For Pernella Geluk, innovation only drives brand growth when it starts with relevance and is followed through with discipline, adequate timing and entrepreneurship. As an independent marketing and innovation consultant, she helps food companies turn consumer and customer insight into concrete concepts, successful launches and long-term growth. Working mainly in FMCG food, both on the consumer side and increasingly in B2B, Pernella sees innovation not as a pipeline of new prod

Why AI Agents Make Deterministic Code More Important

Six years ago, Kia Netherlands stood on the verge of a major brand transformation. Since then, the brand has introduced a new global identity, strengthened its position in electric mobility and became market leader in the Netherlands. For Maaike Aarts, Manager Communications and PR at Kia Netherlands, that growth was not driven by one single factor, but by the ability to bring a global strategy to life locally supported by the right mix of products, a strong dealer network an

Introduction In recent years, DVJ Insights has done a lot of research into what marketers consider to be the most important KPI to determine the success of marketing. What most companies have in common is that success is mainly measured by a brand's sales or market share. Still, it is difficult to direct marketing based on sales. It is often preferred to use various brand KPIs that have the most influence on sales in order to achieve growth.

In just over a decade, Schysst Käk has grown from a small Swedish start-up founded by brothers Amir and Alex Kheirmand into a fast-growing food company that expects to reach close to SEK 800 million in turnover. Built around the idea of making kebab easy to prepare and enjoy at home, the brand has effectively created its own category, ”Home Kebab”, in Swedish grocery retail. For Alex Kheirmand, Founding Partner and Chief Commercial Officer, the growth has not come from inve

Customer-centricity has always been the Foundation of Great Innovation Innovation has never been about technology alone. The most successful innovations emerge when companies identify and address meaningful customer needs. Whether it is simplifying everyday tasks, removing friction from experiences, or enabling entirely new ways of solving problems, the underlying principle remains the same: consumers do not buy innovations because they are technologically sophisticated. They

Marketing has never been more complex. Consumers move across countless channels, attention is fragmented, and businesses face constant pressure to deliver short-term results. Yet for Héctor Rivero, Senior Marketing Manager at McDonald's Spain, the fundamentals of brand growth remain remarkably simple: understand people, define a clear message, and stay consistent over time. In this conversation, he shares why marketing should be viewed as a company-wide capability, why shor

Utrecht, 26 June 2026 – DVJ Insights is proud to announce that Dennis Hulsebos has been named Young Talent of the Year at the Data & Insights Awards in the Netherlands. The award recognises young professionals in the research and insights industry who show courage, think beyond the obvious, and bring fresh and creative ways to move the profession forward. Dennis’ win continues a strong tradition of talent recognition at DVJ Insights. Over the years, several DVJ colleagues hav

Most comparisons between AI coding tools begin with the wrong question. They ask which model writes the best code, which assistant performs best on benchmarks, or which platform produces the cleanest pull request. Those questions matter, especially for developers who need to trust the output. But they are not enough for a business decision. Organisations rarely adopt technology because it is technically impressive. They adopt technology when it fits into how people already wo

What does it take to grow a global brand in today’s complex, fast-moving landscape? For Philip Hambach, who has spent more than 18 years at adidas working at the intersection of brand strategy, insights and data, the answer lies in balance. Balance between global and local, between product and brand, and increasingly, between human judgement and machine intelligence. In this conversation, Philip shares how adidas has evolved its approach to brand growth and how data and AI ar

In just ten years, Bizum has become a familiar part of everyday payment behaviour in Spain. What started as a shared initiative by Spanish banks to improve the digital banking experience has grown into a brand many people now use almost automatically. For Lorena Poza Díaz, responsible for communications, marketing and sustainability at Bizum, that familiarity is both a strength and a challenge. The next phase of growth is not only about being known, but about staying relevant

One of the most persistent questions in advertising is deceptively simple: when should you show the brand? For years, many advertisers were taught to make the brand visible early and clearly. And in many digital environments, that advice makes perfect sense. Platforms like Google, Meta and TikTok have invested heavily in advertising effectiveness research, building large-scale meta-learnings to help advertisers improve performance. One of the most repeated recommendations is

In a media landscape defined by fragmentation, shrinking attention spans and rapid technological change, brands face a growing challenge: how to remain visible, relevant and chosen. For Fran Ares, CEO and founder of Glocally, brand growth is not about one single lever, but about staying close to the market, understanding how consumers behave, and making it easy for people to choose you. As Glocally enters a new phase with a renewed identity and broader positioning, Fran refle

For Prasun Bose, Global Director of Insights at Essity, brand growth is no longer just a marketing question, but a systemic one. After more than eight years at the company, working on its flagship incontinence brand TENA, his role has evolved from traditional research into building a fully integrated insights ecosystem. The ambition is clear: to connect consumer understanding, market data, and business performance into a single source of truth that drives real growth. In a ca

Kneipp has been rooted in a clear philosophy for over 135 years. Built on the principles of water, plants, nutrition, movement and balance, the brand has evolved from a traditional bath product into a broader wellbeing proposition. In this conversation, Petra Oonk, Head of Marketing at Kneipp Benelux, shares how the company approaches brand growth through a combination of strong heritage, organisational alignment and continuous relevance in a competitive market. A Strong Ide

Utrecht, 11 June 2026 - DVJ Insights is pleased to welcome Fred Roodbeen to its Dutch team as Client Consultant. With 15 years of experience in market research, Fred further strengthens DVJ’s expertise in brand, communication, innovation and shopper research. Fred joins DVJ with 15 years of experience from MarketResponse, where he started as a Junior Consultant and later progressed to Principal Consultant. Over the years, Fred has worked across both B2C and B2B environment

A Cautionary Tale A recent project of ours involved a marketing manager — let’s call her Rita. Rita had just returned from an intensive AI training at one of the largest technology companies in California. She was enthusiastic, inspired, and convinced she had discovered a dramatically faster way of working. Her task was ambitious: She needed to develop a new proposition for a new category her company wanted to move into. Using GenAI, she developed: product concepts packaging

For Beatriz Faustino, brand growth starts with a simple but often overlooked principle: marketing must be at the service of the business. Drawing on her experience as Chief Marketing and Digital Officer across leading retail, restaurant and lifestyle brands including Carrefour, McDonald’s, Burger King, Swatch and Imaginarium, she sees the CMO role as a strategic bridge between customer understanding and commercial growth. In this conversation, Beatriz explains why relevance i

In a market dominated by large players and tight category conventions, standing out is no easy task—especially for a smaller, family-owned company. In this conversation, Nina Hagman, Marketing & Innovation Manager at Herrljunga Drycker, shares how the Swedish beverage company has carved out a distinct position through bold innovation, strong internal alignment, and a willingness to challenge category norms while staying true to its DNA. From Idea to Market: Owning the Full

In today’s rapidly evolving events landscape, traditional venues are being challenged to redefine their role. In this interview, we speak with Tom van Kuyk, Head of Business Innovation at Royal Dutch Jaarbeurs, one of the Netherlands’ leading exhibition and conference organisations. In our conversation, we explore what brand growth means in this context, how live experiences are being redefined, and how innovation is shaping the future of the organisation. From Venue to Desti