With this provocative question, Emakina.CH is at the heart of a new debate on the future of the city of Geneva and the region. Both have resisted to the international crisis. Now the time has come to open up to the world, fight populism and protectionism and invent a new international and positive story.
Michel Balestra,spokesperson for “Quelle Genève?” and Didier Zanone, partner of Emakina.CH present the campaign (Image: Steeve Iuncker Gomez, Tribune de Genève)
So the Business Federation of the Romandie Region, the Chamber of Commerce, Geneva Financial Center and Economie Suisse asked Emakina.CH to create a campaign to start a true interactive debate on the future of the city. Read the rest of this entry »
Emakina was hired by the AXA to develop a new website for the Belgian market, based on SharePoint 2010. The goal was to establish a system which facilitates better content distribution between different divisions. This was meant to enable communications teams at AXA to centrally create and maintain the website’s content, while guaranteeing decentralised dissemination across the various distribution channels.
The new solution is revolutionising the way of updating and changing content, with further simplicity. A central content catalogue was created, available for all to see, and facilitating easier distribution. In addition to improving the existing services, Emakina created a new part of the site dedicated to lead generation. Here, clients’ data are collected, and sorted for future reuse, as well as for generating potential prospects or new customers.
The site was the first fruit of close collaboration between Emakina and AXA. This project is a success on many levels; including its technical level, and the user-interface of AXA’s administrators and end-users. Now that the site is online, all the elements and features are in place for visitors, customers and prospects to enjoy.
In exercise to align the Electrabel’s corporate website to the company’s new B2C and B2B standards, Emakina was hired for building a new upgraded version. The main purpose of the new site was to present general information about Electrabel to well-defined target groups. Such information includes the company’s Corporate Sustainable Development approach, career perspectives, nuclear issues, and more. To ensure coherence of the new approach, even the existing texts were updated and adapted, so they are more readable and fit the new structure.
The result is not only aesthetically refreshing but it is also focused on optimising visitors’ convenience through a user-friendly interface design. The combination of tab-navigation, based on an intuitive hierarchic structure; as well as broad use of multimedia -makes the site enjoyable to visit, and its content easily accessible.
Following the great success of previous collaborations between Emakina and Test-Achats, the Belgian consumer-protection organisation has contacted us again. This time, we were asked to promote the organisation’s “Best Buy” service, offering Test-Achats members, access to a comprehensive data base of product analyses. So before spending money on buying a new camera, phone, television, or even a bicycle – it’s worth checking what the Test-Achats experts have to say about your product’s value-for-money. As opposed to other comparison sites, the Best Buy platform is not based on subjective consumers’ impressions but rather on a series of extensive scientific tests, conducted in laboratory conditions.
This was a key element of our approach when Emakina was asked to promote the new service. In a set of print ads we presented various electronic appliances disassembled into their smallest particles in order to illustrate the thoroughness of the testing process. We know this was a huge success, not only because “Media Marketing” magazine chosenit as “campaign of the month” (in its May 2012 edition) but also because this campaign was subsequently exported to the Test-Achats branches in Spain, Brazil, Portugal and soon Italy. What started off as a local campaign to assist Belgian consumers is now expanding all over Europe and has even crossed the ocean!
The 50 Lawyers campaign developed by Emakina for Test-Achats/Test Aankoop wins an important price, once again.
Emakina’s David Grünewald and Xavier Bouillon were welcomed in the Nest of the Best at the 8th Cuckoos, the competition for Best ‘Winning Direct Marketing Campaigns’, of the Belgian Direct Marketing Association.
As winners of the B2C Cuckoo, they received their trophy at a spectacular gala evening at the Brussels Autoworld.
Their smart message, combined with the creation of a coherent Eco-system and dynamic social media actions, were recognised by the Belgian Direct Marketing Association as an outstanding achievement.
This is the fourth major award for the Test-Achats campaign, having already collected IAC and Communicator awards and a Mixx.
David Grunewald and Xavier Bouillon saying ‘Cuckoo’
The message that 50 lawyers are ready to go to war for your consumer rights was supported by social media activities and a viral clip. It generated a record number of citizens engaging with the organisation. Up to date, a record number of 31.863 consumer complaints were filed on the tailor-made campaign website. The once ‘hidden treasure’ of the legal service is now property of all consumers.
And the campaign catches on. It is now starting its second life with similar initiatives in Italy, Spain, Portugal and Brazil. Emakina manages the contacts with the local sister consumer associations and is adapting the messages to the different languages .
The army of lawyers now has a lot of work. Luckily they are well trained and in top shape…
A new print campaign, produced by Emakina for Partenamut, the Belgian health services and insurance provider, introduces a striking new visual identity for the brand. After creating an original all-blue environment two years ago, Emakina decided to build on the same logic with an aesthetic approach that is unique in the field of health services. Together with the client, the team steered away from the traditional use of lifestyle photos of ‘shiny happy people’, in need of medical treatment. Instead, the campaign introduces handmade clay statues, designed and created by artist Ghislain Honoré.
Using photo-stop motion, each of the characters is presented in a typical every-day-life situation, where Partenamut plays a positive and dynamic behind-the-scenes role. Both the background and the characters were left in white while the key items, associated with the Partenamut’s positive intervention, were digitally coloured in the brand’s identifiable blue. Some 68 kilos of Italian clay in ‘broken white’ were used to create 50 statuettes, each about 20 cm tall, as well as some glasses, crutches, hospital beds, and other accessories.
