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Forbes Agency Council members work with a diverse set of clients across numerous fields. To share their expertise on everything from marketing to branding and more, we’re profiling Forbes Agency Council members here on the blog. This week: Fabian Geyrhalter.
Fabian Geyrhalter is the founder and principal of FINIEN, a branding agency in Los Angeles. Founded in 2013, FINIEN focuses on brand strategy, brand naming and brand identity. Fabian is the author of "How to Launch a Brand," a guide on starting a brand from positioning and naming to brand identity. He is a frequent speaker at conferences and workshops, including often speaking on the topic of his book. Before FINIEN, Fabian ran Geyrhalter & Co., a branding and graphic design agency.
How did your career as an agency executive take off, and what do you attribute your success to most?
I found a focus and decided to change from an agency to a specialized consultancy. That focus, coupled with low overhead, allowed me to utilize my expertise and enabled potential clients to immediately feel a deep connection between my expertise and their specific ask/pain point and gain trust in our work.
How do you keep yourself creative and driven regardless of how busy you are day to day?
By the clients and projects I surround myself with. One draining client is enough to make for a miserable day, week or month, so we screen our clients more than they screen us. Running a small consultancy enables me to be very picky, which leads to a creative and inspiring environment at all times. I also spend a lot of time deriving brand strategies one-on-one with founders of startups, which keeps the excitement going and does not allow for me to lose pace. I travel constantly and mentor young entrepreneurs; all of this keeps the creativity going and the inspiration coming.
What do you see as the future of media strategy or advertising?
Brands will be curated by their audience even more so than they already are today. The line between a personal brand and the brand we associate ourselves with is getting thinner and micro-tribes will be the focus of a lot of campaigns. The Super Bowl will soon be ad-free (well for the most part, anyway), while the rest of the audience will mock the top-down ads via social, hand-in-hand with their favorite brands, who will be cheering them on.
What is your best PR, marketing or advertising tip for businesses?
Rewrite your story. It's what matters the most and it is what is most often left ignored for years while your business and surrounding marketing efforts are continuously evolving.
