MARKA 2004

Just like previous conferences, MARKA 2004 also featured numerous surprising and colorful presentations that made our hearts beat faster. Countless important names whose different ideas all initiated change in the branding world, shared their experiences with the participants and helped them acquire brand-new perspectives.

In short, every second at MARKA 2004 was time well-spent for the conference participants

BJ Cunningham
MARKA 2004
Conference moderator

Branding genius, creator of unusual ideas, founder and owner of the Enlightened Tobacco Company. He studied design at Middlesex University. The world got to know him by a maverick idea: His idea to market cigarettes under the brand Death ensured he made headlines frequently in the media and branding world. Thanks to his extraordinary personality, BJ is able to add a lot of himself to the smallest presentation; his sense of humor and energy light up any room. He currently lives in London and acts as the strategic consultant to many brands.

Georgina Goodman
Georgina Goodman Limited / General Manager
Love & Shoes
Being a Small Brand but Thinking Like a Big One

True and powerful branding requires clarity and vision. Ultimately, that means to fall in love. Like the "starting point" of any good story, branding begins by thinking big even if you are small. The future of branding is related more to market depth and dependency, than market width and consciousness. What matters is not to try and close the sale, but help customers make the purchase. True service is more about time and emotion management, than expensive products and unique positioning. Georgina opened a store that actually did not have any true qualities of a store. She developed a product that provided a true service, which gave rise to shoes "made with love." In her presentation, Georgina talked about the strategies they followed, personal experiences, and this exciting journey she has embarked on with husband BJ Cunningham. Over time, this journey enabled Georgina to understand and unify the beautiful and the ugly, fashion and business. Georgina continues on her journey with great love, and showed us that the invisible chasms between sentimental words and rational values no longer exist. And she helped us understand that they are all actually "one," a complementary whole.

It was during the time Georgina Goodman was working at popular magazines like I.D. and Elle that she realized her true desire was to create. This idea led her to study at the Women's Wear / Footwear Department of the Royal College of Art in London. Later, at a store she opened in Mayfair, she began to offer accessories and footwear that reflect her own style. The clarity of her perception and her choice to refrain from exaggerated luxury, won the hearts of her customers and fashion media leaders alike. Her brand is currently on sale at leading stores across the world, and at her award-winning website www.georginagoodman.com .

Bill Gallagher
Brand Consultant - Author
Guerilla Marketing & Branding

At many firms, branding is more than craftily prepared ads. For small companies, branding means your target market chooses you over your competitors. And that is the subject of Guerilla Marketing. Creating a brand is not only about what you do, it is about distinguishing your firm from among others, having numerous potential clients at the same time. Guerilla Branding comprises many activities, including customer services, sales representation, PR and discounts. It requires giving clear and consistent brand messages. Branding is the heart of marketing, and all marketing tools are derived from the identity of the brand. Considered one of the leading authorities on marketing, Gallagher shared with us how "guerrillas" can deal with the challenges of branding in the 21st century in his presentation.

Bill Gallagher has been working as a lecturer and author on sales and marketing since 1983. In 1989, he began working with Jay Conrad Levinson, who is known as a Guerilla Marketing guru. He wrote the book Guerilla Selling, which is used in MBA programs, has been translated into 15 languages, and sold 12,800,000 copies. The author of another volume entitled Guerrilla Business, Gallagher's enlightening views have been featured in prestigious publications such as The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Money, and Time. Bill Gallagher continues to share his experiences with clients that include American Express, Bank of America, Dean Witter Reynolds, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Levi-Strauss, National Association of Realtors, Stanford University, and Tyson Food. He has won awards for excellence in commercial training from Israel, Singapore, Holland, and the US Department of Trade.

Simon Anholt
Consultant - Author
The Branding of Turkey in the "New" Europe

- Why must nations be brands?
- What is the significance of national image and respect management in the 21st century?
- What is the Turkey brand? Who will manage this brand? How was it established? What is its aim?
- Why is the Turkey brand important for exporters?
- What effect does being a producer nation have, or how can "Turkish Made" become a powerful force?
- How do culture, foreign policy, people, places, products, trade, talents, and tourism become brands?
- What is the place of brands and branding as wealth generating tools in New Europe?

