Jul 17 2012

Life Capsule is a start-up company which offers individuals the possibility to save their precious and confidential information online. In the event of death, this information and personal memories can be made available to (certain) relatives through a secure website. The Emakina Group was involved in this initiative since its early conceptualisation, through assisting the founders and developing its strategic plan. Emakina is currently launching the company’s stylish website, built in OpenCMS (Java).

Even a sensitive issue as one’s plans for after death has now gained its place on the web; a development which was well-noticed by the two Life Capsule founders. Having dealt with a personal loss of a family member, the two founders searched for a practical way to commemorate their loved one over the Internet. Once they realised that such solution did not yet exist, they decided to create Life Capsule and to materialise their idea.

Life Capsule offers a web platform on which subscribers can preserve personal data which they would like to leave to their chosen ones once they pass away. Each subscriber thus designates those who will have access to their digital material. Such “life capsule” may contain various documents such as: photos, videos, PDF files, but also texts or even musical playlists. This approach also allows transferring confidential information such as access codes for social networks, last wishes, or address lists.

A central part of Life Capsule’s homepage is dedicated to subscribers’ commemoration sites which are made public after they pass away. The company offers various subscription packages, and donates a part of its revenues to the King Baudouin Foundation. Each year, the sums which were donated to this charity organisation will be published on the Life Capsule website.

Complete discretion and high security are among Life Capsule’s top priorities. In order to guarantee that the data are safely secured for many years, the company has sought the help of Emakina’s experts. Being the first digital agency in Belgium, Emakina has proved its broad expertise through its numerous large-scale clients from the financial sector (banks and insurance companies). Furthermore, thanks to the security audit, conducted by Zion Security, Life Capsule can guarantee that its site is immune to online piracy.

The site equally offers its visitors a full range of interesting information on dealing with death, including: writing a testament, last wishes before death, and even delicate issues like euthanasia. Last but not least, the company is establishing a fund, with sufficient funds to maintain its servers and software for the next 50 years, regardless of the financial future of Life Capsule.

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Jul 13 2012

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.

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Jul 12 2012

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.

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Jun 28 2012

As a leader and expert of social TV in France, TVcheckhas an intimate understanding of this medium; its DNA and its internal codes. TVcheck is ranked among the top five tweet generators for TV shows’ hashtags (as measured by Tweatreach), making it a significant player among digital audiences

In the context of the Euro 2012, TVcheck, in partnership with Emakina, found an exciting  way to combine classic football and sports betting with the use of Twitter and livetweet, for creating an enriched sports experience. Specifically, Emakina produced for TVcheck a specialised website, allowing visitors to follow the teams, forecast match results, and win prizes!

Game forecasts are now open

Since June 21, internet users are invited to visit the Euro2012.tvcheck.com website in order to forecast match results. The positioning of each online participant is updated daily, according to the points she or he gains for accurate bets.

In order to win more points, participants can check their forecasts by using the TVcheck iPhone app, once the match is on. The top 10 participants, who have accumulated the highest scores by the end of the tournament will win prizes including: an iPad, gift vouchers, Euro 2012 goodies, etc.

Get to know the most popular teams on Twitter

Apart from facilitating forecasts, during each match the website monitors which of the two rival teams generates more tweets on Twitter. All remaining teams, not playing at the given moment, are also classified and analysed according to their respective Twitter hashtags.

*Translated from a post in French, written by Jérémie Gentien for the Emakina.FR blog

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May 11 2012

The “enchanted era” is a French expression (originally, “la parenthèse enchantée”), describing a period of some twenty years between the 60s and the 80s. It started with the invention of the birth control pill. For the first time in history, women gained control of their own bodies and could actually choose if and when they would get pregnant. The effect of women’s emancipation and the resulting sexual revolution went far. They altered societal values like the nature of relationships between men and women and even of working ethics (in the context of a continuous economic boom). Later, the spread of AIDS in the 80s and the rise of unemployment, brought an end to this careless period, one which brings up nostalgic memories for those who lived through it. A similar kind of an enchanted era is about to end on the Internet.

The enchanted digital era started when the one described above came to an end. It all began in the 80s when corporate computing made its first steps, pioneered by IBM. This was also the time when Apple introduced its first microcomputer, and Microsoft presented its first personal computers. At this point in time, the Internet was only used for military applications and for scientific research.

