identity management manifesto

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13th German Trend Day + Workshop“Identity Management – Recognition instead of Attention”

Identity ManagementManifesto


Trendbuero is observing a new kind of consumer behaviour:Identity is becoming designable and turning into a management assignmentThe manifesto pools the research, interviews and lectures pertaining to the13th German Trend Day

Trendbuero discusses the consequences for communication with sectoral experts:Recognition is becoming more important than attentionThe manifesto summarises the workshop on the 13th German Trend Day and uses theseresults to derive measures for tomorrow’s communications

Key Questions– Why is identity becoming a management assignment? How is this manifesting itself in consumers’ behaviour?– What are the resulting challenges and measures for companies and their communications?– What are the resulting consequences for branding, PR and advertising?

Why this manifesto exists:

Agenda


Identity is becoming designable & turning into a management assignmentThe manifesto pools the research, interviews and lectures on the 13th German Trend Day

Agenda

w w w . t r e n d b u e r o . c o m >>

Recognition is becoming more important than attentionThe manifesto summarises the workshop and derives communication measures

Agenda4


1. Consumers Pages 06–35Why identity is becoming a management assignment

2. Companies Pages 36–40Challenges and Measures

3. Communication Pages 41–47Challenges and Measures

4. Consequences Pages 48–67for Branding, PR and Advertising

Appendix

Manifesto structure:

Agenda


1. ConsumersWhy is identity becominga management assignment?


What’s changing?

The search for the inner self is being replaced by permanent self-optimisation

Yesterday: The Monetary EconomyThe possibilities for living one’s own life were limited. Identity was static and given. Family,work and religion defined a fixed frame. The economy was dictated by scarcity. Moneybecame the central agent of control.

Today: The Attention EconomyConsumers have a multitude of options for designing their lives. Self-responsibility is a must,individuality the ultimate goal. Otherness is normality. The economy is determined byoversupply and time poverty. He who attracts attention is the winner.

Tomorrow: The Recognition EconomyOpportunities for design will continue to increase. Compulsory self-responsibility will forceconsumers to optimise their own self. This will call for deliberate decisions and neworientation frames. Identity will become a management assignment. Tomorrow’s economywill be shaped by the lack of identity and affiliation. Recognition will become the new keyquantity.

1. Consumers7


Personal OfferingsOversupplyScarcity

Identity ManagementIdentity SearchPreset Identity

Yesterday Today Tomorrow

Monetary Economy Attention Economy Recognition Economy

Conformity Individuality Identity

Private Individual Public-Private Individual Public Individual

What’s changing?

1. Consumers

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“When we look inside ourselves, there’s nothing there. Identity isconstructed – not found. Identity is created by feedback.”*

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Yesterday: According to Maslow, self-actualisation means the search for theinner self – free of external fears, needs or constraints. It was considered the zenithof personal development.

What comes after self-actualisation?

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What comes after self-actualisation?

Today: from the pyramid to a closed loop of needsSelf-actualisation remains the individual’s basic motivation. It is a process that is nevercompleted. Self-actualisation is increasingly coming to mean self-optimisation. Theever-growing number of possibilities open to us is changing the needs structure. Today,Maslow’s pyramid can be interpreted as a closed loop model of needs, a feedback loop.The body is becoming the starting point for self-actualisation.

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What will become important?

Everything is becoming feasible, the body seems designableThe basic physical need for warmth, food and physical integrity has been satisfied. In the21st century, health and beauty are becoming the basic needs. The body is becoming thefocus of interest and increasingly taking on a demonstrative function. External values arebecoming more important.

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The longing for youthfulnessThe background to this increased attention to the body is the age-quake. We will be old forlonger than we are young – and the old will be in the majority. When youth is in the minority,its value increases. The longing for youthfulness is becoming the central driver for self-design, the body the new meaning-giver.

From lifestyle to healthstyleHealth is becoming the basic prerequisite for participating in the performance society andthus a measure of one’s own identity. Only the healthy can continue to be part of things.There is a growing willingness to increase one’s own health and attractiveness by investingin the body. And the food and cosmetic industries are not the only ones to profit from thebooming health market: games manufacturers and car makers are benefiting too.

The aestheticisation of the bodyThe life-long search for a partner requires the individual to constantly monitor his ownattractiveness in order to confirm his market value. The surface tension of the body isbecoming the benchmark of personal beauty. Consumers are increasingly definingthemselves via aesthetics.

What are the levers for identity management?

1. Consumers


Self-esteem is generated by health and beauty

“The body is becoming the subject of optimising design. It starts with cosmetics and endswith genetic intervention. Our own bodies are becoming objects of design.”Norbert Bolz, TU Berlin

Tuned-up beauty: a new children’s book explains to American kids why their moms havesuddenly got a different nose, new breasts or a smoother forehead. Even before it waspublished, “My Beautiful Mommy” by Michael Salzhauer was the subject of hot debate.

