Pia Frey

The Innovator 25:

Pia Frey

Co-founder

Opinary
Berlin/New York

“Don't be afraid to ruffle a few feathers along the way. It's all part of being a game changer/disruptor”

Pia Frey is co-founder at Opinary, a venture-backed media startup that changes how people share their opinion in content — which has already racked up 32m monthly users and partners ranging from Huffington Post to Guardian to Toyota. Before she started Opinary, Frey was working as a journalist and in product development for Axel Springer/ Die Welt in Berlin and in the Silicon Valley. In 2016, Pia was ranked as ‘Journalist of the Year’ and elected one of Forbes' 30 under 30 in media in 2017. She has also published a series of bestselling books.

How do you define innovation?
Connecting the dots in a status quo and creatively iterate on it.

Most innovative PR/comms campaign you’ve seen in the last 12 months?
‘Einhorn’ — a German condom brand with fantastic marketing.

What brands and/or agencies are most innovative when it comes to marketing/PR?
‘Fearless Girl’ by McCann.

Describe a moment in your career that you would consider ‘innovative.’
Ach, ach, ach. Not sure. Everyday requires innovative moments — in problem solving, fire shooting and coming up with new ideas that help us moving forward

In what area of marketing/PR do you see the most innovation?
Content & creative.

How would you describe the communications/PR industry’s level of innovation?
More innovative than other disciplines.

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

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

Who is your mentor and why?
Saskia Bruysten: because she's a powerhouse of a woman

How do you find inspiration?
Reading, podcasts, running, speaking with new and interesting people

What is your advice for people seeking to bring new ideas, ways of doing things to their organizations?
Start small, prove your concept and iterate from there step by step while having your big vision about in the back of your head

In your opinion, what’s the most innovative place in the world?
Mumbai! Full of energy for an emerging country

What’s your favourite time of day and why?
Evening: because inbox falls asleep and there's time for thinking.