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Gestion de la couleur japon

Colour management: the Japanese case
Colour management: the Japanese case 1669 885 Altavia

 

Methods of visualising; measuring and reproducing colour; printing press settings; and file sharing… The issue of standardisation is affecting the entire graphic design process and has the aim of improving the reproduction of colours as well as how they appear. During his interview concerning the requirement to standardise the design implementation process, Hervé Lyaudet, colorimetry and workflow manager at Altavia Paris, emphasised the importance of establishing a common framework. Certain countries, however, have their own methods and their own ways of interpreting colours. This is the case in Japan, where our expert has been working for several months now. This is the story of a journey back in time.

 

What are the differences between Europe and Japan?

In Europe, we follow the international norms of the ISO. The data we use in colour management reproduces the characteristics, for example of Offset presses, reflecting printing aims stipulated in ISO 12647-2, which enables us to align our work according to worldwide recognised printing.

 

Japan, however, makes use of a local variant called “Japan Color.” The methods they use often correspond to those that we once used… during the 20th century!

 

Because of this, we come across problems in Japan were solved quite a long time ago in Europe.

 

Can you provide some examples of this?

For starters, very often the lighting systems used by printing plants are not up to ISO norms. The UV light is cut, which creates problems when it comes to visualising colours with papers containing bleaching agents. Also, the quality control is often only visual. On the client’s side, the visualising is done using office lighting, which is not really well suited to the task (poor quality of the colour spectrum and an inadequate colour temperature). Another example that comes to mind is that the software predominately used for layouts is a program that’s actually meant for creating vector illustrations and this, in turn, very much complicates the process of creating documents. In Europe, for layouts we use software meant to … create layouts!

How do you go about working in Japan?

Well, we’ve been organising quite a lot of events for educating and explaining things, reassuring people and also showing them what we do at Altavia Japan by making use of modern technology. We have also been doing a lot of tests… I started working in Japan last January. It took us 3 months to install the entire digital proofing system, train our in-house project managers and set up our studio.

 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms. Yukiko Inoue, the General Manager of Altavia Japan, who has taken a great interest in European methods. Her dedication has truly helped us make progress and we’re already starting to see some promising results.

 

 

How were the European methods able to develop differently compared to those in Japan?

In Europe, we have organisations like ECI (The European Color Initiative), which provide tools at no cost, such as ICC profiles that are constantly being updated in order to reflect the needs of the European market. There is also FOGRA, a non-profit research institute for media technologies. It is based in Germany but 30% of its members can be found elsewhere in the world. These organisations are very active and reflect the entire graphic design chain, from procurement all the way to printing and prepress businesses, creating ISO norms that provide clear goals throughout the entire world. We are really quite lucky to have organisations that are so active.

 

In Japan, there is Japan Color, of course, but the ICC profiles provided no longer really correspond to the needs of the market and are often based on old ISO norms.

 

I would like to say a special thanks to Mr Andreas Kraushaar (FOGRA Prepress Technology), who is one of the main persons involved in the standardisation process and who is really doing a great job.

 

pop-up store Mondial Tissus

The Buzz Around Pop-up Stores
The Buzz Around Pop-up Stores 1446 911 Altavia

 

Opening up a point-of-sale for a limited period is the principle behind this marketing strategy that was born in the United Stated in the 2000s. At the start, only small brands were doing it. Little by little, all retailers, right up to major brands, began opening pop-up stores (named after the three-dimensional pop-up books that little children love so much). Perceived as one of the major trends in retail, these pop-up spaces for Experience and special relations between the brand and its customers appear to have a bright future.

 

La Fabrique, by Mondial Tissus

On the 11 and 12 June, La Fabrique, Mondial Tissus’ pop-up store, opened in the heart of Paris’ first arrondissement. This was much more than a simple shop, where customers are invited to simply come and buy. “It is an opportunity for creativity lovers to come and be inspired about Fashion, Decoration and Haberdashery for kids and adults!”.

