gyro ceo+cco Christoph Becker recently took time to talk about how marketing is changing and what brands can do to reach customers through the modern flood of information. The following discussion appeared in the print edition of Forbes.
Sit down with Christoph Becker, CEO and CCO of global advertising agency gyro, and one gets the impression this is no ordinary agency boss. With unruly hair, an international accent and attire that goes beyond casual, Becker looks every bit the unconventional start-up CEO.
Surprisingly, the conversation quickly turns to why the world needs another advertising agency. Becker certainly believes that “advertising has fallen victim to its own success and digital has been the great catalyst for change.”
Becker cites the constant bombardment of digital noise as the reason consumers are switching off from what brands are saying: “We’re militantly protecting ourselves by filtering and curating our experiences.”
So the big question is, in these post-privacy times, what, if anything, can gyro do to make its clients heard again, and why should anyone care? The immediate answer is simple and direct: “Human relevance. This is the bridge to intimacy, and intimacy will be the gold of the future in this post-privacy era. Agencies that recognize this now are agencies that have a bright future ahead of them,” reveals Becker.
It’s certainly a belief that resonates across gyro’s B2B world. “B2B marketing as we know it is dead. If you really want to influence business decisions, from now on you have to reach and persuade the real seat of power: the individual. Your new customer is not a corporate entity. It’s an independent-minded, highly connected, always-emotional human being.”
When approached by Scotsman, the inventor of The Original Chewable Ice™, to enhance the brand’s reputation as the premier ice machine manufacturer, gyro uncovered a groundswell of passion for Scotsman’s unique nugget ice. Becker explains: “We recognized there was a huge community of chewable-ice fans who were fragmented across social media platforms. To unite this community, Luv the Nug was born, an online social experience where ice lovers could celebrate something that was relevant and personal to them: chewable ice. We created a movement that saw American consumers call on their favorite restaurant to install Scotsman chewable-ice machines.”
Ultimately, Becker believes that the digital revolution is not about advancing technology but about the power of individuals to decide what they want and don’t want. After all, according to Becker, “Digital is one of the most humanly relevant and powerful tools society has.”
Cross-posted at Ignite Something on the Forbes CMO Network