ZN

If I told you that with one mouse click you could impact change, would you believe me? Chances are you wouldn’t.

But Julie Dixon, Deputy Director of Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication, would have you believe that you could.

Watch the full live stream video from TEDxChange 2013.

At the core of Julie’s talk at TEDxChange 2013 is the notion that in a world where everyone is interconnected by social media, personal influence is a currency that is just as valuable as money.

She asserts that by simply liking a campaign, sharing a photo or video, signing a petition, writing a blog, or supporting a crowd-funded campaign and asking people to take action, you leverage your influence and reach out to other people in your network. These people can potentially influence others; share their money, time or other resources that will enable the success of the cause.

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I strongly recommend you watch Simon Sinek's How great leaders inspire action:

Particularly at the beginning of a project, the editorial team spends a lot of time working with a client to help reshape their current corporate voice and storyline to be ready for the digital age. Once done, this storytelling approach transcends the digital channels and is used in all communication activity, be it internal, external, above-the-line or offline.

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As always, the ZN’s team of Hyperthinkers have been hard at work. Their heads becoming so hot with ideas that it would blind an infrared camera and boil the kettle from a distance. Here’s a look at some of the things they’ve been up to:

Animal Testing Perspectives – Animal testing is a controversial issue and one that is difficult for the general public to fully grasp.

That’s why the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), together with ZN, created a space that could help people understand the nuances surrounding the issues – including the link between research and health/healthcare benefits – and where an honest and balanced debate could take place.

The website has two sub campaigns. The first relates to new EU rules that will require scientists to publish research summaries online. It aims to bring more transparency by asking what information people want to see. Have a look at research studies in plain words.

The second has to do with the increasing pressure to end animal research in Europe. If no more animals would be tested on in Europe, what would the ramifications of this policy be? Would animal testing become a major industry elsewhere? For this reason, Animal Testing Perspectives is launching a page to discuss all the potential side effects. To find out more, visit Shall it stay or shall it go?

James Elles – James Elles is a member of the European Parliament. He is a member of the Parliament’s Budget committee and substitutes for many others. He is also the founder and chair of the Transatlantic Policy Network and co-founder of the European Internet Foundation. Now that you’ve seen his resume, we can agree that “government elite” is a pretty accurate description. So why is ZN involved with an EU politician?

In addition to providing communication strategies for companies and associations, we also provide services for… people! We recently gave Mr. Elles’ site a makeover and made him more accessible to the people. Take a look at  http://www.jameselles.com.

IABC – If you are in the business of communications, you will be familiar with the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). No? Well, it is really big network that helps “practitioners” (people in the biz) connect and share knowledge.

It currently has 16,000 members, and guess who chairs the Europe and Middle East region? Our very own Chief Hyperthinker, Philip Weiss! In an effort to give IABC Europe a facelift, we gave its website a good do-over too! You can see the result on europe.iabc.com.

If you would like to know more about IABC, Phil wrote about his experiences and the benefits of joining the association on his hyperthinker.eu blog.

ZN is currently working on many other exciting projects, so stay tuned for more news!

After braving the cold winter and relocating her family from the Philippines, my colleague, Danielle Miller, has hurdled through her first month as ZN’s editor. Over the last few years, Danielle has lived and worked on three continents. She is now happy to give her nomadic shoes a break and welcome the melting pot that is Brussels as her new home.

When she’s not editing for ZN and coming up with ideas for clients, Danielle is out exploring her new city – taking in all it has to offer, from pilsners to frites. She is also very passionate about writing fiction and nonfiction, building pillow forts with her daughter and husband, and anything arty.

I had a chat with her to discover more about her life at ZN and other interesting tidbits.

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This year has been a pivotal year for ZN – one that has been marked by remarkable growth across all spectrums.

I am very proud of my team and what we have achieved together. Individually, as a team, and as an entire company, we have grown. I believe that it is our people, fueled by a passion to learn new things and innovate, who make all the difference. We’ve had a lot to do the past several months and everyone’s plates were quite full, but no one was overwhelmed because the team was solid. Everyone came together and collaborated to ensure that we would deliver what we promised.

By keeping digital at the heart of communication, seeing the bigger picture, and welcoming change, we now have even better services. We have more training and coaching skills, media and technical skills, branding and editorial expertise, and a strong network of partners who collaborate with us on complex projects.

And everything works seamlessly well together because of our clients who have also embraced ZN’s philosophy. We are partners with our clients and we succeed when they succeed. Our business relationships have blossomed into fruitful collaborations.

All of these combined have led to ZN making its major step:

We have more clients and more projects, a turnover growth of around 45%, and a book that crystallizes 14 years of experience.

I believe that we have a bright future together and I know that next year, I’ll be confirming another successful year. So I want to finish by thanking all of you, from the ZN team to our clients and our partners, for your trust, involvement, collaboration, and commitment. Together, we have become catalysts of growth, innovation, and change.

This month, Hyperthinking is hitting the bookshelves of all good bookstores near you (virtually at least). The book, which puts into words the concept at the heart of the ZN philosophy, is finally here!

For the past few years, I have used my two decades of experience in the business of communication, change and new technology to articulate this concept.

