Digidays 2021 program organized by Istanbul Commerce University , Faculty of Communication was held on April 9-10. Senior executives of national and international companies and industry leaders in the digital field attended this program. The event moderated by academics who are member of the Faculty of Communication. Information and experiences such as digital intelligence, social responsibility in the digital age, the power of gamification, cloud technologies in digitalization, sustainability and digital opinion leadership were shared. There were 12 sessions in the two-day program. 13 speakers share their sectoral experiences in the field of digitalization and digital communication.

“Digidays is on its way to branding in its fourth year”

The rector of the İstanbul Commercial University Prof. Dr. Yücel Oğurlu stated that digital technologies caused important alterations and new media tools have started to be preferred much more in the world of communication and artificial intelligence has significant effect to this process, with attract attention to digital technologies in the context of rapidly developing in last 30 years and came in all parts of life at opening programme of the Digidays 2021 which is held under the leadership of the İstanbul Commercial University Communication Faculty and cooperation of Department of Public Relations and Advertising and Department of Media and Communication.

Moreover, president of the Department of of Public Relations and Advertising Prof. Dr. Gülay Öztürk made her opening speech and stated that in this year fourth Digidays events which first one held in 2017, has been held and the sectoral and academic pulse of the digital world beats in this program.

Öztürk also empasized that digital communication is going to be discussed for the first time in the line of artificial intelligence, digital social responsibility, gamification and many topics like these in this two day event and Digidays has became brand event includes .

“We Go Together with the World in the Software Industry”

Güngör Kaymak who is General Manager of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Turkey, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan made a speech on the first day of the event at the session titled “How Artificial Intelligence Will Change Life”  moderated by Prof. Dr. Gülay Öztürk. Güngör Kaymak stated that artificial intelligence consists of components such as deep learning and machine learning, and it is used in many sectors today. He said that “there are various disciplines in artificial intelligence. We are going with the world in the software industry. The important thing is how you can use the data. Analyzes that can take months can be done in a very short time with artificial intelligence.”

“We Didn’t Stop Investments During the Pandemic, We Decided To Increase It”

Serhat Kahraman who is Founder and CEO of Erka Group made a speech on the first day of the event at the second session titled ” The Platform Combining Tourism and Technology: Bizigo ”  moderated by Lecturer Bilal Ayan. Serhat Kahraman gave information about the corporate travel brand, Bizigo, which they created as an in-house initiative by changing the company culture. He stated that they have transformed their corporate travel service into a digital platform, Kahraman said: “We made a decision by analyzing the past crises in the pandemic. During this period, we did not stop the investments, on the contrary, we increased them.”

“ 95 Percent Efficiency Health with Mc Robot Application “

McDonald’s Turkey Human Resources Manager Ece Demet Kuran made a speech in the third session titled  “Employer Brand and HR Efficiency Studies in the Digital World ”  moderated by Prof. Dr. Zeliha Hepkon. Ece Demet Kuran explained how McDonald’s used digitalization and artificial intelligence in its human resources process. She said “We have developed digital applications in our human resources system. We achieved 95 percent efficiency with the Mc Robot application.”

“Gen Z is Part of Innovation and Wants To Be Involved”

Akademetre Research and Strategic Planning Company Founder Halil İbrahim Zeytin made a speech in the fifth session titled  “Understanding the Consumer in the Digital World” moderated by Assoc. Prof.Dr. Nihal Kocabay Şen. Halil İbrahim Zeytin talked about the changing consumption habits from the value economy to the moment economy and the transformative effects of digital technologies. Halil İbrahim Zeytin stated that the current value of today is to have experience. He said “Generation Z is more focused on using rather than owning. This is due to the desire to be involved. Generation Z is part of innovation and wants to be involved.”

“Chocolate Consumption Doubled During the Pandemic”

The last session of the first day titled “Dissemination of Chocolate Love with GODIVA Digital Media” was moderated by  Dean of the Faculty of Communication Prof. Dr.Celalettin Aktaş.  In the session, GODIVA CEO Nurtaç Ziyal Afridi shared what they did during the pandemic and their strategies. Afridi noted that they offer the services they offer in their stores as a package service to consumers in the digital environment during the pandemic. Stating that they focused on utilizing the opportunities offered by digital by arranging their multi-channel strategies according to this situation, Afridi said: “During the epidemic, chocolate consumption has doubled. With the idea of bringing the happy feeling of chocolate to homes during the epidemic, we wanted to bring this flavor to families by giving chocolate recipes by our chefs on social media.

