On Thursday 3 December 2020, the 2020 edition of Marketers Gala took place online, attracting several hundred representatives from the communication and marketing sectors: participants had the opportunity to watch the virtual conference as well as to exchange and discuss during the networking session.
The digital event concluded with the Luxembourg Marketing & Communication Awards’ Ceremony where the best MarCom projects and personalities were recognised.
Kamel Amroune, CEO of the Farvest Group, officially opened this traditional yet digital Marketers Gala, and stated “This event marks the end of 2020 which was very special for our sector. As a matter of fact, as marketing professionals and as agencies, we all had to demonstrate – and foster – even more creativity and innovation, in order to survive the crisis and support our clients, teams and partners”.
Then participants had the opportunity to discover the three finalists of each award category through videos prepared by the candidates. It allowed the audience, as well as the candidates, to understand the reactions and choices made by the jury members who picked the winners, which were announced later in the evening. Lisa Burke, TV presenter, Host and Author was the master of ceremony.
Why protect your brand?
Olivier Laidebeur (European Trademark & Design Attorney at Office Freylinger) took the digital stage and shared an insightful presentation focusing on IP, sharing the story of “Bob the baker”. He started: “Bob invented a brioche and needed to find a name. His first tries were not that bad but could not be protected for various reasons: some were too generic and others were just a combination of the indication of origin and of a generic name. He had to find more names and new ideas”. The expert then explained that it is also necessary to conduct an identical trademark search as well as a similarity search, which also concerns phonetics. “When you find the perfect and appropriate name, go for a trademark protection and also for a registered design: protect both the logo and the appearance of your product,” explained Olivier Laidebeur. As a conclusion, he reminded the audience of the three crucial steps that companies need to take to protect their business: select a name that is neither generic or descriptive, conduct identical and similarity searches, and finally, file for protection. “Why do you need to do so? For your own serenity as well as your clients’, and to ensure its value,” concluded the expert.
Find your focus: the 2021 global marketing trends
He then virtually handed the microphone to Romain Mary (Director, Customer & Applied Design at Deloitte Digital). According to the expert, “moments of crisis and uncertainty have always galvanized innovation. And during the pandemic, customers made it clear that they have high expectations for brands”. The Global Marketing Trends report was built surveying 2,447 global consumers and 405 executives from global companies to understand how they are all navigating in current conditions: “unprecedented change has shifted 7 distinct global marketing trends for 2021, namely: Purpose, Agility, Human Experience, Trust, Participation, Fusion and Talent”.
According to the expert, companies that act with purpose are more positioned for success, and they are able to respond more quickly in times of uncertainty. He added: “purpose-driven companies place values at the centre of their business. 1 out of 5 customers will support a brand that has positive brand actions”. He then discussed agility and stated: “companies that were successful during the Covid-19 pandemic were able to pivot their offerings”. Providing an actual Human experience is also key in today’s environment, where people are often reduced just to an email address. Companies therefore need to deepen their understanding of customers, employees and stakeholders and provide tools to make their lives better. On the trust aspect, he highlighted: “it is built on a brand’s promise and the delivery of products and services. When the gap between messaging and delivery widens, trust breaks down and reputation suffers”. According to the survey results, participation is a two-way street and companies are thinking about customers strategically, as brand ambassadors, influencers, collaborators and innovators in their engagement strategies. On the “fusion” trend, he explained that it represents the art of bringing together new business partnerships, customer insights and digital platforms to create ecosystems that more holistically address Human needs. He finally addressed the talent part: “marketing organisations have focused on ways to make their most valuable asset, their talent, a strategic force. AI allows collaborators to innovate more and generate creative ideas”.
Luxembourg Marketing & Communication Awards
The first award of the evening, “Best Marcom Project of The Year” went to Bâloise Assurance Luxembourg, for www.life-insurance360.com. According to the jury members, “lifeinsurance360 was an impressive and complete project on many different aspects. The idea met the result and the creation of an internal editorial committee is a very interesting approach”. They also underlined the fact both collaborators and external contributors were involved in the project. The video offers a well-founded analysis and highlights a strong content and SEO strategy. The two other finalists were BGL BNP Paribas and BIL.
POST was awarded the “Best Event of the Year” prize: the jury members enjoyed the idea of an e-sports league event. They added that “POST went out of its comfort zone organizing an event that was not necessarily expected”, and praised this innovative initiative. Moreover, they highlighted POST’s courage as the group decided to maintain its event in the context of the pandemic. The two other finalists were Shine a Light and BGL BNP Paribas.
This year’s special prize, the “Outstanding Marcom Support” was awarded to Plan K, for launching the karantaine.lu website. “A nice initiative for the society,” according to the jury members. They really appreciated the fact that this campaign highlighted the combativeness and resilience the media and communication community had to face. They added: “it was a good idea to keep the name of the agency in the minds of the clients, as well as a good way to motivate its employees”. The two other finalists were So Graphiste and Régie.lu.