Change is now a permanent fixture on the world we live. News, events and ideas are constantly challenging us to change in a very short period of time while technology rewrites the rules of business and communication. For many executives, this is a real problem.

How do we deal with these conflicting changes and use available technologies to change what we do? What we need is a new way of thinking. A mindset that can enable us to not only survive but to thrive with this permanent change. This is what Hyperthinking aims to do. The book has already received some high level endorsements from experts in a range of industries; here is what they had to say:

‘…HyperThinking is a distillation of his experience at ZN, and provokes us all to benefit from the family of internet technologies, in the way we handle life and work in a rapidly changing world. Profound as well as playful, HyperThinking invites us all to immerse ourselves in the new technologies – and adapt our analysis, thinking and behaviour for the networked world. An important book for all those involved in communicating ideas, policies and activities for their business.’

James Arnold-Baker, former CEO, Oxford University Press and founding of Chairman of Doctors.net.uk

‘…What this book taught me is that we have to live in a world where we cannot rely on traditional thinking patterns – these must be continuously challenged if we want to adapt to the ever-changing environment we live in. This is called hyperthinking, and it is giving people who want to make an impact on the world we live in a competitive edge. Some are natural-born hyperthinkers, others will have to learn it the hard way. This book will give you a headstart…’

Aurelie Valtat, Digital Communications Manager, European Council

‘Phil Weiss invented the concept of Hyperthinking. In these pages he brings his ideas alive and shares the principles with a flair for storytelling and an eclectic mix of sources, examples and case studies. He’s the Tony Buzan of the internet generation.’

Marc Wright, Chairman, simplygroup

As a reader of our blog we are offering you an author’s discount! You can purchase the book with a 35% discount if you buy it online from the Gower site (http://www.gowerpublishing.com/isbn/9781409428459) using this discount code: G12GQQ35

Find out more about the book on hyperthinking.net and the Facebook page Start hyperthinking and spreading the word!

It has been a busy year for ZN and, as with any creative enterprise, an emotional one but we have accomplished a great deal… and there’s still three months to go. Here are some of the projects that have put ZN’s creative and strategic cogs in Hyper drive.

Your Formula – YourFormula.eu is an initiative free from corporate restraints; it was created by the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) to give young people a place to discover and discuss how chemistry is helping build a sustainable world. In addition to fun and inspiring articles, they collect videos, news and events, sharing the great innovations taking place in Europe and hinting at a more sustainable future. Glimpse into the future at http://www.yourformula.eu/

SWIFT Careers – Diverting the awed eyes of brilliant, tech savvy and vibrant graduates from employers such as Facebook and Google is a challenge for any company, especially when they don’t see how exciting and innovative your company is. SWIFT is a hidden gem compared to some of the big corporations, so this online platform aims to give an insider’s view on their corporate culture and career opportunities through the eyes of their employees, including the graduates themselves. Looking for a company that really cares about you, your community and the environment or just plain curious? Swing by www.swiftcareers.com

Microsoft Europe - Microsoft Europe is changing its visual identity and adopting a new logo for the first time in 25 years! Coinciding with this shift is the implementation of Microsoft’s new “metro” design, which reflects not only a change to their visual identity but also in their philosophy. Feast your eyes on the fresh new look at www.microsoft.eu.

Vaccines Today – VaccinesToday is an online platform sponsored by the European Vaccine Manufacturers (EVM) providing a space where people can discuss vaccines and immunization; join the debate; and gather reliable information. Over the summer, it launched its Communication Challenge asking people to submit their concepts to help communicate the importance of immunization. If an idea suddenly springs to mind, you could win €1000!

In addition, it also released Vaccination Café. No, not coffee and a quick booster shot, it’s an interview series with medical experts in a relaxed and informal environment designed to raise awareness and understanding on the benefits of immunization. Visit www.vaccinestoday.eu
PS. winter’s coming, have you had your flu shot yet?

ZN is currently working on many other exciting projects, so stay tuned for more news!

Woaw, hasn’t September been a world wind start?! We’re back from dreamy summer holidays to attack an armful of ambitious communication projects that seemed so far away when planned. But oh boy here they are, staring us straight in the face. [hard swallow]

But if the best form of defense is attack, ZN might have the perfect secret weapon for you…

In the coming weeks, we’ll be launching the ZN Digital Masterclass: a series of courses for professionals who wish to expand their digital skills and help you make your projects smarter, more robust and have better results.

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How do you manage and monitor your all up social presence on the web? Are you struggling to keep up with real time conversations and content flow across platforms?

At ZN we’ve been working with Campaign Commander (formally known as Objective Marketer). It’s a content management and statistics gathering tool. We use it on a daily basis to manage the delivery of online communication strategies for various clients. It helps us not only be effective with time management but churns out some great statistics. As with any new web technology, it keeps evolving with new features being added every few months.

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TEDx Brussels “A day in the deep future” is nearly here, one more day until the 22 November and we couldn’t be more excited. TEDx is an independently organised TED event that brings people together to share a TED-like experience. Videos of TED talks and live speakers will combine to engage the audience on the big ideas and spark deep discussions about life in the future. Read more