Body worries start in childhood: 34.7 % of 10 to 13 year-old girls in Germany use facecreams. Spa Di Da has opened the first wellness oases for “stressed kids”.

Playing for fitness: Wii Fit turns the living room into a fitness studio. The first successstories are already doing the rounds: after 45 days of training for 60 minutes per day, MickyDeLorenzo lost 6.8 kg. The training console is a huge sales hit: in the UK, advance salesmeant it was sold out even before it was launched. (Engadget, 2008; Wired, 2008)

What manifestations are there?

1. Consumers


“The ongoing differentiation of the healthstyle market will reach manysectors and be more radical than anything we’ve ever seen before.”

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The need for security extends into virtual spaceConsumers are increasingly leaving digital traces. Personal and behaviour-related data isbecoming transparent. The security of one’s own personal data is becoming a central need.Controlling one’s own personal data is becoming a management assignment.

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Trust as a basic prerequisite: data protection as we know it is a phase-out model. Andit isn’t only younger consumers who are happy to divulge personal information. The morepersonal and relevant offerings become, the more generous consumers are with their data.Companies who abuse this liberal access or fail to protect the data adequately will bepunished.

Control via user-centric identity management: personal data is scattered amongst amultitude of providers. Consumers have no control over or access to this data, nor do theyhave any opportunity to monitor it. There is no way for them to delete or correct informationthat might make a bad impression. The need to retain control over this data is producingnew, user-centric business models.

Authentification via biometrics: the more transparent consumer behaviour gets, themore important the question of access rights becomes. The theft of user profiles isbecoming an increasingly serious problem. According to estimates, there were approx.15 million cases of identity theft in the USA alone last year (Gartner Group, 2007). Newauthentification techniques are needed. Biometric recognition techniques are regardedas safe and convenient and will become increasingly well-established.


1. Consumers


A greater sense of responsibility, new systems and technologies

Breach of trust: as a result of the recent bugging scandal at Deutsche Telekom, everysecond German has lost faith in the telecommunications provider. Many are afraid their datais not secure. One third of Telekom customers will “definitely” or “probably” change providersas a result of the spying affair (Psychonomics/Wirtschaftswoche, 2008). After its buggingscandal, discount supermarket chain Lidl lost 2 to 3 % of its market share (GfK, 2008).

Identity 2.0: User-centric offerings like OpenID will revolutionise online authentication. Usersno longer have to login and create a profile every time they visit a different website. Insteadthey can login with a single OpenID URL, which functions similarly to an identity card. Theirdata is stored on the OpenID provider’s server and thus becomes transportable. In future,users will be able to take their friends, photos and ratings with them.

Automatic face recognition at airports: passports are increasingly being enhanced withbiometric data. Thanks to an integrated RFID chip, this data can be retrieved automaticallyand compared with a camera picture. The British government plans to broaden airportcontrols to include face recognition.


1. Consumers


“As a form of user-centric identity management, Identity 2.0 providesmaximum information and exchange plus maximum privacy and control.”

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1. Consumers



Networks are replacing fixed social structuresIn a hyper-individual world, setting oneself apart from the crowd becomes less important.Instead consumers are increasingly intent on finding common ground. The focus is shiftingto individual connectivity. After all, nobody wants to be alone. Affiliation is becoming freelyselectable and calls for commitment. Our own contacts decide on our individual accesspossibilities. This requires us to establish and cultivate personal networks.

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Quantity brings new quality: as self-responsibility grows, the individual’s own socialnetworks are becoming a form of social and economic safeguard. Loose acquaintanceshipsare particularly likely to add new dimensions to our lives. The number of these so-called“weak ties” is increasing more rapidly than the number of close friends and family. The waylike-minded people behave is becoming an orientation frame.

Social networks as a stage: today social networking sites allow us to stay in touch with afar greater number of friends, acquaintances and business partners than in the past. Butthey also require us to present ourselves, publish our own actions and make themtransparent. Feeds and status updates are increasingly informing consumers about theirfriends’ situations and activities and help provide orientation.

The city as a social network: in the globalised world, cities are becoming more important.They are social networks that offer access to certain jobs or like-minded people. As a result,choosing which city we live in is becoming one of the central decisions we make in our lives.In future, “jobs follow people” will become an increasingly relevant maxim. Connectivitymeans being open to and respecting the differentness of (new) residents.


