According to a study by Ifop Nurun, in France the Internet has become the decisive media when it comes to purchasing, even surpassing the power of television and print.

Among the people polled, 29% say they trust the Web and say that it can help them make relevant decisions when it comes to making purchases.

Sven Markschläger is head of digital marketing at Jägermeister Germany.

The brand Jägermeister is present in different countries and pursues a local niche marketing policy, based on local initiatives. In this interview Sven Markschläger presents the brand Jägermeister and their successful 360° “Kein Jägermeister” (“No Jägermeister”) campaign, for which they invented a fantasy product. The campaign was created in cooperation with all marketing departments and sparked a lot of conversations.

He also talks about the importance of having a straight policy and of letting people invent the brand themselves, with the brand determining the main direction.

Buzzcast: Sven Markschläger
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This interview was conducted by Gregory Pouy at the Marketing 2.0 Conference (coorganized by Vanksen and the Brand Science Insitute) held at the European Business School ESCP-EAP in Paris on March 30 and 31 2009.

Scott Monty is head of social media for Ford Motor company. In this interview he explains how Ford recognized that is was strategically important for them to be a leader in digital communication and that they needed to keep pace of what's going on externally.

According to him, advertising is necessary, especially when you are trying to reach a mass market. Social media is a complement to, not a substitute for advertising. It's another way of connecting with people and less about getting a message out there than about engaging with people, giving them a voice and listening to them. To Scott Monty, social media is about relationships and a long-term commitment to build trust. Watch the entire interview here:

Buzzcast #87: Scott Monty
Hochgeladen von Vanksen

We also invite you to check out Scott Monty's Twitter. This interview was conducted by Gregory Pouy at the Marketing 2.0 conference (coorganized by Vanksen and the Brand Science Insitute) held at the European Business School ESCP-EAP in Paris on March 30 and 31 2009.

Steven Erich is a partner and group account director at Crispin Porter + Bogusky, one of the most creative agencies worldwide responsible for many successful campaigns like for example the prize-winning Whopper Virgins campaign for Burger King.

In this interview Steven Erich explains the concept of the "small ideas". Many marketing directors are looking for the "big idea", but in reality this big idea is very difficult to determine before it hits the market. There is no measurement to predict if an idea will be big or not. The alternative is to pursue many small ideas that require less time, funding and resources, see which of these ideas engage consumers, and then invest behind those.

He also comments on the concept that consumers don't need advertising. As advertising is less powerful today than it once was, Steven Erich tries to create conversations about brands or products and let this conversation convince people to act. The product needs to market itself, and people are more easily convinced by advice from a friend or from a trusted source than by advertising. For Steven Erich it is also important to get involved in all elements of the marketing mix: designing products, naming products, packaging… everything can be used as an opportunity to create conversations. There will still always be a place for mass communication, but the power of communities and conversations will certainly become more important.

Buzzcast #70: Steven Erich / Crispin Porter + Bogusky
by Vanksen

This interview was conducted by Gregory Pouy at the Marketing 2.0 conference (co-organized by Vanksen and the Brand Science Institute) held at the European Business School ESCP-EAP in Paris, France, on March 30 and 31 2009.

David Armano, former vice president of Experience Design for Critical Mass in Chicago, just recently joined Dachis Corp agency as a Senior Partner. The agency focuses on social business design. David is a worldwide renowned expert in web 2.0 and social media, so were are very happy and proud to be able to present you this buzzcast today!

David Armano does not believe in the idea that "advertising is dead". According to him there is always a place for "this kind of storytelling" and for really good advertising. However, people consider advertising as not useful because there is so much mediocre advertising around. Brands can use the social space to interact more and not only send out messages. They have to improve both the products and experiences that they provide, provide value, be useful and give people a reason to interact with them online (“be useful, be entertaining, or both”). If a brand creates an extraordinary experience in the digital space people will remember it and tell others about it.

David Armano also believes in the power of "small ideas": do things, see what actually works, and then do more of that. Instead of opting for one big bang idea it is better to have something that you can shape as you progress by allowing your strategy to be flexible. According to David Armano, the big challenge for advertising is to break through the clutter of advertising messages, by using creativity, ingenuity, innovation, and a good customer experience.

Buzzcast #85: David Armano
by Vanksen

This interview was conducted by Gregory Pouy at the Marketing 2.0 conference (co-organized by Vanksen and the Brand Science Institute) held at the European Business School ESCP-EAP in Paris on March 30 and 31 2009.

Richard Owen is the CEO of Sat Metrix. In this interview he talks about how to advertise to ”generation on demand,” about the challenges for brands, the importance of customer experience, and the differences between consumer brands (B2C) and business brands (B2B).

According to Richard Owen, brands need to find their place in this new environment and transition their advertising models from traditional ones to "what's gonna work in the next ten years". With the effectiveness of advertising starting to look a bit long in the tooth, brands with great customer experiences are able to capitalize on that, whereas companies that lack that strong customer experience and word of mouth will not be advertised. Brands need to find out how they can play in this new environment whose rules have changed quite substantially.

Buzzcast #86: Richard Owen
by Vanksen

This interview was conducted by Gregory Pouy at the Marketing 2.0 Conference (co-organized by Vanksen and the Brand Science Institute) held at the European Business School ESCP-EAP in Paris, France, on March 30 and 31 2009.

Charlie Schick is the editor-in-chief of Nokia conversations, a blog covering stories from the company, talking about environment, design, technology, products, services, business, and the industry. The objective of this blog is to demystify and humanize the company in order to make it more approachable. As Charlie Schick explains, as a major brand Nokia has for a long time used mass marketing but then realized that nowadays people want to interact with real human beings. Nokia has been using social media since 2003 in order to better understand its customers.

