Brands are made of the stories people tell about them. At Filli Boya I saw from the inside how consumers build that story, and at Komtaş and Protel, how businesses do; I practiced strategic marketing and brand management right in the middle of the budget, the team and the decision.
On stage, I talk about how a brand stays in mind, why a good product does not get bought, and how AI is changing the decisions of the teams who write that story. Your audience leaves with a question they will carry to the meeting table the next morning.
From leadership meetings to kickoffs, I build every talk around examples from the work of the teams in the room.
I bring the room three ideas for the same campaign. Everyone picks one. Then I share the customer’s objection and the campaign’s real goal. Who changes their mind, and why? With marketing teams who use AI every day, we use this example to talk about the criteria for choosing a good idea.
A software demo goes well. The team that will use the product is happy, but the purchase decision stalls. We look at the same offer again, this time through the eyes of the executive who approves the budget and the team responsible for the switch. A question emerges that sales and marketing can discuss together: in the next meeting, whose concern do we need to address?
What made Galileo famous was not the telescope; it was where he pointed it. Today everyone has access to the same models and similar production power. I ask the room which problem they want AI to solve in their company; most of the answers turn out the same. From there we talk about where the difference will come from: choosing the right problem, seeing the signal in the noise, knowing where to look for the return on investment.
Two talks for conferences, summits and panels that get the whole room thinking together.
“Which POS system would you recommend for a coffee chain with ten branches?” Starting from a customer’s question, I put search results and the AI’s answer side by side. Which brands show up? What sources are the claims about them based on? With examples from a study in which we ran 150 questions about 16 products across four models, the audience sees a way to examine where and how their own brand appears in front of customers.
I start with a Daft Punk track and end with the data literacy series we created with Bebar Bilim at Komtaş. The question that connects them is simple: how do you explain a topic that matters to you but feels distant to your audience? At the heart of this talk is who a tech brand gets to tell its story, and where it begins.
I opened my talk on the Zorlu PSM stage at Istanbul Marketing Summit 2019 with this line, because it describes today’s customer: someone who gives a brand five minutes and walks away if they don’t find what they came for.
For 17 minutes I talk about how technology has changed customers’ perceptions, habits and expectations of brands. The examples range from Facebook’s loading animation to Nike’s Kaepernick campaign, from the return of the Nokia 3310 to SpaceX’s live stream.
Leadership meetings, team offsites, kickoffs
After the talk, the team works on an example from its own work
Conference and summit stages
As a panelist or moderator
Who will be in the room, and what should they be discussing when the talk ends? We cover it in 30 minutes.
I choose examples from the participants’ industry and work; we set the title together.
If the team wants to go further, the talk’s question becomes the team’s own work in one of the training programs.
At the International Ankara Brand Meetings we discussed the AI agenda of marketing leaders; at SEO Vibes on Tour Istanbul, how visible brands are in AI answers. At the Boğaziçi Brand Summit, I met university students interested in marketing.
Since 2022 I have served on the Istanbul Marketing Awards jury every year; I have also evaluated campaigns as a jury member at the Turkey CX Awards and MarTech Awards.
Yes, every talk is tailored. In the briefing call we discuss who will be in the room and what you want to change after the talk. I choose examples from your industry and your team’s work, and we set the title together.
A talk leaves the room with a question; in training, the team works on that question in its own work over several weeks. For teams who want to continue after a talk, there are four training programs.
Yes. Online, I keep the talk shorter and leave more room for Q&A and interaction with participants.
Yes. We agree on recording and sharing in the briefing call.
Yes. I take part in marketing, brand and AI panels as a panelist or moderator.
Yes. Just include the date and city in your invitation.
Tell me about your event, who will be in the room and what you would like to change after the talk. Whether it is a conference, a panel or an in-house gathering, let’s shape the topic and the title together around your agenda.
Schedule a Call with Me