Giovanni Strocchi, chief executive of ADmantX on promoting a ‘people first’ mind-set and enjoying a great New York steak.

1 – Summarise yourself in three words.

Visionary, change-driver, empathetic.

2 – What made you want to pursue a career in media and marketing?

Very early on I discovered how technology enables communication – and it’s become a key area of interest throughout my career. Right now in our industry, the scope of people-oriented messaging – including the right message, right creativity, right time, and right profile – and the technology needed to make it happen – real-time buying, digital profile management, buying optimisation and multichannel communication – is larger than ever before. To succeed in this industry you must have a marketing heart and the mind of a technician – I love it!

3 – Describe your ideal client.

I love customers that drive my team to offer the very best solutions and results. It’s great when they engage closely with us, and ask ‘what’s next?’ It keeps things fresh and innovative.

4 – Name your favourite ever campaign.

I will always remember the first time I saw the Gatorade campaign ‘RUN’. I found that the simple way of communicating, “You need to run to live,” and the association to Gatorade as a product was incredible.

5 – Which award win are you most proud of, and why?

Personally I am very proud of winning ‘Best Coaching Manager’ five years in a row. I promote a ‘people first’ mind-set within my organisation to achieve incredible results, so recognition from my team is the best compliment I could hope for.

6 – Who is the best industry speaker you have seen?

Martin Sorrell. He’s always insightful and challenges common thinking. I always try to be present when he speaks at industry events.

7 – Which is your favourite social media platform, and why?

For work, it’s LinkedIn – essentially a digital contact book – and for personal, it’s Twitter – always a great way to spend any free time.

“In 10 years’ time I hope to be exploring a new challenging media project with one of my start-ups”

 

8 – Where is your ideal meeting venue?

I personally love Cannes. I’ve been there so many times now it feels like home.

9 – What is your favourite restaurant?

A great steak in New York is my idea of perfection and you can’t get better than Wolfgang’s.

10 – What is hot in international media and marketing, and what is not?

Unique customer identification, attribution, and advanced customer profiling are all areas to watch right now. What’s not hot is retargeting, performance networks, customer cluster analysis, and non-dynamic communication.

11 – Which industry buzzword would you ban?

Programmatic – as a word it’s too generic with numerous definitions and meanings depending on whom you speak to.

12 – Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?

In my spare time I enjoy being an angel investor. In 10 years’ time I hope to be exploring a new challenging media project with one of my start-ups.

13 – Finally, who would play you in a movie of your life? 

Easy. My friends have always said I have an uncanny likeness to Christopher Reeve who most famously played Superman.