Apr 19 2013

Microsoft’s new operating system for mobile devices, Windows 8, was launched just a few months ago. But that’s exactly the kind of new challenges which stimulate our developerse! That’s why a team of Emakina’s mobile experts participated in Microsoft’s Superhackathon competition.

The Superhackathon brought hundreds of young and bright developers who worked simultaneously in four different locations across the country. Their goal was one: create the best Windows 8 app! Unfortunately, only one team can go home with the first prize. Fortunately, it was us…! First, our team won the first place in Mons. Then came the real big news: First place at the national finals went to Emakina’s Fit beast.

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Dec 14 2012

The extravagant pan-European production of The Spiral might be officially over; but the way in which it redefined public engagement through  multiple media is still to be studied and explored! Our latest analysis indicates the critical role of the online platform in this international success story. Developed by PKA Wanabe, a member of the Emakina Group, the platform allowed various levels of online engagement, depending on each user’s preferences.

The lowest level of participation (other than that of passive TV viewers) was that of users searching the masterpieces on our online mapping game. Many users, however, went a step further, creating their own MySpiral profile so they could take part in the game’s indoor and outdoor creative challenges. We now know that within the 36 days of the game, the map was searched almost 1.3 million times by over 140,000 users across Europe! In addition, almost 20,000 images were uploaded, some of which were even incorporated into the TV series.

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Dec 11 2012

Why else would Saint Nicholas*, drop by at our premises and give away gifts as he did last Saturday?

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Dec 4 2012

Any Belgian knows the 1207 and 1307 iconic numbers for Belgacom’s information hotline. The numbers also represent a rich online data service, 1207.be and 1307.be, offering a wealth of contact data, free and easily accessible within just a few clicks.This efficient search tool digs up in no time the catering service number you lost, or the shop address you urgently need.

Emakina developed an original online activation campaign to celebrate the information service: ‘Apartment 1207′. By using the search engine, you help the resident of apartment 1207 to find a caterer, to save his dinner date after he burns the turkey. Or when he accidentally shuts down his electricity system, you can find him the electrician to get the lights back on. The online game is a real competition that runs until December 10th. You can play several times each day, to win one of the many great prices. Your search can land you a tablet, a Wii, film tickets, gift certificates, etc.

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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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Oct 30 2012

The Emakina Nation, comprising of all the Group’s companies across 5 countries enjoyed its annual get-together at the Knokke Out, near Brussels. This year, Emakinians were “kings of the road”, with over 200 Vespas, winding through country lanes and piling down the motorway with police escort!

Emakinians rule the road, Vespa style.

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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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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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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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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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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 16 2012

A new print campaign, produced by Emakina for Partenamut, the Belgian health services and insurance provider, introduces a striking new visual identity for the brand. After creating an original all-blue environment two years ago, Emakina decided to build on the same logic with an aesthetic approach that is unique in the field of health services. Together with the client, the team steered away from the traditional use of lifestyle photos of ‘shiny happy people’, in need of medical treatment. Instead, the campaign introduces handmade clay statues, designed and created by artist Ghislain Honoré.

Using photo-stop motion, each of the characters is presented in a typical every-day-life situation, where Partenamut plays a positive and dynamic behind-the-scenes role. Both the background and the characters were left in white while the key items, associated with the Partenamut’s positive intervention, were digitally coloured in the brand’s identifiable blue. Some 68 kilos of Italian clay in ‘broken white’ were used to create 50 statuettes, each about 20 cm tall, as well as some glasses, crutches, hospital beds, and other accessories.

Partenamut makes every effort is made to make clients’ lives easier, with less concerns, and with the least possible amount of paperwork.  This campaign thus symbolised Partenamut’s approach of keeping its services as simple as possible for its clients. The original visuals were combined with to-the-point and service-oriented copywriting. All the displayed messages were direct and positive; illustrating the advantages of Partenamut’s various services.

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Apr 13 2012

Who will be the last survivor in the Wild West (or rather south east…) of Brussels? We’ll know in a few months because a GOTCHA murder game will be launched next week among Emakina’s Brussels-based employees. From next week on, everybody is a potential killer!  So be vigilant…

What’s the game all about? Well, it’s rather simple. Each employee will receive the name of their target victim. “Killing” is done by spraying a tiny bit of water over her or him. Small syringes will be distributed to help us amateur killers do an elegant job. If you are able to wet your victim with NO witnesses watching, you succeeded. Your victim’s (failed) target will now become your next, and the game continues until there is only one person left. She or he will off course gain eternal fame and will forever be remembered as Emakina’s Jack the Ripper. And oh yeah, for us “material girls” out there, don’t worry! The winner will also get a nice prize to enjoy while resting on her or his laurels…

Impossible to know at this point how long the game will last or who will turn out to be the best shooter. Nothing is certain here! The only thing we know is that if you hear someone shouting “GOTCHA!”, there is one competitor less. And you can only hope it isn’t you…

Let’s play!

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