Allegro 234 - VI Annual Meeting

WOW 2.0!

Why and how to create a brand experience in Web 2.0

Madrid | 29.09.09 | Hotel Orfila

Barcelona | 30.09.09 | Hotel Claris

Under the name of WOW 2.0! [Why + How = WOW!], Allegro 234 will hold its sixth annual meeting in Madrid and Barcelona on the 29th and 30th, September 2009.

During the event, we will address qestions such as:

• Waht does it mean to create a relevant and unique brand experience in the online world?
• What does Web 2.0 mean for your business? What is it good for?
• What are the differences between a corporate blog from a social network?
• What is important and why?
• What do you obtain?
• Why now?

Presentations

There will be two presentations, which will be headed by Alberto Barreiro, founding partner of Webjam Ltd [London, United Kingdom] and Cristián Saracco, Founding Partner of Allegro 234 [Madrid-Buenos Aires]

Activity is the new Content by Alberto Barreiro

We're seeing a paradigm shift that affects the way they are constructed online identities (individuals, businesses, organizations).

The centralized directional communication is being replaced by a collage of presences that are dynamically created by multi-directional interaction between people.

In this new context, talking about brands or individuals is indifferent, the daily identity is constructed through experiences.

This "connected and shared experience" consists of a universe of conversations, faces, connections, events that occur around the brand (not necessarily through it) and which define a liquid and changing identity.

The identity is expressed by the "activity" that occurs around the brand. The content has been replaced by the conversation.

Social networks exemplify this paradigm shift. The centerpiece of Facebook, Twitter and Webjam is activity. Web information has been replaced by the creation of contexts of conversation among individuals in the community.

In Webjam we try to provide to brands, and through them to their users, an interactive environment that allows them, in an easy way, to generate the activity levels required for the collective construction of their identities.

The dialogue makes the experience unique by Cristián Saracco

With the emergence of social networking, blogging, micro-blogs and what is to come, the rules have changed and will continue changing.

On one hand, it is not what I say to them about me, but what they say about me, and secondly, the ability to establish dialogue with and among the audiences I address.

A unique, relevant and enduring brand experience is generated when people recognize the value, usefulness, availability, disponibility and service I offer, and this recognition is based on dialogues from and between that people, independently if they are internal or external audiences and who is generating the conversation.

Somehow we are back to behaviours prior to the industrial age where what someone, that I trusted, told me was what counted. Of course now, thanks to new technologies, this happens in the global village.

It creates risks and opportunities. More competitors, even offshored, more and better informed audience, infinity of points of contact ... And also, more people interested, they can talk and "prescribe" what I offer, and want to live and share that experience.

And this is it, it's to understand these new dynamics and prepare ourselves for new challenges. This is to observe, anticipate and execute in innovative ways to be unique ... Talking!

At Allegro 234 We are a creative team of consultants specialized in strategic marketing and branding. We can help you to increase revenues and create sustained value, combining creativity, innovation and thoroughness. We have a purpose: " To make things happen."

Place, dates and times

Place

In Madrid

The meeting will be on 29.09.2009 at Hotel Orfila – Orfila, 6

In Barcelona

The meeting will be on 30.09.2009 at Hotel Claris – Pau Claris, 150

In both cases the event will have the same schedule

• 09:15 Accreditation
• 09:30 Activity is the new conte
• 11:00 Break
• 11:15 The dialogue makes the experience unique
• 12:45 Q&A

Important | No costs & RSVP

• Or Allegro 234: +34 91 411 4030
• Or E-Mail to roberta[at]allegro234.net

First Coffee 234 | The day after

Finally, on March 12th, the Coffee 234 took place in four different cities: Madrid (Spain), Bahía Blanca and Tucumán (Argentina), Barranquilla (Colombia). Thank you very much to the hosts in each city... Lourdes, Lupa, Roberta, Bruno and myself.

