Apr 25 2013

The all-time Belgian classic, published since 1938,  is now more than just a comic-strip journal! Emakina joined forces with Dupuis Editions, creating a digital extension of the comic strip in the form of the Spirou.Z mobile app. In doing so, Dupuis is targeting the children of 2013, using their preferred language: the touch screen.

The Spirou.Z app presents new editions of Spirou but not only! First, users can choose viewing ‘caption by caption’ (using TurboMedia technology), horizontal and vertical scrolling, or a digital flip book. Second, the app features original games and fun activities. Finally, users gain access to extracts from Dupuis’s multimedia archives, unveiling unedited content of the past 75 years!

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Mar 11 2013

The Chancellery of Belgium’s Prime Minister invited Emakina’s experts to speak to its communication and policy officers, at an event, called ‘Media Day’.  During this original initiative, Emakina’s Director of Media Relations, Luc Malcorps hosted two workshops on digital opportunities within a cross-media strategy.  He presented real examples of institutional campaigns, executed by Emakina.EU for the European Commission, such as the European Toy Safety campaign, fight against food waste, food control and programmes for better collaboration among SME’s across EU borders.

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Feb 14 2013

At the end of January 2013, the European Commission proposed far reaching measures to encourage more innovation in EU railways by opening domestic passenger markets to competition, as well as substantial accompanying technical and structural reforms.

But how does one raise awareness on such a complex topic, making it relevant to diverse audiences across Europe? In one word: Emakina.EU

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Feb 11 2013

Start getting used to the following names:

Anne Marchadier became our Senior Content Manager and Social Media Strategist. She comes with over 10 years of experience in communication from organisations such as European Voice and viEUws.

Carl De Gussem is our new Strategic Planner. Having worked for over 30 years in communications, and for more than 20 years as a strategist, Carl led campaigns for companies such as Belgacom, Proximus, and Mobistar; as well as various EU institutions. Previous agencies he has worked for include Mostra, Y&R, and Publicis.

Damien Walckiers is now our Creative Director. He has over 20 years of experience as both Creative and Art Director, working for agencies like TBWA, Magnesium, Palmares, Grey, McCann Ericsson, Karamba, So Nice, and Fingerapps.

Sabrina Serra joined our production department as an Audio-Visual Producer. Having worked for RTL, Everlasting Productions, and Dragone, Sabrina has five years of experience in both video and press journalism, as well as in documentary productions.

Shabnam Agneessens also joined the production department where she serves as an associate-producer. Shabnam’s professional history includes some of the most prominent brands in the Belgian market, including Electrabel and Belgian Shell. Having worked for other communication agencies as well (e.g., IsaMedia), Shabnam reinforces our team with experience in marketing.

Truus Heremans joined our production as an Associate-Producer. She comes to us after years of experience in the UK market, working for SiteVisibility. In addition to audio-visual productions, Truus has experience in producing content for social media and optimising web searchability (SEO).

Philippe Ramos will serve as our new Motion Designer. Philippe joins us after five years of working for ABS Creative Group, where his clients included: Abbott, YSL Beauté, L’Oréal, Renault, Astra Zeneca, and Biotronik. He offers expertise in Flash, After Effects, Action Script 3 and more!

Vasilios Stefanidis is a Junior Content and Bid Manager, working on the preparation of our new bids; and creating content for our existing institutional clients. Vasilios has intimate knowledge of the European institutions, having worked in the European Council, European Parliament, and the Permanent Representation of Greece to the EU.

Judith Crispin and Sophie Blondiaux are our new Social Media Campaign managers. Judith was previously a senior social media consultant as the Social.Lab, where she communicated on behalf of major brands of all sectors. Sophie has rich experience in building web strategies from agencies like So Nice and Air. Sophie is also Cross Media Project Manager and leads the on-line promotion of films and animations.

Antoine Jovenet is now our Head of Studio at the Graphic department. Antoine’s experience ranges from ad-hoc products to conceiving broad visual identities for entire campaigns and brands. He has worked with corporate, commercial, and institutional clients; designing for print products, as well as for web and mobile applications.

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Nov 20 2012

The EU is taking proactive measures to open the energy market and ensure that EU citizens will have  the choice between different energy suppliers. This gives us, consumers, a new power: we can now change and get  the energy services (and the prices) that suit us best!. But how do you communicate that? How can the EU raise public awareness to this evolution of the energy market?

That is the challenge  we have been asked to meet by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Energy, a long-lasting Emakina client. The trust we have won from this institution allowed us to propose a somewhat bold approach when presenting the energy market competition in a viral clip, produced by Emakina.EU

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Sep 10 2012

The European Ombudsman has a critical role as the point of contact of any EU citizen or entity who wishes to appeal against an EU institution. Its role, however, is not always known by those same EU citizens whom the Ombudsman is meant to serve. A new clip, produced by Emakina to be launched today, illustrates this message in a light and entertaining manner.

