On holiday

Last weekend, all parking lot spaces in Brussels Airport were full. This is only one indication of the increasing tourism flow.
The United Nations World Tourism Organization predicts that by 2020, the international tourism will double from about 800 million in 2008 to 1.6 billion in 2020. What drives this ‘tsunami’ of tourists and what are the consequences?

Read all about it in this week's column.

Ch'tis

Have you seen the succesfull movie 'Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis'? In France and also in Belgium, the movie is a big hit and is becoming cult.
The explanation for its success is simple. Ch'tis is about real people and is, from the beginning till the end, fully authentic.

Read all about it in this week's column.

The green chairman

Brand new chairman of Verbond van Belgische Ondernemingen, Thomas Leysen, pulled the green card in his maiden speech. He suggested that Belgian companies should go for innovative, ecological and energy friendly production processes. The 'VBO' should be part of 'bright green', as he put it. It shows the new wind that blows business world. But also governments think ahead. Steve Stevaert, governor of Limburg, wants a CO2 neutral province in 2020. Up to the citizen-consumers to follow.

Read the column of this week here.

At work

Today, unemployment figures are historically low and employment forces become scarce. And, there seems to be no improvement in the near future. In 2030, when all babyboomers will have left working, the active working population in Flanders will be down with 300 000. It is clear that the proportion between offer and demand on the employment market is lost, and it is the employee that is in control. And thus, the ware for talent is raging and companies have to be more inventive than ever to attract employees. How to behave as employer?

Read all about it in this week's column.

Ambush Marketing

As proven in the past, the Olympic games are an ideal setting for ambush marketing ie. an attempt of unofficial sponsors to be linked with an important event, at the expense of the official sponsor.
About 10 days ago, an interesting protest action or media stunt happened when protesters of Reporters without borders interrupted the traditional ceremony of the ignition of the Olympic flame. The tone of the Games is set and marketers curiously await the ambush actions of major brands.

Read all about it in this week's column.

Night and day

Though often negative in the news, night shops are becoming an important distribution channel. The consultancy and market research company, Food in Mind, calculated the importance of the shops. It seems that they are worth a turnover of 1,364 billion euro.

Read all about it in this week's column.

Under fire

The storm against advertising and marketing continues. Last week, a brand of clothes got critized for a picture they used, in which 2 young boys were holding a cigar. Clients and organizations like Vlaams Instituut voor Gezondheid or Vlaamse Liga tegen Kanker protested. Some weeks ago, we wrote on the ban of alcohol advertising before 9 o’ clock in the Netherlands. And at the same moment, environmental organizations are fighting for a correct practice of the car advertising legislation.
It is clear that no sector or brand is left untouched. Alcohol, tobacco, cars, … what’s next?
It is clear that brands will have to be inventive with governmental regulations. See an example of BIC beneath.

Read the column of this week here .

Under fir

Complaint index

Complaint management enters a new decade. In our flat world, it has never been easier for unhappy customers to express their unhappiness and managers can thus easily calculate their ‘complaint index’ through Google. In the past, brands tried to remain silent about these customers, today the opposite strategy is more efficient. Some weeks ago, Business Week wrote 'Love the customers who hate you'. The message is clear: managers need to embrace customers who complain about their products or services instead of denying or cursing them.

Read all about it in this week's column.

Adapt or die

Lately, alcohol advertising has become the subject of much debate. With sensitization campaigns running about side effects of alcohol, banning of advertising targeted at specific groups and increased pressure on organizations to promote responsible consumption, what should alcoholic drink brands do?

Read all about it in this week's column.

A brand in bad times

The power of communication is widely acknowledged, but most of the times communication is used to announce good news. However, communication is at least as important in bad times or during a moment of crisis. Dexia has understood this well in the trial against the bankrupt speech and language technology company Lernout & Hauspie. It created a special website www.dexia.be/lhsp, where visitors are informed about the case. Objective is not to plead through the Internet, but to inform all stakeholders in a correct way. The site is a good example of modern information management and a mean to reinstall trust.

