Apr 12 2013

This week, global research firm Forrester launched its two yearly WCM report, titled “WCM for Digital Experiences”, presenting an in depth look at the 10 WCM vendors, identified as the “most significant providers in this field”. As a leading European agency, we are very pleased to see that our partners are doing so well!

No surprises at the top of the ranking: Adobe clearly the leader. Their web content management solution is rich, sexy and very user friendly. It features integrated digital asset management capacities with enhanced personalisation features and has a very strong focus on mobile and multi-channel delivery. In combination with their analytics offering, Adobe really has a killer platform that is surely there to stay for the coming years.

After years in which SDL, with Tridion CMS, was in the top category of ‘leaders’, it now shifted to the ‘strong performers’.  No real surprise here either; the market has become much more competitive with several vendors from the middle segment moving up (e.g., Sitecore), as well as open source solutions gradually entering the enterprise market. With the last two releases, SDL made a big step forward with regards to general usability of their platform. However, the integration of the acquired solutions, Fredhopper (now known as SmartTarget) and Calamares (for media asset management), did slow them down.

Sitecore has proven to be a very strong performer in the middle segment, competing with even top vendors in some scenarios.  They have a very powerful product suite, offering web content management, marketing automation, analytics and e-commerce – all from the same platform!

Microsoft is still in the ‘contenders’ category, as it was in the previous 2011 version of the Forrester WCM report. Sharepoint is an enterprise content management platform, mainly focused on document centric collaboration. When using the platform for building public-facing websites, it is highly common to develop intranet and/or extranet systems (on the same platform) as well.  This allows companies to have one platform for all their environments i.e., intranet, extranet, and web.  Sharepoint 2013 is very powerful, yet, you can’t expect it to be competitive with the ‘pure players’ of the WCM field; they clearly lack the marketing tools.

The newbie in Forrester’s report is Acquia with Drupal CMS. Drupal made, and still is making, huge improvements in its platform’s usability. More importantly,  it is getting more and more traction in the enterprise, thanks to Acquia as a driving force within the huge community of ‘drupalistas’. Acquia was the fastest growing company in the US in 2012. It recruited several key players from other CMS vendors and is building a well-organised partner channel. If Acquia can fulfill its vision for web engagement management with Drupal, it will definitely be in the ‘strong performers’ category soon.

Anyway, the future is looking bright! If you want to renew your digital platform, need strategic advice, support on vendor selection or implementation. Do not hesitate to contact us!

Cheers,

Steven Volders.

Technical Vendor Manager Emakina Belgium

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Feb 1 2013

The BMMA is a network of over 500 professionals in the fields of management, communication, and marketing. For the past 40 years, this unique association has put together numerous conferences, discussions, presentations, and networking events which foster synergic opportunities and form an exceptional thought incubator.

On February 18th 2013, the BMMA will launch the second edition of its famous dinners, titled “10 Mondays to get back on the digital track“, a course for established marketers who would like to get up to speed with the different digital skills and see how to use them in their day to day practice.

The concept is simple; every week a new topic will be presented by a digital expert. Presenters include Hugues Rey, CEO of Havas Media; Joelle Liberman, head of Egerie Research; Bruno Van Boucq, managing director at Beweb, Patrick Willemarck Dialog Solutions and our very own, Amélie Sainthuile, digital strategist at Emakina.  Amélie’s presentation will enlighten us on how to use social media to build a relevant digital ecosystem for brands.

Being an important industry partner of ours, BMMA is offering a 15% discount to all Emakina’s clients and 25% discount to those of Robert & Marien. For information and registration, please visit www.bmma.be and then contact Thierry Antoine to claim your discount (tantoine@ulb.ac.be).

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Dec 18 2012

You are not delusional, nor are you in the future!

But if you held in your hands today’s edition of Belgian journal Le Soir, you might have asked yourself these questions. The paper is dated 18.12.2137…

Brice Le Blévennec, Emakina’s Chief Visionary Officer, took part in the conceptualisation and contributed some of the articles of this special futuristic edition, now in the newsstand near you.

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Oct 30 2012

RTL’s “Les Teknophiles” programme is dedicating its next show to Microsoft’s Windows 8, inviting Emakina’s Alexia Van Cranenbroeck  as a special guest. Alexia will share her thoughts and insights on what the launch of this new operating system really implies.

Windows 8 is a unique combination between a desktop and a tablet interface. Is that good or bad? Should we all upgrade to run Windows in Metro View; or should stick to the traditional desktop of Windows 7? Will the masses go out and buy touch screens to fully benefit from its potential? The programme will attempt to find answers to such questions and to many more!

Today’s programme (in the French language) will be recorded today, October 30, and will become available throughout the evening. Click here to watch it.

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Oct 12 2012

At Digital Marketing First in Brussels this October, Emakina once more was one of the key players.

Besides being a main sponsors of this sixth edition of ‘the DMF’, Emakina.BE welcomed the +3000 visitors on its stand, bringing them ‘back to nature with a digital spin’. It was in good company, with Emakina’s The Reference as stand neighbours. The Gent based team invited marketeers, geeks and other DMF folks to show their muscle power, by hitting the mark with the heavy hammer and ring the bell.

A lot of visitors and lively interaction on Emakina’s DMF stand

Read the rest of this entry »

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Oct 3 2012

With local and provincial elections approaching in Belgium, tension is rising for candidates across the land. Women more then ever have a key role to play in creating the new political landscape. Women power!

Enter the CFFB, the Council of French Speaking Women of Belgium. This apolitical, independent group of over 60 women associations asked Emakina/Integrated to invent a clever, provocative message to address the gender issue. Although it should be an obvious reality, many citizens still do not give female politicians the fair chance they deserve. Women can vote in Belgium since 1919 and the 50/50 parity rule exists since 2002. Yet only 9 % of all mayors in Belgium are women and only 35,1 % are city or commune councillors.

