Q&A:
Interview with Paul Friederichsen
Trending with ... Marketing strategist Paul Friederichsen
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trategic creative results. These are three words Paul Friederichsen takes very seriously. For more than 30 years, Friederichsen has worked in the branding world as a creative director and strategic planner with an impressive client list that includes the likes of The Home Depot, RCA and GE consumer electronics, just to name a few. Today, the founder of BrandBiz specializes in creating marketing strategies, and award-winning creative direction and television campaigns for the development and launching of brands. Here are his thoughts on making your brand’s voice heard in today’s competitive landscape.
Is there a perfect brand strategy out there today? No. Every branding situation is different. Given the shift toward digital media, the perfect brand strategy should have a liberal dose of digital media – if not near total digital media – thrown into the plan.
What is the best way to elevate your brand above the noise? There are really two ways to do this. First, you have to have break-through creative. You need big ideas that power-through
Given the shift toward digital media, the perfect brand strategy should have a liberal dose of digital media – if not near total digital media – thrown into the plan.
all the mediocrity that’s out there today. Second, you need to have a media focus. It’s better to focus your media strategy to dominate a few mediums or media outlets than to spread yourself too thin over several. With creative, it’s the power of the idea. With media focus, it’s the power of the dollar.
What are the three things that every marketer should have in his toolbox?
A cogent understanding of social media, because there are still, surprisingly, many doubters as to its role in marketing. He should also have an appreciation for what it takes to build and steward a brand. Perhaps the most important thing to have in that toolbox is a thick hide. There will be failures along the way.
What’s the most important question marketers should ask every day? What can I do today to advance my brand – or my client’s brand – in the marketplace? He must understand that much of the battle is won one step at a time, inch by inch, through tenacity and consistency.
What branding trends do you see coming to the forefront? Mobility. More people access the web via mobile today than ever before. Certain demographics (such as Hispanics) are almost unreachable otherwise. And the car companies are basically turning their vehicles into mobile communication and entertainment platforms. This trend is just getting going. Also Programmatic Media — the ability to microtarget at street level on the fly. Both are only capable via digital technology, of course.