The Innovation Risk

Apple recently launched the new ultra-portable computer, the MacBook Air. For Apple fans, there is no shortage of reasons to buy this product.

For us, it's not its magnificent design, size, flash memory hard drive nor its weight (unrivaled within the industry) that makes it so special. It's more so the vision that guided Apple to develop such a product.  Without an optical reader or an Ethernet connection, the product relies on a courageous choice of wireless technology.

Apple is defining the future of the portable computer.  They envision a notebook with a permanent high-speed WIFI connection, enabling access to all necessary information anywhere, anytime. Therefore, the computer would have access to images, music, movies and all other kinds of data through a wireless internet connection, rendering obsolete the Ethernet connection and optical drive.

The MacBook Air may be a risk on Apple's part, but aren't risks symptomatic of innovation? Let's not forget: who took them seriously when they stopped including the floppy drive in their computers? There is much for innovative companies to learn from this...

Online Video Ads: what will the future bring?

For the last few years, a growing portion of many companies' advertising budgets is going toward the Internet. The saturation of traditional portals and the constant growth in the number of Internet users worldwide bring a migration of advertising dollars from offline to online.

Among the numerous forms that online advertising can take (sponsored link campaigns, ad banners, etc.), the video format could become one of the most popular vectors of the next few years. This is what is explained in this article by Karolina Winiarska, Account Executive at IC-Agency Geneva.

Bedat & C° Launches Online Store

The luxury watch industry has just experienced a major breakthrough in terms of presence on the Internet: Bedat & C° has launched its e-commerce site, standing as a precursor within the watchmaking industry. This is an important step for the world of luxury watches, as the creation of virtual stores is still far from being the norm.

As a first step, Bedat & C° online is only accessible to Internet users living in Switzerland, the UK, and USA, however soon will extend to the entire Euro area, before opening Japan.

The services offered with online purchases mimic that of being present in an actual store: An intuitive watch finder replaces the traditional vendor to assist the user in finding the watch of his dreams. The research is done by choosing various characteristics desired, i.e., size, material, type of movement or form. Buyers become Bedat Confidential club members and are provided access to this prestigious Quintessentially concierge luxury service for one year.

IC-Agency involved in the process

For IC-Agency, the opening of the e-commerce site is of particular interest: On one hand, the emergence of e-commerce luxury watch sites is a phenomenon that IC-Agency previously anticipated in 2004 in its first edition of the WorldWatchReport. On the other hand, we had the opportunity to accompany Bedat & C° at the beginning of this adventure.

In July 2007, we organized a workshop involving the CEO of Bedat & C°, along with the department heads (finance, logistics, sales, products, Media and Communications), in order to determine how best to raise the challenge of e-commerce. The result was an intense brainstorming session covering topics to include; expectation of future customers, adequacy of a luxury watch sales site, and integration of the existing process (in terms of logistics, for example). All aspects of this adventure were considered, discussed and debated.

A mere 7 months later, the e-commerce site of Bedat & C° has become a reality. IC-Agency continues to monitor the course of this project, supporting Bedat & C° with its advice and expertise, and taking over the management of CPC campaigns to promote the new site. The outcome of this project is also due to the quality work of Details, who after having done the corporate site of Bedat & C°, has worked diligently to accomplish its e-commerce site.

The entire team at IC-Agency is very pleased to see this first online version of the site, the result of many weeks of work. Lead by Richard Gorin, Internet Manager at Bedat & C° (and head of e-business project teams) Bedat, IC-Agency, and Details, were applied collectively to prove that online sales and luxury are in no way irreconcilable. The continuing growth of the Internet in general, and e-commerce in particular, will soon prove it necessary to utilize the Internet for luxury brands to remain competitive. With the launch of this virtual store, Bedat & C° is taking the lead and confirming its status as a cutting-edge brand. Bravo!

IC-Agency at Lift_08

LIFT_08, a conference dedicated to exploring the social impact of new technologies, was held in Geneva this past February 6 to 8. It was at this conference last friday that David Sadigh, associate partner at IC-Agency, gave a presentation on improving customer retention and increasing conversion rates. This presentation followed the nomination of Holistis, an IC-Agency start-up, for LIFT’s Venture night.

Emphasizing the overwhelming percentage of visitors that exit an eCommerce site without making a purchase, David outlined the importance of personalization solutions such as Holistis; only they can effectively cater to each visitor’s specific intentions. According to David: “The Internet isn’t born yet. It’s just a 2-3 month old fetus. We are still trying different things. We aren’t focusing yet on user retention”. Although we mastered the use of traffic acquisition techniques, there is still a considerable amount of work to be done concerning online customer experience.

The complete video:

For IC-Agency, the repercussions of a conference such as LIFT are extremely positive, as reflected in the already incredible number of pages indexed by Google concerning this event. A sincere "Thank you" is in order to all the LIFT team for producing such high-quality conference: the high standard of the presentations, the quality of the networking as well as the conference in its entirety paints an excellent portrait of Geneva and Switzerland.

Here's to next year!

New Year, New Clients

The new year is off to a great start for IC-Agency. Many of our clients asserted their confidence in our work by renewing their contracts. There are also many new additions to our portfolio:

• Alibaba, the eCommerce leader in China, who is developing their presence in Europe;
• IMD, one of the world's most prestigious business schools;
• Nestlé, the Swiss giant that needs no introduction;
• Banque de Patrimoines Privés, active in wealth management.

search engine optimization, consulting, e-advertising campaigns or web analytics, these companies have sought IC-Agency to boost their online marketing efforts.

For clients both new and old, it is with great pride and motivation with which we participate in your brand's success !

Discovering new talent at LIFT 08

From February 6 to 8, Geneva will host the LIFT conference covering the social impact of new technologies. Over 700 participants from 40 different nationalities are expected. The blogosphere describes LIFT as the trendiest conference where the latest talents are found.

IC-Agency will be represented by David Sadigh, who will speak on Friday at 2:00 pm. He will emphasize the importance of focusing marketing efforts on the retention and conversion of visitors on a site rather than spending ever increasing amounts on traffic acquisition.

Holistis, a start-up launched by IC-Agency and represented by Cyril Lamblard, will be honored during the Venture Night; voted among the most promising and recognized business from a pool of over 50 candidates. This event will promote interesting Swiss projects throughout the world and connect entrepreneurs to notable internet personalities such as Pierre Chappaz and Robert Scoble.

The Venture Night is a free event open to the public.  More information available here.

Lift_08, February 6-8, Geneva International Conference Center, registration, information and complete program information available online at www.liftconference.com