Building Emakination Olivier De Doncker Communication Manager Journée de l’innovation sociale...
Transcript of Building Emakination Olivier De Doncker Communication Manager Journée de l’innovation sociale...
Building Emakination
Olivier De DonckerCommunication Manager
Journée de l’innovation sociale25th October
Journée de l’Innovation Sociale – 25/10/07
Emakina in a nutshell
Founded in 2001 as the merger of 3 companies
Full Service Interactive Agency
Four main areas of activity: information websites, e-commerce websites,
interactive marketing, strategic consultancy
Largest interactive agency in Belgium with 150+ employees
Main clients: Proximus, Fortis, Brussels Airlines, Center Parcs, Wrangler…
Since July 2006, listed on Alternext, an Euronext segment for fast-growing
SMEs
Journée de l’Innovation Sociale – 25/10/07
Forget the Internet Bubble
Interactive agencies market is consolidating at lightspeed
From a SMEs market made of local actors towards a European market
dominated by 5-6 major players
Example: Duke (FR) acquired by Razorfish (US) > acquired by aQuantive (US)
> acquired by Microsoft
Eat the others or get eaten by the competition (“get big, get nest or get out”)
Journée de l’Innovation Sociale – 25/10/07
Five acquisitions in 15 months
April 2006
B. On The Net (5 people, Brussels) January 2007
Design is Dead (8 people, Antwerp) April 2007
SunTzu (17 people, Rotterdam) May 2007
groupe Reflect (25 people, Paris and Limoges) June 2007
The Reference (40 people, Ghent)
Journée de l’Innovation Sociale – 25/10/07
The strategy
Building a European network with Brussels as center Aggregating new competences around a core business Reaching a critical mass to get bigger, more ambitious projects End goal: joining the European top 5 of interactive agencies within 5 years
Journée de l’Innovation Sociale – 25/10/07
Challenges at the HR level
Preserving the culture of each acquired agency Respecting the employees as individuals (avoiding the “Hello, Mr. 9323”
syndrome) Creating a common creative and business culture throughout the network Encouraging the exchange of best practices between 200 people
→ Articulating local and global to maximize the network effect (“1 + 5 = 10”)
Journée de l’Innovation Sociale – 25/10/07
Creating the dynamics
Each agency keeps its name and its identity Words matter (especially with the French ;-)) “Emakina Group acquires company X” → “company X joins Emakina Group” “restructuring” → “alliance”, “optimization” Always explain the reasons behind the operation and the benefit for the
company you acquire (career and business opportunities) Core message: we need everybody to achieve the next objectives
Journée de l’Innovation Sociale – 25/10/07
Emakina Group Day
10th August in Brussels (Flagey) First gathering of all the agencies in real life Introducing each agency (PPT presentation) Film shot in the offices Party at Emakina Core messages:
* Our European network is now a reality
* We need you to develop it
* We’re alike ! We have the same corporate culture
Journée de l’Innovation Sociale – 25/10/07
A common link: EMAKINATION
Emakination = Emakina + Imagination + Nation A common state of mind that distinguishes Emakina Group people from the
rest of the world A common sense, taste for creativity, technology, web culture… A few core values:
* “best ideas rule”
* “we hate meetings”
* “it’s not a work, it’s a passion”
* “we love change