 

“Every year, we organise a Press Event to showcase the new collections” Marine Nagel-Lacroix, Marketing and Communication Director at Mondial Tissus, tells us. “Over the years, we have wanted to demonstrate our know-how to a greater extent, especially for our finished and made-to-measure products, and dress spaces. This year, we opened the press event to the public, to share the launch of our own brand and a presentation of a revolutionary pattern projection machine with our customers. We also developed a programme with DIY workshops for beginners, experts and children, displays of made-to-measure work, meet-and greets with sewing influencer Instagram stars…”

 

It is also the opportunity for the brand to launch the “Design me in fabric” competition that gives “the opportunity to imagine and create one of the future patterns in the Autumn/Winter 2018 Fashion Collection”.

 

The focus is on the Experience! The Boutique space was actually very small.

 

There on the first day, the blogger Lucette M was able to use the workshop, led by Margaux from the Couture Débutant blog, to create a laptop pouch. “I usually sew with Mondial Tissus products and wanted to have a creative experience with other bloggers, get lots of ideas thanks to the models on show, meet the brand’s mover and shakers…I was blown away by the machine that projects patterns: that’s an innovation that I’ve never seen before!”

[huge_it_gallery id=”5″]

Pop-up stores: the challenges

Clothing, decorations, high-end food, high-tech goods, etc. Pop-up stores cover all sectors and are opening up everywhere,  for a few days to a few weeks at most.

 

For Nathan Stern, President of Altavia Shoppermind, social engineer and social network creator,  this proliferation and creativity are the sign of several heterogeneous factors:

 

– It demonstrates the availability of property for short-term experiments. Indeed, the rate of occupation on some high streets and in shopping centres has fallen considerably. Pop-up stores, even though they are not always the most advantageous option for a manager, are worth it for the entertainment value.

 

– The pop-up store phenomenon is also linked to the challenge of devirtualising connections. More and more retailers, that mainly draw on an e-commerce platform and a community of Internet customers, want a bite of the face-to-face retail apple. Their finances have never allowed them to make big commitments, and they are opening pop-up stores to invite members of the community to meet, discuss and create, thus reinforcing the customer-brand connection.

 

– A pop-up store also represents a cost-effective way of testing a model and its feasibility.

 

– In some cases, the pop-up store is the expression of lively retail that goes out to meet customers. Opportunistic pop-up stores are set up wherever people are: at the beach in summer, in ski resorts in winter, etc.

 

 

Madeleine & Gustave, emblematic of a structured and visionary approach

Madeleine & Gustave’s nomadic nature is characterised by pop-up stores throughout France. “It’s about opening for a summer season, in beautiful holiday locations, with a family-friendly atmosphere. In November and December they are on provincial town high streets and in ski resorts for the winter season.” The objective is to draw in relaxed customers, who have the time to touch, discover, look, etc. To do so, they have to go out and get them during their down time! “This inspiring brand was able to establish very strong customer relations and carry our fantastic work in retail design, which is adjusted to the restrictions of this form of retail,” Nathan Stern says. “Pop-ups have not been viewed as a dumping ground but as a boutique offering customers the chance to have an experience that echoes the brand’s DNA.”

 

An example for us all those who will soon be diving into pop-up retail.

 

green cities - villes vertes

“Facing rampant urbanisation, cities have no choice but to adapt and innovate”
“Facing rampant urbanisation, cities have no choice but to adapt and innovate” 1680 1117 Altavia

 

“Cities and regions of the future”. That is the theme of the 2018 European Sustainable Development Week. The event offers an opportunity for Catherine Rehbinder, CSR Director at ALTAVIA, to introduce us to Smart Cities, a concept to be developed in the not-so-distant future. These cities put innovative systems in place in order to adapt to heavy urbanisation.

 

“There are presently 7 billion people on the planet, and this number will grow to 10 billion by 2050. Where? More and more in cities! A full-fledged urbanisation trend has been observed, as populations migrate to megacities in increasing numbers.

 

Cities guzzle 75% of the earth’s resources and produce 70% of the greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Methods of producing, consuming and exploiting resources must be fundamentally and sustainably overhauled.

 

Reorganising cities

In response to climate change and rapid urbanisation, cities must adapt and implement innovative systems, particularly in light of new information and communication technologies. Ground-breaking urban services have begun to emerge, underpinned by brands and adopted by consumers looking to reduce their environmental footprint and improve their quality of life. These services expand across various domains:

 

The circular economy will be at the heart of the city of the future. Communities will need to reduce waste production, or eliminate waste altogether, and put in place efficient waste recovery and recycling systems.