1. Consumers


Social networks provide social connectivity

“We are drawn to like-minded people, whatever that like-mindedness may be grounded in.Clearly your community influences your identity: how you dress, the words you use, thebooks you read etc. What’s new is that more like-minded people are able to find eachother.” Noah Brier, The Barbarian Group *

Being connected: in Germany, around half of under-30s are active in social networks(Forschungsgruppe Kooperationssysteme, 2008). 18 % of Germans are already postingpersonal information on the web. Amongst young users under 29, this figure soars to 49 %(Forsa/Bitkom, 2008).

Lifestreaming: new feed offerings like FriendFeed allow users to follow the activities of alltheir friends from a multitude of websites and social networks (Amazon, Facebook etc.) inreal time. Every activity is published.


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1. Consumers


“In 1985, people had an average of 6 close friends & 35 acquaintances.Today, 23 years later, we have 9 close friends & 155 distant contacts.”*

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1. Consumers


“Otakus seek their status and identity in simple parallel universes.Alternative identities are selected strategically.”

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Recognition is becoming the measure of all things: the more possibilities consumershave for designing their identity, the more important the question of what’s right for thembecomes. The recognition of elective peers is becoming the crucial unit of measure forgauging our own actions. Future actions are optimised on the basis of feedback from friends.

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The democratisation of luxury: recognition has traditionally been coupled with ownership.Faithful to the motto “show me what you’ve got and I’ll tell you who you are”, conclusionsabout social status, personal preferences and taste are drawn on the basis of what theother person owns. New, flexible forms of ownership (reselling, leasing, rental) are allowingconsumers to obtain access to premium products.

Reputation management: our own actions are becoming more important than statussymbols. The more active consumers are, the more respect they gain. The individual’sreputation results from the degree of recognition experienced, it is an important orientationaid. If something earns recognition, it must be right. The active can communicate theiractions via their networks.

Recognition is not universal: whether and for what somebody gains recognition greatlydepends on the context. Something that earns recognition in the working world may havethe opposite effect amongst friends. Since we are increasingly living in several contexts,we need to pay more attention to the consequences of our own actions.


1. Consumers


Recognition is becoming the most important parameter for gauging identitymanagement

“It’s about trying to figure out how to match one’s sense of self with others’ perceptions.”Danah Boyd in an interview with Trendbuero

“Even in the Internet Age, a good reputation continues to be extremely important. It’spossibly even more important than in the analogue world because, especially withimpersonal business transactions like e-commerce, it’s fundamentally a question oftrusting your digital counterpart. Without this trust, many transactions would never takeplace at all. In that respect, I would equate a “good reputation” with ‘trust in a person’.”Mario Grobholz in an interview with Trendbuero*

Social comparisons provide recognition: thanks to Nike plus (a collaboration betweenNike and Apple), runners can record their training performance on their iPod and upload itonto the community site when they’re done. They can then compare themselves with otherrunners, present their route and share their training playlist. Nike plus is so successful thatNike increased its market share from 47 % in 2006 to 58 % in 2007.


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“In future, status and recognition will mean including more quality-of-lifefactors in the equation again. It’s the holistic perspective that counts.”

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1. Consumers


“In principle, if you neglect people’s needs for identity, recognition and asense of belonging, you might as well pack up and go home.”

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1. Consumers

HEMA – EL HEMAIn 2007, HEMA unintentionally became partof an open branding project. Without beingasked, media/art network Mediamaticcollaborated with Arab-Dutch designers tocreate a contemporary Arab design for theDutch shopping institution, from the logo allthe way to typical products. EL HEMA was aresponse to the debate about Arab migrantsin the Netherlands – and a huge success.Mediamatic won the Dutch Design Prize2007.

“Suddenly there were masses of peoplewanting to buy things, all standing in line.We had more than 50,000 visitors.”



Identity is what you do – every single momentSelf-actualisation no longer has anything to do with the fun and experience society of the80s and 90s. Today, values and meaning are becoming increasingly important. However,it is essential to find meaning in one’s own everyday actions. That requires us to seekactivities that stir our passion, present us with a challenge and serve a higher purpose.

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Surpassing oneself: self-actualisation that is restricted to the self lacks meaningfulness.There is a lack of relevant challenges. Consumers find meaning when they become partof something, when they give themselves to the service of a higher cause or community.This meaning is quasi spiritual. Consumers have to believe in and love the project, groupor cause in order to devote themselves. Companies need to see themselves as meaning-givers and sell values.

The power of creativity: anybody who self-actualises does so out of passion. He worksfor his own ethos. He achieves something for himself, something that helps him grow andwhich he benefits from. That spurs him on and motivates him. Work is transformed from anecessary evil into a form of self-actualisation. In future, it will be a matter of developing thepower of this creativity.

Successful innovations need participation: society and commerce are increasinglybased on innovations and new ideas. Consumers are extremely slow to adapt. Six yearsafter the introduction of the euro, 50 % of Germans still think in marks. It is of centralimportance to shape change together with consumers, not in opposition to them. Themore they are integrated into processes, the more strongly they will identify with the new.