Charlie Schick talks about how to get past simple measurements and how to actually monitor and react to what's going on when using social media. He mentions the difficulty of building a relationship between the brand and its consumers without risking that when people leave the company they take the brand and its social capital with them. He also explains how to make sure that it's the company that's talking through representatives, not random individuals, and how being a Finnish company makes Nokia different from US companies.

Buzzcast #84 : Charlie Schick
Hochgeladen von Vanksen

The interview was conducted by Gregory Pouy at the Marketing 2.0 conference (co-organized by Vanksen and the Brand Science Institute) held at the European Business School ESCP-EAP in Paris on March 30 and 31 2009.

Freddy Mini, the CEO of Netvibes, was recently interviewed by Emmanuel Vivier, the CEO of Vanksen during the Marketing 2.0 Conference (co-organized by Vanksen) that took place at the ESC-EAP business school in Paris between the 30 and 31st of March.

Netvibes is one of the global leaders in the creation of personalized web pages. Launched in 2005, it is also one of the great successes of the Web 2.0, French style. Known mostly to be a provider of RSS feeds, it also allows you to add widgets catering to your personal tastes. Starting from a simple web page, you have access to Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, and even the weather report, Deezer, etc; basically whatever your interests are. As Freddy Mini says so well, "It's all about personalization!".

With about 700 million widget users, Netvibes is riding high! Today, the portal counts several million users across the world. Free for individual users, it offers companies to create their own universe and to share it with their community. Brands can target people depending on where they are, their tastes, etc.

Below is the interesting interview with Freddy Mini that teaches us more about Netvibes and its possibilities and advantages.

Buzzcast Netvibes
by Vanksen

To find out more, check out his presentation:

Netvibes Overview 09

View more presentations from Vanksen Culture-buzz.com.

Today we have a special treat for you: an interview with Duncan Wardle, Vice President of Global PR for Disney Parks, in which he allows us an insight into Disney's world and its approach to web 2.0 marketing. Enjoy the read!

Please introduce yourself!

"My name is Duncan Wardle, Vice President of Global PR for Disney Parks. I am based in Orlando, Florida."

What does Disney stand for in the United States today?

"Disney has been creating magic since Walt Disney created Mickey Mouse in 1928. Since then Disney has come to stand for the premier family entertainment company in the world, delighting people of all ages and all cultures with its unique brand of magic. First opened by Walt in 1955, the Disney parks are a natural extension of the Disney brand as they provide families with an escape from reality, transforming their worlds into one of magic and fantasy, where you are literally immersed in the magic of Disney."

Can you please briefly describe the campaign?

“‘Disney's Virtual Storyteller' allows people around the world to celebrate their friends and family's special milestones by customizing and personalizing a fun Magic Kingdom celebration, held in their honor. It is an extension of our “What Will You Celebrate” campaign that we will be hosting at both Disneyland, California and Walt Disney World Florida, throughout 2009, where individuals can come to celebrate their special milestones in a very personalized way. Indeed, anyone visiting any Disney Park in the U.S. in 2009 will get in absolutely free on their birthday!"

How involved is Disney with the web as a communication tool?

"We believe that our marketing campaigns should be every bit as magical as the storytelling that takes place within our theme parks. They should be immersive, engaging and fun. The online and mobile environment allow us to experiment much more and provide a much richer interactive environment, allowing us to engage our guests and enable them to share their passion for the Disney brand in a way we have not been able to do through traditional mediums."

What made you want to try viral marketing?

"The world of communication is currently undergoing the greatest upheaval any industry has faced since the industrial revolution of the early 19th century. I believe future generations will study this period and call it the “Communication Revolution,” where long standing traditional models of communication were literally turned upside down. The ability of consumers to screen out brands they no longer consider relevant will mean that successful brands of the future will be those brands that engage their consumer in every aspect of not only communication, but also the design and adaptation of their products and services. “Viral” by its very nature can only be successful if you leverage the passion of consumers and brand advocates alike, providing them with an engaging platform that “enables” them to share that passion with their respective communities."

What are the objectives of this campaign?

"To create buzz and excitement for our upcoming celebration at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World and to test our own appetite for consumer engagement. We are very excited about the potential of the campaign and its ability to challenge the status quo of traditional versus non-traditional campaigns. We think it will be a giant stepping stone toward increased consumer activation."

Is making a personalized web video a way for Disney to build a closer relationship with the consumer?

"It is certainly one way of engaging our consumers in our brand at a time when they are not physically immersed in our parks. We also believe the concept that Vanksen has developed on our behalf is both very clever and insightful and one that consumers will have a lot of fun with. It is a great example of a marketing campaign mirroring the magic and fantasy of a Disney theme park experience."

We invite you to check out sun7news.com to create your own personalized Disney video!

While Steve Rubel, VP of Edelman Digital, was travelling around Europe and speaking at conferences for his agency, Edelman invited 10 bloggers to meet him for lunch in Milan on Monday the 12th of May 2008.

During this meeting, Luca Conti from BuzzParadise had the oppportunity to conduct a short interview with him.

Luca asked him questions about the blogosphere and social media. Among other things, they talked about the importance of Twitter, Facebook and Myspace. Above all, Steve Rubel tried to answer the question how a modern company can start conversations in the age of social media.

Buzzcast EN#65 -Steve Rubel - Edelman Digital
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