For a snack and 5 questions about relevance & innovation with... Isabelle Rogat from Thjnk
What is still truly innovative today? And how can you remain relevant today amid all the trends and hypes? The answers to these questions (and many more) are available once a month in our snack interview, the Kitchen Stories business questionnaire.
This time, answer Isabelle Rogat from Thjnk.
As Head of Innovation & DEI is she responsible across locations, for agency-wide enabling in dealing with pop culture, trends & Gen Z.
Her favorite snack is vegan, by the way.
Higher, faster, farther. More innovative. Are we just lagging behind in the marketing world? When is something really innovative today?
I believe there are many things that can be innovative. The question is what we want to achieve with it. Innovation can mean having a 50,000€ robot deliver vegan burgers to a flagship store in Berlin-Mitte. But innovation can also mean finding a way to make veganism understandable and accessible to the masses for the first time. As an example.
For me, innovative is what is new. That sounds so obvious now, but many innovative solutions or marketing narratives aren't new. They're like a sampled song from the 80s or low rise bell bottoms — they just come back in a new guise. And that's totally okay too. But when someone really manages to rethink the world, its problems and also its social tensions — that is innovative for me.
For me, innovation in 2023 is no longer possible without awareness. That doesn't mean that every innovation manager has to be an expert in intersectional feminism — but should at least be able to roughly grasp the concept. Everything we do has social consequences. If we really want to innovate, we should be able to anticipate it.
Marketers spend almost every day thinking about how their brand can keep up with today's pace and remain relevant. Apart from adapting trends, are there any opportunities to stay on consumers' radar?
Listening Watch. questions. At the end of the day, it's just like any other relationship with our consumers: No one can read minds, nor do we have to. We just have to look a bit more closely than at the headlines of other brands and ask ourselves: What is moving our client base right now? What are they talking about on social media? Which personalities are gaining in relevance. And above all: Why? What are sarcastic memes made about, which topics are addressed in popular series?
Isabelle's favorite snack is vegan, by the way 🌱
When is it worthwhile to jump on trends and hypes? And isn't it almost too late to ask yourself this question?
I think it's more the other way around: How do we get to ask ourselves the question so early that it's worthwhile? Namely to anticipate or be procedural in such a way that you can actually participate in popular culture instead of just imitating it.
You are not only Head of Innovation at the advertising agency Thjnk, but also a W&V columnist, podcast host, member of the GWA U30 Board and have your own weekly newsletter. Across networks and channels, you succeed in captivating and inspiring people again and again. What is your secret ingredient — and your motivator?
Attention, lacrimal gland for short: I just want to make a difference. Whether that means preparing this industry for a new generation, fighting against ageism in my podcast with my co-host Uta, or raising awareness of the responsibility of advertising in my column. I simply believe that everyone can contribute something new and relevant to their own environment. And for me, it all comes down to empathy and mutual understanding. For generations, for marginalized groups — or simply for what the 24-hour news cycle really does to all of us.
Where is the best food in the world?
I gotta be honest: I'm very easy to clean. Kind of like a cactus. As long as it's vegan, I'm good to go. But I have to admit: Really good ramen like Momo here in Hamburg or dumplings at Tianfucius in Berlin — that's a bit of a way into my heart. And vegan mochis. Vegan mochis all the way.
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