1. Consumers


“Open cities are flourishing. They bring the various talents together, increase productivityand thus encourage innovations.” Richard Florida, Creative Class Group

“In our attempts to manage our identity, instead of stopping at ourselves, we ought to tryto surpass ourselves.” Norbert Bolz, TU Berlin

Creativity needs encouragementBesides presenting their workforce with interesting challenges, successful companiesmotivate their staff by granting them creative opportunities and freedom. Google allowsits employees to spend 20 % of their time on their own projects. It is precisely “soft criteria”like flexible time management and the compatibility of family and career that are key tothe individual’s motivation.


1. Consumers


“Every single human being is creative. The great challenge of our age isto tap into that creativity.”

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Conclusion:Egonomics – an economy geared tothe own self.

– Body: Healthstyle– Security: Authentification– Relationships: Connectivity– Recognition: Reputation– Self-actualisation: Creativity


What does Identity Management mean for companies?

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2. CompaniesChallenges and Measures

– From the product to a relationship– From short-term profit to authentic growth– From mass-production to personal offerings


What challenges are emerging?

With the end of the mass markets and the rise of the Recognition Economy, the focusis shifting to customer relations

From the product to a relationship“Demand governs supply.” And demand is becoming increasingly differentiated. Offeringsare geared to customers’ needs and not the other way round. The focus is shifting fromthe product to the relationship with the customer. This relationship determines a company’srelevance and future success.

From short-term profit to authentic growthDriven by the financial markets, marketers are under growing pressure to deliver short-term success in saturated markets. In the USA, companies change their CMOs every26 months (Forbes, 2008). This leads to short-term optimisation strategies and, in thelong term, destroys the brand. Brands need continuity. They have to grow authentically.

From mass-production to personal offeringsDigitalised production and the networking of companies and consumers make it possibleto create industrial personal products. The more products are tailored to individual needs,the greater customers’ appreciation and price acceptance will be.

2. Companies


“We are moving away from a culture of permanent ownership andtowards a temporary and thus more efficient ownership culture.”

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What measures are necessary?

The focus on customer relations calls for new structures, better cooperation betweenall those involved and the use of new technologies

Establish Service Chain ManagementCustomer orientation requires a reorganisation of the company. From customer service allthe way to PR, all the internal and external departments have to work hand in hand, sharedata and be optimised as necessary to benefit customer relations. This means ensuring theuniform quality of all partners. Service Chain Management becomes a must.

New structures and different competenciesConsumer orientation will change both the structure of the company and the competenciesit requires from its employees. Customer care will become a matter for the boardroom.There will be more and more Chief Customer Officers. Product Managers will becomeRelations Managers.

Automated analysisIn order to make personal products affordable, consumers’ individual data has to begathered and analysed systematically. Intelligent systems help achieve this. Automationreduces costs.

2. Companies



“The consumer has grown up: he not only demands integrity, he checks to make sure.Anybody that has a choice buys a product that they can identify with at moral level.”Clemens Weisshaar, industrial designer at Kram/Weisshaar, in an interview for the Trendbuero blog, 2008

“Corporate identities are co-created by the customers. This process has to be planned andused strategically. A totally new corporate culture is required.”Mark Vanderbeeken, responsible for Identity Development at Experientia and Author of “Putting People First”, in aninterview for the Trendbuero blog, 2008

By 2015, customer relationship management will be of key importance to companies:almost 80 % of the experts surveyed in the study “Kundenbeziehungen 2015” are convincedof this. Today only one third assess CRM as a central issue. Most notably, it is of crucialimportance in the automobile industry and the financial services sector (Psychonomics,2007).

Data mining: OTTO uses data mining techniques to identify structures in the glut ofavailable data. The goal: process optimisation and improved planning, e.g. for purchasingand warehousing. OTTO will save 20 million euros as a result.

2. Companies


3. CommunicationChallenges and Measures

– The end of the Attention Economy– Media and information channels are exploding– Content and commerce are merging


Under the new media conditions, it’s no longer a question of monologue and reachbut of dialogue and recognition

The end of the Attention EconomyBeing loud and aggressive is a mass-media phase-out model. Consumers’ attention spanis declining. It’s the consumers themselves who decide what’s relevant to them. Anythingirrelevant is blanked out.

Media and information channels are explodingThe number of media channels is growing relentlessly. Classic media offerings arecompeting with the personal media of people and brands. With the spread of mobilebroadband and the new generation of interactive applications, there will in future be anunlimited number of touchpoints between the individual and the brand.

Content and commerce are mergingThe former distinction between content and commerce is becoming increasingly blurred.Every touchpoint with the consumer has to be able to inform, entertain and sell.

