Dr. Tonio Kröger, Managing Director of antoni GmbH, in an interview with Professor Riekhof

Dr. Tonio Kröger is one of the speakers at the 6th Göttingen Marketing Day. In the run-up to the event on November 11, 2016, Professor Riekhof spoke with Dr. Tonio Kröger.

Prof. Riekhof: You founded the agency antoni together with André Kemper in 2015. Aren’t there enough agencies already? Or have you discovered a special niche for yourself?

Dr. Kröger: Certainly there are enough agencies on the market. We did not discover a niche, but we have faced the challenges of the market with our agency and focus all our energy on a single client and their special needs. A concept that can of course be duplicated in this form.

Prof. Riekhof: Agencies are professionals in helping companies sharpen their brands. Does this also apply to the agencies themselves? Do agencies have a really sharp brand profile?

Dr. Kröger: Agency life is a people’s business. Thus, the profile of an agency is not only shaped by the range of services, but also very much by the people who run the agency. Charismatic and visionary personalities thus also help an agency to a sharp and distinctive profile.

Prof. Riekhof: And what is the brand profile or brand promise of antoni?

Dr. Kröger: We love the open and honest announcement. It makes us fast and builds trust. Our way of working, our ideas – everything unfolds more impact and power when it is simple. And this is also simple: We focus all our attention on one goal. We act courageously and remain humble. What we think, we say. What we say, we do. This applies both to our interaction with each other and to our cooperation with the customer.

Prof. Riekhof: You have some experience in consulting the automotive industry. How indispensable is long-term industry experience? Do you sometimes need people without the supposedly necessary expertise, but with an outside perspective? Or is an intensive understanding of customers indispensable?

Dr. Kröger: Basically, you should have a good understanding of what you are doing. Especially in the automotive industry, long-term industry expertise and understanding of market rules is invaluable.

Prof. Riekhof: Consumer behavior is changing, the media landscape is undergoing a dramatic upheaval. What does this mean for brand communication?

Dr. Kröger: The brand and thus brand communication is becoming more and more the differentiating factor. Especially in the area of technically complex products, whose features are increasingly converging over time, the brand as a sender is gaining in importance. It creates trust and helps the consumer to orientate themselves.

Prof. Riekhof: Content marketing is currently on everyone’s lips, even though content marketing has been around for many decades (just think of the Michelin Guide, which has little to do directly with tires). Is content marketing a short-term fashion phenomenon for you, or will it become a new paradigm in marketing?

Dr. Kröger: Content marketing will certainly not become a new paradigm. But content marketing will certainly become more challenging and demanding. Technical developments make it possible to supply not only certain target groups, but the individual customer (segment of one) with information and content tailored specifically to him in the channels relevant to him.

Prof. Riekhof: Thank you very much for the interview.