During the 90s, computers first became a consumer good, now available to the wide public. Suddenly, the word “computer” did not only infer a gigantic mainframe machine, but there were new forms out there, such as the micro-personal computers, or simply PCs. IBM was pushed aside by Microsoft, which equipped (almost) all its computers with its newly-developed operating system, known as Windows. Yet, the software world was in need of much more significant investments than those made by a few pioneers. As for the Internet, it remained an experts-only arena, although at this point the Web already existed, with emerging products like Netscape. Even the first personal assistants, such as Newton and Palm, had already made their first appearance in the market.

The first decade of the 21^st century is the one which sees the reign of the Web. Google replaces Microsoft as the market leader (although the latter’s Internet Explorer continues to dominate the field of browsers) and the enchanted digital era begins: the Web is now based on solid foundations; on technologies which are widely accessible. A new virgin land is found; a territory with no entry barriers. The fact that (almost) anyone could create a website or launch a service created a startup frenzy, with Facebook standing out as the Web’s greatest success story. Apple comes back from its ashes, although its online services (like iTools, Dot Mac, and MobileMe) were still far from anything spectacular. Indeed, the burst of the dot-com bubble, and the 9/11 attacks that followed, slowed down the development of the Web. Yet, it was this decade which brought about an unprecedented wave of creativity, none of which would have been possible if it weren’t for the anarchic and decentralised system of the Internet.

Today’s landscape is again somewhat different. The 2010s will probably be remembered for the extensive use of mobile devices, smartphones, and of permanent Internet connection. The Net is now dictated by several giants who set the rules and impose them on all others. Google, along with its various services, remains the undisputed master of the Web. It is thus absolutely imperative to take into account the complex algorithms of this giant search engine and its way of prioritising digital information – in order to exist online and remain somewhat relevant. Facebook became a daily activity for hundreds of millions, thus having a great impact on our social interactions (like the disappearance of anonymity). Anything is now allowed… as long as you follow a few basic guidelines.

Apple did not only make a brilliant comeback; the company developed an entirely separate “ecosystem” of products which speak their own unique language to one another. It is thus impossible to put forward a new application or a podcast on the AppStore or iTunes without surrendering to the Apple hegemon. In sum, the aspiration for total freedom which prevailed during the dawn of the Internet has been replaced by a rather codified environment, one which is much more predictable. And yet, perhaps this is a necessary price for having large enterprises invest in interactive media and turn the Internet economy into a perennial one.

Of course, there will always be room for smart innovators and entrepreneurs who will introduce new products. But there is a long way to go until such new players could challenge the existing hegemony of the big ones. The latest success stories of startup companies prove exactly that. Zynga and Playfish were both entirely designed to fit the Facebook ecosystem. Angry Birds is an AppStore creature, and YouTube was very quickly caught into the world of Google. An important trend in the history of new technology is thus facing an end. Is this good news or bad news? We’ll find out soon…

*Translated from its original version in French

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May 4 2012

Football fans in Belgium and around the world can now enjoy the new website of the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA). BelgianFootball.be was created by The Reference, a Ghent-based full-service digital agency, and part of the Emakina Group.

A site to experience today’s football

The Royal Belgian Football Association exists since 1895 and represents all football clubs in Belgium. Each football season, the Association organises no less than 300,000 football matches for 2000 teams. Its ambassadors, the Red Devils, represent it internationally, attracting a lot of web attention. The Belgian Football Association has been active on the web for many years with the site footbel.com (included in the CIM Metriweb reports). Players, from the highest to the lowest leagues, and their supporters, use this site extensively. But they’re not alone. The site is also commonly used by referees, trainers, clubs, board members, stewards and volunteers, sponsors etc. A match is a lot more than 22 players on a field running behind a ball… As a full-service digital agency, The Reference convinced the Association of their web approach in synchronicity with the further professional development of the sport in Belgium.

Caught the football bug? Build your own website!

The project posed some interesting challenges. The new RBFA website had to accommodate large traffic volumes, while delivering massive amounts of information to the entire football community.  Thanks to the smooth integration with the RBFA’s databases and its existing backend, you are a click away from all information on teams, upcoming matches, and more!

To make the web experience fun and user friendly, the site features a dashboard, where visitors can create their own pages. Each of them can pick her or his favourite team, be alerted of cancelled matches, view filtered news items, and enjoy many other personalisation features.

The new site was built using Drupal 6, with an extensive system of dynamic blocks. Content editors can thus create and adapt information efficiently and with high flexibility, significantly reducing the time laps needed for information to be published.

