Managing Partner
Playbook of Innovation:
Can you answer this in one word? Innovation, for you, is…
Elke Reibetanz:
I can’t answer this in one word as it’s a philosophical question. I’m not religious, but there’s a quote in the Bible from Solomon that says: ‘There is no new thing under the sun.’ This is true; innovation is nothing new and has always been here. Without it, we’d still live in caves.
Innovation occurs when two non-related ideas come together to form a new concept, product, or way of doing something. This is what innovation is and how it leads to progress.
Playbook of Innovation:
Why is innovation important for you, your teams, your agency, clients, consumers, and the industry?
Elke:
Innovation is the basis of progress, and progress is the basis of growth. This is true in personal development, business, society, and globally. If you’re not aiming for growth, you’re falling behind. Competitors will always push ahead, even if you try to maintain the status quo. That’s why we strive to stay ahead in the industry, guaranteeing our clients consistently receive the best work possible. To achieve this innovation becomes essential for driving progress and growth in all areas of life.
Innovation is essential for all our teams, including mine, as it drives our approaches and success. I believe the people who work for and with us at Mediaplus require a growth mindset. They must welcome change and innovation because they’re fundamentally linked. You must keep a growth mindset to develop solutions for our clients’ problems today and in the future.
This mindset is essential. Companies or institutions that aren’t actively pursuing innovation will be replaced by more innovative competitors. It may take decades or centuries, but even the biggest players will make way for new, more innovative companies, entities, and institutions. This is why innovation, both in-house and from external suppliers and agencies, is crucial for our clients.
The same rules apply to consumers: if we’re not innovative, customers will find a better product or solution, whether it’s a drink that tastes better or software that solves a problem more quickly. It’s part of the human mindset; we’ll always opt for a better solution.
For our industry, it’s our job to be a part of the innovation and change, to drive it, and to present solutions to our clients. They hire us to solve their problems. With new challenges and opportunities constantly evolving and arising, we must be the ones who drive change.
Playbook of Innovation:
How do you create an environment where innovation can flourish?
Elke:
There are two aspects to creating an environment where innovation flourishes: my personal approach and the collective effort of the Mediaplus team.
The first aspect is creating an atmosphere where innovation takes place by agreeing with your teams, colleagues, and management on the objectives of your work. It isn’t by setting fixed work procedures and strict instructions, though. You must give people opportunities to bring in their talents to find novel or better ways to navigate tasks and challenges with a clear objective. When the overall objective is clear, they should be allowed the creativity and freedom to try new approaches.
The second aspect is creating an environment where the company and team focus more on success and its potential rather than cost and risk. When you focus on a positive outcome and potential success, success is more likely. When you focus on risks, they are more likely to happen because you inadvertently manifest them. Where you focus is where your energy flows and grows.
Playbook of Innovation:
What inspires you?
Elke:
People inspire me, including reading and listening to their thoughts and ideas. I read – books, blogs, articles – and listen to many podcasts. It inspires me to hear the brightest minds from all areas. You mustn’t stick to the area you know but listen to people from other realms. This helps you to detect patterns wherever you look and has led people to find first-mover solutions in technology, science, literature, and the arts.
Personal conversations are also inspiring, especially after the pandemic, when everyone became used to talking through messengers. No one has personal conversations anymore, and this is the wrong approach to take as it’s in these conversations – when two minds come together – that ideas are created.
Playbook of Innovation:
Is there a tool, service, product, or process inside your agency or department that you consider a great example of innovation?
Elke:
Mediaplus offers a range of products and solutions for all types of tasks and problems clients might have; therefore, I couldn’t name one tool or product. Our teams understand and intelligently use data for our clients, and that’s inspiring and unique. We also build tailor-made solutions, no matter the industry or size of the client. Our teams are well versed in looking at the business and finding internal or external data that helps to develop individual solutions. Mediaplus’s unique and innovative approach is a factor in our success, as evidenced by the national and international media awards we’ve won.
Playbook of Innovation:
In your opinion, what’s the most innovative thing about Mediaplus?
Elke:
Our people are the most innovative part of Mediaplus. Recently, I was in a significant pitch for a major international company. The pitch presentation in front of the client was extensive, spanning several hours and involving numerous people. One spontaneous piece of feedback that stood out was when the client said afterwards: ‘You really wrapped your heads around our business.’
This is something special for Mediaplus and what we do for all our clients. We strive to understand their challenges as if we were working and employed on their side. Then, we develop a strategy or solution that fits the task. We’d never impose solutions on our clients without considering their needs. Instead, we build custom solutions tailored to their unique challenges by using the tools and data we already have and combining them to engage and stimulate our client’s enthusiasm.
Playbook of Innovation:
That's an insightful perspective. It's fascinating how the drive for progress is in human nature. To lighten things up, we have one personal question for the end of our interview — would you choose beer or wine?
Elke:
I always prefer wine! And a propos, the wine industry is also innovative, with many young vineyard owners introducing fresh approaches to wine production, branding, labeling, and marketing.
However, when it comes to the duality of choices, I embrace an inclusive approach. All seemingly contrary things have their ups and downs. Without shade, we wouldn’t know what light is; that’s the beauty of life today. We have a choice every time and everywhere. I’m a person who likes to look at things inclusively, not exclusively.
Playbook of Innovation:
Thank you for sharing your preferences with us. Before we let you go, we’d love to know — if there was something you could share with the rest of the network, what would it be?
Elke:
Something I’d like more people to understand is that energy follows focus. We, as an agency, and our clients, shouldn’t get too distracted because when our focus splits, so does our energy. The more energy you invest into one thing, the more it grows, improves, and evolves. Therefore, we must remain focused on the priorities of our daily work as well as our long-term strategies.
Playbook of Innovation:
Thank you for your time today, Elke. It’s been a pleasure discussing your views on innovation and the principles guiding your work at Mediaplus Berlin. Your insights are truly inspiring, and we look forward to the continued impact of your innovative approaches in the industry.