 

Urban agriculture is growing in response to food supply issues. It has led to a comeback of city farms and rooftop vegetable gardens. From Paris and New York to Montreal, the benefits of urban agriculture are clear, including carbon fixation and the maintenance of biodiversity. With regard to the latter, the new World Bee Day has been officially declared for 20 May in an effort to highlight the importance of these pollinators! Another benefit is the shorter circuits, given the growing number of locavores.

 

Transportation methods are integrating smart mobility solutions. Since January 2018, the regulations have been modified: companies with more than 100 staff are actually required to prepare a mobility plan, in other words, to analyse the way in which staff will commute. They must also encourage alternatives to solo driving (biking, ride sharing, public transportation, etc.).

 

Housing is paramount in a world where living together has become a key challenge. City skylines are being redesigned and reinvented to promote the well-being of its inhabitants, to respect their privacy, ensure they receive sufficient sunlight, and much more.

 

Energy. Eco-neighbourhoods are sprouting throughout some metropolises, where everything is remodelled on the basis of energy consumption, thanks especially to connected meters. They make it possible to monitor consumption and operations remotely. Smart management of the data reveal users’ real needs and allow for optimum control of resources. Another growing trend is self-consumption (individual and collective): users produce their own power from renewable energy (mainly photovoltaic panels).

 

In smart cities, you will find electric vehicle charging stations, lighting fixtures fitted with motion sensors, monitoring systems to detect the amount of waste in bins, and smart parking: find your space ahead of time to reduce traffic congestion, limit pollution and improve quality of life!

 

Preventing possible deviances

What is there to say about the murkier side of smart data management? For some people, open data and surveillance can be equated to constant monitoring and loss of freedom. Continued vigilance will be required on this point.

 

Looking to San Francisco as a model sustainable city

Over a less than 20-year span, the U.S. city has become a model for sustainable living. In a country where the waste recycling rate tops out at 35%, San Francisco boasts a rate of 80%.

In fact, the city made recycling mandatory. What’s more, plastic bags, bottles and cups are banned. Even paper bags are gradually being replaced with fabric bags, which residents are encouraged to bring with them to do their shopping.

Incentives have also been put in place, including a refund of the rubbish collection fee, granted to households who reduce their production of non-recyclable waste. This policy has had a significant economic impact, with recycling creating new jobs tenfold compared to previous waste incineration systems.

 

Evaluating its impact on retail

The world is experiencing a wake-up call. Consumers are increasingly more aware of the ecological crisis unfolding, and are adopting more responsible purchasing and consumer practices. Companies who fail to look beyond the profit motive will be left behind in favour of those who are working to benefit society and preserve the environment. CSR thus becomes a real competitive advantage.”

 

Paolo Mamo

“Retailers need a real change of perspective”, Paolo Mamo says.
“Retailers need a real change of perspective”, Paolo Mamo says. 1765 767 Altavia

What are the retail and consumer trends of today?

Today more than ever, there is a clear expectation emerging for retailers to become open, limitless spaces. We have left behind the era of boundaries, the physical is no longer pitted against the digital, there is no longer opposition between online and offline purchases, or separation between e-commerce and bricks & mortar. Furthermore, a number of indicators point to what consumers want: they are repulsed by massification, enthused by sharing, long for personalisation and to create their own brand, love modernity, and feel nostalgia for tradition. They are loyal to the brand that keeps its promises, and want to be able to declare it a failure if it does not. They want tailor-made shopping experiences. They are unique, impatient, demand simplicity, have a desire to discover and feel emotions.

 

What is the challenge for retailers? What does creating a “shopping journey” mean?

The offer must now consider ever lever (tangible and intangible) as a key asset with which to build a distinctive brand in the eyes of its customers. The real progress is grasping the most intimate and emotional aspects, consumers’ unexpressed true and profound thoughts. The shopping journey is fluid, purchasing experiences flow between the no longer futuristic digital world and a physical world that is far from being ready for the scrap heap. The scenario presents countless challenges for retailers: they must take on alternative viewpoints, build a set of consistent and authentic values, open up to the region, guide, inform, involve, be human and at the same time technological.