Partenamut makes every effort is made to make clients’ lives easier, with less concerns, and with the least possible amount of paperwork. This campaign thus symbolised Partenamut’s approach of keeping its services as simple as possible for its clients. The original visuals were combined with to-the-point and service-oriented copywriting. All the displayed messages were direct and positive; illustrating the advantages of Partenamut’s various services.
AIDS is a gift we all want to avoid. To increase awareness of Belgians and motivate them to get tested, the advertising agency Emakina created a series of actions for Sida’Sos, using original, unconventional media.
We decided to convey our message in the same way as the disease spreads. We developed media carriers that can be transmitted unknowingly.
Our media campaign centered around 3 unexpected channels:
- Stickers on coins: hundreds of coins were distributed during events this summer, on festivals, and at the city ‘Apéros’, casual outdoor get togethers.
- Free Hug Stickers: at various events, people who enjoyed a good hug, carried a Sida’Sos sticker.
- Wrapping paper: an original and especially designed wrapping paper was created to wrap Christmas and New Year’s gifts. The paper contained a small message, cleverly repeated in the design. This information was only discovered when paying attention and looking at the wrapping paper up close.
These three actions clearly raised awareness of the AIDS issue in Belgium, reaching over 1.000.000 contacts and increasing the number of people tested in the country by several thousands.
Emakina’s case “Test-Achats / Test Aankoop” won a bronze medal at the MIXX 2011 awards.
The campaign for the leading Belgian consumer association was one of the 18 finalists in the category ‘Direct Response and Lead Generation’. Out of a total of 63 participants, winning the bronze award is a fine recognition of the creative angle and the smart execution of this campaign.
The action focused on giving back the power to the consumer to protect his rights. How? With “50 Lawyers at their side”, people no longer need to be frustrated and helpless when they feel cheated by a company or a service. Now they can fight back and win. In Flemish and in French of course…
The campaign team opted for the strategy to pull instead of to push, create a community of consumers who now – thanks to Test Achats – stand up for their justice, with 50 lawyers at their side.
Over a period of 8 months over 12 000 complaints were filed. The special website continues to attract interest and today the counter stands at 17 806 complaints filed. Power to the people! The once ‘hidden’ added value of the consumer association now is one of their main weapons to prove their value in the competitive market for the consumer’s attention and respect.
The campaign received an ‘approved label’ of the European consumer association ‘Euroconsumers‘ and the success is being exported, to Spain, Italy, Portugal and Brasil.
Emakina organised an original staff event at the Apéros de Saint Gilles.
The social meeting combined a fun get together with a positive AIDS awareness action.
Emakina’s agency developed several actions for the Sida SOS association (www.sidasos.be). This organization tries to create awareness amongst young people about aids. So the drink was a good opportunity to give the campaign a symbolic ‘thumbs up’.
A 1 euro coin is the symbolic element of the campaign. It wants to encourage young people to be screened for aids. At the drink, each participant received a 1 euro coin to pay for their drink. As this coin then travels from hand to hand, it touches all. This symbolizes the fact that we can all be infected by aids without knowing it.
Lots of shiny happy people at the Creative Club of Belgium Awards last Friday. Emakina had to be there too, of course. And we did not go home empty handed. Together with our client Schweppes, we received a Bronze Award for the 3 “Perfect Serve” spots. The work convinced the jury of our sparkle for Schweppes. They awarded us in the category Design & Craft – Audiovisual Branding.
Congratulations to our client and to Emakina’s Schweppes Team.
After a consultation round of agencies, Belgian group Montebi decided to entrust the worldwide advertising budget of its watch brand Rodania to Emakina over the next two years. Emakina will be responsible for the global 360° communication of the well-known watch brand. Emakina managed to convince Rodania with a new corporate style and a new positioning of its future communication campaigns. We will be responsible for the new poster campaigns, the new website and the different tactical and promotional activities.
We’re very proud! The jury of the Summit Emerging Media Awards (SIA) has awarded Emakina for its rebranding of the Schweppes brand. We’ve been chosen as the 2010 Visionary Winner, the highest award of the competition. The MySite platform by Truvo and the MONA campaign for Microsoft have also received prizes.
Emakina/Agency has received the Visionary Award (the equivalent of Best of Show) in the Consumer Integrated Campaign category. This award recognizes the outstanding repositioning work the agency has done for the brand identity of Schweppes.
Truvo’s MySite platform has won the Innovator Award (the equivalent of Gold). MySite is a toolbox with which advertisers can develop the brand experience of their company on the site of the Yellow Pages themselves.
The Museum of Never-ending Art (MONA) has won the Leader Award (equivalent of Silver) in the Experiential Marketing category. MONA is a participative virtual museum, made by the tandem Emakina.FR and Design is Dead. The museum opened its doors at the occasion of the launch of Internet Explorer 9 by Microsoft. The museum will continue to exist and will house an impressive collection of international collaborative art.
Cream is a new online service for media and marketing professionals that indexes and analyses best practice examples of brand communications from around the world. Each week the staff selects the “crème de la crème” of marketing innovation.
Great news, this week, the editor of Cream chose Emakina’s work on Schweppes rebranding, and it’s activation campaign “Schweppesonality”, as Campaign of the Week. Here is the blog post.
The jury of the Interactive Media Awards recently awarded the Emakina/Agency team with two ‘Best in Class Awards’ for their work to re-brand Schweppes. These awards reward the global rebranding work Emakina/Agency has done on the identity of Schweppes.
The international IMA jury gave us a total of 491 points out of 500, rewarding our rebranding work with two “Best in Class Awards” (the equivalent of Gold), in the categories “Food/ Beverage” and “Retail”.