What challenges are emerging?

3. Communication


“If we’re going to find out what people want, we have to talk to them.”

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What measures are necessary?

Use customer feedback as input

Interaction with consumersGiving consumers recognition means giving them the possibility to contribute and presentthemselves. In future, it will be increasingly important to encourage consumers tocommunicate – both with one another and the brand. Feedback is analysed and used asinput for dynamic brand management and all divisions of the company.

Identification of important consumersSuccessful relationships are based on mutual recognition. Brands must identify those oftheir consumers whose recognition is important to them. New criteria are needed foridentifying and evaluating consumers – criteria that are not based on sales alone but takethe customer’s multiplier effect, ideas or loyalty into account as well.

Interaction via all relevant channelsEvery single customer-relevant touchpoint is relevant for the brand. Multi-channelmanagement will not only coordinate and integrate sales channels but marketing channelsas well. This includes the organisation of resale possibilities.

3. Communication



“Brands need to be aware of their identity existing throughout every consumer touchpoint,whether it’s packaging, advertising or customer service.”Noah Brier, Strategic Planner at Naked Communication, in an interview for the Trendbuero blog, 2008

“Yes, we can!” Barack Obama is turning his voters into advertisers for change. He is thefirst presidential candidate to finance his election campaign with donations from individuals.Thanks to digital word of mouth, he has more money available to him than any othercandidate in history. Obama has collected more than 200 million dollars online(BusinessWeek, 2008).

Behavioural targeting: surfing behaviour permits conclusions about the identity of theuser, his interests and preferences. This data can be used e.g. for targeted advertising.The response rate to this kind of customised advertising is noticeably higher.

Application Economy: the mobile Internet is establishing itself along with the iPhone.iPhone and iPod applications will force brands to interact more. According to GoldmanSachs, 20 million applications will be downloaded from the new Application Store iniTunes by the end of 2008, soaring to 210 million by 2010 (BusinessWeek, 2008).

3. Communication



“In order to give customers recognition, companies have tofocus on service.” Babette Torno, Kanebo Cosmetics

“Companies don’t know their customers at all. They’re oftenshocked at who their real customers are – they don’t fit thepolished expectations.” Jan Moellendorf, defacto kreativ GmbH

“Brands have to create situations and spaces where the customerfeels he’s being listened to. It’s not about constantly accostingpeople. It’s a question of how you can get them to join in.”Lara Flemming, KG EOS Holding GmbH & Co

“The way a company treats its customers has taken on anew, huge significance. In terms of customer relations, thekey question is: "What treatment do I get as a customer?”Marion Liekte, Planning Director at Interbrand Zintzmeyer & Lux

3. Communication

LaraFlemming, KGEOS Holding

Babette Torno,KaneboCosmeticsGermany

JanMoellendorf,defacto kreativ

Marion Lietke,InterbrandZintzmeyer & Lux


“Brands have to constantly remodel themselves in dialogue withconsumers – they are never finished entities.”

3. Communication

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4. Consequencesfor Branding, PR and Advertising

– Branding: Reframing– PR: Listening– Advertising: Interacting


Branding:Reframing

4. Consequences


What are the challenges facing branding?

Brands are opening up and becoming more dynamic

The end of benchmarkingToday consumption increasingly serves to satisfy longings. Therefore, all brands arecompeting with each other: they are all fighting for consumers’ recognition (or merelyfor their attention). Companies that only orientate themselves towards competitors losesight of their consumers and produce me-too products.

Brands’ dwindling power to defineWith the aid of the mass media, brands used to be able to determine and define theirimage themselves. Today, consumers themselves are increasingly becoming media.The recommendations of friends and acquaintances are more credible than advertisingor editorial content (Nielsen, 2008). Today consumers experience the brands the waythey see them.

Persistence of brand messagesThe Web never forgets. Old claims or logos live on in the Net. Today it is more difficultfor brands to reposition and reinvent themselves.

4. Consequences/Branding


Interactive brand management calls for continuous branding

The democratisation of brandingDefining oneself via relationships means permitting interaction in brand management andturning away from rigid target group concepts. It requires the willingness to grant therelevant consumers more of a say in things. Via interaction, consumers can influence thedevelopment of the campaign and enhance its relevance.

Innovative diversification based on the core competencyBrands that define themselves via relationships are not limited to a single product. A brand’score competency can be identified on the basis of its relationship to customers. This corecompetency provides scope for establishing additional products, relevant innovations andnew sales potentials.

Multidimensional and dynamic brand managementInstead of looking for its own USP, it will be crucial for companies to find out what commonground they share with the relevant consumers. Depending on the consumer and context,the brand can then afford to have very different faces without forfeiting credibility.

What measures does branding have to implement?

...



