MEET THE BRANDING & MARKETING STRATEGIST

Mariusz Lodyga, the owner of Premium Consulting Brands, is a branding expert specialized in creation, companies communication, public relations, leads generation and personal branding.

Take a look at the interview below to find out how he gained all the expertise that brought him in the position to grow brands with over 100k stakeholders and work with clients such as global banks and more others.

1. What was the tipping point for your career? How did you decide to specialize on branding and why?  

The tipping point was realizing how great potential is in this sector of a market. Entrepreneurs are under competitive pressure and the ability to build a strong brand is becoming the key factor of succeeding in business.

2. Name one situation that made you want to quit and change your career.

It was a few years back then and due to a disappointing experience that I had with one of the key co-workers, who turned out to be dishonest. For a short time I had enough and I was seriously considering changing my career. I couldn’t continue the work due to that crisis. Luckily, it passed quickly and the following month I was both happy and satisfied working on a project for one of the global banks.

3. Name one situation that made you want to go forward.

The most important motivating factor is the feedback I get from my clients and the community. The positive, constant feedback makes me want to go forward. 

4. What do you think are the most difficult challenges marketeers have to face in the Polish market nowadays?

Changing the short run perspective for the long run perspective, while focusing on strategic thinking. All that, in order to create an image of a strong and lasting brand, providing the customers with not only the highest quality of the product, but also the buying experience.

5. Investment matters. If you would invest in something else but your actual business. What would that be?

Such investment would be the knowledge capital. I’m realising it through the trainings and the conferences I’m participating in.

Back in the day, I invested in securities on the Warsaw Stock Exchange; However, much higher rate of return is from the capital invested in knowledge, which I implement in my professional world.

6. If you could change something about Polish Community of Marketeers to improve it in any way what would that be?

Currently we have a strong and well-organised community of marketeers. This community is lively and actively cooperating on many levels. Frankly speaking, I don’t have a need to change it. I would like this positive and developmental atmosphere to settle in the following years. I think it is our Polish phenomenon.

7. What is your expertise bringing to the art market, that is different compared to its competitors?

On the Polish market, the marketing strategists are infrequent. The dominant approach is the tactical one, focused on the technical tools. My key distinguishing factor is the comprehensive and divergent way of thinking, to which I might add a wide spectrum of used tools. The clients start to appreciae more often the strategic competences, because they feel that the simple strategies have become a relic of a bygone era.

Nowadays it is crucial to know how to build a strategic advantage over the competitors.

MEET THE MAN #BEHINDTHESUIT

1. Name one good habit that helps you deal with your active life.

The ability to engage in a dialogue.

2. Name one bad habit you can’t quit.

Perfectionism. It causes that some vital projects take more time than I assume at first.

3. If you could be anything else but an entrepreneur what would you be?

It is a very difficult question, which I can’t answer with confidence.
I think that I would feel comfortable as a Business Development Manager in an ambitious company. I am afraid, though, that I would feel the lack of freedom. The freedom of choice, which I got used to.

4. You are a well-known marketing specialist, with over 10 years of experience in the field, what is the favourite movie of a man with your background?

One of my favourites is the Mad Men series. It’s a classic, which I watched with real pleasure.

5. Tell us your favourite book. What’s the best thing you learned from it? 

“How brands grow” by Byron Sharp. For me, the most important things in this book are the systematised rules that allow the brands to grow.

6. Name the most important value that you believe in.

I believe that openness is the key to success: to be open to the new and be able to resign from the old, a worn-out paradigm.

7. If you could compare your journey as a marketer with a song, what song would you choose?

“Always look on the bright side of life”.

8. Tell us the best experience you had while working in the branding sector.

The possibility of creating high-potential brands. Such experience included the opportunity to work with a brand with over 100k stakeholders, that has an annual revenue of over 500 million PLN. The scale of such a project is a real joy that allows me to use the whole spectrum of the strategic tools.

9. If you would give our readers one piece of advice from your own experience, what would that advice be?

The investment in a brand is the best insurance policy for business.

Only the strong brands can stand a chance of surviving in a good condition on the market.