Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
Folker Wrage, the owner of Wrage/Antwort and former CCO of Havas Zurich (Switzerland), will be speaking at KAKTUS 2017, the festival of integrated communications which will be held at the Crown Plaza Hotel Belgrade. He will be speaking about brands, influencer marketing and whether the influencers are changing people’s opinions.
From psychology to the creative director in a marketing agency! How did your study of psychology help you to determine what the client wants?
Folker Wrage: Psychology always helps. You learn to understand about perception, the way people process information and their behaviours. It is a valuable tool when you work within marketing industry. It also helps me to focus on what people need and want. You can only be successful in marketing if you understand the psychology of consumers.
Why is it better to be a decent human being – and how do you deal with the “asshole” factor. What is your take on that?
Folker Wrage: There is a very simple answer to that question: These people always produce bad results. Companies are becoming wise to this fact. Being a good person is the key to a long and successful career and healthier and happier professional life. There never will be a world free of bad people. But things are looking up, not only in politics but in the corporate world as well.
Why do brands have to behave as good people? Is a brand a person?
Folker Wrage: That is not such a novel idea. Marketing people have always wanted to make brands the consumers’ friend. They are still not successful and continue treating brands as objects rather than people. Consumers want to believe in a brand, they wish to have similar ideas and outlooks. Looking at the most successful brands on the planet this will apply to all of them. They have their own character and personality just like people.
What is the secret of a successful influencer? What makes them special?
Folker Wrage: A successful influencer is someone who is passionate and well informed about a particular topic and field, he or she is able to show that passion in an interesting and relevant way. Influencers are able to create content that other people consider informative and entertaining and enriches their lives.
To what degree is an influencer able to alter the general public opinion?
Folker Wrage: Presently influencers are focused on lifestyle, products and entertainment. Some influencers are working on changing people’s opinion on important matters. Although not large in number they are attempting to influence elections, politics and economies. Having said that there are positive examples – remember Arab spring? These people are not considered to be influencers but they are.
What is the future of influencer marketing? How do you see future cooperation between influencers and brands?
Folker Wrage: Influencer marketing is going to play a major role in advertising in the near future. It will add credibility to campaigns, help smaller brands and companies to be more successful through their advertising; it will create a partnership between brands and content creators, and eventually the influencers will enable brands to be closer to the public.
What can KAKTUS 2017 participants expect from your presentation and workshop?
Laughter, useful information and practical examples. During the workshop we will delve deep into influencer marketing and try to discover how brands and companies can benefit from this type of marketing.
Further information can be found at www.kaktus.rs.