Anja Cappelle, managing director van The Reference concludes: ‘We are very proud to have created this very lively information channel for the Belgian football fans and their Association’.

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Apr 25 2012

It’s been a few years now that the terms “food porn” or “foodography” have been used in culinary contexts. This new jargon was born in the United States but later expanded into Europe. First, let’s be clear: it’s not about pornography. Food Porn has nothing to do with the art of individuals exposing their bodies in front of a camera!

The concept originates from social changes that took place over the past generation. Cooking is above all a way of passing on a cultural heritage, often one that runs through the family. The redefinition of societal values during the 70s and 80s created a cultural deficit which deprived an entire generation of its own gastronomic heritage.

Logically, the Internet quickly filled this gap, becoming a new platform for sharing culinary know-how. Cooking blogs, typically maintained by passionate self-taught cuisine experts, have thus been multiplying, turning certain bloggers into mini web-celebrities. At a time when service providers are becoming cultural heroes, a manual activity like cooking is at the spotlight.

It’s all about sharing. We often associate cooking with love or affection. Several phases in the cooking process are important: there’s that of passing on the knowledge as mentioned above, then the creative part, and finally the actual action. But the moment which is mostly appreciated by those who sweat above their stoves is that of the feedback, of offering commentary. Cooking is a way of putting oneself at the forefront, of seeking recognition. TV shows like MasterChef or Come Dine With Me joined the online trend, bringing the commentary addiction to a new level, due to the competitive component, as well as the reinforced attention to food aesthetics.

Socials networks now allow any cook to share his or her activities with audiences larger than ever before.  Such “Foodies” (or cooking amateurs) have thus also become photographers, cherishing their work in pictures in order to later share it with followers and friends; a habit which is now known as “food porn”. The term was originally used to describe quasi-erotic TV commercials which presented food (often vegetables) in a sensual way.  Nowadays, the term “porn” can be found in various contexts, often describing a mix of images, meant to lure viewers towards a certain topic (architecture, automobile, etc.).

The more visually attractive the picture is, the more tempting its object becomes, and the more it will generate feedback and comments on social networks. In an era, known for its documentation of our almost daily existence, photography has become an image-based conversation tool.

In 1825, French gastronomist Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote: “Tell me what you are and I shall tell you what you eat” (which later evolved into the popular Anglo-Saxon idiom of “you are what you eat”). Things haven’t changed much since the time of Brillat-Savarin. Presenting in images what we eat is the new digital way of presenting oneself, of telling our story. The time when we eat makes up an important part of our daily lives, thus with three meals a day, food is a major part of our existence.

Mobile technology allows anyone to take a picture, share it, and comment on it. The wide spread of high-quality digital cameras plays an important role in this trend, well understood by brands like Nikon and Canon. Most of their models now have a “food mode” feature for optimising the quality of culinary photography.

Social platforms like Instagram or Pinterest are sometimes seen as the El Dorado of some (very) amateur food pornographists. Users’passion is often so great that it sparks mockery as illustrated in this “Read Write Web” article. Indeed, with Facebook pages such as this, it is hard to deny the article’s criticism… Sharing a picture of your pale ham and eggs from last Sunday is like thinking that your holiday photos resemble the Swimsuit edition of “Sports Illustrated”.

The most commonly-shared food pictures on social networks are desserts (18.3%) and vegetables (17.8%). High ranking of desserts can be explained by their aesthetic looks and colourfulness.  Vegetables, on the other hand, have become a symbol of a healthy lifestyle, a trendy concept on its own.

Different motivations drive the picture sharing of home-made versus restaurant-made dishes. The former satisfies our need to be recognised for our skills, also known as the “IKEA effect”, wanting to share all our “I-did-it-myself” items. The latter, however, celebrates our individual’s capacity of being a “discoverer” of the best eateries, using photos as “proof” on social recommendation platforms. Many mobile applications are currently riding this trend, including Foodreporters in France and Foodspotting in the US. The fact that consumers prefer their peers’ advice over those of brands or institutions is creating an earthquake in the world of food guides. While many of those guides try to join the digital revolution, brands like Michelin or Gault Millaut are the first to pay the price for the rise of food porn.

*Originally written in French by Théo Saulnier for the Emakina.FR’s blog.