 

What makes the difference?

Trying to understand what consumers want is not enough. First of all, they must allow themselves to be inspired and have the courage to imagine the deepest perceptions, feelings and desires that are generated in the guts of someone looking at the brand. The search for and identification of pertinent insights relating to the consumer and not for the consumer will increasingly make a difference. It is not just about our retailers changing their appearance, we are talking about a transformation, a real change of perspective: they must no longer be a place of sale, but a space for purchases. Turning change into opportunity, global into local, data into action, stores into stories, clientq into fans. In short, making the future the present.

 

How has the relationship between retailers and consumers changed?

It is an endless pursuit, without winners or losers: although consumers are the real transformers and drivers of consumer customs and habits, and it is they who dictate the rules, they have to deal with the fact that the offer is almost always one step behind.

 

This scenario leaves us confused: fixed patterns are disappearing, consumers can no longer be clustered, but exhibit a thousand different behaviours that cross over in unique and unpredictable profiles. Consumers are at the same time the sales assistants who do it all themselves, the influencers, the reviewers, the loyal and the disloyal, those who chases offers, those who prefer the neighbourhood supermarket, those who rent a home only if it is near their favourite supermarket, those who only buys online or exclusively at a sales outlet.

 

Thinking about the challenges that retailers must face today means thinking about the consumer’s role. It would be much easier if we could still think in terms of classic marketing: target, segment, apply the same formulae, taking shelter in methodological, statistical and sociological certainties. Consumers are evolving. They must be targeted, but also segmented. However, there remains in them something fluid and evanescent that is difficult to grasp and which, as soon as its mystery has been laboriously revealed, is already inevitably in the past.

 

By Paolo Mamo, President of Altavia Italia

 

Alibaba has entered the serious multi billion business of RT-Mart hypermarkets stores.
Alibaba has entered the serious multi billion business of RT-Mart hypermarkets stores. 1985 1185 Altavia

 

For the last 2 years, with its 40 Hema stores, Alibaba has learned a lot about physical retail. It was a good warm up. No offense to Hema stores, but we need a dozen of them to match the sales of a large hypermarket.

 

So, Alibaba, for the last 4 months has changed gear and the league by entering the serious business of brick and mortar “old style” hypermarkets. In couple of weeks Alibaba’s influence has become really obvious in RT-Mart’s daily operations.

RT-Mart has become a large Hema store. Off-line and Online are one.

Since end of 2017 in RT-Mart stores (Sun Art group which includes Auchan China), the famous basket conveyors hanging on the ceilings of the Hema stores, (40 opened so far in China and plan to open up to 1000 by 2020) are operating now in RT-Mart stores and it is clearly not a gimmick.

 

Pickers in the store are preparing orders that they received on their PDA the same way as in Hema stores. They take baskets that are piled up in various strategic locations of the store (mainly fresh and FMCG) then put the basket on one of the load stations and the basket is conveyed above our heads, making some noise until it reaches the back (storage) of the store where delivery men will have the deliver to client’s doorstep within 1 hour.

 

Same show, same technique as in Hema stores. Less busy than in a Hema store. I nevertheless found them quite actively used when I visited the store.

 

Alibaba RT Mart

New retail - Alibaba

RT-Mart has also become a Tmall store

Alibaba and Tmall bannes are everywhere in the store.

 

Alibaba rt-mart

 

We find dedicated Tmall shop in shop, gondola heads, displays, sticker on the floor, special prices tag which are AR (augmented reality) ready.

 

Alibaba -shop in shop

 

Banners, displays prompting clients to download the App for home delivery are everywhere.

 

The store plays it part in making sure that every client knows that the store delivers 5000 items in a radius of 3 km like Hema in 1 hour (instead of 30 min for Hema).

 

They are still in the acquisition phase and do not hesitate to give away coupon of $8 for any first time user.

 

Digital screens with content from TMall or Youko programs are in alleys and at cashier desks.

 

When it comes to payment the store does not advertise for #WeChat pay of course and push the Alipay but you still (up to now) pay with WeChat.

 

Alibaba - Alipay

 

I did not think Alibaba would have moved so fast. They are a minority stakeholder of the SunArt Group but they clearly do no intent do be sleeping partner and their influence is really visible in the store. For the better.

