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• "…It's pure sales, but with an emotional dimension…" – Interview with Betty Castaldi President, Idylle Production
• Explosing Market for Narrowcasting... The Signs are There – Interview with Raphaël Pinot, Vertical Market Specialist, Cleverdis
• A Concept of Custom TV with Total Serenity – Conception, installation, personalisation and updating of content, distribution and after sales service... All in One Package
• Case Study – Interview with Jean Maschi, Section Director, Leroy Merlin Nice
• It’s about the people…
• Conclusion by Gérard Lefebvre, President & Founder, Cleverdis
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Beginning with the recording of advertising messages for radio, the service soon spread to in-store entertainment, where “all in one” solutions were created, including music, announcements etc., with the added value lying in the speed of the service – instantaneous. The “Home Radio System” was spawned. Systems were conceived and developed for the famed Lucien Barrière Casino group, and then for the massive hardware retail chain Leroy Merlin. We asked Betty to tell us about the “Custom TV” adventure…
While it all started with audio, around 4 years ago, flat screens began appearing in various locations. The Casino groups were the first to trust us in this area. In was in a sense the beginning of “custom TV”. This concept is now mature and we have evolved greatly. Our first aim was to develop a programme that would work like a TV channel, in other words with different programmes from one hour to the next... accompanied with advertising... and all this of course accompanied by audio.
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In this way there is not the boredom instilled by non-stop broadcasting of a “loop” – often with no sound. Not only is the content entirely “audio-visual”, but in addition, all the advertising messages are entirely realised in 3D, making them all the more dynamic, attractive and efficient. A system with only the visual aspect can only communicate 50% of a message.
Are your clients sensitive to the advantages you bring with this combination of sound and images?
That’s for sure. This is why we have references such as a major retail group selling articles for the home as well as DIY and garden supplies. We initially equipped their stores with audio systems, and progressively they are moving over to the use of a visual support together with the sound. This group, Leroy Merlin, has bought its own TV channel on the national network, which is called "A Côté de Chez Vous" and is available on satellite and cable TV, broadcasting reports and programmes throughout the day (see our case study in this SPECIAL report)… and they now also broadcast this channel in their stores. We have created a system for them that allows for having commercial breaks every 10 minutes.
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What differentiates your visual offer?
We have developed a very flexible system which allows the client to have programming that completely fits with their frequentation according to the days of the week. Take the example of a casino. The number of people is not the same on a Monday and on a Saturday, but what also changes is the type of clientele: different people go to play at the casino on a Monday than over the weekend. The fact that the advertisements change every day and are adapted to the type of clientele shows the real possibilities of this media.
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Does this idea come from your experience in radio with the "day-parting"?
Of course. Thanks to this experience, we don't develop our products in the same way as our competitors, and we don't sell in the same way. I personally involve myself in every project, and above all, we share with the clients what they experience every day. They talk about their customers and their habits… In the morning at Leroy Merlin, you will find single women or DIY amateurs in a hurry, while on the weekend there will be a lot more couples who will make big purchases like a change of kitchen or bathroom. You have to put yourself in their position and understand what the customers want to hear on a Saturday morning in a Leroy Merlin store, when they are at the point of making a major and very personal decision, implying an investment, choice and financing... You really have to take into account the emotional dimension because the clients are waiting for us to give them this advice. When I sell my product, whether it is sound or image, I say to the client "If you only buy to broadcast, it is not worth it…" Today, the two products, audio and visual, developed the way they are, it’s 99% marketing. We’re talking about pure sales but with an emotional dimension. We are able to create a unique sound ambience. The human brain has an extraordinary capacity... for example it records the "gaps". When you listen to a radio programme, music is cross-faded without any "gaps" between the tunes. Why? Because the brain registers the gap as meaning something has finished, provoking a lapse of attention. In the Idylle Production system each song is mixed in such a way that the ear does not register any aural interruptions. This a one of the plusses we bring.
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Is there an international vocation for the future?
Absolutely! We have a nice business in Canada that runs very smoothly, with approximately 50 stores in Toronto and in Québec, and now starting to move in the US. I think that Idylle Production's international destiny will be decided between 2007 and 2008. In Europe, we are present in Belgium and in Switzerland.
In terms of market expansion where do you plan to develop?
The hotel sector is one of our main priorities. We have already made demonstrations for Accor and Novotel.
I think that we have a place in this business and that we can bring a lot to it, but that the problem is we are not well known enough yet. We can create and programme just as they want, and provide content (video, clip, report, emotional)... Our “top of the line” aspect is an advantage for this market. Through its own channel, a hotel can also communicate via the screens in the bedrooms on all the services and derived products it has to offer, it can inform the client about the casino or the lounge bar downstairs for example… Hotels are not aware of the fact that today we can provide them with this service at a truly affordable price. It’s now important that we communicate in order to be known in this sector.
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Setting Course for Clear Horizons!
When Business meets High Tech
Marcus Lubken, General Manager
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Of Dutch origin and fluently speaking 5 languages (German, English, French, Italian and Dutch), Marcus Lubken is General Manager of Idylle Production. Marcus has an impressive background and his decision to join Idylle Production didn’t come by chance. Very quickly, Marcus understood the potential of the company and decided to add his experience to the fore. Marcus is a winner in more ways than one, with an impressive address book. Co-manager of North Sails Méditerranée, he became renowned for his performance as a top-level skipper. It was thus that in 2005, Marcus, as emeritus skipper of “Magic Carpet”, he was victorious in the Zegna de Portofino Trophy, with Lindsay Owen Jones at the tiller (president of L’Oréal) as well as Tom Whidden, winner of 3 Americas Cups and President of the North Sails Marine Group. Markus runs Idylle Production with Betty Castaldi in this same spirit of excellence: “Our activity is a permanent challenge. It’s a collective challenge and just like in the field of competition sailing, only a solid team can win. That’s why we have gathered around us those who are motivated and competent in their fields. Just like the skipper of a yacht, we need a good crew to reach our objectives. We have an excellent team, and we are therefore confident in the future.”
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