Due to the difficulty to communicate the role of such a complex institution, Emakina presented the Ombudsman three different concepts, each  detailed to a high degree. The winning concept (illustrated below) interprets rather literally the feeling of being “tangled” in EU bureaucracy…

As of today, the final product is being disseminated across all EU Member States, in 22 different local languages. While in the short run the distribution strategy is based mostly on social media, the product’s high quality makes it fully adaptable for television dissemination as well. Broadcasting opportunities across Europe are already being explored so don’t be surprised if you find this clip on your big screen:

Emakina.EU had the pleasure to produce the Ombudsman’s first clip of this kind. Fortunately, the feeling was mutual, as this unique client expressed great appreciation of the final clip, across all levels of its organisation. To put it in the words of the European Ombudsman’s head of communication unit, Benjamin Hagard: “…the Ombudsman himself, as well as his team, are highly satisfied with the result, and with… [Emakina’s] creativity and dynamism all along this project”.

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Aug 14 2012

Following the two 3D animation videos we produced for the European Commission on toy safety, our new star, the CE-E Robot, has decided to create a Facebook page and interact with his fans. Thanks to the Facebook Timeline, visitors can trace CE-E’s life back to his birth.

This constitutes the first time in which Emakina builds and maintains a Facebook page for the European Commission and it is one of the few rare cases in which the Commission ever owned one. The page, which was launched today, will be updated daily by a collaboration of Emakina.EU supplying content, and Emakina/ Social managing the conversations. It will feature games and competitions; surveys; videos; and new original images of CE-E (like the one above). It will also present informative tips for parents about toy safety, ranging from conscious consumption to recommended usage and the psychological effects of toys on children’s development.

Wanna ask CE-E a question? Congratulate him on a new hit song? Or simply LIKE his page?

Visit CE-E on Facebook!

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Aug 6 2012

You knew you could rely on him for toy certification, but did you also know he can also sing?

Back in February, Emakina/ Motion produced a viral clip on toy safety for the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry (DG ENTR). The clip was a huge success, among other reasons, due the original 3D characters, led by the newly-created star: the CE-E robot. The little hero spends his nights in a toy shop, checking out his fellow toys (especially Barbie…) to make sure they are safe for use. In fact, CE-E was created to raise awareness of the EU toy certification (CE marking), ensuring they are safe and well-explained to potential buyers.

Since we all fell in love with little CE-E, we were delighted when the Commission asked us to produce a new clip, in which the robot reveals his singing skills…!

The challenge in both these clips was to target both young children and their parents, across Europe. In order to do this, we invested in fine 3D animations, witty song lyrics, and an original catchy tune (warning: very catchy tune!). The song has already been produced in English, French, and Spanish, and we are currently working on the next language adaptations, including: Italian, Polish, and German.

When seeking CE-E’s response to this post we received the following statement from his agent: “I would like to thank my fans across Europe for their love and support, and to reassure parents that even now that I sing and dance during the day, I am still dedicated to testing toys every night. Despite my newly-acclaimed fame, other than upgrading to a fancier shelf in the toy store, and buying Barbie the doll house she’s always wanted, I am still the same simple robot”.

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Jul 25 2012

How do you go about raising awareness on road safety, among the broad public of all EU countries? This was the challenge we faced when asked by the European Commission to promote such vast a topic through a short viral clip. Our approach was to illustrate road hazards using strong visuals (which traverse European languages and cultures), rather than using the “good-old” institutional voice-over. We combined filmed footage with various 2D animations, including: graffiti art, a trompe-l’oeil, and other optical illusions. Finally, an original musical soundtrack was composed to give the video the right beat. The result is a 1”20’ thought-provoking aesthetic appetizer…

The video is officially launched today, at the 4^th European Road Safety Day, taking place in the Cypriot capital. This production was part of a long-term working relationship between Emakina.EU and the European Commission’s Directorate- General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE).

Shooting day at Vilvoorde, Belgium

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Jun 27 2012

Have you ever had to buy medicines, consult a doctor or go to a hospital when abroad?
And did you know how to use your Health Insurance Card properly?

Emakina created a handy app for the European Commission to help travelers when abroad.

This smartphone app ensures stress-free travel this summer. Just in time for the holidays, the EURO 2012 Football Championship and the London 2012 Olympics, the European Commission launched this tool for smartphones, explaining how to use the European Health Insurance Card. The app is now available on iOS, Android and Windows 7 mobile.

In 31 European countries, the Health Insurance Card gives people access to state-provided healthcare in case of illness or an accident during travel and temporary stays. Differences among healthcare systems may make it sometimes difficult to figure out how to use the Card in various countries and what the local rules are. With this handy application, you now can learn how to use the Card in in the 27 EU countries, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

Very useful information
The application includes general information about the card, emergency phone numbers, treatments that are covered and costs, how to claim reimbursement and who to contact in case you have lost your card.

