For immediate release JY&A Consulting

Contacts: Sicco van Gelder Brand Meta & Placebrands E sicco.van.gelder@brand-meta.com	Jolanda Holwerda E buit.hol@wxs.nl
Anne-Marie Voorhoeve Voorhoeve Contactancy & Stichting Nederland E voorhoeve@contactancy.nl	Jack Yan, CEO Jack Yan & Associates T 64 4 387-3213, F 64 4 387-3213 E jack.yan@jyanet.com

Beyond Branding event in Amsterdam: New Year, new values

Amsterdam, January 2 (JY&A Media) The next Medinge Group think-tank gathering in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, will see an “inspiration session” tied in to the new brand book, Beyond Branding:How the New Values of Transparency and Integrity Are Changing the World of Brands (Kogan Page, October 2003).
    Hosted by Medinge Group member Sicco van Gelder and two colleagues based in the Netherlands, Jolanda Holwerda en Anne-Marie Voorhoeve, the Open Space-format event will be held at Hotel Arena, ‘s-Gravesandestraat 51, Amsterdam, on January 15, 6·30 p.m.
   The new book, dealing with how more humanity and transparency can be put into businesses through branding, forms the basis of the evening’s discussions.
   A large number of Beyond Branding’s writers and other members of this top-level international think-tank will be present to share their thoughts and ideas. A number of Dutch confrères have been asked to shed their lights on the arguments made in Beyond Branding and have been invited to debate their thinking with the authors.
   Max Havelaar, recently elected by the Medinge Group as a ‘Top Brand with a Conscience’, will also share its experiences at the event.
   This inspirational event is expected to reveal new concepts for business and is tipped by the authors to demonstrate how Beyond Branding can be implemented in businesses worldwide.

Programme

6·30 p.m.		Start of the evening
7·00 p.m.		Welcome Introduction by Nicholas Ind, editor of Beyond Branding Branding at Max Havelaar, Top Brand with a Conscience Open Space session with the authors of Beyond Branding
10·00 p.m.		Drinks and a chance to network

Registration
   Please register before January 10, 2004 at info@brand-meta.com.

Images
Images for this release may be downloaded from <http://jya.net/0102pr0.htm>.

About the Medinge Group
The Medinge Group is a top-level think tank of brand professionals who meet annually to exchange ideas about theory, strategy and trends in international branding. The group meets in August at Medinge, Sweden and in January at an alternative European location.
   The Medinge Group strives to influence businesses from inside—and outside—to become more human, and more humane. The group believes it possible to accelerate change across enterprises and societies by acting on principles of compassionate branding.
   The Group’s web site can be found at www.medinge.org.

About Beyond Branding
Edited by branding consultant and leading author Nicholas Ind, Beyond Branding: How the New Values of Transparency and Integrity Are Changing the World of Brands is a collective viewpoint of the brand managers, consultants, writers and thinkers who assemble each summer in Medinge, Sweden to discuss the future of branding.
    Its authors are well-known in the profession: Nicholas Ind, Denzil Meyers, Alan Mitchell, Simon Anholt, Sicco van Gelder, Tim Kitchin, Chris Macrae, John Moore, John Caswell, Ian Ryder, Julie Anixter, Thomas Gad, Jack Yan, and Malcolm Allan.
   The anti-globalisation movement has developed into the scourge of governments and bodies such as the WTO. Naomi Klein´s No Logo book has garnered interest around the world. And most profoundly the succession of financial scandals has led many to question the standards of corporations. This has led to the perception among many that brands are manipulative and demeaning.
   The authors’ position amidst all this questioning is that branding is neither inherently good or evil. This book aims to show that branding can benefit employees and customers and investors, but only if managers re-think their fundamental assumptions about brands and marketing. This is an humanistic approach that stresses the need to develop new standards for the way businesses are managed wherever they operate in the world.
   The book was published by Kogan Page of London in late October 2003. The web site is at <http://www.beyond-branding.com>.

Notes to editors
The JY&A three-stroke logo is a trademark of Jack Yan & Associates and is subject to protection in certain jurisdictions. All trademarks are the properties of their respective owners and are used in a descriptive fashion without any intention to infringe.

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