Goafest 2012: Jean-Yves Naouri: People are the primary medium

The first session of the advertising conclave that preceded Goafest 2012 opened up to a presentation on 'Ideas that Impact the full circle' by Jean-Yves Naouri, COO, Publicis Groupe and Tim Love, CEO, APIMA and vice-chairman, Omnicom Group.

Love opened the session with the observation that working on advertising and marketing programmes had given him a different window to study and observe cultures. "Our industry exists in idea exchange between people, corporations, brands and nations," he said.

He said that according to the Metcalf Law, which gives the value of a telecommunications network, a network of one has a value of two, while a network of two has a value of three, and so on. But, according to 'Love's Law', the network effect is much greater. "Principles win games, ideas win full-circle," he declared.

Love mentioned five principles which form the basis of high impact campaigns. The first principle is that the consumer is client and not the other way round. The second one is that it is important to take care of the brand first, and then the agency and individual agendas. According to the third principle, it is important to share and apply across functions and geographies, and also eliminate duplication. As per the fourth principle, it is important to let ideas lead. The last principle is to create trust.

Naouri commenced his presentation by saying, "The greatest phenomenon that we are experiencing today is the changing evolution of digital."

Stating his love to play with ideas, he gave the example of Contrex mineral water, which carried out an initiative that involved exercise bikes used to power up neon wires that drove a giant neon outline of a well-toned man. As women pedalled their bikes, the neon man gradually stripped to their high intensity pedalling. The women roared with laughter and sipped water from the bottles of Contrex placed strategically on the exercise bikes. Later, the video of the initiative was also converted into a TVC.

Stating this example, Naouri laid down the first idea - from consumer to persons, which is in the context of how social media and marketing has invaded everyone. Using the above example to support the argument, Naouri stated how the above exercise was the most talked about, not just in media but also the social media.

Naouri's second idea was 'EQ meeting IQ'. He called digital and technology a cool thing.

He pointed out that it is important to engage fans on the social media platform. "The aim is to increase sustainable engagement with those on the digital platform," he said.

He quizzed the attentive audience on what a brand can do to keep the conversation going for 15 years. As the best example for this, Naouri described how the Strauss Group in Israel reinvented its long running slogan, 'Always With You', for 'Elite's Chocolate Cow', by flying a team to remote backpacker destinations, bringing the homeland chocolate to young Israeli backpackers.

Finally, Naouri said that we need to change the way in which brands talk, engage and react.

"Intrusive brands are out. It is now the time to create blends. Brands earlier used to be about branding, but now it is about blending," he concluded.

Goafest is being organised by AAAI and Ad Club Bombay and will be held on April 20-21 at the Zuri White Sands in South Goa.

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