Emakina/Integrated compares the issue with a sensitive medical question. Do you have a medical problem that is election-related? The CFFB Radio commercial aired on Vivacité and Classic 21 asks the question using the typical tone of voice, so often used for ‘that kind of sensitive message’ and offers the solution.

The visual with the same ironic style also brings home the message.

So, ladies and gentlemen, it is high time to vote wisely and seriously consider female candidates as well.
This way, you will avoid to be a victim of an embarrassing health condition on October 14th, with possibly regretful consequences in the years that follow.

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Sep 26 2012

Quelle Genève?

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 »

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Sep 13 2012

Dear residents of planet Mars,

We were just as surprised as you are, to discover the Emakina trade mark on the NASA Curiosity rover. Nonetheless, now that our logo has become an international pop icon, we can fully understand why Emakina was chosen to represent humanity to extra-terrestrials…

We would like to take this opportunity to thank NASA for “including” Emakina in this historic mission to Mars. As for you, dear Martians, in case it’s too cold for you on your planet, and if you happen to be digital natives (like us) check out the new job openings on the Emakina website!

*Emakina is an equal-opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of species or planet of origin.

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Jul 23 2012

Deep down, we’ve always known we were one of the coolest agencies around. We are reminded of that every time we sit in one of our hyper-creatively designed meeting rooms, when we hear of yet another award we just won, or when our top management is (again) making headlines for its crucial influence.

What we did not expect was for our trade mark to become an international pop icon!

French DJ, David Guetta, seems to have been so deeply impressed by our insignia that he simply had to turn it into the visual theme of his new video…

PS. David, congrats for the new song. And if we may, Emakina looks smashingly good on you…:)

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Jul 9 2012

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!

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Jun 18 2012

A beautiful marriage of true soul mates…
Emakina crossed the Alps and adds the Geneva-based company LABEL.ch to its network of agencies.

For Emakina, LABEL.ch is a very charming bride. It is one of the leading players in digital marketing in French-speaking Switzerland. This new bond is a logical and natural process, since Emakina’s DNA and that of the Swiss agency are very similar. For both, there is an 80-20 balance between digital projects and traditional communication, with a keen interest in online marketing, social media, mobile…

A new name: Emakina.CH
Now that LABEL.ch joins Emakina Group, it will be known as Emakina.CH.
Brice Le Blévennec: “LABEL is the baby of Arnaud Grobet, Didier Zanone and their team. Now it has grown into an attractive woman, the time was right to marry a handsome partner and take on his name!”

Win-Win

This move offers a win-win for both Emakina and the Swiss agency. The Emakina Group continues its growth and international expansion. It adds Switzerland to its bow of digital agencies in Belgium, France, the UK and the Netherlands. LABEL.ch receives an outstanding opportunity to further develop, while continuity of service is guaranteed for its clients. Arnaud Grobet and Didier Zanone remain at the helm of the new entity, which will retain its 25-strong team.

High added value
LABEL.ch brings its proven track record in the field of luxury goods and branding to the group, coupled with access to China thanks to its partnerships with SinoTech Group, a social media analytics company and Digital Jungle, a leader in Asian digital communication and social media.

Furthermore, the Geneva-based agency is the exclusive partner in Switzerland of Brian Solis, one of the world’s leading experts in social media.

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Jun 4 2012

Want to know what the Cupertino gang are cooking?
Then don’t miss the rendezvous with RTL’s web-magazine, “Les Teknophiles” June 11th at 19h00!

With the Apple WWDC 2012 approaching, developers and fans across the world get in a frenzy.
Apple will showcase the new version of its Operating Systems, iOS 6 and OS X Mountain Lion. Perhaps Apple will unveil a revamped fith-generation iPhone? Some say the new dream device will have a bigger, longer screen! Or will Apple unveil its Apple TV app store? Maybe we will see the thinner MacBook Pro or a new MacBook Air Update (with Retina display)?

After launching the third generation iPad in March, the annual pilgrimage to  San Francisco might once more hold surprises that create a sensation in the world of digital media. As usual, the buzz and Mac Rumors are flying around everywhere…

With all bets on, Emakina’s Chief Visionary Officer Brice Le Blévennec will be watching and interpreting the event as it unfolds. He is a special guest of RTL House, where he will share his insights (and passion) over the Conference content.

Further guests on the show include Frédéric Feytons of TappTic, and Bruno Kesteloot, general manager of MacLine. The show will be aired (in French) monday june 11th at 19:00 Brussels time. Click here to watch it live.

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May 30 2012

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.

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…

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Apr 24 2012

Like every year, Belgium’s school of social communication (IHECS) organises an event dedicated to presenting its students’ projects, and bringing together communication experts. This year, organisers invited Amélie Sainthuile, Digital Planner & Social Media Strategist at Emakina/ Strategy and Emakina/ Social. She will talk about public relations with new media.

The event, titled “Nuit de medias” (media night) will take place tomorrow, April 25th at 19:30, at the school’s venue, located at Rue de l’Etuve 58-60, Brussels (two steps away from the Grand Place!).

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Apr 3 2012

As every year, business magazine Trends-Tendances has ranked the fastest growing companies across the Belgian market. The competition is open for companies active for at least five years, presenting a positive cash-flow, and which have created at least 20 jobs since their creation.

Out of a database of the top 100,000 companies, Trends-Tendances selects the best cases in three different size categories: small, medium, and large. Emakina made the Gazelles list of medium-size companies thanks to its solid figures: 17% growth in its turnover, 153% increase in cash-flow, and 34% in its personnel. Winners were announced in Brussels in a festive event on March 28, at the Tour&Taxis venue.

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