 

Auchan will probably follow a similar trend and install the same kind of basket picking system in store which is quite efficient on top of being visible, reassuring if not entertaining. And soon we might see Tmall corners in Auchan stores as well.

 

What is striking is that the store is really doing its job. RT-Mart’s management is clearly not afraid to potentially see some of its customers leaving the stores because they would have chosen ordering their goods on the App. The store is a wonderful and powerful media to push online sales and that’s the right thing to do.

 

Because at the end of the day, sales whether online or offline, will still be accounted under the same banner. So who cares ? if it is what the client wants…

 

By Stéphane Joly, Executive vice-president, Altavia Asia

 

Nathalie Lemière

Nathalie Lemière: heart of a finisher, a story of resilience
Nathalie Lemière: heart of a finisher, a story of resilience 2560 1440 Altavia

Nathalie Lemière took part in the Paris Marathon with her colleagues from Altavia.

She is from Normandy. She loves sailing. She is always looking for the next challenge to tackle. Nathalie Lemière, who joined the paper purchasing division at Altavia two years ago, has suffered from a heart defect since 2005. To strengthen her heart, she runs marathons. Her endurance and performance are constantly improving. In her blog, Coeur de finisher (Heart of a finisher), Nathalie writes about her life, her struggle and her wanderlust. Her next challenge? Trekking through Japan with her friend Marc Vettard. Read on for our interview with an inspiring woman who can move mountains.

 

Tell us a bit about your story…

In 2005, I underwent a routine varicose vein operation. I got a golden staph infection and went into a coma. I remained in that state for 2 weeks. Two heart attacks, pulmonary oedema and kidney failure all followed in quick succession. Staph destroys the body little by little. Even the doctors didn’t like my odds. But I made it out alive. I remember that during my coma, I dreamed of boats.

 

What happened when you awoke from the coma?

I had to learn to walk again. I quickly discovered that my heart was worn out, having lost 40% of its capacity—heart attacks cause necrosis of the muscle. But I never gave up. After 3 years, I started setting personal challenges for myself, like taking up running. My cardiologist encouraged me, even inviting me to run the marathon or the 100 km de Millau. It was his way of teaching me that endurance running was the way to strengthen my heart. I had to run as long as I possibly could, without setting time goals, maintaining a manageable pace. The goal is to overcome the heart failure, which leaves you breathless after expending the slightest effort, and learn to live with it. It’s been 12 years now that I’ve been setting annual challenges for myself.

 

What was the last challenge you overcame?

The Tour du Mont Blanc, in July 2017. It’s 170 kilometres, 10,000 metres of ascents and descents, 2,700-metre hills… After those 10 days, I was completely transformed. I decided to share my adventure and my struggle in my blog, Heart of a finisher. And to share my passion for travel with as wide an audience as possible.

 

How have you benefited physically?

I cut down on my medication by a factor of 8, thanks to working out, building endurance and cultivating a mind-over-matter mentality.

 

We hear you also love sailing?

Absolutely. I sailed to the Le Havre with a club. I also took on communications for a project led by Damien Seguin. He medalled in the Athens Special Olympics, and he is out there fighting to sail alongside athletes without disabilities on his boat, dubbed Des Pieds et Des Mains (Feet and Hands). At the time, it was radical. Nobody wanted to sail with him. So he joined forces with a friend of mine, Denis Lemaître. That’s how I got involved in the project. I took care of creating the brochure, Denis Lemaître’s website, etc.

When I saw Commeunseulhomme, I was immediately onboard. As a sailor, I am always on the starting line or the finishing line with my fellow sailors.

When I arrived at Altavia, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the group sponsored his boat for the Vendée Globe.

 

Tell us about your Japan plans…

I want to travel to the “Japanese Alps” with Marc Vettard, whom I met during the Tour du Mont Blanc and subsequently befriended. I heard about a trail in Japan known as the Temple Pilgrimage, sort of like the Camino de Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage. And of course, there’s Mount Fuji with its 3,776-metre summit. My goal is to report back on what I see there and on my inner journey.

I’m currently looking for a sponsor or donor. I submitted a request with Altavia, and they also got involved during People-with-disabilities Week by printing T-shirts.

