lower than 10%. There is no industrial sector that represents more than 1% of the demand in intermediate consumption for CCI. Among these, the pharmaceutical industry, the food processing industry and the clothing industry are the biggest consumers. Yet, mapping the flows of added value revealed the existence of a major connection with the audiovisual and advertising sectors, and the distriubution sector (in turn connected to the some industrial sub-sectors).
Characteristics of creative collaboration KIS-CCI-Industry Based on the available literature, the results from the empirical data analysis (I/O flows) and from the case-studies carried out in the context of this project, the following conclusions can be drawn regarding 'creative collaboration'
Industrial relations
Collaborations between industry (and businesses in general) and CCI actors are generally in the context of a customer-supplier relationship: the companies call upon a CCI actor to deliver a predetermined product or service. The effects or impacts of this collaboration are chiefly situated at the level of the client company ('downstream' spill-overs). Collaborations are not strictly limited to relationships based on geographical proximity. Some collaborations require intensive interaction and therefore close, regular contact; yet others are geared towards services exported far beyond the Walloon borders. Despite an overall positive assessment of these creative relationships, they rarely involve true strategic collaboration (with a dialogue on an equal footing between partners of equal importance and with a 'win-win' relationship for both parties). Relationships are often of a 'customer-supplier' nature and on a one-off basis. The interaction rarely leads, for example, companies to review their portfolio of products/activities (in nature, extent or composition). Generally speaking, the companies who make use of design do it from a short-term and one-off point of view, and far too much 'downstream'. There is very little ‘upstream’ collaboration or contribution at the strategic level, in other words, a scenario in which design would go hand-inhand with the renewal of a portfolio of activities or products. As reported by several ‘design’ companies, the customers are mainly focused on the resources to be implemented and contact the designers for this purpose, while they would better communicate their strategic goals and give the designers a lot of latitude as far as the means to be used… The ‘customers’ come from numerous sectors and there is no preferred or priority sector as such for the consumption of the products/services of the CCI. In any case, given that the relationships are chiefly situated downstream of the value chain (see above), the customers of CCI generally tend to be industrial sectors manufacturing end-products that are close to the end consumer. The more a creative collaboration is given a strategic position in the production chain, the more this collaboration will be characterised by: A process of co-creation in which the company and the CCI actor participate on equal terms; A need to take a multidisciplinary approach.
Factors stimulating creative collaborations between CCI-industry
The most important factors leading companies to decide to collaborate with (external) CCI actors are: Benefiting from specialised expertise not available within the company. In most cases, this involves knowledge that is not part of the company's core activities (but which is nevertheless important). For example, this may be an industrial SME who engages an external communication agency to develop an advertising campaign for a consumer product; Being better geared towards the end consumers by using creative products or services (e.g.: user-centered design, targeted communication) ; Opening up new opportunities thanks to a creative, external view on the internal processes, products or services. In this regard, it was noted that there is no preference shown for keeping services such as design internal, as opposed to outsourcing them. The advantage of internalising them is that the designers become highly familiar with the product, company and customers… But calling upon external designers allows them to access a new vision that is ‘fresher’. External designers have a broader, more innovative approach, a cross-sectoral approach that promotes ‘hybridisation’ phenomena…
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