Rainer Bock

The Innovator 25:

Rainer Bock

Head of corporate PR and strategic projects

Kaspersky Lab

London/Moscow

"When people keep telling you 'great idea, but are you crazy, we cannot do that!' you are on the right way"

Bock has literally internalized the topic of “wearables”. With a chip implanted in his right hand, he became a “cyborg” in September 2015, in a bid to use his chip implant as an encryption and locking device and to help create genuine use cases for the technology. That kind of commitment to the future of technology helps inform Bock's role at Kaspersky Lab, where he oversees corporate PR efforts, creating measurement tools to better demonstrate the business value of PR to other business units and evolving messaging and content strategy.

How do you define innovation?

Something entirely new, changing the way people work, communicate, understand or believe. In many cases created by combining elements which seemed to be uncombinable into something completely different.

Most innovative PR/comms campaign you’ve seen in the last 12 months?

Not a campaign, but a little video. Beautful storytelling, including virtual reality as a hyped technology. I really liked that.

What brands and/or agencies are most innovative when it comes to marketing/PR?

Although it is not very new or exciting: I am still impressed how Red Bull built this communications empire they now have.

Describe a moment in your career that you would consider ‘innovative.’

I think it would be a bit too much to say that anything I did in communications so far changed the life of people or the way we as a profession work. So I'd consider lots of things pretty creative, but not necessarily innovative.

In what area of marketing/PR do you see the most innovation?

Planning & analytics.

How would you describe the communications/PR industry’s level of innovation?

More innovative than other marketing disciplines.

Where do you see the greatest opportunity for marketing & PR to become more innovative?

Content & creative.

Who most influences how innovative a brand’s marketing/PR is?

The cooperation of marketing and comms teams. Not sure how much influence single persons really have.

Who is your mentor and why?

Boris Mackrodt, Target Communications, who at Fink&Fuchs PR taught me how to channel creativity to get to strategic results. Elke Wößner, now PPro Financial, from whom I learned a lot about working in international communications, while she was my manager at Kaspersky Lab.

How do you find inspiration?

Emptying my head in a whitewater kayak, travelling and observing what happens around me.

Advice for people seeking to bring new ideas, ways of doing things to their organizations?

It is ok to be frustrated when people are pushing back on ideas, but get rid of it until the next day and try again. When people keep telling you "Great idea, but are you crazy, we cannot do that!" you are on the right way.

In your opinion, what’s the most innovative place in the world?

For me personally it is the Soca Valley in Slovenia. A place where people from all over the world meet to follow their passions — kayaking, mountaineering, rafting and so many more amazing activities. A great international vibe in a narrow valley in the alps - and a perfect location to calm down, refocus and find new ideas.

What’s your favorite time of day and why?

I love the night. When distractions of the day are gone, it is getting peaceful and quiet and you can focus your thoughts on what you want, not what the world around you demands.