The Best Brands Awards were presented at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich. The event, which was attended by around 550 guests from business, commerce and the media as well as numerous celebrities on Tuesday evening (February 27th), was again moderated by TV journalist Linda Zervakis (48). At the beginning there was great excitement because after speakers such as Boris Becker (56), Bob Geldof (72) and Joachim Gauck (84), the Australian Elle Macpherson (59) was announced as the keynote speaker this year – “a world star, supermodel, Hollywood actress, entrepreneur,” Zervakis enthused.
The 1.83 meter tall Elle Macpherson, in a sporty, elegant white dress, spoke in her speech about her personal philosophy when dealing with the topics of beauty, wealth and success. Afterwards she stood by Dr. Rainer Esser, the managing director of the Zeit-Verlagsgruppe, gave a speech and answer. She responded charmingly and amusedly to his humorous and verbose questions.
“Thank you for your lively and inspiring speech. You brighten up our gala with strength, fame, beauty and… I’m Rainer and I’m a happy person. I’ve been given the opportunity to have a quick chat with you,” said he sets the course for the conversation right at the beginning. The audience laughed, as did Macpherson, and she replied: “The pleasure is all mine.” She later praised him: “Oh, you are so romantic, cheesy and romantic.”
The media professional also extracted real tips for young models from the old master. “Modeling is a terribly competitive profession. Here high elegance meets high ambition. How did you carve out a niche for yourself? What is the foundation for your success in the world of Vogue vampires and endless catwalks?” asked Esser. “Well, it’s been an evolution,” she laughed, before explaining how she faces such challenges: “I find that when you practice things, when you dare to keep taking steps towards what your heart desires “Then we’ll find a way,” said Macpherson.
About what Esser said was a “dramatic change” from her “predominantly white model era” to the “era of diversity, social media and influencers,” she said: “When I started modeling in the 1980s, it was my entry into this business difficult. Not everyone could do it.” With social media, however, everyone can present themselves in the area they want. “Everyone can share their passions with us,” she continued. “And if you want to be a model, you can definitely be a model on Instagram and social media.” And anyone who then has a lot of followers is interesting for advertising partners and can build their own company.
She then revealed what she believes is the most important “trick: Adaptation is the superpower of the future. The ability to adapt and evolve over time is what really matters.” And she added: “Be flexible and adaptable!”
After the conversation, “The Body”, as the Australian was christened at her modeling wedding, disappeared into the Munich night with a friendly greeting.
Next up was the actual awards ceremony and the winners of the Best Brands Awards were able to collect their trophies on stage. The winner in the top category “Best Brand Beauty” was L’Oréal Paris. The “Best Brand Fashion” award went to Nike. Nivea was hailed as “Best Brand Overall” and Dyson won as “Best Momentum Brand”.
Speaking of Dyson: The prominent guests included actress Laura Osswald (41), ex-“Let’s Dance” star Christian Polanc (45), ex-“Bachelor” Andrej Mangold (37), and ex-professional athlete Magdalena Brzeska (45). her daughter Noemi Peschel (born 2001) or Verena Kerth (42) and Marc Terenzi (45) and Fabio Knez (born 1993). The likeable representative for luxury vacuum cleaners made it to the trash TV Olymp Jungle Camp (RTL) within a very short time. He came to the event in Munich with his girlfriend, ex-GNTM participant (2015) Darya Strelnikova (31). As usual, he answered all questions in a friendly manner and was also happy to take the many photos with fans.
After the awards ceremony and a creative buffet, the Bavarian indie rock band Sportfreunde Stiller (since 1996) warmed up the audience. With their hits such as “Applause, Applause”, “Ich, Roque” and “Ein Compliment”, the musicians, who looked clearly different from the elegant gala guests in shirts and hoodies, created a really good atmosphere.
