Geoff Cook and Martin Bravo

On April 19 the Digital October Center as part of its educational project Knowledge Stream hosted a lecture dedicated to branding for IT companies.

You can find the digest of the lecture here

Geoff Cook, having gone from head of a subdivision at the international agency BaseDesign to becoming lead brand and marketing expert, personally spoke on the Digital October stage. Joining him via web was the director of digital department of the New York branch, Martin Bravo.

The lecturers discussed how your company can leave its stamp on history, showed the “living and breathing side” of brands such as Google, Twitter, Skype, Facebook, VK.com, 4square, LinkedIn and Apple, also bringing case studies from online banking and electronic commerce, FMCG and the luxury segment.

Key lecture topics:

• why brands are so important and how branding is accomplished in today’s leading tech companies;
• charisma as a brand element and other factors that go into successful branding;
• why some things strengthen one brand but weaken another;
• case study analysis.

Geoff Cook joined BaseDesign in 1998, being invited to help open the agency’s New York branch, its third total. Today BaseDesign boasts five offices, running such brands as L’Oreal and Puma and cooperating with cultural (The Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Royal Opera House in Brussels) and educational projects, while Cook is responsible for the development of the company’s core business.

Martin Bravo began his career in Chile, where he was noticed by BaseDesign. After finishing the Interactive Telecommunications Program at New York University, he began working as the head of digital media in the same office Cook opened. Bravo’s team designs and creates online services, along with digital ad campaign additions for the agency’s clients around the world.

Did you know?

• Geoff Cook is a mentor at the start-up accelerator TechStars and is also involved in the development of fastcodesign.com;
• Before coming to BaseDesign Cook was the head of the men’s clothing department at DKNY, while his lecture will include a case study from a digital campaign for women’s underwear;
• Martin Bravo came to the New York branch of BaseDesign as a simple designer and later quit in order to receive his education, immediately following which he was hired for a management position at the same branch.