On Tuesday 6^th of December 2011 (also St. Nikolaus day) the French president Nicolas Sarkozy and the executive chairman of Google, Eric Schmidt inaugurated the French “Googleplex” in Paris.

Edouard Schwebel, ex consultant at The Value Engineers and now working for Google in Paris opened the Q&A session in full class by welcoming the French president and breaking the ice by wishing him charmingly and cheekily a happy name day. And then Edouard went on to ask:

“In 1984 Steve Jobs met François Mitterrand. Shortly after he was asked on French public television: ‘Is France ready for a success like Apple?’ 

Not convinced Steve mentioned cultural, economic and social obstacles that were in his opinion stronger in France than in other more innovative countries.

My question today, nearly 30 years later is the following: Is France ready for a success like Google?”

You can read more about this story in Le Monde online and also watch Edouard next to Nicolas Sarkozy. There is a short intro by Eric Schmidt and Edouard starts talking about 1:24 minutes into the clip.

The Value Engineers are taking brand consultancy to a whole new level – from print and online up into the skies.

We are delighted to announce that BA Business Life has published our one page article on ten top tips for innovation in this month’s hard copy as well as online.

This piece is based on our much more extensive piece “11 precepts for innovation and branding” as seen on our blog and which can be downloaded directly from our website.

Happy reading.

We are delighted to announce that Giles Lury, director of branding at The Value Engineers, has been quoted in The Independent. Giles comments in an article that sheds light on why people have started logging off Facebook in the last few months.

Giles comments:  “Privacy fears have always been around Facebook, but they are magnifying. For consumers, face recognition is scary. In Britain, we’ve always been slightly reticent of Big Brother watching us, particularly on a digital level. Just think about the reaction to ID cards.” When Facebook appears heavy-handed with privacy, he argues, users leave.

You can read the full article on The Independent online

Tim Kaner, Associate Director at The Value Engineers, comments in The Grocer on Warburtons’s repackaged Baked Pitta Chips.

Tim comments: “The new design is clearer and better positions the product as an alternative to crisps and tortilla chips. It is easier to see where the product is designed to fit in the consumer’s snacking repertoire. It is also positioned more in line with Warburtons’ ­heritage.”

Read the full article on The Grocer online

Lou Ellerton, senior consultant at The Value Engineers, comments in pitchcreative on pitch’s top ten royal wedding campaigns.

Lou thinks that John Smith’s royal wedding commemorative paper plate is a great little way of gently poking fun at the wedding.

She has a more critical view on Tate & Lyle Royal Icing Sugar though: “It’s a sweet thought, but it doesn’t achieve anything. It seems to be piggybacking on the spirit of things without reasserting its values.”