Last Updated on August 9, 2024
Published on: Feb 22, 2024
Have you ever wondered what it takes to see the world not just as a series of places, but as a mosaic of opportunities, ideas, and insights?
Meet Rocco Petrarca, a 28-year-old from the picturesque town of Montescaglioso, Matera, in Italy, whose life story reads like an adventure novel with a twist of digital genius. Rocco’s journey through eight cities and six countries transcends mere travel; it’s about gathering pivotal experiences that forged his expertise in digital marketing.
With a role at Octonano LLC that placed him at the heart of New York City’s bustling SoHo and the historic elegance of Florence, Rocco has turned his multicultural insights into digital strategies that resonate on a global scale.
Fluent in four languages and educated in five universities across three countries, his approach to digital and social media strategy is anything but ordinary. It’s a blend of lived experience, academic rigor, and a deep understanding of diverse markets that allows him to navigate the complex web of consumer behavior with ease.
So, how does a world traveler become a digital marketing maestro? Let’s dive into Rocco Petrarca’s inspiring journey.
Setting the foundation
Growing up amidst the verdant plains and azure skies of a small Italian town, Rocco was imbued with values rooted in kinship and a boundless curiosity sparked by his surroundings. His familial ties to local business ventures like the family supermarket and a cheese factory introduced him to the power of social media as a conduit for conveying unique value propositions.
“I always paid attention to the way they interacted with clients and suppliers both online and offline,” Rocco reflects. “Growing up in a small town makes you want to discover more, to understand what’s beyond your borders. This innate desire to explore is a driving force behind my approach to digital marketing.”
Thanks to his hometown’s rich palette of experiences, Rocco developed an aptitude for communicating strengths and crafting captivating narratives that resonate with clients on an intimate level.
The early bearings of his family’s engagement with the marketplace laid the groundwork for a marketing philosophy that emphasizes attentive interaction and the careful curation of a brand’s digital presence.
The impact of international living and being a polyglot
Rocco Petrarca’s extensive travels across eight cities and six countries have significantly shaped his career in digital marketing.
Reflecting on his experiences, Rocco highlights the value of diverse interactions: “Thanks to this, I met interesting people with a wide variety of cultural and professional backgrounds.”
These encounters have expanded his worldview and continuously inspired him to grow personally and professionally.
His adeptness in navigating international markets stems from a deep understanding of effective communication strategies in various cultural contexts. Rocco underlines the importance of this skill, stating, “By understanding culture and mindset, alongside the language itself, I can engage with my audience on a deeper level.”
Speaking four languages, he leverages his multicultural insights to deepen connections with audiences, giving him a competitive edge in digital marketing. This ability to integrate global insights into his work is pivotal, enabling wide-reaching dialogues that enrich his marketing strategies.
Joining the coveted Erasmus program
Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs is a cross-border exchange program initiated by the European Union. It aims to give new or aspiring entrepreneurs the chance to learn from experienced business owners running small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in other participating countries.
Participating in this program marked a significant milestone in Rocco’s professional development, particularly in his role at Octonano LLC.
From the onset, the program offered him a unique opportunity to dive directly into the company’s projects, allowing him to apply his digital marketing skills and expertise practically. Petrarca recalls, “The Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs allowed me to be actively involved in Octonano LLC projects from day 1,” highlighting the program’s instrumental role in providing real-world experience early in his career.
One of Petrarca’s pivotal moments came shortly after he began, during one of the initial client meetings where he had the chance to showcase his digital marketing expertise. “I still remember that, on one of my first weeks, I was able to showcase and apply my skills and expertise in digital marketing during one of our first meetings with a client,” he notes.
It was this moment that underscored the trust Octonano LLC placed in his abilities, encouraging him to infuse his work with his unique style and personality, and ultimately shaping his approach to brand support and strategy development.
The freedom and responsibility to lead digital marketing projects early in his tenure at Octonano were crucial for Petrarca’s professional growth and the establishment of his role as a Digital & Social Media Strategist.
