work has been cited in such publications as Pew Internet & American Life Project: Teens, Videogames, and Civics 2008 and ArcCA, AIA’s California chapter publication. She has lectured and spoken at UC Berkeley, Golden Gate University, and the Haas Digital Media Conference. Rana was also a finalist in GamesBeat 2009’s Who’s Got Game new business concept pitch competition.

She resides and consults in Berkeley, where she also DJs at KALX 90.7 FM.

Rana holds a dual bachelor of arts degree in Visual Arts and English Literature from Brown University, and a master’s degree in Korean Studies from Yonsei University.