Markus Roder

Current

• Scientific Advisor at elbkind GmbH
• Free Consultant at conv[inc]e

Past

• Chief Strategic Officer at DSG Consulting
• CEO at Phenomedia USA, inc.
• Founder & CEO at conv[inc]e

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Education

• Stanford University
• Fachhochschule Pforzheim - Hochschule für Gestaltung, Technik und Wirtschaft

Recommended

2 people have recommended Markus

Connections

153 connections

Industry

Marketing and Advertising

Markus Roder’s Summary

I am a Branding Consultant with a background in Neuropsychology.

My main focus is on creating "Brand Stories" that people talk about around the office watercooler, at the family barbecue, in the dorm and in online social networks like Facebook or Twitter. Customer conversations are what make a brand relevant in people’s everyday lives - if they hit critical mass, they turn into buzz, drive desire, boost loyalty / “fandom” and ultimately increase market share.

Ideally, building and guiding consistent “Brand Buzz” encompasses more than advertising - it's about creating experiences customers can talk about. To get there, I might advise you to think about product tweaks, new packaging that tells a story, contagious public dialogue with customers, ask both your brand’s biggest fans and detractors to “help” you with product development, or just a gimmick for your hotline’s waiting loop.

People know me as one of Germany's foremost experts on Word-of-Mouth, Buzz and Viral Marketing. I'm invested in a Word-Of-Mouth-Agency in Hamburg, but interested in eventually coming back to the United States. Possibly interested in joining clever start-ups with game-changing product ideas and planning their marketing efforts.

Markus Roder’s Specialties:

Creating contagious Brand Stories, using techniques from Viral Marketing, Social Marketing, Neuromarketing, Implicit signals and coding.

Markus Roder’s Experience

• Scientific Advisor

  elbkind GmbH

  (Marketing and Advertising industry)

  October 2008 — Present (1 year 2 months)

  Developing viral campaigns and/or seeding strategies for international clients like Diesel Jeans ("XXX SFW" video), Samsung (Omnia "Unpacking" videos), Skype ("Laughter Chain") or Liebesleben (On-Brand consulting).
  
  Making sure that viral measures are based on the best available psychology ("What is contagious?"), yet congruent with existing Brand images and dimensions.
  
  Developing "symphony strategies" to combine Buzz, Internet Video, classic PR, widgets, social media, classic advertising channels (!) and other platforms for maximum long-term impact.

• Free Consultant

  conv[inc]e

  (Marketing and Advertising industry)

  August 2002 — Present (7 years 4 months)

  Advising companies on Social-, Viral- and Buzz-Marketing.
  Teaching that "viral" and "social" are philosophies that can be applied to any advertising (yes, even TV ads), not just the Web.
  
  Previous clients include Adam Opel AG (a European division of GM), Underberg AG, Alpina, Levi's and T-Mobile.
  
  I try to answer the questions: What will make consumers truly aspire to owning a product? What will make them proud of it, talk about it, recommend it and/or increase consumption of it? How do you recruit fans and evangelists and increase not only loyalty, but build real excitement about your brand?
  
  The answer is finding a consistent "Brand Narrative" told over all customer touchpoints, encompassing not only advertising, but also product development, consumer empowerment and Beta testing, service policies, distribution channels, pricing, packaging and sometimes the integration of social causes.
  
  All consulting is based on the latest neuropsychological and sociological research.

• Chief Strategic Officer

  DSG Consulting

  (Privately Held; Management Consulting industry)

  December 2004 — July 2008 (3 years 8 months)

  Developed viral campaigns and/or seeding strategies for national and international clients like Masterfoods (Pedigree Pal "That Dog is stealing!" campaign in Germany), Microsoft (MSN Search "surprise"), Hornbach ("Ron Hammer"), OBI ("Hammer Juggler") or K-Fee ("You've never been that awake" video, featured on Jay Leno).
  
  Ensured that viral measures were based on the best available psychology ("What is contagious?"), put on the best seeding grounds ("Where are the mavens?") and congruent with existing brand images and dimensions.

• CEO

  Phenomedia USA, inc.

  (Computer Games industry)

  July 2000 — April 2002 (1 year 10 months)

  Founder of a company for advertising games small enough to travel "virally" and be sent from friend to friend. Pioneered the genre in the US and established cooperation with major advertising clients.
  
  As CEO of the company, directed such areas as strategic cooperations, marketing, business development, and human resources.
  
  In the course of the business, established strategic relationships with many S&P 500 companies and international clients (i.e. General Mills, Software AG, Deutsche Bank and many more).

• Founder & CEO

  conv[inc]e

  (Marketing and Advertising industry)

  September 1999 — April 2002 (2 years 8 months)

  Founded agency for ‘Product and Brand Placement’ within computer games - a complete innovation at the time, which has today grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry.
  
  Acquired strategic cooperation contracts with companies like Levi Strauss, 3DO, Interplay and Maxis while managing a permanent staff of 7 international experts via the Internet. Acquired international cooperation with Phenomedia AG, Germany’s biggest interactive entertainment provider, and reduced their sales and distribution costs in the US by 15%. Eventually marketed all Phenomedia-Games in the US and acquired sponsors. Due to the successful cooperation, Phenomedia AG offered to create a joint venture (see Phenomedia USA, inc.)

Markus Roder’s Education

• Stanford University

  none (Guest Listener) , Psychology , 2000 — 2002

  Activities and Societies:

  Had the opportunity to attend many lectures in Stanford through the German-American chamber of commerce (GACC).

• Fachhochschule Pforzheim - Hochschule für Gestaltung, Technik und Wirtschaft

  Master , Advertising & Consumer Psychology , 1994 — 1998

  Graduated as "Best of Semester".
  Nominated for German Student Rotary Innovation Prize for Master Thesis "Software Sponsoring - Product Placement in Computer Games"

  Activities and Societies:

  Free Advertising and Sociology projects (i.e. "Cinema Project" with TBWA Frankfurt), Student Consulting Group, Student Ad Agency "Werbeliebe"

Additional Information

Markus Roder’s Interests:

Psychology, Scientific Skepticism, Green Technologies, Solar Power, Electric Cars, Physics, Astronomy, Evolutionary Biology, Independent Movies, Classical Music, Family, Hanging with friends, House MD (TV series), Powerlifting

Markus Roder’s Groups:

•    Innovative Marketing, PR, Sales, Word-of-Mouth & Buzz Innovators
•    Social Media Today
•    Buzz Marketing
•    Behavioral Economics Group
•    twitter innovators Innovation & Creativity Network of Tweeters
•    Future Social Media
•    FH Pforzheim Graduates
•    Vitamin B

Markus Roder’s Honors:

DG Bank Innovation prize for changes to Internal Innovation Management (1995)
Nominated for German Rotary Innovation Prize (1998)
Regular Expert Interviews with all German Advertising publications (w&v, Horizont, AdZine, Absatzwirtschaft etc.) and many major daily papers (Handelsblatt, Die Welt)
TV Interview with Germany's version of "Nightly News" (heute journal on ZDF), introducing "Viral Marketing" to a general audience: http://tr.im/mpDq
Regular lectures at major universities (Heidelberg, Pforzheim, Heilbronn, Münster etc.)

Markus Roder’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

• career opportunities
• consulting offers
• new ventures
• expertise requests
• business deals
• reference requests
• getting back in touch