The “new reality” did not bring anything good, but there are “comforting” side effects – CEO BRIK

08/ 04/ 2021

Roman, how would you introduce yourself and your company to our readers? Hi. I am Roman Nekrasov, CEO of BRIK marketing services agency, a member of the board of the International Association of Marketing Initiatives, and an expert in the industry with more than 15 years of experience. Our team consists of specialists in the field of BTL, DESIGN, EVENT, TRADE, PROMO, which puts the brand and product in the center of each project. And since we work in the field of BRAND EXPERIENCE, we deliver messages to the end consumer through emotions and feelings. Tell us how the history of BRIK began? BRIK as a separate business unit appeared in 2011 with roots from the national communication holding IQ Group (Media, Digital). The purpose of the agency is to meet the needs of customers within one communication group by 360° in the future. Therefore, the customer receives extensive expertise based not only on the professional approach of AMS BRIK specialists but also of the holding as a whole. Moreover, if necessary, we comprehensively implement the projects with a single entrance. Was it decided from the beginning to go for experimental marketing and for what reasons? Why was it relevant in 2011 and has something changed now? In my opinion, experimental marketing is one of the most powerful tools for interacting with the world, both then and now. And today especially. We are all in an intense information environment and it is increasingly difficult to highlight a product or service in the flow of others. It is the experimental marketing toolkit that allows you to communicate gently and effectively with the consumer, passing messages through the emotional component to the relevant perception of a particular target audience. We live in a world of facts, but we lack impressions, especially the pleasant and safe ones, and our team is happy to work in this direction. Over the past three years, the agency has achieved significant success both with client portfolios, as well as in the development of new expertise. Today, AMS BRIK is among the best advertising agencies in the country. How did the new reality affect the work of the company and the industry as a whole? What new services do you offer to customers? The new reality did not bring anything good, but there are comforting side effects. That challenge has made us stronger, more alerted to expenditures, more adaptive to rapidly changing circumstances. Marketing services in Ukraine have experienced and suffered great losses of specialists. Also, due to quarantine restrictions, the volume of business has decreased significantly since its considerable share is direct communication with the end consumer. Speaking of today, our team in the new reality has become even more cohesive and dynamic. The restrictions inspired the search for new vectors of activity less sensitive to the negative impact of the epidemic. From the beginning of the quarantine, we have tightly pumped the design direction. So today there are many completed images and various visualizations. And cooperation with the pharmacological sector was embodied in the designs of more than twenty drugs that are already on sale in pharmacy chains. Once again experiencing the economic crisis in the country, I am convinced of the effectiveness and the uncompromising nature of Consumer Promotion – one of our favorite work areas. It is most effective at the direct sale points where the decision to purchase goods or services in 75% of cases is made. In times of quarantine, the Consumer Promotion gains more relevance as manufacturers do not need long-term campaigns and strategies – they want to sell here and now! Each of us feels lost in large markets among the variety of goods and manufacturers, but with the availability of consultants from TM and information on competitive advantages, the intricacies of production, etc., the decisions can be made fast. So, I advise at this time to stimulate the promotion directly at the sale points, the decision to put the goods in the basket or not is taken there. Three lessons you learned from quarantine. Constantly look for new business opportunities. No matter how hard it is, do not lose optimism. Be daily ready for any development of events. How many projects a year do you manage to implement? At the end of 2020, summing up the results, I was surprised that 132 projects of varying complexity were implemented in a year. For which companies did you implement those projects? The portfolio of our clients is large enough and divided into categories: ultra-luxury, retail, food and beverage manufacturers, electronics manufacturers and distributors, television and Internet providers, pharmaceutical companies, tourism, and the oil & gas sector. We are proud to cooperate with Louis Vuitton, Rolls-Royce, DANONE, HPE, Eldorado, METRO, ATLANT, Volia, Novalik, Coral Travel, Shell, and others. What does a portrait of an ideal client look like? For me, the perfect client is the one who treats his work as his own business. People, who have found interest and vocation, are proactive, result-oriented, ready to search for new opportunities and experiments, ready for deep analysis and generation of fresh effective solutions. Often, brand teams of clients invite us to internal brainstorming, where we work together on the tasks. This format of cooperation is very effective, and yet - this is a very important indicator of trust in us as partners. You are associated with some companies for many years of friendship and cooperation. Share the secret of long-term relationships with customers. There is no special secret, we are always focused on the result, the high quality of our services, the maximum customer focus. Accordingly, our efforts are embodied in a long-term cooperation. There are clients with whom we have been working for 10 years. We have a very powerful team and the more difficult the task, the more it is interesting for us. Just mastering the budget - this is not our path. Our aim is the result! Who are your competitors in the market and which of the domestic and world agencies are an example for you? Honestly, I dont look at the sides at all. We focus on our clients and tasks. Only at the end of the year, we look at the number of projects implemented and how we have advanced in the ratings. How many people work in the BRIK agency? What opportunities for professional development are provided to employees? Now our agency consists of fourteen people, not counting our regional managers, and this is another 44 people. As for professional development, the heads of structural units share practical experience and skills with their subordinates daily. The agency is also a member of significant industry associations, which allows the team to regularly participate in workshops, lectures, and seminars. What motivates you at work? My motivation is the result, a satisfied client, smiling employees, and especially the transformation of it is impossible into absolutely real and done. There is an opinion that experimental marketing is about making people more satisfied/happier, so what brings happiness to you personally? Everything companies and businesses work for - the convenience and fulfillment of the needs of humanity in the best way. All this makes people more satisfied and, accordingly, happy. If possible, the consumer votes with their money. Based on this, commercial success directly depends on the satisfaction of the end consumer, and to understand, see, and feel the moods and needs of the target audience is possible only with considerable EXPERIENCE and well-developed emotional intelligence. Personally, I feel happy when there is harmony between work and personal life, the joy of communicating with good and professional people, peace in the soul and peace in the country, health, and well-being in the family, and that’s what I wish everyone!

