With its energy, full up content, unique speakers and performances, the 8th grand MARKA Conference conduced an extraordinary meeting. Participants of MARKA experienced the most motivating, the most inciting and the most entertaining conference during the two-day intellectual marathon!
BJ Cunningham
Conference Moderator, Creator and owner of Enlightened Tobacco, Death Cigarettes and Georgina Goodman
A conference without him would just not be!
Having acted as a moderator in all MARKA conferences for the past 8 years, this year he was even more energized and excited then ever. Provocative comments, unique flair and dry wit were just a few of the traits that made him so interesting to listen to. "The conference, with all its spirit and excitement, gives me an energy bout that lasts all year. I would never miss that!" he said for MARKA 2007.
Kenneth Cole
Kenneth Cole Productions-CEO
American Foundation for AIDS Research-Chairman of the Board
Social Responsibility of Brands
An intelligent and witty New Yorker, an incurable workaholic and a humanitarian... With his perseverance, his instincts and his spirit, Kenneth Cole has not only created a retail empire and a legendary brand, but also carved himself a strong place by leading various projects about AIDS and the homeless. During MARKA 2007, he talked about the social responsibility of brands and the essentials behind managing brands via creative drives.
Lara Fabian
Musician
An International Superstar at MARKA 2007
Sections from a life that will inspire brands: An on-the-stage interview, accompanied by music
She was admitted to one of world’s most prestigious music academies, Brussels Royal Academy of Music (Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles) at the age of 8. Her French-language albums earned her a place among the best-selling singers in Europe. Having sold 10 million albums worldwide, she captured the hearts of millions from many different cultures with her excellent command in Italian, French and English as well as the universal language of the art of music.
She has also maintained a successful place in business world with her production company.
The on-the-stage interview, which was moderated by the successful moderator of MARKA conferences, BJ Cunningham, gave the audience the chance to learn more about the famous star.
Petteri Kilpinen
TBWA/PHS Helsinki- CEO
Marketing World of the Future
Managing businesses successfully is a hard task. Competing for the best talents and new clients is even harder. Today employees simply quit their jobs when they think what they do as a job lacks a purpose or if they believe the company they work for is not inspiring enough. Similarly consumers do not relate to or are willing to buy those brands of which they do not feel the identity, cause and stand. Is your business ready to compete in today’s brand-driven world? Are you an average business just like the others or an inspiring target for the modern employee? Petteri Kilpinen, the legendary advertising guru and the CEO of TBWA/PHS in Finland answered to these questions at MARKA 2007.
Zeynep Yalım Uzun
Unilever – Vice President of Home and Personal Care Marketing and Member of the Board
With the Participation of Ogilvy & Mather Planning Partner, Hilary Woods
Challenging Beauty Stereotypes! Dove Real Beauty Campaign
Don’t you agree there is a problem when 3 minutes spent looking at a fashion magazine cause 75% of women to feel depressed, guilty and ashamed?
Dove Real Beauty Campaign debunks the myths about the definition of beauty and invites society to redefine beauty beyond stereotypes.
Participants of MARKA 2007 embraced a wider, more refreshing view about beauty in this brand journey that Dove initiates to help women feel beautiful every day.
Robert Friedman
Fortune Magazine- International Editor
The Future of Print Media Brands
Friedman has been a writer and editor for more than 30 years at prestigious newspapers and magazines, including the Wall Street Journal, the Village Voice, and Life magazine. He has also taught at the Columbia Journalism School. As the international editor of Fortune for the past seven years, he supervises the magazine’s foreign coverage and oversees its two international editions and two foreign-language licensed editions. At MARKA 2007, he talked about the 78-year-old Fortune brand and how it and other print media brands are adapting to the rise of visual and digital media.
Lama Shenpen Rinpoche
Euro Buddhist Monk- Founder of the Dharmaling Foundation
Founder of the Buddhist Congregation Dharmaling
The Nature of the Mind
Names, labels and conceptions are integral parts of the world we live in, enclosing our mind a preconceived schemes of thoughts. It is only when we free our mind of its constraints that we can begin a new journey. Born and raised in France, Lama Shenphen Rinpoche chose to become a Buddhist at the age of 16, and is today among the most distinguished Euro Buddhist Lama. He is currently a practicing Buddhist Lama in Slovenia, Abbot of the largest Buddhist Congregation of the country, and held a lecture and a short meditation session at MARKA 2007. Concepts such as relativity, perception, consciousness, contemplation and happiness were examined through a Buddhist viewpoint, and how philosophy can generate innovative paradigms for brands were explained. A journey of spiritual well being led by a young Buddhist Lama was an experience no one would want to miss.