With his widely acclaimed presentation entitled "Branding Turkey in New Europe" at MARKA 2004, Simon Anholt gave us brand-new ideas about the processes the Turkey brand must undergo, as discussions of Turkey's accession to the European Union are currently underway. The presentation that embraced current events has not been forgotten.

Simon Anholt is the international leading expert in the theory and implementation of market strategies for nations, cities, and regions. He is the president of Earthspeak, a strategic consulting firm that counts among its client's nations such as Britain, Croatia, and Slovenia, as well as many multinational corporations. Britain's best known international branding and marketing thinker, Anholt established Placebrands in 2003, a firm that offers provides services to nations and regions on brand strategies, and economic, social, and cultural development. He offers different perspectives on the universal dimensions of notable brands in the world. He also acts as a consultant to big brands such as Mars, BBC Worldwide, and DreamWorks on various brand management styles. He is the author of several books entitled Brand New Justice, Another One Bites the Grass, Nation as Brands, Beyond Branding, and Brands and Branding. The journal The Economist described him as "the most effective strategist and consultant for companies that want to take their brands to the global market."

Ted Polhemus
Brand Consultant - Author
Brands as social communication tools
Case study: Diesel

Present-day brands offer added value to the customer through expression of a legendary lifestyle. Brands that are powerful and useful, help consumers brandish their personal identity. Thus, what is actually purchased is what the brand is trying to express. The meaning of the brand is, obviously, its product. Consequently, the brand's message must carefully be re-evaluated and re-designed. In his presentation Ted Polhemus talked about how present-day brands have become a new social communication tool, and examined the case of Diesel, which is touted as one of the best examples of this phenomenon.

Ted Polhemus is a graduate of the Anthropology Department of Temple University. He is known for his work in a variety of fields, such as newspaper journalism, teaching, and photography. In 1981, his images were featured at the Photographer's Gallery in Britain. His photographs are still on exhibition at many leading museums worldwide. A frequent guest at radio and television shows, Ted Polhemus also acts as a consultant to various advertising and marketing agencies. Books he has authored include The Body as a Medium of Expression, Fashion & Anti-Fashion: An Anthropology of Clothing & Adornment, Popstyles, Style Surfing: What to Wear in the 3rd Millennium, and Diesel: World Wide Wear. Polhemus' most recent book is on body art, and is currently working on his latest novel.

Nick Wreden
FusionBrand / General Manager
The age of fusion in brand management

The post-World War II mass economy was the golden age of branding. Corporations used mass media, mass production, and mass marketing methods to create national and international brands. But in the 1990s, new branding challenges were born from the power of the consumer, the dominance of retail, and the Internet. According to McKinsey & Co., brand failure due to inability to adapt to this new environment went as high as 95 percent. We are presently at the edge of a new era in branding: Demand economy. Customization and closeness are primary brand requirements for this type of economy. Demand economy dictates that conventional marketing tools still in use should be dropped in favor of methods that can measure and calculate brands. It is also necessary to review mass economy concepts such as "brand value" and "positioning." In time, the Internet advertising network will replace one-to-one marketing. Brand managers must understand financial metrics extremely well, know the capacity of supply chains, and have good command of technologies such as PRP, RFID, web services and PRM. Corporations must learn to adapt to these changes. Otherwise, they will inevitably drown amidst them. Nick Wreden brought a new perspective to branding, and argues against getting stuck in the past and instead, focusing on the future; with his presentation at MARKA 2004 he shared with the participants the basic principles of FusionBranding, which is blowing winds of change in the branding world.

Nick Wreden, MA, MS, is the General Manager of FusionBranding, a company whose expertise lies in customer loyalty. He is also the author of FusionBranding: How to Forge Your Brand for the Future. He has worked for many firms, including Nick Cisco, IBM, BellSouth, and Hitachi. Lately, he has attended the Professional Pricing Society, Fast Company, Design Management Institute (Canada), MATRADE (Malaysia), Confex (Norway), and Northeast China Economic Development Forum as keynote speaker. His work has been featured in publications of the Harvard Business Press. He has also been the subject of many publications on brands and technology.

