The blog

I’m driving home in my car at the end of a very demanding week that has made me yearn for the weekend. There has been an accident, of course, which has created a dreadful traffic jam. I knew I would be driving for hours. Never thought this moment could evoke real creativity…

Discussions on freedom of speech have recently come up again after the terrible terrorist attacks in Paris and the inflammatory calls for terrorist support on social media from influential supporters of the ideology behind those attacks. The right to express any opinion without censorship or restraint is one of the fundamental rights of our Western democracies. Although it seems to be widely accepted by our modern European society, reality has shown that purposely offending other cultures or religions can have drastic consequences, often leading to a vicious spiral of violence – initially verbal but ultimately physical. Consequently, in recent weeks a public debate has started on the question as to whether freedom of speech has limits. Do we need to be more careful, especially when making statements on religions or cultures we don’t know sufficiently well which can be perceived as provocative? It’s an interesting question, not only for journalists but also for marketers.

Let’s start with a short recap of my previous ‘point of view’ piece; “Preparing yourself for an omni-channel world: What’s it all about and how can you get there?” The difference between online and offline channels is a current hot topic in retail markets. Why are we talking about ‘the difference’? Because in most cases, online and offline are still considered to be totally separate entities. Although consumers already think, handle and buy in an integrated way, retailers persist in approaching them in different ways with different messages. If a retailer’s online and offline channels are not aligned, they may as well be competing against each other.

Omni-channeling is de realiteit Slechts 22% van de marketeers geeft echter aan op de goede weg te zijn Diegem 2/3/2015 – Aangezien The House of Marketing elk jaar de trends en uitdagingen van de marketeer onderzoekt en de Unie van Belgische Adverteerders de inzichten en trends in media en communicatie volgt, werden voor de twaalfde editie van de Yearly Marketing Survey de krachten voor de tweede keer gebundeld. Uit het onderzoek blijkt dat marketeers meer vertrouwen hebben in de toekomst dan de consument en dat omni-channeling wel eens de ideale aanpak kan zijn in disruptieve tijden.

L’omni-channel est la nouvelle réalité Seulement 22% des marketeers confient être sur la bonne voie Diegem 2/3/2015 – Étant donné que The House of Marketing analyse tous les ans les tendances et les défis auxquels est confronté le marketeer et que l’Union Belge des Annonceurs suit les évolutions et les tendances en matière de médias et de communication, les deux organisations ont décidé d’unir leurs forces pour la deuxième fois dans le cadre de la douzième édition du Yearly Marketing Survey. Celle-ci révèle que le marketeer a davantage confiance dans le futur que le consommateur et que l’omni-channel pourrait bien être l’approche idéale dans nos périodes de disruption.

A few weeks ago. Drama. The Retailer Colruyt, when working on a rebranding strategy for its private labels, announced that the name of their private label beer, Cara Pils, would be changed to Everyday Pils, in line with hundreds of other Colruyt private label products.

A current hot topic in retail markets is the difference between online and offline channels. Why are we talking about ‘the difference’? Because in most cases, online and offline are still considered to be totally separate entities. Although consumers already think, handle and buy in an integrated way, retailers persist in approaching them in different ways with different messages. If a retailer’s online and offline channels are not aligned, they may as well be competing against each other.

Big Data is merely a tool that can create relevance for consumers and gain and keep their trust in your company and your products. At the 2014 Dublin WebSummit, Big Data was naturally on the agenda multiple times and looked at from different angles. That helped me make up my mind about how Marketers can make good use of it. Yes, I do mean Marketers. One of the first things we saw in Dublin was an increasing shift of Big Data budgets from ICT to Marketing.

It is in the mission of The House of Marketing to support and strengthen the Marketing community in Belgium. With that purpose in mind, we became partner of the ‘Marketer of the year’ event, organized by STIMA & Roularta (Trends). On the 19th of November we were thus present at the gala event with a delegation of managers and board members of The House of Marketing.

“It’s not about surviving in disruption; it’s about becoming the disruptor.” After a hectic taxi ride in the streets of Dublin and a high-tech cappuccino with extra chocolate very kindly offered at the Dropbox stand, it is this quote from Digiday’s president Brian Morrisey that truly woke me up on the morning of November 4. Chewing on breakfast popcorn, mildly flavored with Google caramel, I looked around the auditorium filled with 500+ marketers eagerly scribbling down Brian’s every word on their iPad or smartphone, taking a WebSummit selfie, and/or (well, some people seem to manage to do it all) typing a catchy Twitter feed. Which of them would lead their teams toward not only surviving in the age of disruption, but thriving and growing? Which of them would initiate change, not just be immersed in it? Which of them would not be disrupted, but be the disruptors?