#BehindtheSelfie with... Peter KohlÖffel

KohlÖffel out on a champagne tasting with his beautiful wife.

1. Where do you live, work and play?

I work in Randburg, live in Parkmore and play in South Africa.

2. What’s your claim to fame?

My surname. Due to the impossible nature of my surname, I can never get into trouble without someone knowing that it’s either me or one of my family members. I also have a number of nicknames that stem from my surname… some of which cannot be spoken about, LOL!

3. Describe your career so far.

Colourful, diverse, inspiring and very rewarding.

4. Tell us a few of your favourite things.

Time with my family and close friends. I love sport, both as spectator and as participator. Travelling is my passion. I enjoy cooking and being in the bush. I also enjoy sharing and collecting South African wines.

5. What do you love about your industry?

The diversity of activations as a marketing medium. The relationships that you build with key clients. There is never a dull moment.

6. Describe your average workday, if such a thing exists.

Haha, that one’s funny! My average day starts with coffee and my family, and that is a constant. The direction that the rest of the day will take is anybody’s guess. I’m a highly organised individual with a very structured outlook to the particular week or day, however in this industry, one must always expect the unexpected. If you don’t, you do so at your peril.

7. What are the tools of your trade?

A great team made up of highly skilled, creative, strategic, knowledgeable and professional individuals who know the industry inside and out. I am also blessed with access to the collective experience of everyone who works within the Provantage Media Group company. I have a very good and consistent sense of humour. Most importantly, I have a very supportive wife.

8. Who is getting it right in your industry?

Activations companies in the most part are getting it more right than wrong when they have the basics right, i.e.: the right brand ambassadors, the right brief, their own infrastructure and the scale to grow.

Activations - delivering on client expectations in tough economic times

Peter KohlÖffel, Provantage  17 May 2016

9. List a few pain points the industry can improve on.

• Companies getting the brand ambassador role wrong.
• Lack of thorough campaign training.
• Claiming to be something that you’re not; which does the entire industry harm.

10. What are you working on right now?

I am personally working on getting our entire offering to world-class standard – to be able to say that we are world-class in everything. In certain elements in the business, we’re not there yet. I’m also working on people development and succession planning.

11. Tell us some of the buzzwords floating around in your industry at the moment, and some of the catchphrases you utter yourself.

ROI, KPI, lack of budget, “can’t afford to do that”, brand equity, push-pull strategy, Shoppa Shows, Shoppa Shows, Shoppa Shows…

ProActive Shoppa Show platform revamped

Provantage  12 Oct 2016

12. Where and when do you have your best ideas?

Over a great bottle of wine surrounded by my inspirational team and the extended Provantage Media Group team.

13. What’s your secret talent/party trick?

Singing.

14. Are you a technophobe or a technophile?

I love to hate technology! It has changed my world but it is also very intrusive.

15. What would we find if we scrolled through your phone?

Lots and lots of family pics and videos, activations pics and videos from a hundred WhatsApp groups. Children’s games and emails.

16. What advice would you give to newbies hoping to crack into the industry?

Have the humility to understand that this industry is about learning new things every hour of every day and that one needs to be significantly flexible and totally client orientated to make yourself successful. The more you surround yourself with great people that know way more than you, the far higher your potential to make a success of it.

Simple as that. Click here for Provantage Media Group’s press office, here for KohlÖffel’s MyBiz profile and interact with him on the following social platforms: Twitter | Instagram. You can also follow Provantage Media Group’s latest updates on Twitter.

*Interviewed by Leigh Andrews.