Lara Daniel (MSC 13), Co-Founder and CEO at Pulse Advertising and Pulse Management

In 2014, Lara Daniel co-founded Pulse Advertising, that goes beyond connecting brands with the world’s top content creators by providing an in-depth and holistic influencer marketing integration. From social strategy, creative campaign design, and influencer sourcing to execution and analytics reporting, they ensure that the clients realize the full potential of influencer marketing.

– For what purpose was the agency created?

Before founding Pulse Advertising we owned the fashion label Noemii Resortwear, which we sold to many large hotel chains worldwide e.g. Hilton Hotels, Four Seasons, RitzCarlton. In order to also promote sales via our online store we experimented with many different marketing tools and soon noticed that Influencer Marketing was by far the most effective one. In order to understand why Influencer Marketing works it is important to understand the consumer behavior in regards to advertising in general.

First of all we live in a world where direct advertising is something consumers increasingly want to and can avoid. Consumers do not want to have advertisings forced upon them, hence they turn to AdBlockers, Netflix, Spotify and co. Secondly, consumers are more educated than ever before, hence they don’t trust a brand’s own advertising but turn to peer-to-peer recommendation instead. Influencer marketing is a tool that helps companies raise awareness for their products in a way that consumers welcome.

– How do you define the value Pulse brings to its customers?

As each of our clients is unique, we tailor our process to the specific objective at hand. With our international set-up we are able to execute campaigns both on a very local scale e.g. scouting micro-influencers in Dallas, Texas, or planning and executing a large-scale ambassador program across Europe, Pulse is equipped to make our clients’ goals our mission.

-What are your international challenges?

Whenever you work internationally there are two major challenges: the language barrier and the local culture. In order to tackle both we have international teams with a high level of local market knowledge.

-In your current position, what challenges do you face?

As a young company in a young industry there will always be challenges, but I welcome them as I believe that any challenge is an opportunity to grow.

-Is there any experience that has had a particular impact on you?

Very tough question as there are so many. Opening offices in different countries and then visiting these offices and seeing all the highly motivated, talented people who work for Pulse is something that makes me very happy and very proud. This is something that will always keep me motivated.

-Do you think trademarks are losing relevance in the world? What does a brand need to be relevant?

Trademarks are relevant and will remain relevant as long as brands continue to strive at understanding the consumer and adjust forms of communication and opportunities to interact with the brand to ways that the modern consumer welcomes.

-What role do marketing and communication play in the success or failure of a brand?

Marketing and branding are crucial. We live in a world where consumers have endless purchasing opportunities and hence brands need to provide creative and effective marketing strategies to be recognized.

-Your professional experience has been developed mainly in Germany. What opportunities does the country offer?            

We built the company in Germany, however from the very beginning I worked internationally due to the industry we are in. Germany is a country full of so called, Hidden Champions, small but highly successful companies, which are often times relatively unknown. The business attitude of many of the entrepreneurs behind the companies is something I truly admire: hard work and a focus on providing a great product. It is less about “show” and more about “do”.

-What is ESADE for you?

ESADE enlightened my entrepreneurial spirit and taught me core skills I could build on when I founded my company. The diverse student body along with the interesting and challenging courses are something I will always remember with great joy.

-Do you have any advice for the students that wish to develop their professional career in the sector?

Always believe in yourself and work hard to achieve your dreams.