It is available in 24 languages, with the option to switch from one language to another. This way, you can find an information screen in your language and then show it in the language of the person you are talking to while on holidays. A practical and useful tool.

Emakina and the European Commission also worked together on the media relations for the application.
Over 2000 journalists across Europe discovered the app, with articles appearing both in print and online media. And now the app belongs to the public: already over 24.000 downloads were registered after the first weeks it is available.

On behalf of Emakina and the European Commission let us say: Happy summer holidays and bon voyage!

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Jun 25 2012

You’ve all seen the signs, hung all across the city of Brussels, inviting participants to the EU Sustainable Energy Week. But have you watched the viral clip, produced by Emakina, which accompanies this cross-national campaign?

The EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) is the key annual event of the Sustainable Energy Europe Campaign. It showcases activities and over 600 events, dedicated to energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions in almost 40 countries. These events are organised by the Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI) on behalf of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy. From 18 to 22 June, more than 30,000 participants discussed energy efficiency and renewable energy in all their forms during the 2012 edition of EU Sustainable Energy Week.

The new video trailer, produced by Emakina.eu, shows how small changes can make a big difference in the future of our energy consumption. The video was being used to promote this large-scale annual event. Its target audience was fairly wide, with a spectrum of industries, schools, local authorities and municipalities, transport companies and academia. In addition, Emakina produced a series of interviews with winners of the EUSEW Awards, using the same visual identity and setting as that used in the clip in order to give the campaign a coherent branding. Among the interviewees are representatives of initiatives from the UK, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands; and even a Belgian minister.

For more information on the events, please visit the Sustainable Energy Week website.

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May 29 2012

Water is the source of life. And yet, all too often do we take it for granted, failing to protect it properly. Emakina.eu created a new viral clip for the European Environmental Agency (EEA), titled “if water could speak”, highlighting this exact message.

In developing the concept, our creative team preferred to avoid an ‘institutional’ tone of numbers and figures; nor did they wish to scare viewers with apocalyptic draught descriptions. Instead, they searched their way into the viewers’ hearts and souls, choosing an aesthetic approach of strong visuals and a poetic text. The personification of water is used to addresses European citizens and to raise their awareness to the importance of our common water resources and to our responsibility to preserving them.

So now water can speak, and it is talking to you.

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May 7 2012

How do you take an abstract and complex topic, such as the contribution of the eco-industries to the European economy, and turn it into a viral clip? This was the challenge, posed by the European Commission to Emakina.EU, member of the Emakina Group, specialising in communicating the European institutions. The goal was to promote “Eco-innovation”, a programme run by the Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI), supporting private initiatives which have a positive impact on both the environment and the European economy.

The great level of trust we gained from the client allowed our creative directors to explore new concepts, off the beaten-track of the typical “institutional” clips. Their idea was to “personify” the themes of environmentalism and economic activity in the form of two dancers.  The artistic interplay between the dancers metaphorically expresses the synergic potential of the two fields.  It was meant to rebut the misconception that environmentalism stands in the way of economic growth and show that the two can in fact enrich one another.

The clip was produced entirely in-house by Emakina.EU, including its original soundtrack music. In order to develop the concept and properly illustrate the relationship between the dancers, it was decided to produce a clip which lasts over two minutes, long in today’s standards of viral clips. The video will now be disseminated on the most popular social media,  targeting potential entrepreneurs who may be eligible for an EU grant.

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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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Dec 30 2011

Having healthy eating habits has become a big trend in society. People pay more and more attention to what they eat. We now look at tags on products we eat, if they contain food dyes, preservatives or how many calories they have. Food additives are present everywhere, they are either natural or manufactured substances that are added to food for a variety of reasons, for example to restore the colour lost during processing, to add a sweet taste to the product or to prevent spoilage.

The aim of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Public Health and Consumer Protection (DG SANCO) is to help make Europe Union’s citizens healthier, safer and more confident. Therefore, DG SANCO requested Emakina/Motion to produce a viral video aimed at SMEs, in order to communicate on the introduction of a more efficient, simplified and transparent procedure for authorisation of food additives.

The Commission considers it important that the concerned stakeholders as well as the EU citizens in general are informed about this new legislation. The ‘Food additives’ video campaign introduces Jim, a demanding customer in a restaurant who tests and scans all the food he finds on his plate.

The objective of this video clip is to attract attention to the SANCO website where all information about the use, safety and benefits of food additives can be found. The different scripts aim at delivering a positive message, a single idea and situation, often funny, easy to understand. Now you know there is no need to scan your food for additives, their safety has been scanned for you!

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