Interview conducted by Lenja Faraguna for Media Marketing, in a series of interviews “Future proof marketing teams”.
At a time when marketing is increasingly slipping into the realm of numbers, performance, and short-term results, conversations like this bring the focus back to where it truly belongs – to people.
As part of Lenja Faraguna’s interview series, this conversation offers a practical perspective on empathy as a key strength of contemporary marketing and leadership, through the lens of Tine Lugarič, Co-Founder and Creative Director at Trampolin.
Here, empathy is not an abstract concept nor a “buzzword” from presentations, but a tool without which, as Lugarič emphasizes, it is impossible to reach the essence – the nuances of human behavior, emotions, and unspoken thoughts that make the difference between an average and a truly relevant campaign.
Through this conversation, several key questions for the industry today are opened: can marketing be effective at all without empathy, where does communication end and manipulation begin, and how can we, in everyday work, truly speak to people rather than “target groups”?
MM: How do you understand and use empathy in your work as a creative director?
Tine: The purpose of brand stories we create in all possible forms is to touch people, to move something in them, to encourage them to think, act, and make decisions. You cannot achieve those shifts on a human level if you don’t know how to enter those layers, if you don’t understand them, hear them, and see them. This applies in the context of all relationships and interactions that happen throughout processes – both among the people who create together and those for whom these brand stories are intended. Empathy is one of the key conditions for creating stories that are worth people’s attention and time, stories and solutions that bring something into their lives. If you want to create relevant, meaningful, and high-quality stories, without listening, understanding, and feeling for others, it is simply not possible.
MM: How does empathy influence campaign creation? Do you think good content without empathy is even possible today?
Tine: As I said in the first answer, without empathy you cannot reach a deeper and meaningful understanding of important human dimensions, which is crucial for building connections on a human level. Perhaps the flood of average or weaker stories on the market is precisely the result of a lack of basic empathy. I always say that you cannot be a good storyteller if you are not, first and foremost, a good listener. Valuable things are usually hidden in nuances, and if you miss them or fail to hear them, you don’t have quality material to build with. The ability for empathy certainly contributes to contextual intelligence, which helps you understand what is usually hidden, what is not written in briefs and is often not even spoken.
MM: Why (or why not)? What happens when clients want “forced selling,” and how do you help them recognize the power of empathy rather than manipulation?
Tine: Today, people have so many alternatives within a click or reach that they can very easily turn their backs on options that are intrusive, inauthentic, or in any way uninteresting to them. Commercial breaks no longer inspire, entertain, or open our eyes as they once did, but instead “insert” prices, discounts, and promotions into our living rooms. One could say that if you are already entering someone’s living room without an invitation, at least bring good champagne. Translated into advertising, it would be right to bring back into ads what makes them good and worth attention – surprise, humor, authenticity, creativity, and similar qualities.
MM: How do you choose language and tone of voice, and how do you ensure you are truly speaking to a person, not just a “target group”?
Tine: It is necessary to know how to speak the same language as those you want to engage, and even more importantly, to keep them in the conversation. Authenticity is key here, but also focusing on what you bring to someone, rather than just talking about yourself and your advantages.
MM: Do you have an example of a campaign where empathy made the biggest difference?
Tine: It is difficult to single out just one story, because empathy is an important part of our work in general, which constantly strives for high quality, efficiency, and success. If I paraphrase Trampolin’s slogan, I could say that without depth, there is no high bounce.
MM: How do you develop empathy within your team (and in relationships with clients)? Do you have internal rituals, reflections, conversations that you also conduct with clients?
Tine: We don’t have specific rituals, but we constantly strive to truly understand people, and here we return again to empathy. We talk a lot with clients in order to understand them, their relationship to challenges, and especially what they do not say in words or write in a brief. As I mentioned, important and valuable truths are often hidden in nuances that reflect concern, fear, doubt, confidence, courage, desire, and similar emotions. You can recognize this only if you truly dedicate yourself to the person.
MM: Where do you see the biggest challenges of empathy in the agency world? And the biggest opportunities?
Tine: We live in a time of increasing distance between people, growing individualization, and ultimately distance of the individual from themselves. All of this means that the capacity for empathy is retreating, while at the same time pressure, noise, and the forcing of interests at any cost are intensifying. How far such an approach will go and whether it is sustainable in the long term will be shown by time, but I believe that everything that returns to the human as a starting point will become increasingly valuable and sought after.
MM: What is something you were certain about five years ago when it comes to empathy (and marketing), but today you know you were wrong?
Tine: In recent years, I emphasize listening, feeling, and understanding the broader context even more. We talk a lot with clients and ask a lot of questions. Sometimes people are surprised why we ask so much, but they quickly understand the value of it, because the process of deeper understanding of the problem helps them see certain things differently. Often, we completely change the initial briefs and starting points together.
MM: When was the last time you had a long, deep conversation with someone who has a different view on marketing/advertising/branding, and how did it affect you?
Tine: Recently, we participated in a panel discussion at the Maribor Art Gallery about the future of art and culture in Maribor. The participants came from different fields – from artists and politicians to architects and company representatives. In the end, we agreed that good content without good promotion remains unnoticed and does not reach its potential, while bad content is most quickly “exposed” by good promotion. Good content deserves good promotion, but this is often neglected under the assumption that people will find it on their own. That is not true. Today we live in a world of content hyperproduction, and people have too many options and messages to give equal attention to everything. The key lies in collaboration, and without empathy, there is no good collaboration.