Reframing: an example based on the old-established Bauknecht brand.The Challenge.

Bauknecht Hausgeräte GmbH is one of the leading German manufacturers of householdappliances. The company develops, produces and markets so-called “white goods”.Bauknecht enjoys brand awareness of 96.4 % in Germany. Due to the changed life situationof its core target group – “women” – Bauknecht is now striving to rejuvenate its brand image.Until now, Bauknecht’s brand values have had a strong product focus.

What does Bauknecht need to do in order to achieve a reframing based onconsumers’ needs?

Reframing reveals a changed competitive environment and permits a new self-understanding in the brand’s approach to consumers.

For a traditional, old-established brand like Bauknecht, that means recognising andfocusing on consumers’ altered life realities.



Reframing: an example based on the old-established Bauknecht brand.The Solution.

Bauknecht in the past, present and future

Up until 2001, Bauknecht’s claim was “Bauknecht knows what women want”.

In 2008, Bauknecht calls on consumers to “Live today”.

The future slogan might be “Bauknecht knows what women achieve”.

Bauknecht could thus become a “future workshop for your life reality”.

Even a traditional brand has to be managed dynamically – and continuouslyadapted in a process of exchange with consumers.

“Rather than talking about the brand core, we ought to talk about the brandseed. The seed puts down roots in the brand’s heritage, but it grows andsprouts flowers and leaves that alter its appearance.”

When it comes to reframing, it’s a question of taking tradition as thestarting point and progressing from there.


LarsLengler-Graiff,Research andPlanning, Ikea

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PR:Listening

4. Consequences/PR


What challenges are facing PR?

Social networks are becoming more important than mass media

The declining influence of mass mediaMass media are losing their dominance as opinion leaders. More than anything else,today’s consumers trust the recommendations of their friends and family. These daysopinion leaders can be found anywhere. The division between Customer Service, thesales department’s CRM and Public Relations is thus losing validity.

Declining trust in companies, brands and mediaConsumers' trust in companies and brands has reached a low point. People initiallydistrust brand communications on principle. The more content and commerce merge,the less credible content in classic media becomes.

The uncontrollability of social networksUnlike mass media, social networks cannot be controlled. It is Swarm Intelligence thatdecides which piece of news is worth spreading and discussing. Word of mouth anddiscussions are faster, more transparent and more emotional.

4. Consequences/PR


Personal media call for personal communication

Establish personal relationshipsIn future, PR will establish and cultivate personal relations with all kinds of opinion leaders.New tools will measure customers' social networking and influence. This is only possible byintegrating PR into the brand's Service Chain Management and will require much closercollaboration with Customer Care.

Learn to listen and integrate feedbackPR is becoming a mediator between the brand and the consumer. This calls for new(automated) tools and competencies that make it possible to listen to and understand theconsumer.

Give relevant answersThe concept of Customer Advocacy is entering Public Relations. PR is becoming theconsumers' advocate. PR communications will become far more selective, targeted andcustomised. Relevant solutions will be worked out with the consumers. This knowledgewill be continuously communicated to and integrated into the company.

What measures does PR have to implement?

...

4. Consequences/PR


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4. Consequences/PR

InsightBenchTM

Listen instead of asking questions

A tool for analysing digitally published opinions


Personal Relations: an example based on employer brand DPWN.The Challenge.

Deutsche Post World Net is one of the world's leading logistics groups. However, as anemployer brand, DPWN still lacks an attractive profile. DPWN’s target group consists ofstudents and university graduates. Both DPWN as a company and employer and thelogistics sector in general have relatively poor standing amongst German and internationalstudents and applicants.DPWN hardly features at all in students’ career discourse. There is a lack of links withcareer portals or other forums.

What does DPWN have to do in order to boost dialogue with its employees andcustomers?

PR can no longer depend on mass messages. Personal relations are based on dialogueand no longer on mass-media monologues.

For an employer brand like DPWN, this means the brand has to directly addresscurrent and potential future employees in the places where they communicate.

4. Consequences/PR


Personal Relations: an example based on employer brand DPWN.The Solution.

Using an international career network made up of employees, DPWN can make thevarious facets of the enterprise and the recognition of each and every individualexperienceable. The core values are:– The variety of possibilities the employer offers– The importance the company attaches to the individual employee/person– The mobility the individual will enjoy (at global level) if he works for this employer.

An attractive employer brand must allow employees to act out their individualidentities. This stimulates dialogue.

“Today brands and companies scream at their customers. As soon as acommunity offers me a real added value, the advantage is totally clear,legitimate and enduring.”

Conducting PR dialogues means listening. Although networks andplatforms are suitable means, they are not a panacea.

4. Consequences/PR

LaraFlemming,EOS Holding

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61


Advertising:Interacting

4. Consequences/Advertising


What challenges does advertising have to overcome?

