Egemen Ozcan, Director of Boogy The Event, a special events company based in Istanbul, Turkey, is Chair of the Committee for Final Judging of the website awards categories, app awards categories, and live event awards categories for The 2013 International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition. (By overwhelming demand, the final entry deadline for the 10th annual IBAs has been extended through 10 July. No additional late penalties or fees will be charged in association with the deadline extension. If you haven't already done so, you can request your entry kit here and it will be emailed to you right away.)
As director of a company that won last year’s Gold Stevie Award for Best Corporate Event with your work for Coca-Cola Turkey, what advice do you have for corporations looking to promote products to the Turkish market?
Remember that half the population of Turkey is under 30, so the mainstream current in the market is targeted at Generation Y or Millennials. This creates a dream opportunity for brands to gain lifelong brand loyalty by successfully reaching the Gen-Y lifestyle.
The Turkish market is unique: just 10 years ago teenagers still relied mainly on the telephone for conversation, while television was their primary form of entertainment. Today’s teenagers not only use alternative technology channels for communication, but are also major content creators. To reach this group effectively, you must provide them with exciting and interactive content.
Just as teens will always be teens, so marketing to these guys will always be about roughly the same things: Select the right messenger; use an effective delivery channel; and make the content compelling. What has changed are the definitions of “right,” “effective,” and “compelling.” Marketing to today’s teens requires the same old principles, but a whole new bag of technological tricks.
Finally: Believe in them. Today’s youth will change the world.
Do you have a favorite app that you use for business purposes?
Bizzabo is my favorite nowadays; however, I’m also working on an app that bans Candy Crusher requests!
If you could choose another profession, what would it be?
For me, it would be music for sure. I’ve been playing drums since I was a student and would love to do so in a more professional way. Maybe it’s not too late?
As someone at the top of your profession, what keeps you inspired or makes you hit the ground running in the morning?
Inspiration is simply somewhere outside, in the souls of non-professional people. As you’ve no doubt seen on the news, millions of Turkish citizens have been outraged by plans to build a shopping mall on Istanbul's Gezi Park. You can see Turkey’s creative skills at work in the many blogs, social media, and graphics that have sprung up during the past month. There’s even a new word for it: Chapulling.
We marketing professionals commonly believe that we are the only truly creative people, but the real creativity is somewhere outside. Society should be our inspiration.
About Egemen Özcan:
Egemen Özcan is a Director and Board Member of Boogy The Event Company in Istanbul, Turkey. He is responsible for the creation, development, and execution of all events in a multidisciplinary system. Egemen started his music and event career during his undergraduate studies at Turkey’s renowned Middle East Technical University. In 2006, after hosting a series of freelance events, Egemen joined Boogy The Event Company as the leader of the Event Department. Egemen is an expert in creative content and new marketing concepts—and he is still playing his drums.
About Boogy The Event:
Established in 1991, Boogy has become a leading event and incentive company providing boutique services and customized solutions integrated with the marketing and communication strategies of its business partners. The company is based in Istanbul, Turkey, and has over 20 years of experience organizing corporate events and direct marketing. For more information go to: www.boogy.com.tr
