My father was a diplomat for the Brazilian government, which meant that I was exposed to different cultures and languages from a young age. I learnt fluent Portuguese, French, English and Italian and I was always very curious and keen to travel and explore new countries.
In the 1980s I studied history of art at the Sorbonne in Paris and then worked at the Guggenheim in Venice. Back in Brazil I carried on studying: this time I chose graphic design and photography and I was obsessed by aesthetics. Later, in my work as a freelance designer, I was increasingly confronted with brands that wanted to transmit their message… let’s say less aesthetic: Top-down mass communication. This resulted in the ‘information overload’ that we are all constantly confronted with today.
As I observed this development, I decided I could use my skills and experience to help brands communicate in a different way. That began with Nespresso, where I worked as the local PR rep for five years and which I helped to launch in Rio. I felt there was a distrust of commercial messages and a growing need for peer-to-peer communication to get the right information. People value authentic conversations.
I started to look into influencer marketing and using this in my own social network. Influencer marketing is a form of marketing in which the focus is placed on specific key individuals rather than targeting the market as a whole.
I selected people in my network who have an influencer status – this means that they have a greater than average impact through word of mouth in their network. I have turned this into an art form: using social interactions to give people relevant information and deep product experiences.
Today I’m expanding my influencers’ network sharing the branded messages in a relevant and aesthetic way. Of course the messages have to be genuine and I have to believe in them myself.
© 2013 CoolBrands – Around the World in 80 Brands
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