The end of the Attention Economy

The end of the brand experienceConsumers are increasingly debunking brand promises. Today brand promises have tobe verifiable and personally relevant in everyday life. Consumers expect brands to provethemselves in the many little everyday interactions that occur and support them in theiridentity management rather than illustrating their own brand world.

Countless touchpointsWith the spread of the mobile Internet, any everyday situation is becoming a potentialtouchpoint between brand and consumer. The more direct the encounters become, thegreater the onus on brands to supply direct proof.

The growing importance of regular customersCompanies owe 80 % of their sales to regular customers. On average, however, they lose43 % of their regular customers in just three years.* Advertising focuses too much onwinning over new customers. Consumers’ loyalty is taken as given. But today’s customersare far more willing to change. Cultivating customer relations is becoming the centre ofinterest.

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The consumer’s identity is becoming more important than the brand experience

Advertising becomes serviceIn future, advertising will serve as an invitation to interact. It will increasingly promotepersonally and situationally relevant services. New, response-based price models willestablish themselves. Advertising will become more efficient. New applications for mobileterminals deliver personally and situationally relevant information or entertainment.

Corporate Interaction Design is establishing itselfIndividual communication with customers requires a corporate interaction design. Theinteraction is designed to be as simple, solution-oriented and entertaining for the customeras possible whilst simultaneously speaking the brand’s language.

Accompany consumers throughout the entire life cycleAs consumer orientation grows, after-sales marketing is becoming increasingly important.Brands who are in contact with their customers can come up with made-to-measureofferings for complementary services and products or new purchases. Advertising will bemore strongly linked to customer care, sales and PR.

What measures does advertising have to implement?

..



Interactive advertising: an example based on cult brand MINI.The Challenge.

The MINI launched under the BMW umbrella in 2001 is a new edition of the originalsubcompact English car. With various feature packages and a range of design variants, thenew MINI is sold in 70 countries all over the world. The BMW group gave the “new” MINIbrand an identity all its own, designed to be much younger and more courageous than theBMW brand. The product and brand are positioned as “urban” and modern. The marketingfor the MINI endeavours to be creative and has been treading unaccustomed ground rightfrom the start. MINI also cultivates an active relationship with its customers, with the focuson experiencing the brand.

What does the MINI brand have to do if the role of advertising changes and the salesapproach is increasingly based on dialogue and targeting?It’s no longer a question of being as loud as possible. Advertising has to be an invitation tointeract with the brand. But if everybody wants to communicate via communities, MINI is indanger of becoming mainstream.

MINI practices interaction in communities. But a community is not a question ofchoosing the medium, it’s a feeling – and a brand that wants to establish that feelingwill have to work on its relationships.



Interactive advertising: an example based on cult brand MINI.The Solution.

MINI must continue to develop the mix of classic advertising and 1-1 dialoguemarketing. Active participation in the community must be recognised by rewardingparticularly active MINI brand messengers with special, individual communitybenefits. Recognition is given via differentiation.

Advertising can’t achieve anything without authenticity. The MINI brandvouches for the authenticity of its advertising with its name.

“Transferring the virtual exchange into real life is a must, a challenge.”

The dialogue principle calls for the willingness and ability to interact withconsumers. This allows the cult brand to perform a successful balancingact between affiliation and differentiation.


Christian ThielINFO-Beratungs-GmbH

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67


Conclusion:Identity Management forbrand communications

Branding: Identity instead of ExperiencePR: Listening instead of DictatingAdvertising: Recognition instead of Attention

4. Consequences68


– Advance interviews with and lectures by Norbert Bolz, Richard Florida, Peter Wippermann, David Bosshart, Danny Choo, Dick Hardt, Willem Velthoven, Hartmut Esslinger and Daniel Nissanoff at www.trendbuero.com

– Interviews for the Trendbuero blog with Danah Boyd, Marc Vanderbeeken, Jan Schmidt, Noah Brier, Mario Grobholz, Clemens Weisshaar, Mads Thimmer, www.trendbuero.de/blog

– Muhammad Iqbal The elongating tail of the brand– David Armano Logic + Emotion (http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion)– Deirdre Breakenridge PR 2.0– Hugh McLeod The Hugtrain– Michael Hogan We need a new word for brand

