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Thoughts to take further

Notebook

I explore how ideas emerge, why products get stuck and how possibilities become something that works. Sometimes that is about marketing and product development, sometimes about collaboration, health or life itself.

Blue Leuchtturm1917 hardcover notebook.
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10 publications
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Trust: familiarity breeds affection

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Søren Kierkegaard It has been fifty years since my father and I regularly went to a toy store in our small village on weekends to score a Matchbox car. Even larger…

13-02-2025

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Are people really going to be surprised by this?

"No risk, no story. No guts, no glory." Ruud Olijve This is the only real question that should matter within marketing. The only criterion that matters. That you really know how to surprise customers, do something new or funny. No more…

04-07-2024

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Market Engineering

The man behind the desk in the blue suit looked at me cynically. “So you are the one who is finally growing our business?” With these words dripping with distrust, I was welcomed by the production manager. The company where I started…

25-02-2024

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No unique product. No unique message. No problem!

Do you ever wander around on social media? The sheer number of sponsored posts from all kinds of coaches is striking. The message from them is essentially the same? They all promise golden mountains of success and new client…

03-06-2021

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Winning propositions by solving real problems

Why are people so eager to buy new things? That's because people want progress in their lives. If they have realized that this is possible with your product, they are more than willing to buy from you. Most people, just like…

29-05-2021

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A flower is a weed with proper marketing

We love flowers. Giving roses, tulips, lilies and other flowers ensures that we make people happy. But when are flowers, flowers and when are weeds? What makes a flower different from flowering weeds? When a flower is seen as a flower…

27-05-2021

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Marketing must embrace real change!

On a stormy Sunday afternoon in April, I walk along the coast. The wind rages over the waves. Waves with white heads smash themselves on the beach. Again and again. With the wind in my head, I walk along the waterline. It is striking…

27-05-2021

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Brands with a recognizable character

During my holiday in the south of France, I strolled along the boulevard with my daughters. The sun had done its job very well that day and allowed itself to sink into the evening. It had been a beautiful summer day. To end the day, my…

16-05-2021

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Plant your flag!

The flag flies proudly on Liberation Day. It's a beautiful day and the wind is blowing the flag full of life. A living flag shows itself as a symbol of freedom, a sign of togetherness and a sign of strength. Unfortunately, in earlier…

04-01-2021

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Karaoke or character?

The last evening of my fourteen-day course has arrived. This annual course ends every year with a visit to the karaoke bar of Brussels. This year is no exception. We stroll towards Boulevard Anspach where O’Reillys karaoke bar awaits…

08-12-2020