Thoughts on the world of tomorrow

The program of the tenth Innovation Day at the "Haus der Kommunikation" in Munich started with a keynote by futurologist Magnus Lindkvist and ended in the "Talk of Fame" with entertainer Thomas Gottschalk. More than 400 inquisitive decision-makers from business and the media met again this year to get new impulses, ideas and inspiration.

The major trends of our time, such as sustainability, social media, e-commerce, entertainment and sports marketing, are discussed annually at the Innovation Day in Munich, embedded in the current economic policy framework. The 2014 event was hosted by the Serviceplan Group and its partners IP Deutschland, Microsoft, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), G+J Media Sales EMS and Radio Marketing Service (RMS).

The guests were welcomed by Florian Haller, Managing Director of the Serviceplan Group. Matthias Müller von Blumencron, Editor-in-Chief of Digital Media at F.A.Z., guided the guests through the day. The keynote speech on the world of tomorrow was given by the Swedish trend spotter, futurologist and author Magnus Lindkvist. With a lot of mischievousness, he took a look at the future in his talk and called for active action. Because in his opinion, the future is open and malleable. "When it comes to how we should run our lives and our businesses and what we should invest in, we have to rely on ourselves." A small aside: Lindkvist has been living in Zurich for a few months because his wife wanted to take a job in the Limmat city. But for his latest book, "When the Future Begins," the trend researcher spent three months doing research in Los Angeles.

In her presentation, Julia Jäkel, CEO of Gruner + Jahr, gave impulses from the publishing industry and showed how digital disruption can also be successfully mastered in other industries. According to Julia Jäkel, the media industry has long since adapted. Change is now part of everyday life there. There was then some time for discussion around the question: How do you create a creative corporate culture that quickly adapts to constantly changing conditions?

Football was and is on everyone's lips, and not just in the 2014 World Cup year. Christian Seifert, Chairman of the DFL Management Board, addressed the challenges that need to be considered when expanding the online and offline presence internationally in his presentation entitled "The Bundesliga - Moving into International Markets and Cultures. After all, following the record proceeds from the national media rights tender, the DFL must also increase the Bundesliga's desirability internationally. Seifert could tell of already 70 million euros in revenue from TV licenses of German Bundesliga matches abroad as well as advertising around YouTube films on the subject of soccer. To generate this content in a wide range of world languages, the Bundesliga employs its own TV editorial team of around 50 people.

Fashion designer Wolfgang Joop and founder of the brands "JOOP!" as well as "Wunderkind" stopped by the "Haus der Kommunikation" shortly before his onward journey to the fashion fair in Paris. In an interview with FAZ editor Alfons Kaiser, the "GMNT" jury member explored the question of whether free creativity is compatible with commercial success and what role the customer's opinion plays in the creative process. Joop still employs 36 people in his various companies. What's interesting is how he got started back then. Because little Wolfgang had to grow up in very poor circumstances, he often had to wear shabby and torn clothes. "I made my style out of that," he wanted to reveal, saying, "the important thing is to have an attitude."

Jonathan Oliver, Digital Strategist at Microsoft, addressed the question of how innovation can be defined and why we first have to get it wrong for true innovation. In his presentation, he analyzed from a marketing perspective why high-risk true innovation cannot fulfill current conservative marketing goals.

How the music industry deals with radical upheavals and technical innovations was the focus of the speech by Jonathan Forster, General Manager Europe and Vice President Ad Sales at Spotify. For several years, download services such as iTunes appeared to be a successful answer in the fight against piracy and music piracy. Currently, according to Jonathan Forster, music streaming is the most innovative solution. Here, the focus is no longer on owning a product, a particular album or song, but on access to a much larger selection of different titles. But even Forster could not yet predict what will come next.

As expected, the closing of the afternoon with Thomas Gottschalk was quick-witted and witty. The conversation with Britta Poetzsch, Head of Lifestyle at the Serviceplan Group, was intended to shed light on how personality brands can develop successfully and sustainably in today's multi-layered, multi-channel world. But more than that, viewers learned why "Wetten dass ...?" really can't be saved in an age when videos with the most impossible stunts are soon being uploaded to YouTube every minute.

The crowning glory of the day was the "CMO of the Year" award. In an online survey of industry experts, a shortlist of the ten best-known candidates was drawn up. From this, a jury of marketing and media experts - including Capital, n-tv and the trade magazine Werben & Verkaufen - selected Germany's best marketing chief based on an assessment of the three dimensions of success, innovation and internationality. At an exclusive gala dinner at the Haus der Kunst, the award was presented to Ian Robertson, member of the Board of Management of the BMW Group and responsible for Sales and Marketing. Pan

In Munich's "Haus der Kommunikation", the headquarters of the Serviceplan Group, around 400 influential industry representatives met at the 10th Innovation Day.

Photos: Andreas Panzeri

Thinking outside the box for the future

Florian Haller, Chief Executive Officer Serviceplan Group, on the ideas behind the anniversary innovation day.

 
WW: What were important innovations for you at this 10th Innovation Day?
Florian Haller: Our speakers. I think Magnus Lindkvist gave an excellent presentation on disruptive innovation management. Microsoft showed us that they make the web the nucleus of your brand, and from Spotify we learned how the music business can be turned upside down within two to three years. But I have also found creative lateral thinkers like Wolfgang Joop and Thomas Gottschalk very inspiring.
 
What does Serviceplan want to offer the industry with this?
We want to address and discuss the key megatrends that are changing the triangle of brand leaders, media and agencies, away from day-to-day business. We also want to create a platform for networking.
 
You have been able to present top speakers. What criteria were used to make the selection this year?
The big topics this year were: Disruption in business models, the internetization of media, content and storytelling, music and social, and creativity. In addition, there is always a personality as part of our "Talk of Fame.
 
A very broad-based jury selected Ian Robertson from the Board of Management of BMW as "CMO of the Year". Did this choice surprise you?
No. BMW has been an enormously successful company for many years. The brand is ranked number one worldwide. And with the introduction of BMWi, the first large-scale electric series from a premium manufacturer, BMW's brand management has set standards. I think that was a clear choice.
 
Serviceplan also launched the blog www.innovation-loft.com around Innovation Day. What is the intention behind this project?
We want to carry the topics of the Innovation Day on through the year. My vision is that we create a year-round discussion platform on brand, medium and agency.
 
Interview: Andreas Panzeri