Roman, how would you introduce yourself and your company to our readers?

Hi. I am Roman Nekrasov, CEO of BRIK marketing services agency, a member of the board of the International Association of Marketing Initiatives, and an expert in the industry with more than 15 years of experience.

Our team consists of specialists in the field of BTL, DESIGN, EVENT, TRADE, PROMO, which puts the brand and product in the center of each project. And since we work in the field of BRAND EXPERIENCE, we deliver messages to the end consumer through emotions and feelings.

Tell us how the history of BRIK began?

BRIK as a separate business unit appeared in 2011 with roots from the national communication holding IQ Group (Media, Digital). The purpose of the agency is to meet the needs of customers within one communication group by 360° in the future.

Therefore, the customer receives extensive expertise based not only on the professional approach of AMS BRIK specialists but also of the holding as a whole. Moreover, if necessary, we comprehensively implement the projects with a single entrance.

Was it decided from the beginning to go for experimental marketing and for what reasons? Why was it relevant in 2011 and has something changed now?

In my opinion, experimental marketing is one of the most powerful tools for interacting with the world, both then and now. And today especially.

We are all in an intense information environment and it is increasingly difficult to highlight a product or service in the flow of others. It is the experimental marketing toolkit that allows you to communicate gently and effectively with the consumer, passing messages through the emotional component to the relevant perception of a particular target audience.

We live in a world of facts, but we lack impressions, especially the pleasant and safe ones, and our team is happy to work in this direction.

Over the past three years, the agency has achieved significant success both with client portfolios, as well as in the development of new expertise.

Today, AMS BRIK is among the best advertising agencies in the country.

How did the "new reality" affect the work of the company and the industry as a whole? What new services do you offer to customers?

The “new reality” did not bring anything good, but there are “comforting” side effects. That challenge has made us stronger, more alerted to expenditures, more adaptive to rapidly changing circumstances.

Marketing services in Ukraine have experienced and suffered great losses of specialists. Also, due to quarantine restrictions, the volume of business has decreased significantly since its considerable share is direct communication with the end consumer.