 

Are you training in the interim?

I never stop training, otherwise I’ll lose all of the benefits. I run a lot of marathons (I’m on my tenth!) but I also do 90-km stage races. Plus, I do 6-hour endurance challenges. I’m preparing to shift my training focus to trekking.

My cardiologist advises me to always run endurance and, most importantly, to prevent injury at all costs in order to avoid having to take it easy during convalescence.

 

What is your favourite marathon memory?

The Paris marathon and the 40,000 people I ran it with. When you hit kilometre 30 and run past the Eiffel Tower, and the spectators are pressing in on both sides of the course and they’re screaming “Don’t give up!” —it’s an extraordinary experience.

 

For more, visit  http://coeur-de-finisher.org

 

 

Logistique Alibaba

Logistics battle : Alibaba 1, Tencent 0.
Logistics battle : Alibaba 1, Tencent 0. 1827 1028 Altavia

In the ultimate goal of “owning the customer” Alibaba may have won the logistics battle, if not the war, against its rival Tencent.

The first battle between these two mastodons was to build and drive online traffic… Well, with 1 billion users for WeChat and $25 billion of goods sold in 24 hours during the last double 11 (11 November 2017) on Tmall we can say that both of them succeed in this first round. Let’s call it a draw.
Their second battle was to get a strong offline footprint. On Alibaba’s side: Stake or full control of Suning, Hema, Intime, Sun Art ( RTMart and Auchan China)… On Tencent’s corner: Stake in #Yonghui, #Carrefour, #D physical stores, strong cooperation on payment with #Walmart… We might think that say that Alibaba has a slight advantage for now.
Since it was not enough to control the whole value chain and share the market among themselves, they open a new front… They want to own the customer.
Their latest battlefront has moved to the logistics. But not the logistic offline retailers (between suppliers and offline stores) know. We are talking about the visible logistics between offline stores and final users / clients / customers.
Until last week Alibaba, through its stake in Cainiao, was already leveraging on its thousands delivery men… Well, that was last week…

Deliveries in more than 300 Chinese cities

Now with its latest purchase of the remaining stake of #ele.me, Alibaba overnight has just added a labour force of couple more thousands … valuing at the same time the food delivery platform at $9.5 billion… The platform claims to deliver, in more than 300 Chinese cities, to its 50 million customers (95% of them ordering on their mobile) food from more than 300 000 restaurants.

 

It is obvious that Alibaba bought nothing more than “time to market” to outpace its rival. Alibaba did not want to reinvent the wheel and go thru any learning curve… Time is money and size makes its all.
On the other corner, before we forget and before the next buy, Tencent has a large stake in Meituan-Dianping delivery service company which is dealing with hundreds of thousands of meals delivered per day.
Both of these two titans already own so much data on their users (through social media, games, but more importantly thru all of their purchases on and offline). They both want to own the relationship with the consumer at any time of the day and the night.

 

Customers might have to choose…

The same way brick and mortar retailers in China have started to choose their champion, (Walmart for Tencent, Auchan for Alipay, probably Carrefour for Tencent …) we, common consumers, might as well be forced to make a choice between one of the two banners because they might not continue accepting our fickle behavior using either one of the other according to our own benefit. Loyalty comes at a price.

 

By Stéphane Joly, Executive Vice-president, Altavia Asia

 

L’art du storytelling

The art of storytelling
The art of storytelling 1678 1119 Altavia

 

Everyone’s talking about technological innovation. How it is transforming the world of retail, removing the barrier of time, and giving people access to a huge choice of products, very quickly and easily. This technological innovation, which makes it possible to customize baskets, bags, clothes, etc. But today, it has almost become the norm. So how do we stand out from the rest? For Anna Casani, Lab & Marketing Manager at Altavia Italia, everything comes down to the ability to make the consumer feel emotions. And knowing how to tell a story.

Identifying and building a personality close to the customer

What do we remember about a visit to a store if it is not the Experience? The things that touched us, intrigued us, made us feel something and etched a sensorial memory in our mind. The human aspect of retail can make the difference, capture the consumer’s interest, and make them feel an attachment to a brand. So, the key for brands is to build a personality, ever-closer to the language and behaviour of the consumers. And this implies having fun, taking a step back and not taking ourselves too seriously…

 

The Campaign led by Diesel during New York Fashion Week is a very good example. The brand’s founder, Renzo Rosso, had the idea of opening a real-fake store in Chinatown, called DEISEL, to draw people’s attention to the counterfeit phenomenon. Customers entered the store thinking that the articles were fakes.