He said, “I soon realized that having the possibility to lead some digital marketing projects would have given me the possibility to bring results and improve brand performances.”
Fusing European sophistication with American dynamism
Rocco Petrarca’s work at Octonano LLC demonstrates his skill in merging European and American marketing approaches into effective digital strategies. “Listening to the clients’/potential clients’ needs is fundamental to me,” says Rocco. This approach enables him to create customized strategies that resonate with each client’s unique goals and narratives.
Rocco is committed to a personalized methodology, believing in the significance of each client’s story. He blends European detail, art, and culture with American directness and pragmatism, stating, “every story matters.
This blend is evident in projects involving branding, where he combines European aesthetic sensitivity with the American focus on efficiency: “For some projects where branding is involved, I love to merge the European attention to the details and the love for art, culture, and history together with the American way of doing business and going straight to the point.
Through this integrated approach, Petrarca delivers marketing strategies that are culturally insightful and commercially effective, reflecting the strengths of diverse market perspectives.
Case study: The Italian food brand
In a strategic move to expand an Italian food brand’s success from the American to the Italian market, Rocco leveraged his deep understanding of both landscapes.
He stated, “Working in the US market and analyzing the success of the Italian brand here, I was able to select only a few of the main successful aspects that led to its success into the US market.” This careful selection process ensured the strategy was both relevant and impactful for the Italian audience.
“I only selected the aspects that I was sure could have worked in Europe as well.” His intimate knowledge of cultural preferences and market dynamics in Italy guided the customization of the campaign, ensuring it aligned with local tastes and expectations.
The successful implementation of this digital marketing strategy in Italy highlights Petrarca’s skill in applying international insights to local markets. He notes the advantage of his background in adapting content: “This was also useful from a practical point of view because I knew how to retouch and make some advertisements more appealing for the Italian market.”
This exemplifies Petrarca’s adeptness at bridging cultural gaps and crafting strategies that thrive across diverse markets.
What truly defines the success of a digital marketing campaign?
Rocco Petrarca believes the answer lies beyond the straightforward tally of numbers.
Initiating every campaign with a structured plan, he insists, “At the beginning of each digital marketing campaign, it’s fundamental to have two columns in my Excel: Goals and KPIs.” This method ensures goals are not just set but are measurable and trackable, facilitating a clear assessment of progress.
Yet, Rocco’s philosophy on success encompasses more than just quantifiable metrics. He deeply values the evolution of a brand’s perception, reputation, and recognition, asserting, “I love to see how brand perception, brand reputation, and recognition evolve over time.
To understand these qualitative changes, he turns to social listening tools, which shed light on public sentiment and interaction with the brand.
Rocco also advises caution regarding vanity metrics, highlighting their potential to mislead: “Numbers are important but there’s also a qualitative part to be taken into consideration. And in social media, it is important to be careful about numbers and vanity metrics (followers, likes, etc.).”
This balanced view emphasizes that true success in digital marketing is measured not just by statistical growth but by the quality of engagement and shifts in brand perception, advocating a holistic approach to campaign evaluation.
Navigating the future of omnichannel strategies
As the digital marketing landscape evolves, Rocco foresees a burgeoning role for AI in shaping omnichannel strategies. “Automation will reconfigure the playbook for digital marketing. We must be ready to evolve with it,” he asserts.
His insights into the field suggest a future where adaptability and lateral thinking will be paramount, underscoring the continued value of international expertise in accommodating rapidly changing market demands.
Rocco envisions a future where omnichannel strategy remains critical, yet fluid, accommodating technological advancements while maintaining the essence of personalized marketing.
International expertise, he contends, will furnish strategists with the flexibility and resourcefulness needed in a realm increasingly influenced by sophisticated algorithms and AI-driven decision-making systems.
In his view, the core of digital strategy will always be centered on human insight, culturally informed discretion, and the timeless value of connecting with audiences on a genuine, human level.