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Apr 17 2012

Emakina.NL has won the pitch for the development and creation of the brand platform websites for Blue Bland (Netherlands) and Planta (Belgium). The digital agency was chosen over two other agencies in the competition. The decisive elements in the decision were Emakina’s clear consumer insights, combined with their strong and creative strategy for a content-driven platform. Next to this, the translation of the concept to a strong content calendar seamlessly fitted with the always-on communication approach of the Unilever brand. The agency will manage the technical, creative and editorial side of the projects.

Blue Band is a household name in the Netherlands since 1923. The brand is known in the market as a trusted margarine for young families. DraftFBC developed and executed the current above-the-line campaign. Quelle Belle Journée (Paris) is responsible for the creation of the new TV commercial for Planta.

Emakina.NL is part of the Emakina Group, an international online agency network with over 350 employees, active in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and the United Kingdom. Besides Blue Band, the customer portfolio of Emakina includes Bonduelle, Foundation ‘Weet Wat je Besteedt’, Dove, Magnum and Unox .

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Mar 27 2012

It’s not easy, knowing that we were yet again winners of such distinguished prizes, and to have to remain silent about it… But now that the organisers of the Internet Advertising Competition (IAC) gave us their OK, we can proudly announce: we did it; Emakina won two IACs this year!

Our first prize was for the “Test-Achats 50 Avocats ” campaign, under the Best Magazine Online category. The original campaign was supported by social media activities and a viral clip on protecting consumer rights. It generated a record number of citizens engaging with the organisation, thus making it more relevant than ever before.

We also won the Outstanding Website award for Belgium Rollers’s new home page, designed by Emakina. Thanks to its original funky characters and marvelous design, the website presents to its visitors the fun urban universe in the Roller Parade spirit. All that’s left is scrolling and clicking around this dynamic website in order to learn about the event!

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Mar 26 2012

Clinique, the American cosmetics brand, famous for its allergy-tested products, has decided to engage with its clients differently. Its recent campaign, titled “3 Step coach”, uses a specially designated online platform for this purpose.  Clinique invites users to register as “coaches” on a Facebook Connect application, designed and developed by Emakina. Once registered, the challenge is on. Their goal is to invite as many friends as possible, and then share information on Clinique products as well as their personal experiences with them. Coaches are awarded with “badges” for each successful invitation or item they advertise. They become official “ambassadors”, after having collected a total of seven badges.

During the course of one year, all ambassadors receive Clinique products, corresponding with the experiences they write about. They are also treated with a personal coaching session, offered by an official Clinique expert. This experience will guide them on how to best match their skin types and needs with the most appropriate Clinique products. Friends of the ambassadors, who follow the activity online, get a VIP treatment as well! They each receive a three months products supply and the opportunity to join their ambassador during the one-on-one coaching session.

The “3 Step coach” application is unique in communication on beauty and cosmetics. Clients interact intensely with the brand, and deepen their knowledge of its various products. Furthermore, this campaign, covering 8 different European countries, was adapted to in the various languages of each local market.

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Mar 16 2012

The European Commission has picked Emakina to promote the importance and benefits of energy efficiency.   An Emakina-produced video clip, released today, illustrates the European Union’s objectives and upcoming regulatory measures in the energy field for the next decade. It also offers viewers concrete and practical ideas on how to reduce their energy consumption. In doing so, the video addresses both private-household consumers and large corporations in presenting future energy saving technologies.

Click here to view the full version of the video (4’32”).

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Mar 6 2012

Right at this moment, Apple employees are making final preparations for what  will probably be the launching event of the iPad3. The mysterious, yet, very-intriguing event will be held at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco, exactly one year after and at the same place the iPad2 was introduced to the world. According to the press invitation, tonight’s event will present the successor of the iPad2, without specifying much information about it, thus leaving a lot of room for speculation. The excitement revolving around the promised product has created quite a buzz throughout the international tech community despite, perhaps because, of its ambiguity.

Final preparations at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco

This is why RTL’s web-magazine, “Les Teknophiles” has decided to dedicate tonight’s show to the Apple event, inviting Brice Le Blévennec as a special guest speaker. Brice will share his vision on the way the iPad will soon replace conventional computing, only two decades after the birth of the PC. “Apple is once more writing the book” as he puts it. Further guests on the show include Frédéric Feytons of TappTic, and Bruno Kesteloot, general manager of MacLine. The show will be aired (in French) today, March 7 at 18:45 Brussels time. Click here to watch it live.