 

Meanwhile Ikea decided to launch a limited edition of its catalogue. Based on the principle that its catalogue is always very popular, the brand designed 10 fake covers, presenting a completely different universe, to slip over the real catalogue, allowing the customers to flick through the catalogue in secret. With this idea Ikea was speaking the same language as its customers, who were amused and intrigued by this artful complicity. The aim is to show that, behind the brand, there is an identity, a personality close to that of its customers.

 

Knowing how to tell the story of your own DNA

As well as identifying and building a personality close to that of their customers, brands must remain totally consistent in terms of the message that they want to get across. The aim is to tell the story of their very essence, their DNA, through a moment that the customer will not forget.

 

When the values and the essence become one and the same thing then the experience can emerge and be transformed into colours, words, scents, and sounds. This will give rise to a memorable experience, which will leave a mark on the consumer’s sensorial memory. And Esselunga has understood that very well. The Italian company, which has just celebrated 60 years of activity, decided to set the scene with a superb exhibition. It is a real experience allowing customers to relive the changes in the brand over the years but above all to see how the consumers and Esselunga have evolved together. The visitors were encouraged to look, touch, smell, listen and remember a shared history.

 

Picking up on the strong signals from the outside world

Being capable of adapting to changes and knowing how to pick up on the strong signals coming from the outside world are also important assets for a brand which wants to catch people’s attention. Like Ikea when it created a step-by-step DIY exercise to make your own Jon SNOW coat – the character from the series Game of Thrones – out of one of its fur rugs. Cut, clip, add strips of leather and there you have it! A great idea given the planetary success of the series.

 

Coming back to the concept of traditional selling

Another interesting idea is to come back to a local scale, seeking a more personal relationship with customers. For example this could be about reproducing the habits of a village, recreating a community space like the local pub. In a store this could be achieved by setting up a drinks area with stools and a bar. And, of course, a good cup of coffee to wake the customers up and treat their taste buds! »

 

 

Les géants chinois creusent l'écart

The Chinese Giants are Striding Ahead
The Chinese Giants are Striding Ahead 1827 1028 Altavia

Two Chinese companies, Tencent and Alibaba, are streaking ahead in the big leagues. With huge sums of money behind them, and aware of the need for lightning speed, both web giants are taking gambles and risks and buying up at every turn, becoming bigger and bigger with every passing month. An overview of these two phenomena, so different and yet so alike, with Stéphane Joly, Executive Vice-President of Altavia Asia.

Both of these Chinese giants, created 20 years ago have seen absolutely spectacular growth rates. A few figures:

 

Tencent:
  • Stock market value: $550 billion
  • Earnings: $3.5 billion
  • Date of creation 1999
  • Workforce: 39,000

 

Alibaba:
  • Stock market value: $485 billion
  • Earnings: $3.9 billion
  • Date of creation: 1998
  • Workforce: 50,000

 

“To put that into context, Carrefour Group, which employs 400,000 people around the world, and Tesco are both worth less than $20 billion,” Stéphane Joly points out. “This shows the gulf that separates the two Chinese firms from the others.” 

 

A war of speed, fought on the same battlefield

Tencent, which provides video games and the popular messaging application, WeChat, and Alibaba, an online sales company, occupy two different worlds. However, we can see many similarities in their growth strategy. “Tencent and Alibaba have both implemented a phenomenally successful service: mobile payment,” Stéphane Joly tells us. WeChat (Tencent) et Alipay (Alibaba) are used massively by the Chinese, who almost never use cash to pay for their purchases (editor’s note: see also CHINA: The dazzling success of mobile payment). “The two powerhouses also own a virtual bank, a self-service bicycle company, a large travel agency, a video site home delivery company, and more.” Both groups are surfing on identical waves, and are always very successful.