“Serious Play Is Actually The Work Of Communicators”

The first session of the second day of Digidays titled ” The Magical Power of Gamification in the Internet Age ” was moderated by  Prof. Dr. Oya Şakı Aydın. CEO of the Momentum Digital Media Technologies Dr. Mehmet Kemal Özkan made speech about the concept of serious play and its application areas. He stated that the concept of serious game is an educational content and includes facts such as challenge and competition. Dr. Özkan said “ The concept of serious play includes entertainment and storytelling. It is used in many fields from defense to health and education. The real transformation in this field was with the game America’s Army in 2002. With this game, the United States was able to select people with certain qualifications more quickly and accurately by doing the recruitment processes with this game. Then companies started to take advantage of it. This method is very effective especially in reaching the new generation. In fact, this field is the work of communicators.”

“Communication is the Most Important Tool of Sustainability”

The second part of the event , the session titled ” Sustainability in the Digital World ” was moderated by  Prof. Dr. Gülay Öztürk. Ulaş Bozan who is Founder of the “ The Zero Point Project”   stated that sustainability is a strategy that represents a structure is built by people, brand and civil society organization .

Bozan said, “All the elements that create sustainability need to work together. We are transforming the brand’s own space into a medium by providing digital opportunities for brands and NGOs to express themselves. People expect the brand to be sensitive to social responsibilities. Communication is the most important tool of sustainability.”

“Blockchain Artwork Trend Will Also Impact Advertising”

In the third session titled  “Are you one of those we can’t pixelate?” was moderated by Lecturer Erdem Tatlı. In this session VMLY&R Creative Group Head Efe Kaptanoğlu stated that creativity will always be important in the digital World. Also Efe Kaptanoğlu emphasized that the the idea remains important and that advertisers focus on how to integrate the idea into digital. Kaptanoğlu said, “You can catch people with visual appeal. We are in a period where the idea is expressed more visually. The digital world has moved to the field of art with blockchain. Art works encrypted with the crypto system are produced. This trend will also extend to advertising. This will also affect the language of communication.

“With Crypto System, Firms Can Get Rid of Paperwork”

In the fourth chapter, the session titled “Cloud Technologies in Digitalization and Intercultural Work” moderated by Assoc. Prof.Dr. Gözde Öymen.  VMware South Europe, Middle East & Africa Senior Alliance Manager Sercan Akdemir stated that blockchain technology can be used in all sectors, and that it is possible to transfer document processes to digital and encrypt them with a crypto system, and this is also beneficial to companies. He said it would be a great help. Akdemir said, “We cannot develop technology without creativity. Differences and diversity are sources of creativity.”

“Turkish Influencers Are More Effective”

In the fifth part, the session titled “Digital World’s Opinion Leaders, Influencers and Brands” was moderated by Prof. Dr. Gülay Öztürk. Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products Group Marketing Director Alperen Özkan and Unite.ad Co-Founder and General Manager Arman Acar talked about the basic features of Influencer marketing and how it is applied in digital channels. Özkan stated that influencers are in a function that enables them to make decisions in the consumer’s purchasing journey and are used extensively in certain consumer brands such as personal care and beauty. Noting that the market for influencers is growing, Özkan pointed out that there are influencers with 5 million followers and that the right target audience can be reached thanks to them. Arman Acar stated that Influencers are legally named as influential publishers and that they are used according to needs in various subjects such as sales, awareness, product use, and said, “The mutual harmony and understanding between the brand and the agency is very important here. Influencers in Turkey are more effective,”

“Social Media Removes the Distance Between Fame and Fans”

In the last episode of Digidays, the session titled “The Problem of Distance in Social Media Fame and Fan Relationships” was moderated by Prof. Dr Füsun Alver. In this session Actress Çiğdem Batur  stated that problems may arise when the distance between the celebrity and the fan is lifted on social media. Çiğdem Batur  said  “Fame becomes commonplace in the eyes of fans due to being more accessible on social media. Easy access to celebrities on social media makes the reputation of the celebrity ordinary. While easy access increases love for fame, it destroys distance.”