Shaun Smith
shaunsmith+co - Consultant
Ten ways to make your brand flop

Many companies talk about brand experience. They enter the market with expensive ad campaigns planned to make a huge impact; invest heavily in CRM, research, and customer service training; and boast about their new, customer-focused cultures and policies to increase customer satisfaction. Then why do they still lose customers and experience losses in income? At his MARKA 2004 presentation, Smith talked about the 10 most basic reasons for failure in the brand experience offered to the customer. His presentation at the 2003 MARKA Conference had been very well-received, and this time he shared with the participants how to keep brands away from such traps.

Due to his 15 years of experience and know-how, Shaun Smith is considered an authority on brand consultancy in Europe, especially the UK. He is the former vice president of the firm Forum, and provides brand consulting services to numerous international companies. Smith is also the author of two best-selling books on management. While Uncommon Practice, published jointly with Interbrand examines companies that enjoy extraordinary success in relation to the customer experience, his second book Managing the Customer Experience helps corporate leaders maintain their competitive edge. Smith provides customer experience consultancy through his firm shaunsmith+co, and is one of the leading representatives of the school of thought that argues corporations need to think in simple and clear terms. Famous for his pragmatic, net, and unconventional perspective, Smith had made great contributions to brands such as Virgin, British Airways, and Banyan Tree Hotels develop branded customer experiences.

Sophie Romet
Dragon Rouge / General Manager
Ways to get the new European woman choose your brand

For over 30 years now, women have enjoyed increasing power in society. Nowadays, women no longer "masculinize" themselves to be successful in economic and social life; instead, they bring their feminine qualities to the fore. The harder they work, the more they care for themselves. The 21st century is witnessing the changes whereby women are now both independent, and feminine... But do brands know how to communicate with women in the light of these new realities? These days, brands have to go beyond standard communication methods and come up with better design-based methods to communicate with women of the 21st century. Sophie Romet is the general manager of Dragon Rouge, the world-renowned brand consulting company based in France with offices in Europe and the United States; her presentation at MARKA 2004 helped brands better understand 21st-century women. The enjoyable journey through women's colorful and mysterious world was an unforgettable experience for all the participants.

Sophie Romet worked as the Sales and Marketing Director at Shining Strategic Design Barcelona. During this time, she also had the opportunity to develop her experiences as a customer at L'Oréal and Procter & Gamble. She has been working at Dragon Rouge, the leading design consultancy firm in Europe since 1992, where she is currently the General Manager. Dragon Rouge is well-known especially in Europe for the conferences and brand research studies it organizes. Romet has worked for numerous international and local brands, including Unilever, Henkel, Nestlé, Lu (Danone), and Kraft Foods. She also established and developed Dragon Rouge's international network of agencies (in Hamburg, London, New York, and Warsaw).

Mert Tünay
Jingle/Mingle/Producer
Good Music Stops Zapping

You need effective advertising to create and maintain a powerful brand. Since we do not have the opportunity to enable the consumer to taste the tomato soup, smell the cologne, or feel the "smooth texture" of a hygienic pad, we have only one sensory alternative to be able to make the impression we want to make on our "target audience." Advertising jingles are very frequently used as one of the most important advertising weapons to create "brands" and boost "brand value." What are the phases of advertising jingle production? How is correct information reflected through creativity? What are the intricacies of creating an effective ad jingle? Do good jingles have anything in common? Where should music—which can strike a chord in the hearts of consumers when used correctly—stand in relation to the "ad" and the "brand"? How can a jingle "make" or "break" a brand? Mert Tunay, winner of all possible awards in the "Best Jingle" category at the 16th Crystal Apple Awards in 2004, talked about the secret love affair between "brand" and "music" in his friendly and entertaining presentation.

Mert Tunay is the founder and producer of the music production house "Jingle Mingle." He graduated from the Chemistry Department of Middle Eastern Technical University. He then completed his master's degree in "Sound Engineering" at Istanbul Technical University's Center of Advanced Music Studies (MIAM). A number of his interviews and articles on music were published in magazines such as Max and Time Out. He appeared on the albums of countless famous pop and rock artists, with his music, lyrics, and arrangements. From 1999 to 2003, he created ad jingles at jingle production companies, and working freelance. In 2000, he won the "Special Jury Award" at "Roxy Music Days," a notable contest in the music industry. In 2003, he founded "Jingle Mingle," a music production company. In 2004 he was invited to speak at the "Advertising Summer School" organized by the Advertising Foundation, on "Ad Jingles." Currently, he continues to create jingles for leading advertising agencies, film production companies and brands in Turkey.

