Appointed best professional prospects in Communication COM-ENT Grand Prizes, these promising profiles caught our attention. The team investigated to find out what became of them and especially how their outlook has evolved, from theory to practice. We invite you to discover Edouard Ndiaye, Best Hope COM-ENT 2016. Dalso discover the next COM-ENT Best Hope Thursday 22 November at the Cirque d'Hiver Bouglione in Paris!
Hello Edouard! You are now working at Buzzman. Tell us everything: what are your current missions?
At Buzzman, I have a double scope of intervention. On the one hand, I work on the development of brand and advertising strategies within the agency's strategic planning department. I had the chance to participate in many pitches and to work on accounts like Oreo, Winamax, Huawei and Yop.
And on the other hand, I am a Lead Design Strategist within Productman, Buzzman's innovation studio that designs innovative products, services and brand experiences. Within this entity, my role is at the crossroads of planning and UX. That is to say, to analyze and identify first of all the problems of use or experience among users. Then, translate a design strategy that will guide the project from the conception of the creative idea, from the design of the interface and / or the experience to the commercial launch.
In two years at Productman, I was able to take part in the creation ofU-Back to school - a digital service that is revolutionizing back-to-school shopping for Système U - or even Chives - A Kit which allows Parisians to cultivate their organic vegetable garden for Botanic. We are launching very soon Illucity, the first adventure park in virtual reality that we have entirely designated, from the brand to the reservation site, including the scenography, the physical experience and the sound environment. The first location should open in early December 2018 in Paris.
What has the profession's “Best Hope” Award given to you? What is your course?
Receiving this award from communication professionals first of all allowed me to get rid of my last doubts about choosing to embark on this profession. It was a tremendous boost in confidence!
It has now been two years since I graduated from ISCOM's Master in Creative Design Branding. It was during this training that I discovered the two disciplines that make up my daily life as a Strategic Planner at Buzzman: advertising and design.
What discrepancies do you see in Communication between your perception as a student yesterday and your perception as a pro today?
A significant shift to tell the truth. Yesterday, I spoke of communication as a discipline with well-defined contours which would consist in putting a coat of varnish on something finished. Today, it is difficult for me to talk about Communication as a whole, as our sector is undergoing rapid change.
The professions that make it up are increasingly different, hybrid and their fields of application are just as much. Can we still talk about communication when Buzzman creates the Burger Mystere for Burger King? Can we still talk about communication when to work on the awareness of the Botanic brand with Parisians, Productman decides to design a vegetable garden service for this target rather than a simple poster campaign? Can we still talk about communication when Marcel designs a babysitting service so that Meetic users can "date" more easily?
I believe that our job has always consisted in bringing intelligence, people and ideas ... It's just that today we have the opportunity or even the obligation to respond to brand issues by means that go far beyond communication as we understood it a few years ago.
Today, it is difficult for me to talk about Communication as a whole, as our sector is undergoing rapid change.
Any advice for Communication students?
Our profession is becoming more and more protean and complex. We increasingly need “technical and hybrid” profiles. I would therefore advise them to specialize in disciplines such as data, performance marketing or experience design.