Sources

Appendix


Workshop Participants

Martin vander Hooge,BMZ & more

Appendix

Hagen Fendler,VanBerlo

Jan Moellendorf,defacto kreativ

Klaudia Kruse,BMW

Wolfgang Vollath,BMW

Ingrid Hahn,OMV Solutions

Markus Eckartz,KONTRASTCommunicationServices

SusanneGrützmann, AxelSpringer Verlag

Lara Flemming,KG EOSHolding

Marion Lietke,InterbrandZintzmeyer & Lux

MariannePührerfellner

Ingo Grosch,Leo Burnett



Babette Torno,KaneboCosmeticsGermany

Appendix

Andreas WenzelArtelier & Friends

Chris-RomanoBrecht,SchindlerParent & Cie

JohannThomforde,Hymer AG

Katrin Werling,Initiative Media

Jan-ErikMohrmann,InterbrandZintzmeyer & Lux

Christian Thiel,INFO-Beratungs-GmbH

Gabriela Rieck,Marcie Brand &Image Consulting

RalphHildebrandt,HICOM Berlin

Natalie Möllhoff,Rheingold

Marcus Vogel,ERGOUnternehmens-kommunikation

Rupert Hofmann,Audi



Christina Maagh,Bitburger

Appendix

Hans-JoachimKaropka,Rheingold

Lars Lengler-Graiff, IkeaGermany

René Schwarz,Maxomedia

Petra Sammer,Ketchum

Irina Nalis,Trendbuero

Jörg Jelden,Trendbuero

Dirk Bathen,Trendbuero

Birgit Gebhardt,Trendbuero

PeterWippermann,Trendbuero


Manifesto:– Concept: Jörg Jelden, Dirk Bathen, Birgit Gebhardt– Editorial team: Jörg Jelden, Irina Nalis

Workshop:– Speaker: Prof. Peter Wippermann– Moderation: Birgit Gebhardt– Concept: Birgit Gebhardt, Jörg Jelden– Editorial team: Irina Nalis, Jörg Jelden– Set-up: Irina Nalis, Maria Angerer, Gudrun Schoppe, Sabine Koppe– Documentation: Maria Angerer, Gudrun Schoppe, Sabine Koppe– Assistant: Apolonia Goll

If you have any questions or ideas, please contact:Jörg JeldenTrendbüro – Beratungsunternehmen für gesellschaftlichen Wandel GmbHHohe Brücke 1, 20459 Hamburg,Tel.: +49(0)40-36 97 78-71, Fax: +49-(0)40-36 97 78-10, e-mail: [email protected]

Organisation

Appendix


A communications innovator, Ketchum ranks among the largest global public relationsagencies, operating in more than 50 countries. With five global practices – Brand Marketing,Corporate, Healthcare, Food and Nutrition, and Technology – and specialty areas thatinclude Concentric Communications (experiential marketing, events and meetings),Ketchum Entertainment Marketing, Ketchum Interactive Communications, Ketchum GlobalResearch Network, Ketchum Sports Network, MMG (clinical trial recruitment), StrombergConsulting (change management and workplace communications) and The WashingtonGroup (lobbying and government relations), Ketchum leverages its marketing and corporatecommunications expertise to build brands and reputations for clients.

A unit of Omnicom Group, Ketchum frequently collaborates with other marketing disciplines to deliver optimum, strategic and creative programmingfor its clients. At Ketchum, we´re inspired by the belief that one can use communication to change the world and the way it responds to brands,reputations and ideas. This belief has led to enjoyable and long-standing relationships with our clients, who entrust us with many of the best knownbrands in the world – and with the up-and-comers that will be tomorrow´s top brands. It drives us each day to meet the needs of our clients with alevel of service, insight, creativity and deep industry knowledge that sets Ketchum apart. It has led to a worldwide effort to make a positive impacton our communities and our environment, through pro bono service, volunteer work, mentoring and leadership in industry associations. And itconsistently leads to industry awards and recognition from our peers, including PRWeek´s Agency of the Year award and others from PRWeek,including the 2007 Global Campaign of the Year award and Product Brand Development Campaign of the Year award. Also in the States, the mostSilver Anvils awarded by the Public Relations Society of America. But awards only tell part of the story. What truly makes a difference is our people.Ketchum people aren´t standard PR agency “types.” They are uncommonly curious, smart, and passionate about what they do, and they are thereason for Ketchum´s 80-plus years of success.

KETCHUM – Passion and Precision in Communication

Appendix


Please Contact: Sabine Stadel-Strauch, CEO/PartnerNymphenburgerstr. 86, 80636 Munich, Ph: +49 89 12 44 5-190Email: [email protected], www.ketchum.com

Appendix


Save the date:14. German Trend Day14 May 2009 at Curiohausin Hamburg, Germany

©2008. All rights reserved. The ideas and proposals documented in this presentation are the intellectual property of Trendbüro – Beratungsunternehmen fürgesellschaftlichen Wandel GmbH and are protected by current intellectual property laws. Unauthorised usage, complete or partial reproduction or distribution tothird parties are not permitted.

identity management manifesto

Business

attentionthe

service chain

cult brand

centric identity

corporate

established

employer brand

birgit gebhardt