We were more than 30 people: Roberta, Irene, José Antonio, Mike, Nacho, Juanma, Damian, Any, Pau, Agus, Lupa, Michael, Carolina, Eilyn, Franklin, Natalia, Juan Carlos, Liliana, Lourdes... People with different backgrounds as polititians, executives, company owners, students, psychologists, reporters, sociologists... people from communication, branding and marketing...And the list continues...

The main results (probably, the ones who participated will post more details):

Similarities

Most of the conclussions of this first Coffee 234 are shared beyond boundaries, instead that the point of views and/or approaches to the topics were different.

In Spain the focus was on branding, in Colombia on Advertising, and in Argentina on communication and consumers.

Main results can be summarized as follows:

• Dialogue: No matter where you live, the idea is that we don't want excesses in one direction communication... we want to dialogue. Employees with their companies,customers with companies, people with other people (peers)... In this dialogue, the keys are honesty, effectiveness, confidence
• Boldness: Most of the companies (specifically the big ones) are paralysed. It looks like the ones that will win the game and have a stronger position after the crisis are going to be those companies that with effectiveness, speed and a challenging behaviour are doing something (including business model changes), and in certain cases with a doses of agresivity. Bold business that recognized what is going on around them could be the new paradigm
  • In Spain the exception discussed was Telefónica and its decision about changing its brands and consolidating the business around two of them: Movistar and O2
  • In Argentina it was stressed what Telefónica is doing (well) with Speedy, its ADSL service
  • In Colombia it was said that few companies are moving in this direction (as well as establishing a dialogue), but basically because, they are not suffering (yet) the effects of this crisis as in other countries (industry structure based on small/mid size local companies) and people are "anesthetized" and do not react proactively
• Filtering: Part of the collective madness is due to excesses of the media and people who seem to wish a disaster that gives them the opportunity of saying that they were right. Part of the crisis looks as a psycho-crisis
• Care of the brand experience: This meant anticipation, opportunity, conscience. Companies should continue building their brand experiences (considering what it was said above). It takes a long time to build something especial, unique and different... and seconds to destroy it (e.g.: price wars, low quality, changes in raw materials...)

Differences

Latin America has a clear advantage (unfortunatelly) based on the ability of people to live in "permanent state of crisis". What we could learn from this is that the solution recides in each of us, that the world doesn't stop, that "Daddy" (Government, companies, Obama, UE...) is not going to come with a magical solution.

In Spain, one of the issues that arose during conversation is the pressure of DOBs' (distribution owned brands) against branded goods and the lack of ability of certain companies to deal with this situation.

Also in Colombia, they suggested to organize these events more frequently... and other things related with the dynamics of the meeting , that I believe could be solved directly by Lourdes (the host there)... Any suggestion?

Next Coffee 234 will be in June (probably first/second week)... We hope that more people and cities join us!... In the waiting list are Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Brighton, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Jerusalem, London, Los Angeles, Mumbay, New York, San Francisco, Toronto...

They only need a host... Would you like? The host must only propose the place, the day and time, and takes some notes, photos, videos (what they really want)... That's it!

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El Primer Coffee 234 | “El día después”

Finalmente, el 12 de marzo, se llevó a cabo el primer Coffee 234 en cuatro ciudades diferentes: Madrid (España), Bahía Blanca y Buenos Aires (Argentina), Barranquilla (Colombia). Muchas gracias a los anfitriones en cada ciudad... Lourdes, Lupa, Roberta, Bruno y yo.

Fuimos más de 30 personas: Roberta, Irene, José Antonio, Miguel, Nacho, Juanma, Damian, Any, Pau, Agus, Lupa, Michael, Carolina, Eilyn, Franklin, Natalia, Juan Carlos, Liliana, Lourdes... Personas de diferentes áreas y con intereses diversos: políticos, ejecutivos, empresarios, estudiantes, psicólogos, periodistas, sociólogos... personas de la comunicación, branding y marketing... Y la lista sigue...

