How do you transform a centuries-old industry into a modern digital marketplace? For Daniela Bergek, Head of Digital Marketing at Auctionet, the answer lies in making auctions more accessible, understanding customer behaviour and using technology to remove barriers to growth. Founded in Sweden in 2011, Auctionet has grown into one of Europe's largest digital auction marketplaces, connecting traditional auction houses with buyers around the world. In this interview, Daniela sh

For many years, quick-service restaurants competed primarily on convenience, speed and price. Today, the category has become far more complex. Consumers expect affordability, but they also seek memorable experiences, flexible consumption occasions and brands that remain relevant in an increasingly fragmented world. At the same time, QSR brands face new competition from supermarket ready-to-eat meals, changing consumer habits and growing pressure to deliver both short-term sal

Financial Times and Statista once again recognise DVJ Insights for its sustained organic growth over a decade, highlighting the international market research agency's continued success in a challenging industry. London, 28 October 2026 - DVJ Insights has once again been recognised as one of Europe's Long-Term Growth Champions 2027 by the Financial Times and Statista. For the second consecutive year, the international market research agency has secured a place among Europe's l

In a category built around preserving memories, staying relevant means continually finding new ways to help customers capture them. For Susan Judge, VP Marketing at Storio Group, brand growth is therefore less about finding one breakthrough idea and more about consistency in delivery and staying close to the ongoing evolution of customer needs and expectations. Operating multiple brands across Europe, including Photobox and albelli, Storio combines significant brand heritage

When Leaving Price Out Of A Concept Test Is Harmless – And When It Becomes Costly Concept Testing is about making Decisions Concept testing plays a central role in the innovation process. It supports important decisions: should an innovation proceed or be stopped? If it proceeds, which elements should be retained, improved or changed? These decisions are often made when the proposition is already defined, but many marketing-mix elements are not. Packaging, distribution, comm

How do you introduce a radically new technology under one of the world’s most established brands? For Ceren Wende, Head of Marketing & Communications at Volvo Autonomous Solutions, the answer starts with trust, but trust cannot be taken for granted. While the Volvo name provides an enormous advantage when entering autonomous transport, it also creates a responsibility to protect what the brand has built over decades. In a category where safety concerns and scepticism remain s

Today’s advanced eye-tracking informs us much better about which elements attract attention, which don't and how attention is divided across a design. A heatmap almost immediately addresses the key points of attention. However, it can become uncomfortable when there is insufficient insight into what actually drives attention, why certain elements are being noticed while others are overlooked, and therefore what can be done to improve visibility. This got me thinking, as in my

Across more than two decades, Charlotte Ottesen-Hansen has helped build, nurture and transform some of the world’s most recognised brands. Her career has taken her from Dior and L’Oréal’s luxury division to Pandora, Georg Jensen and, most recently, Flügger, spanning beauty, jewellery, home interiors and home improvement. Although the categories differ, Charlotte sees a common foundation behind sustainable brand growth. It does not begin with a campaign or a new product, but w

Following its recognition as one of Europe's Long-Term Growth Champions and eight consecutive FD Gazelle Awards in the Netherlands, DVJ Insights has now also been named a FOCUS-Business Wachstumschampion 2027 in Germany. Hamburg, 21 October 2026 – DVJ Insights has been recognised as a FOCUS-Business Wachstumschampion 2027, marking the international market research agency's first growth award in Germany. The ranking, compiled by FOCUS-Business in collaboration with Statista, r

How often should someone see an advertisement before it starts to work? It is one of those deceptively simple questions that has occupied advertisers for decades. And for a long time, the industry has had an equally simple answer: around three times. The origins of that thinking go back more than 50 years. In 1972, Herbert Krugman published his influential paper Why Three Exposures May Be Enough, describing different stages of psychological response to repeated advertising. O

In banking, where trust is built slowly and customers rarely make decisions impulsively, brand growth depends on patience and consistency. For Zrinka Jugec, Group Marketing Director at Addiko Bank, this means resisting the temptation to constantly reinvent the message. Instead, brands need to remain recognisable, communicate their positioning repeatedly and ensure that the same underlying values are reflected across every customer touchpoint. Operating across Central and So

Blog post by Hannah Das & Lisette Kruizinga-de Vries, based on the master thesis of Hannah.

For Deniz Barut, Head of Digital Marketing, Media & dCommerce Home Care Europe at Unilever, brand growth is not driven by one single lever. It comes from connecting the full system: investing in brands for the mid to long term, understanding changing consumer needs, turning those insights into relevant innovation, and measuring whether every euro is being used in the right way. In Home Care, where habits, channels and expectations are shifting quickly, the brands that win are

We are proud to share that The Growth Decision, written by DVJ Insights CEO Lucas Hulsebos, is among the 10 nominees for the PIM Marketingliteratuurprijs 2026 (Marketing Book of the Year) in the Netherlands! The Growth Decision by Lucas Hulsebos For 20 years, PIM (Platform Innovatie in Marketing), the Dutch platform connecting marketing and innovation, has presented this award to recognise authors who contribute new knowledge to the field and encourage marketers to rethink th

Brand Growth comes from Penetration, doesn't it? Few ideas have influenced modern marketing as strongly as the principle that brands grow primarily by increasing penetration. Research associated with Byron Sharp and the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute has challenged the traditional belief that growth mainly comes from turning existing customers into increasingly loyal buyers. Instead, the evidence suggests that larger brands generally have more buyers, including many light and occas

What if some of the assumptions behind modern marketing and market research are fundamentally wrong? For Colin Moyer, his background in anthropology, archaeology and Buddhist theory offers a different perspective on how people make decisions. Colin sees striking parallels between these ideas and findings from modern neuroscience, challenging some conventional assumptions about consumers as stable individuals with fixed preferences. Instead, he argues that people are constantl

In a world where marketing is constantly evolving, it is easy to get distracted by the latest trends, tools, and technologies. Yet, for Alexander Shmelkov, Director of Global Brand Tracking at IKEA, true brand growth still comes down to mastering the fundamentals. In this conversation, he shares how IKEA balances long-standing principles with modern challenges, from penetration-driven growth to the impact of AI, and why staying grounded is more important than ever. Growth Sta

London, 7 October 2026 – DVJ Insights has been shortlisted for the 2026 MRS Media Research Award for its new approach to measure the brand-building contribution of influencers and content creators within the total media mix. The recognition is one of two MRS Awards nominations for DVJ Insights this year, alongside a nomination in the Application of Analytics category. Moving beyond engagement metrics As investment shifts towards social platforms, influencers and content creat

London, 7 October 2026 – DVJ Insights has been shortlisted for the 2026 MRS Application of Analytics Award for research investigating which concept-testing metrics validly predict in-market success. The recognition is one of two MRS Awards nominations for DVJ Insights this year, alongside a nomination in the Media Research category. Which metrics predict in-market success? Concept testing plays an important role in deciding which innovations companies launch and invest in. Ye

In a region as diverse and dynamic as Latin America, brand growth depends on more than simply having a strong product. Consumer behaviour is evolving rapidly, driven by digitalisation, changing media habits, and new technologies that are reshaping how people discover, evaluate, and purchase products. For Francisco Muñoz, Head of Insights & Analytics LATAM at Philips, growth starts with understanding consumers deeply, anticipating how their behaviour is changing, and adaptin