Rasshied Din
Din Associates / Founder, Designer
Retail branding through design

Presently, the power and impact of design on retail brands is growing by the day. From product design to store decoration, product displays to window dressing, design is increasingly controlling all the dynamics of retail. We learned about the secrets of uniting retail brands with the right designs, and achieving success from Rasshied Din, one of the leading authorities in the world on retail design. While Din touched upon the latest developments and trends in his presentation, he also shed light on the future with vivid case studies.

Rasshied Din is an authority and consultant on retail design. He is the general manager of Din Associates, an interior decoration and design consulting firm established in 1986. Din Associates has developed numerous award-winning projects. The firm offers services in myriad areas, including restaurants, offices, theaters, museums, and exhibition design. Some of the brands the firm has worked with include Next, Selfridges, French Connection, Polo Ralph Lauren, Harrods, the National Gallery, and the Victoria & Albert Museum. Throughout his career Rasshied has been invited to appear on numerous TV programs, his articles published in noteworthy newspapers. In 1990, he won the "Young Businessperson of the Year Award" from Harvey Nichols / Observer Magazine. He is a sought out speaker at design and retail conferences. His book New Retail, published in 2000 by Conran Octopus, became a bestseller and is considered a resource guide in the world of retail.

Ali Taran
Ali Taran Creative Workshop
Does the ad beget the brand, or vice versa?

True advertising stories that express "full surrender" between ad agency and contractor. The art of being able to say, not like that; like this. Always having a wealth of better ideas. The professionalism to step outside your identity and personality, and create. The filmed advertisement show that tells the story of watching, observing, perceiving, and accepting society.

Ali Taran was born in 1952 in Kepirtepe, Luleburgaz. He is one of the two sons born to Bedia Taran and Selahattin Taran. He dropped out of the Department of Architecture at the State Academy of Fine Arts. He began to work in advertising in 1970. He worked as copy writer and "creative dictator" at numerous agencies (Goreme Reklam, Taran Reklam, Erta Reklam, Tivi Reklam, Delta Ajans, Ajans Ada, Cenajans, Link Ajans, Pars McCann, Birlesik Reklamcilar, Merkez Ajans and Ali Taran Creative Workshop). He is fluent in Turkish, and "so-so" in English. His daughter Burcak is 31, and his son Kuzey is 14-years-old. His wife Selma is a ceramics artist.

Peter Walshe
Millward Brown / Global Customer Services Director
PR impact on brand

Is advertising the only powerful way for brands to express themselves? What power and impact does PR have on brand communication? Is advertising more important than PR? Presently, the means for brands to express and establish themselves is contingent upon using all channels of communication correctly. Where consumers encounter the brand is important. The conveyed messages must be consistent. The visual materials used in advertising, and the various aspects of PR must be a unified whole. In his presentation at the MARKA 2004 Conference, Peter Walshe used examples from BrandZ, the branding work he was project director of, to talk about the power PR has on the brand, and how all of the communication channels used were a part of the whole. At the end of Peter Walshe's presentation, we had the chance to see the positive impact parts working in harmony have on the whole.

Peter Walshe has been a manager at Millward Brown for the past 16 years. He is project manager of BrandZ, WPP's global brand equity database that includes over 27,000 brands. Walshe won the WPP Atticus Award for his latest work that measures the impact of PR. A trained actor who actually did some acting at one point in his life, Peter's command of the stage added extra flavor to his communication and presentation skills in the field of research. A good mountain-bike rider, Walshe is a frequently sought out conference speaker.

Okan Bayülgen
Actor
Being the "bad boy" on TV and becoming a brand

We know him as the wild and "bad" boy of television. First on radio, then in movies, then television—we have grown used to seeing him everywhere. And we liked him, too... At MARKA 2004 we had the opportunity to see a completely different side to him. Okan Bayulgen shared the secrets of how he became a brand by being a "bad boy" and the story of the revolutionary TV brand ZAGA with the participants of MARKA 2004. Television kid, night bird, the "Zaga guy"—Bayulgen's energetic and idiosyncratic style livened up his presentation, and ultimately the conference.