Speaking of today, our team in the new reality has become even more cohesive and dynamic. The restrictions inspired the search for new vectors of activity less sensitive to the negative impact of the epidemic.

From the beginning of the quarantine, we have tightly pumped the design direction. So today there are many completed images and various visualizations. And cooperation with the pharmacological sector was embodied in the designs of more than twenty drugs that are already on sale in pharmacy chains.

Once again experiencing the economic crisis in the country, I am convinced of the effectiveness and the uncompromising nature of Consumer Promotion – one of our favorite work areas. It is most effective at the direct sale points where the decision to purchase goods or services in 75% of cases is made. In times of quarantine, the Consumer Promotion gains more relevance as manufacturers do not need long-term campaigns and strategies – they want to sell here and now!

Each of us feels lost in large markets among the variety of goods and manufacturers, but with the availability of consultants from TM and information on competitive advantages, the intricacies of production, etc., the decisions can be made fast. So, I advise at this time to stimulate the promotion directly at the sale points, the decision to put the goods in the basket or not is taken there.

Three lessons you learned from quarantine.

Constantly look for new business opportunities.

No matter how hard it is, do not lose optimism.

Be daily ready for any development of events.

How many projects a year do you manage to implement?

At the end of 2020, summing up the results, I was surprised that 132 projects of varying complexity were implemented in a year.

For which companies did you implement those projects?

The portfolio of our clients is large enough and divided into categories: ultra-luxury, retail, food and beverage manufacturers, electronics manufacturers and distributors, television and Internet providers, pharmaceutical companies, tourism, and the oil & gas sector. We are proud to cooperate with Louis Vuitton, Rolls-Royce, DANONE, HPE, Eldorado, METRO, ATLANT, Volia, Novalik, Coral Travel, Shell, and others.

What does a portrait of an ideal client look like?

For me, the perfect client is the one who treats his work as his own business. People, who have found interest and vocation, are proactive, result-oriented, ready to search for new opportunities and experiments, ready for deep analysis and generation of fresh effective solutions.

Often, brand teams of clients invite us to internal brainstorming, where we work together on the tasks. This format of cooperation is very effective, and yet – this is a very important indicator of trust in us as partners.

You are associated with some companies for many years of friendship and cooperation. Share the secret of long-term relationships with customers.

There is no special secret, we are always focused on the result, the high quality of our services, the maximum customer focus. Accordingly, our efforts are embodied in a long-term cooperation. There are clients with whom we have been working for 10 years.

We have a very powerful team and the more difficult the task, the more it is interesting for us.

Just mastering the budget – this is not our path.

Our aim is the result!

Who are your competitors in the market and which of the domestic and world agencies are an example for you?

Honestly, I don’t look at the sides at all. We focus on our clients and tasks. Only at the end of the year, we look at the number of projects implemented and how we have advanced in the ratings.

How many people work in the BRIK agency? What opportunities for professional development are provided to employees?

Now our agency consists of fourteen people, not counting our regional managers, and this is another 44 people.

As for professional development, the heads of structural units share practical experience and skills with their subordinates daily. The agency is also a member of significant industry associations, which allows the team to regularly participate in workshops, lectures, and seminars.

What motivates you at work?

My motivation is the result, a satisfied client, smiling employees, and especially the transformation of “it is impossible” into “absolutely real and done.”

There is an opinion that experimental marketing is about making people more satisfied/happier, so what brings happiness to you personally?

Everything companies and businesses work for – the convenience and fulfillment of the needs of humanity in the best way. All this makes people more satisfied and, accordingly, happy. If possible, the consumer votes with their money.

Based on this, commercial success directly depends on the satisfaction of the end consumer, and to understand, see, and feel the moods and needs of the target audience is possible only with considerable EXPERIENCE and well-developed emotional intelligence.

Personally, I feel happy when there is harmony between work and personal life, the joy of communicating with good and professional people, peace in the soul and peace in the country, health, and well-being in the family, and that’s what I wish everyone!