Read all about it in this week's column.

Taking over the PBS

Consumer empowerment is a hot topic. We’ve seen it in our recent articles about the iPhone and Postbank-Ing, and now youngsters are planning a coup on our PBS, the VRT.
On www.deovername.be, a group of young, creative people started a campaign to find like-minded people who want to change the VRT, and make more shows suiteable to younger generations. These youngsters, between 14-18 years, get the chance to promote their own creative work. If the campaign is a success, and enough talented youngsters are found, the work of the most talented youngsters will be broadcasted on television, radio and internet. Is this for real or is VRT's advertising agency behind 'the coup' ? To be continued.

Participation in brand landscape

Another example of consumer participation and involved is shown in the Netherlands. After the takeover of Postbank by ING, the latest decided to abandon the Dutch brand and rebrand all branches into ING. No doubt ING has good reasons to replace thé financial brand of the Netherlands, Postbank, by the ING brand. But the decision is much debated, since the 2 brands are perceived as opposite to one another and people have a real emotional relationship with Postbank. The risk for unsatisfied clients is thus real.
One of these clients, Wim Luijk, decided to create the website www.postbankmoetblijven.nl to express his dissatisfaction. How to react as a marketer?

Read all about it in this week’s column.

iPower

I bet some of you are proud owner of an Apple iPhone. And it seems you are not alone. About 8000 Belgians are iPhone users, though the phone is still not officially for sale in Belgium. But also in the US, where the phone was launched last year, about 1.7 millions phone don't work with AT&T and are thus hacked. An ultimate expression of the empowered consumers, who wants to be in control and doesn’t like restrictions enforced by brands?

Read all about this week's column here.

The new communes

How do communes, the co housing projects that were popular in the 60ies and 70ies amongst people revolting against capitalism- look like anno 2008? Do they still accommodate former hippies? It seems that a lot of pragmatic 20-somethings also choose to live together with friends or like-minded people.

Read all about it in this week's column.

Psychosis

The whole world is looking at the evolution of the stock market. The decreasing share prices brought along panic and new speculations about a possible recession. But even financial analysists must admit that the recent evolutions are more based on psychology -or even psychosis- than on the current situation and behavior of companies and consumers.

Read all about it in this week's column.

Consumers become swarms

Our digitale age also influences the way we decide what to buy and consume. AdAge predicts that BRAND SWARMS will find their way in 2008: people will be influenced more and more by other consumers: their partner, kids, friends, colleagues and also social networks. So, goodbye 1-to-1 marketing, hello social networks. Brands will have to behave even more excellent and consequently in order to be recommended.

Read all about it in this week's column.

Recession or not?

One of my latest columns, regarded a slight decrease in consumer confidence at the end of 2007 and announcements of a recession of the economy. Interesting to read how NRC Handelsblad also published a commentary on this issue. It was titled 'Self-confidence of the European Economy'. Key message is that we mustn't let ourselves talk into a recession. Yes, the US is heading for a financial crisis, but consumer and business confidence in Europe is still good. Read the comment article here.

Green car show

This week the 86th edition of the car show lands in Brussels. Theme this year is the environment. The show illustrates how cars and green can go hand in hand. But, not only green is hot, cheap is the newest trend, abroad but soon in our regions too.

Read all about it in this week's column.

The year of China

Thé picture of 2007, that also perfectly announces 2008, is this one. It was published last summer in Het Nieuwsblad, one year before the official start of the Olympic Games. No doubt, 2008 will be the year of China. Already last year we were impressed by the economic growth of the country and China is expected to be the largest economic force by 2030, though some suggest a yellow bubble is created.
It is my belief that the Olympic Games will do the same for China as Expo 58 did for Belgium and Western Europe 50 years ago.

Read all about it in this week's column.