Los principales resultados (probablemente, los que participaron darán más detalles):

Similitudes

La mayor parte de las conclusiones de este primer Coffee 234 son compartidas más allá de fronteras, incluso considerando que el punto de vista y/o el enfoque de los temas fue diferente en cada lugar.

En España, la atención se centró en la marca, en Colombia la publicidad, en la Argentina la comunicación y los consumidores.

Los resultados principales pueden resumirse en:

• Diálogo: No importa dónde vivamos, la idea es que no queremos excesos de comunicación unidireccional... queremos diálogo. Empleados con sus empresas, clientes con las empresas, personas con otras personas (pares)... En este diálogo, las claves son la honestidad, la efectividad (conducente), la confianza
• La audacia: la mayoría de las empresas (especialmente las grandes) están paralizadas. Parece que los que ganarán el juego y tendrán una posición más fuerte después de la crisis serán aquellas empresas que, con eficacia, rapidez y un comportamiento desafiante están haciendo algo (incluyendo cambios en sus modelos de negocio), y en algunos casos incluso con cierta dosis de agresividad. Empresas que con audacia y sin dejar de reconocer lo que está sucediendo alrededor de ellas podrían convertirse en un nuevo paradigma
  • En España, la excepción que se debatió fue Telefónica y su decisión sobre el cambio de sus marcas y la consolidación de los negocios en torno a dos de ellas: Movistar y O2
  • En Argentina se hizo hincapié en lo que Telefónica está haciendo (bien) con Speedy, su servicio ADSL
  • En Colombia se dice que algunas empresas se están moviendo en esa dirección (incluso establecimiento un diálogo), sin embargo se reconoce que no sufren (aún) los efectos de esta crisis como en otros países (la estructura de la industria está basada en empresas locales pequeñas y medianas) y, por otra parte, la gente parecería estar "anestesiada" y no reacciona de manera proactiva
• Filtrado: Parte de la locura colectiva se debe a los excesos de los medios de comunicación y personas que parecen desear un desastre para así tener la oportunidad de decir que tenían razón. Parte de la crisis se ve como una psico-crisis
• Cuidado de la experiencia de marca: Esto significa previsión, oportunidad, conciencia. Las empresas deben seguir construyendo sus experiencias de marca (considerando lo que se dijo más arriba). Se tarda mucho tiempo en construir algo especial, único y diferente... y sólo segundos para destruirla (por ejemplo: guerras de precios, baja calidad, cambios en las materias primas...)

Diferencias

América Latina tiene una ventaja clara (desgraciadamente) sobre la base de la capacidad de las personas a vivir en "permanente estado de crisis". Lo que podríamos aprender de esto es que la solución reside en cada uno de nosotros, que el mundo no se detiene, de que "Papi" (Gobierno, empresas, Obama, UE...) no va a venir con una solución mágica.

En España, uno de los temas que surgieron durante la conversación es la presión de DOBs' (marcas de la distribución, o mal conocidas como marcas blancas) en contra de artículos de marca, y la falta de capacidad de algunas empresas para hacer frente a esta situación.

También en Colombia, se propuso organizar estos eventos más a menudo... y otros aspectos relacionados con la dinámica de la reunión, que creo que podrán ser resueltos directamente por Lourdes (la anfitriona allá)... Sugerencias?

El siguiente Coffee 234 será en junio (probablemente en la primera/segunda semana) ... Esperamos que un mayor número de personas y ciudades se unan a nosotros ... En la lista de espera están Amsterdam, Atenas, Barcelona, Brighton, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Jerusalén, Londres, Los Ángeles, Mumbay, Nueva York, San Francisco, Toronto...

Solo necesitan un anfitrión ... ¿Te gustaría? El anfitrión debe únicamente proponer lugar, día y hora, y tomar algunas notas, fotos, videos (lo que desee)... Eso es todo!