Current Clients: AT&T, Novell, Hitachi, Trend Micro, Riverbed, BMC Software, Sybase, Fasthosts, Inquira
Born: Hyvinkaa, Finland
Worked in: Helsinki, London
What role does innovation play in your marketing strategy today? Business and marketing models in the online arena are in constant turmoil. There are market-disrupting technologies and innovations taking place all the time that need to be seen as opportunities and not threats. The role of user-generated content has huge potential for international marketers to gain business intelligence about customer viewpoints and how brands can improve their products, services and processes.
As an agency, we are looking to integrate more with our clients’ businesses by migrating from interruptive marketing to driving value through ROI. Furthermore, international advertisers need dashboards to provide benchmarks for marketing effectiveness across countries. We are in the process of developing customized dashboards for our clients that will integrate marketing activities and measure effectiveness in one system, thus helping with budget allocations, planning and ROI measurement.
What is the biggest challenge you face in applying innovative thinking to international projects? The beauty of international marketing, as well as its downfall, lies in the varied way in which national audiences respond to advertising. An ideal scenario would be to take a successful model from one country to another. However, it is important to adapt any campaign to a local market, based upon culture, business practice, market maturity and infrastructure. The process is a prolonged one, which requires time and patience.
How do you characterize innovation in your work? Always challenge the status quo and think outside the box.
