360DigitalInfluence

The idea was conceived in a seasoned Moleskine, between a page about erectile dysfunction, and another with a doodle of a communications strategy plan looking uncannily like the cross-section of a lotus root.

The objective of Your Blog™ Open Room session was simple; to enable bloggers to market their blogs like brands. The intention was perversely innocent; we wanted to give back to the community. Everyone has numbers to meet, and agencies aren’t spared. But nonetheless, it is important to contribute to the community that helps you grow in the first place. When the community grows, we grow with them.

The proposal submitted to Management for approval was a lazy flash of the Moleskine page, summarised with a few boxes, clumsy arrows, and words of less than 140 characters (ah, the bad influence of Twitter).  The approval took a shorter time than the development of the lotus root communications strategy plan.

The four speakers that we have shortlisted for the Open Room came from vastly different backgrounds with a common thread – they are fiercely passionate in what they do, and they really kick ass at doing it. No words can express our gratitude to them for helping us that evening. Singapore Entrepreneurs, Krisandro, and Brian have written their key takeaways about the event. Have a read.

The speakers were:

1. Yongfook • Jon Yongfook Cockle
Social media and may I say fashion sartorialist of a CEO of Egg Co – a digital business incubator based in Tokyo, and geeked-out blogger for more than a decade.

2. Arti Mulchand
Arti was a Singapore Press Holdings scholar who worked as a journalist at The Straits Times of Singapore Press Holdings, for over a decade, before we kidnapped her.

3. Design Sojourn • Brian Ling
An award winning, multi-disciplinary industrial design leader who specializes in strategic design and product realization programs that drive successful brands and businesses.

4. Toysrevil • Andy Heng
Andy runs an internationally acclaimed blog about toys and nothing but. Well respected by the who’s-who of today’s creative world and highly regarded by toy manufacturers and distributors alike. Incidentally, the Open Room was Andy’s first ever blogger event. We are deeply honoured.

I’ll let you in on a secret – while the objective and intention remained the same, the speakers were briefed about the Open Room quite differently. As an organiser, you need to understand the traits and unique selling proposition of each speaker, in order to bring out the best in them during an event. How do you do so? Well, as we always preach – you listen first. We shared with the speakers on what we appreciate about them, and asked for them to share their personal experiences based on that. That explains why the Open Room was so multi-dimensional and dynamic even. Any more diversity and we might have a shot at running our own United Colours of Benetton campaign.

The day the event was announced on our blog, we had both Cowboy Caleb and Victan talking about it. We tried our best to satisfy the last minute massive surge in invitation requests, without breaking our promise that this event was for bloggers only. For those whom I could not obtain an invite for, please rest assured you’d be the first I’ll call in the next Open Room. Given relevance, of course.

David Ogilvy has once said, “We pursue knowledge the way a pig pursues truffles”. This is true of the culture at Ogilvy. There is nothing more we thirst for, than knowledge. Ok, that… and beer. For all who have spent their evening with us for the Your Blog™ Open Room session, we hope we satisfied both your thirsts.

Special thanks to our kind sponsors, Tiger beer, for the wonderful bottles of Tiger beer!