 

Fewer but bigger stakeholders

“In the last ten years, we have seen an acceleration in equity participation for pure players and, in the last few months, ‘offline’ too, with buyouts of shopping centres and stores,” Stéphane Joly adds.

 

Tencent:
  • 20% of the e-commerce platform JD.com
  • 100% of the e-commerce platform Yihaodian: $1.5 billion
  • 4% of Dalian Wanda (huge conglomerate of shopping centres and cinemas): $1.5 billion
  • 7% of Vipshop.com: $600 million
  • 5% of the supermarket chain Yonghui Superstores
  • Close ties with Carrefour China

 

Alibaba:
  • 36% of Auchan China: $3 billion
  • 30% of the electrical goods company Suning: $7 billion
  • 100% of the supermarket chain Hema: $300 million
  • 75% of Intime Group’s shopping centres: $2.6 billion
  • 77% (with the Chinese group Cultural Investment Holdings) of Dalian Wanda: $1.2 billion

 

“In the space of a few months, Tencent has spent $5 billion,” Stéphane Joly points out. And Alibaba has spent $15 billion. That’s colossal! And the phenomenon never stops ramping up. There has barely been a week without a billion dollar deal. Both firms want control and are going after the same prey. Money doth flow.”

 

More mergers and buyouts are still expected in the coming months/years in China and South East Asia. There will be fewer and fewer players; and only the heavyweights will survive.

 

The new black gold: data 

Today, Alibaba and Tencent are playing their biggest card: the customer data garnered from all the transactions. “Purchasing frequency, types of articles purchased, eating habits, if there are children in the household, likelihood to return to the same place to shop… All this “cross-channel” and “cross-banner” data are worth their weight in gold and are being well used!” Stéphane Joly claims.

 

Agency merger: how to unite different company cultures
Agency merger: how to unite different company cultures 2098 895 Altavia

Anne-Catherine Trinon, CEO of Altavia ACT*, shares how she steered the successful merger of her Belgian marketing services agency.

 

 

In the life of a company, whether in marketing communications, advertising or any other sector, a fusion constitutes a special moment. And it’s only after settling all the administrative red tape, that the work really starts: getting your employees on board of this new project, with a unified vision.

 

In 2015 my company ACT*, which I founded in 1997, was acquired by Altavia Group. As we were both marketing services companies specialised in retail, the merger was a logic step and over the past years I’ve had the pleasure of leading the newly formed Altavia ACT*.

 

A merger is never easy, but following the principle of collective intelligence, firmly embedded in the DNA of our agency, here are a few key steps to facilitating the process.

 

Anticipate change to transform early

One month before the announcement, the management held a seminar where we worked thoroughly on the positive consequences as well as the pitfalls of the merger. This allowed us to get a head start on any fears, doubts and blocks we would be confronted with by both workforces. Needless to say that the day of announcement was prepared with care, to already lay the foundations of the transformation this radical shift would entail.

 

Announce with confidence and care, then listen

After having announced the merger separately to both companies, every employee received an FAQ in which they would find the answers to the bulk of their questions. We also put a safe zone into place, where everyone could come and anonymously write their questions or doubts on the wall. Every day, I personally went through them and treated the answers with care together with the entire management team.

 

Come together and get to know each other…

Since I was already managing ACT* but was new at Altavia, I saw every single employee separately to discuss our mutual future. Everything could be said and would be kept between us. Shortly after, we united the teams and had them work together on how they could collaborate more closely, how their skills could be complimentary and what they could do themselves to facilitate the process.

 

…then get to know each other more to start collaborating

Let’s not forget the regular drinks, diners and lunches we shared to strengthen our bonds. Particularly successful were the speed dates in which the paired employees had three minutes to introduce themselves and see how they could forge a connection. The goal? Readying them even further for the next big step: moving house and sharing one single office. It was the undeniable full-force launch of our new agency, with new teams, skills, goals and ways of working.

 

Stay vigilant, keep listening and evolve constantly

Organising joint breakfasts, mingling the different teams, having weekly inter-departmental statuses, daily stand-ups and timely steering committees, helps us to keep our finger on the pulse of our company, as well as boost employee involvement and participation. The advantage? By eliminating the fear of being challenged internally and opening up the future of our company to every single employee, we keep evolving and getting better in what we do. As should be the purpose of every company.

 

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