“Every single one of the theories explained in this book was covered in the IMC degree programme,” author Patrick Herr points out. “Particularly the units in the Integrated Marketing Communications module taught by Prof. Martin Waiguny and external lecturer Philipp Allerstorfer covered a range of detailed principles that can be applied to influencer marketing.”
Besides all the academic theory, a wealth of practical experience has also gone into the book. IMC graduate Patrick’s professional record includes a spell as a marketing specialist at Berlin-based influencer agency GOCOMO GmbH. During his time there he gained valuable insights into the world of opinion leaders. He even finds time to work as an influencer alongside his day job: Patrick has already established a number of partnerships with his Hikes Official hiking community.
Path to publication
“To begin with, my goal was to write a really good thesis – so good that it would be published,” Patrick Herr tells us with a mischievous grin. Patrick’s thesis defence during the master examination met with an overwhelming response: the exam panel suggested that he publish his thesis. From that point on, everything went exactly according to plan for the new Marketing graduate. “Then I thought to myself: why not go ahead and turn my thesis into a book?” He quickly got down to work, writing the book before he started his new job, as well as before and after his day job.
Reference guide with a difference
The book’s USP quickly becomes clear once you start reading. Each chapter has a strong practical focus and ends with a summary, so the book can also be used as a reference work. What’s more, the content covers products besides sneakers, sportswear and electronic devices – the typical focuses for influencer marketing – even giving fascinating advice on influencer marketing strategies for high-cost or complex products that require a lot of explanation, such as heat pumps. So Patrick’s book has more to offer than most.
Basic knowledge from IMC Krems
“The fact that everything worked out so well is thanks mainly to the lecturers at IMC Krems,” Patrick recalls. He was really impressed by the degree programme content from day one. The faculty put together a teaching plan that was ideally suited to his needs, with a large proportion of practical tasks. This also formed the basis for Patrick’s book. “I really enjoyed going to the university every day and the things I learned had lots of intrinsic added value. My favourite course was Integrated Marketing Communications in the first and second semester. Public Relations was great as well. Actually, I really liked everything!”, Patrick says.
For this reason, he stayed in touch with his former lecturers and professors after finishing his degree. When the IMC alumnus told them about his plans to bring out a book, they threw their weight behind him. Lecturer Philipp Allerstorfer gave the young author regular feedback, helping him to perfect the content. Degree programme director Prof. Christian Maurer assisted Patrick with the selection of the most suitable self-publishing company as well as with marketing. “Without the help of the IMC Krems teaching staff, none of this would have been possible. I would like to thank them from the bottom of my heart! I think Philipp Allerstorfer deserves a special mention for his contribution. His support while I was writing the thesis and throughout the process of producing the book was amazing!”, Patrick explains.
Promising new career
It would be reasonable to assume that Patrick Herr has a full-time job as an influencer. But that’s not entirely accurate, or at least not any more. Having finished his master degree at IMC Krems and gained some real-world experience, Patrick is now building a career on the Junior Managers Programme at Robert Bosch GmbH. There he focused on a variety of subjects connected with online marketing, with an emphasis on raising the online visibility of the thermal technology sector.
“Drawing up influencer marketing strategies isn’t part of my responsibilities just yet. With an emphasis on ‘just yet’. For the time being, we need to take care of other things that could form the basis of future influencer partnerships. After that, we’ll start to tackle the subject and I couldn’t be better prepared,” says the online marketing expert.