Okan Bayulgen went to Galatasaray High School after primary school. He also studied at Bodrum High School. He graduated from Sisli High School. He then went to France and began studying law at the School of Law and Economic Sciences at Tours University. Later, he decided to study economics. He never completed his studies. He returned to Turkey and won a place at the Conservatory of Mimar Sinan University; after graduating from the State Conservatory, he went on to complete a master's degree in Social Sciences at the same university. From 1989 to 1994, Bayulgen was the youngest director to direct plays at the State Theater. Bayulgen was appointed to the Trabzon State Theater in 1993, upon which he resigned from the State Theater and entered the world of radio at Kent FM, followed by the period of television programs and acting in movies. He currently takes part in television series and his show ZAGA; he is a television star and his fame grows by the day.

Eren Talu
Designer
Designing not spaces but life

Is the concept we call design only the meeting of creativity and technique? How can the relationship between designing spaces and real life be established? Which factors influence the process whereby the architects transform their skills at reading life into design? Does the customer support or hinder the branding of architectural designs? Examples from across the world, experiences from when the Hillside SU and EvTurkbuku projects came to life... Transforming design into a tool that adds meaning, motion, color and emotion to life, and becoming an expert brand...

Eren Talu was born in 1960 in Istanbul. After graduating from Galatasaray High School, he completed his studies at the Mimar Sinan University's Fine Arts Academy. He established his own firm in 1983. He designed numerous banks, restaurants and homes. Hillside SU made the cover of Architectural Digest and Interior Design. It was chosen the 33rd best hotel in the world by Condé Nast Traveler. Talu likes white, big projects, and enjoying life. His dislikes include using a computer and working between 12.00 and 3.00 PM. He is married to Turkey's well-liked news anchor Defne Samyeli Talu; they have two daughters named Deren and Derin.

Mehmet Ali Birand
Journalist - Television Personality
The MARKA 2004 Panel...

Mehmet Ali Birand and guests discussed the question "How can the Turkey brand be marketed during the European Union process?" at the MARKA 2004 platform on the CNN TURK Panel.

Guests:
Nurettin Kantarelli - Mavi Jeans / General Manager
Selahattin Karaibrahimgil - The Ministry of Culture and Tourism / Promotion General Manager
Sertab Erener - Artist
Simon Anholt - Consultant

Simon Anholt & BJ Cunningham
Brief notes from MARKA 2004...

During the session on the second day of the conference, BJ Cunningham and Simon Anholt evaluated this year's topics and reviewed the important points that had been raised.

MARKA 2004 Quiz

A chance to test your knowledge during the conference...

The MARKA 2004 Quiz contestants had fun while testing their knowledge about brands. The contest was open to all MARKA 2004 participants, and its rules were very simple: The MARKA 2004 folder provided during registration included the contest questions prepared by internationally renowned brand research company Millward Brown; all contestants had to do was to call the given telephone number, any time they wanted to, during that day.
PhonoClick, creator of "the first "Voice Interaction Platform" in Turkey, implemented the technical infrastructure of the contest. Three contestants of the MARKA 2004 Quiz that provided the most correct answers in the shortest time won, on the same day, a shopping voucher worth 2,000 TRY from STEP, the innovative decoration brand that redefined carpet purchases.

The MARKA 2004 Salsa Party

The Cuban group Grupo Rikacha and its founder Jose Carrasco, together with Cuban dancers in special costumes put on a 10-person performance that made the MARKA 2004 Salsa Party an unforgettable evening.

The MARKA 2004 Award

The theme of 2004 is the Brand that Changed Our Way of Life!

The award went to a brand that consciously worked to become a brand from the day of its inception, struggled to become a strong brand, achieved that goal, and changed our lives with its existence. On Friday 3 December, the "Brand that Changed Our Way of Life" award was presented to Turkcell at a ceremony organized at the MARKA 2004 stage. Turkcell General Manager Mr. Muzaffer Akpinar received the award on behalf of the firm.