Event: TrendDay

Our friends over at Trendbuero have put together another Trendday in Hamburg, Germany this year. The conference is all about “Identity Management”. Richard Florida is holding a keynote, further talks are held by the likes of Mark Vanderbeeken from Putting People First or Mads Thimmer from Innovation Lab in Arhus.

The Attention Economy is dead! Being loud and different is no longer enough – anybody can do that nowadays. In future, it will be recognition that counts. We are all social beings. We want to be liked, respected and appreciated. It is the applause of our elected circle that secures our status.

We used to be shaped by our work, family and religion. Identity was static. Today we lack this kind of continuity. We define identity dynamically. In the days of Web 2.0, identity is becoming a management task. The question of “Who am I?” is being replaced by “Who do I want to be?”. We play different roles depending on the audience. We optimise successful roles and accept them as part of ourselves.

The days of one-way communication are over for good. The focus is shifting to the consumer himself rather than the product. Customer relations management is becoming an essential component of brand management. In future, rather than anchoring a static picture of the brand in consumers’ minds, the goal will increasingly be to live and breathe the brand identity in a process of interaction with the customer.

Choosing the right audience is crucial. In contrast to attention, recognition requires a dynamic process of exchange: he who seeks recognition must himself recognise others. This banal insight has serious consequences for companies and institutions.

TrendDay

Location: Haus der seefahrt, Hohe Bruecke 1, 20459 Hamburg

Date: 8 May 2008