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Mar 5 2012

The Delhaize Dream Job Website, created by Emakina, won the ‘Best in Class’ prize under the ‘Recruitment’ category, in the 2011 competition of the Interactive Media Awards (IMA). This announcement comes shortly after Emakina was bestowed six other awards in this year’s competition. The IMA recognize the highest standards of excellence in website design and development and honour individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievement.

The ‘Best in Class’ award is the highest honour of the competition, representing the very best in planning, execution and overall professionalism. In order to win this award level, the Delhaize website had to successfully pass a comprehensive judging process, achieving very high marks in each of the judging criteria – an achievement only a fraction of sites in the IMA competition earn each year.

The judges utilised a points-based scoring system which allows each entry to receive up to 100 points for each of five criteria, adding up to a maximum of 500 points. By adhering to the specific guidelines and criteria of this system judges were able to maintain the highest degree of fairness, accuracy and integrity; competently and effectively evaluate entries; and, deliver clear results.

Websites receiving an overall score between 460 and 479 receive the Outstanding Achievement award. A score of 480 and above entitles the prestigious ‘Best in Class’ award. Our website scored a total of 489 points (96 on Design, 98 on Content, 100 on Features Functionality, 97 on Usability, and 98 on Standard Compliance & Cross-Browser Capability), making it a ‘Best in Class’ laureate. This is the seventh IMA Emakina wins in 2011 and our 24^th IMA since 2008.

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Feb 16 2012

The combined positive energy of Electrabel, Group GDF SUEZ and Emakina truly starts to create communication sparks. Electrabel launched its new consumer website, introduced a new version of the Electrabel Energy Manager and produced a practical new mobile application for this Energy Manager service.  All ‘signed’ Emakina.

Electrabel, the first energy provider in Belgium, is a long-standing client of Emakina. About one year ago, a new pitch was launched and Emakina came out of this contest as the winner: the agency was named preferred supplier of Electrabel. New in this relationship was that the mission would include social and mobile media, besides web activities.

• Energy Manager

Electrabel helps its customers to reduce their energy consumption and environmental impact. So it wanted to offer its customers a new service that could make them true partners in this valuable effort. The Energy Manager allows them to fine-tune their energy actions and reduce gas and electricity consumption.

In the application, customers fill in their gas and electricity consumption. They then receive a clear analysis, with state-of-the-art bar charts and graphs indicating their energy history. They can also opt for data in a list format, of course. This information is the starting point for improved energy management, with a coaching support, offering practical tips and insights.

The Electrabel Energy Manager is also available on iPhone and Android. It targets both residential and small office/home office clients. For users on the move, the Energy Manager app is the perfect addition to the Energy Manager website.

• Spreading the word

Emakina is also the partner for Electrabel’s web activation campaigns, including promotion and bannering actions. The campaign now starting will highlight the launch of the new online application for residential customers. It will also introduce the other mobile applications, Electrabel Mobile and Electrabel Energy Manager for Professionals. Banners in different formats are placed on key Belgian portals and news websites. Objective is to generate traffic to the different Electrabel websites and apps. The tools are really handy and valuable, so this promotion really is worth the energy!

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Feb 7 2012

The cosmetics brand Clinique has just launched its new e-commerce site for the Netherlands, with the support of its digital partner agency Emakina. The Belgian e-shop is announced to follow in a few weeks.

Clinique is a prestigious American brand offering a wide range of cosmetics, skin care, makeup and fragrances. Each Clinique skin care and makeup product is allergy tested and 100% fragrance free –  crucial in a world where allergies have been labeled the modern epidemic. All its care and makeup products are based on a dermatological heritage: adapted to each skin type and its needs for unparalleled comfort. Clinique has become a symbol of personalized beauty around the world.

The e-commerce business is currently booming: in Belgium, for example, the number of online sales rose by nearly 24% between 2010 and 2011. More and more brands are starting their own online sales service and are moving towards integrated solutions, such as Clinique’s e-commerce site, developed by Emakina.

The Clinique website for the Netherlands has been fully revised and rejuvinated. New headers create added content value to the home page and many other pages. Emakina really did a full website makeover, establishing a direct relationship with the client, inviting female or male visitors to directly buy all products online there and adding some “web exclusives”, all with delivery in 3 working days.

The new site also provides many tips to help the fairer sex choose wisely and direct every person to the product that truly matches him or her. This advice is related to beauty and skin care. It also includes a tool to make your own skin analysis, before proposing the best suited solution.

For the launch period of the site, customers are offered free shipping of the products, plus a free range of samples for their first order.

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