Jamey Kirby
Redux – Founder and Principal Shareholder
Cocaine: Energy Drink
In 2006 an energy drink launched under the name "Cocaine" became very popular among young consumers. Right from the start it was obvious that Cocaine was not meant to be an ordinary drink, but things turned out to be much more "adventurous" than expected. Earning skyrocketing brand recognition thanks to its controversial name, Cocaine has soon become one of the most popular drinks in the market – until it was found to be not conforming to related legal regulations and was removed from market shelves. Leveraging on all these disputes, however, the Cocaine management created a new brand called "No name". The participants of MARKA 2007 got the chance to listen to the exciting story of this brand from its creator and owner, Jamey Kirby.
Ömer Madra
Açık Radyo- Co-founder, Editor-in-Chief, Academic, Opinion Leader
Manifesto for brands
Extraordinary, democratic, free and independent...
Consequently, principled and coherent.
There is a significant brand in Turkey that consistently adheres to these values: Açık Radyo (Open Radio). A co-founder and the editor-in-chief of Açık Radyo, which has recently celebrated its 12th anniversary, Ömer Madra will be looking at brands from a critical point of view. In today's world where private interests can take priority over the interests of humanity and even the future of our planet, he maintains his responsible stand against brands and does not compromise his integrity, values and vision.
Barbara Kennington
Trend Setter
WGSN - Creative Director
2008/09 trend report for the brands
Always a favorite at fashion tradeshows, Barbara Kennington can easily be considered one of the most influential women in the world! Fashion editors say that prominent designers such as Georgio Armani, Michael Kors and Calvin Klein stop and start to take note when she starts speaking. She publishes trend analysis reports that practically shape the global fashion and design industry, while acting as the creative director at WSGN, a trend analysis and news company which she describes as the global industry standard for fashion trends analysis. Globally known as a design director, trend forecaster and as a genius for product development, Kennington presented her latest trend analysis and forecasts as well as the innovative conceptual developments to affect the brands at MARKA 2007.
Cenk Serdar
Turkcell – Chief Officer of Value Added Services
X degrees of digital marketing: Close Communication in a changing world
The world is changing at a dazzling pace and everything that is critical for a brand – i.e. personal needs, accessibility of information, speed of consumption, type of communication – is an unstoppable part of this change. Internet, mobility and computers not only foster change, but also reshape the communication between the brand and the consumer. What was once called alternative or new media is neither alternative, nor new anymore. New tools such as social networks, self-expression, interactivity and WOM, that enables the consumer to feel like they are a part of something big, have become essential elements of communication for the brands. Which brings us to the ultimate question: what are the critical success factors required to create and survive as a brand in this new world? He answered this question in "X" degrees of marketing at MARKA 2007!
Tony Majakas
Technogym – Director of Business Development
Brands and "wellness"
The rising trend of wellness is an effective starting point for contemporary brands as well as the urban dwellers who are leading stressful lives in cities. Wellness as a life style has become an essential element of communication for such brands as Giorgio Armani, Philippe Starck, Formula 1, Mercedes Benz, Prada and BMW. Having combined the concepts of healthy living, comfort and well being with design and technology, the pioneer of wellness, Technogym spreads this concept through cooperating with other brands. At MARKA 2007, Technogym’s Director of Business Development, Tony Majakas presented how businesses and brands approach wellness and how this concept contributes to brand communication as well as brand power.
Nigel Hollis
Market Research thought leader
Millward Brown – Vice Preside4nt and Chief Global Analyst
What makes an iconic brand iconic?
With his 27-year experience in marketing communication as well as brand creation and development, Nigel Hollis is among the leading experts in marketing forums today. As the vice president and chief global analyst at Millward Brown, one of the most significant brand research and consulting companies in the world, Hollis talked about the strategies employed by iconic brands in order to maintain long term success while also revealing the distinguishing features of the passionately-loved iconic brands, which constitute an important part in popular culture.
Jim Brackin
Hypnotherapist
EPS Consultancy – The Founder
Hypnosis, subconscious triggers and branding
Jim Brackin has won many international awards in marketing and communications with the solutions he provided for some very prominent brands. He is also one of the most well known hypnotherapists and NLP specialists in the UK and he brought his unique background and perspective to the conference. Brackin talked about how hypnosis, subconscious triggers and behavioral psychology can be used to influence communication. He demonstrated how they can have miraculous effects on buying behaviors and consumer-brand relationships. Participants, learned new techniques and experienced a ground breaking hypnosis session at MARKA 2007
Passion Flower (Ute Apfelstedt)
Music at MARKA 2007
Electro Violin Diva
Elektro violin show
A breath-taking performance from Amsterdam – the European capital of night life, arts and music. An unforgettable music show inspired sensations. Passion Flower show at MARKA 2007 gave audiences one of the most unique experiences of their life!
François Chapman
Illusionist
Magic at MARKA 2007
This year MARKA is more magical than ever
Celebrity French magician François Chapman performed at MARKA 2007 on December 13-14.
The power of magic challenged logic. No matter how carefully they looked at it, the audience was stunned at what they saw.
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