Brand Week İstanbul Kicks Off

Brand Week Istanbul kicked off with the theme "Rethink. Recreate. Rebuild." and will bring participants together with over 300 speakers across 8 different stages between 6-10 November.

On the opening day of "the year's most inspiring week," diverse topics ranging from today's changing content understanding to women writers' experiences, from Turkey's agenda to the future of artificial intelligence, were brought to the agenda by experts, academics, brand representatives and business leaders as well as thought leaders.

"If content is authentic, it is current"

In the session titled "Media's Changing Face: How to Stay Current in the New Media Age," award-winning journalist Richard Hammond, host of "Top Gear" and "The Grand Tour," answered questions from Warner Bros CEO and US Networks Group CCO Kathleen Finch. At the session, which hosted over 3,000 viewers, it was emphasized that "authenticity" is the new language for communicating with global audiences. Finch explained that they consider social media viewers' behavior patterns and viewing reflexes when creating new and current content. Hammond said he produces content for workshops, television and social media platforms in three different models, but each feeds into the others.

Hammond, stating that consumers should not be separated as digital and television viewers in order to produce more dynamic and timely content, shared his view that the industry under the influence of digital transformation could evaluate this new fast-feedback viewer not as a threat but as an opportunity.

"There is no ranting in literature; there are no men in it"

The session titled "Being, Writing, Creating: Changing Women's Experiences" hosted three important contemporary writers: Latife Tekin, Müge İplikçi and Ayfer Tunç. Ayfer Tunç, saying "Finally we developed a sense of womanhood; women now walk the streets more comfortably, at least with the power of women's consciousness," continued with "Literature is no longer as much of an opinion leader as it was in my youth. There is no ranting in literature; there are no men in it."

Latife Tekin, noting that women still cannot freely express their wishes in every setting, said, "Because if we do, all hell breaks loose. In this system, as women, we can only express ourselves when we translate into men's language. As I wrote books and gained a certain reputation, I became freer and started speaking more comfortably." Tekin, expressing that having legal rights does not mean being free and that freedom is something gained with courage, asked the audience "Do you feel free?" to which "No" was heard from the hall.

Müge İplikçi, referring to Halide Edib's novel Handan, said, "Handan, who was a well-equipped character in 1913, ends up in an asylum. Why? I am still looking for the answer to this question. In 2023, that feminine voice still holding onto those bars says 'We will change.' I want to believe in the generations after us."

Turkey's agenda discussed on BWI stage

The session titled "Turkey's Agenda: State, Democracy and Future in the Republic's New Century" brought together Political Scientist Prof. Dr. Burak Bilgehan Özpek and Associate Professor Dr. Hatem Ete, Research Director at the Ankara Institute, moderated by Necati Özkan, President of Öykü Dialogue International Agency.

The first question in the session concerned how state reason underwent and could undergo change in the first century and the second century. Ete, explaining that the Union and Progress Party's efforts to halt decline and prevent collapse in the Ottoman era shaped state reason, said that in the process, the necessity of defining, establishing and protecting the regime emerged.

Ete added that looking at the last two centuries, state reason stood in a place both reassuring and feared, and due to its protective thinking, adopted an attitude of "state first." Among Ete's thoughts was that the second century should go beyond establishing and saving the state, should be oriented toward society, toward public interests, through public discussions and considering goals and possibilities.

In the session where the competition between populism and elitist structure was also discussed, when Özkan asked about the future of the concept of "Where is this state," Ete conveyed that society and public policy, prioritized over fears, could meet proactive politicians and the public in the middle.

If the next step is virtual reality, what can we do about it now?

Tom Goodwin, one of the industry's most important thought leaders in the digital transformation field who advocates rethinking business models adapted to the post-digital era, explored answers to questions such as "Is the next step virtual reality? If so, what can we do about it now?" in the session titled "Unconventional Questions about Artificial Intelligence: Distinguishing Reality from Fiction."

He emphasized that all industries need to proceed on a careful path among distracting elements while capturing opportunities worldwide more than ever. He added, "With 3D printers and drones we can record, scan and model everything, but we don't know where the free and proliferating nature of these will lead and whether this future will be inclusive."

Expressing that artificial intelligence can create various worlds, Goodwin noted that although it creates variations in wonderful diversity, it completes these possibilities with technical data devoid of emotion and empathy, and may be limited in sensing human emotional needs.

Brands need action, not discourse

Marketing activist Thomas Kolster emphasized that despite increased discourse about change in the advertising world, brands remain weak in taking real action against climate change. Kolster, who conveyed how brands can lead change, said that according to their research with Sustainable Brands, 65 percent of people want to shop from sustainability-focused brands.

Kolster said, "Instead of trying to stand out with environmental awareness, brands should focus on stories that will truly move people. If we want change, we as brands and professionals must start with ourselves."

Will our children be able to eat apples from the branch?

In the session titled "From Shelf to Table: A Delicious Brand Integration" that began with the distribution of fresh apples, renowned chefs Danilo Zanna and Mehmet Yalçınkaya and Migros Customer Experience Strategies and Marketing Communications Director Sinem Serdar were on stage before the audience. The session opened with the emphasis on good beginnings, from the story of Adam and Eve to Newton discovering gravity, with the question of whether our children will be able to eat apples from the branch in the future.

Chef Danilo said, "If you know who you are, you can find who you will be. We must give our children these roots so they continue them; that is our task." Chef Danilo, noting that he put recipes from family members on his restaurant menu to remind of roots, respect and preserve culture, said, "Cooking together, the mother cooking is present both in us and in Turkish culture."

The view that chefs are not yet followed in Turkey and that decisions are made based on location was shared in the session. Serdar, conveying the information that while global fish consumption is 18 kg, it is 5.5 kg in Turkey. Chef Mehmet's response was, "Fish is not consumed so that the curtains at home don't smell."

"Not an earthquake, but a small apocalypse"

Gökhan Zan, a former footballer and technical director and guest at the session titled "The Power of Solidarity in Recovery," described the environment of solidarity in which he also took part in Hatay following the 6 February earthquake. Zan began his remarks with "Athletes have a unifying side; with this identity I tried to be a breath and a spokesperson in Hatay." Describing what happened in Hatay as "Not an earthquake, but a small apocalypse," Zan said, "Civil society and organizations suddenly came together, creating a common wave of emotion and a common sense of solidarity." Session moderator pharmacist Ebru Acar used the expression "We can grow stronger and stand up again through solidarity."

[caption id="attachment_157893" align="aligncenter"] Gökhan Zan[/caption]

Müge Boz took the stage at BWI

In the session titled "Focusing on the causes, not the signs of aging," moderated by Sercan Özen Yıldırım, General Manager of French pharmaceutical and dermocosmetic group Pierre Fabre Turkey, Müge Boz, brand face of the group's Avène brand, and Specialist Dr. Neslihan Dolar took part.

In the session where it was revealed that along with genetic aging, exogenous causes such as environmental factors, air pollution, sun exposure and stress also affect the skin, it was explained that aging can be delayed by teaching skincare from adolescence onwards. Participants had the opportunity to watch Müge Boz's first commercial film with Avène.

The year's most inspiring week, Brand Week Istanbul, takes place between 6-10 November at the Haliç Congress Center with the theme "Rethink. Recreate. Rebuild." The festival brings together Turkey's and the world's most creative names, unconventional experts from the business world and thought leaders who shape trends.