Book: The Growth Decision
To understand sustainable brand growth better, Lucas Hulsebos - author of the book The Growth Decision, and CEO at DVJ Insights - takes an integrated perspective. The Growth Decision brings together ten years of Brand Growth research, academic learning and practical leadership experience.
Where the Growth Decision starts
Marketing science has already figured out how brands grow. Decades of academic research have consistently shown what drives sustainable growth: increasing penetration, building mental availability, investing in brand over time, and aligning organisations around demand creation. The principles are not new. They are not unclear. And they are not the problem.
Yet most organisations still struggle to grow. Not because they lack knowledge. Not because they lack data. Not because they lack tools. Not because they lack talent.
The reason is simple: They are not organised for growth.
Short-term pressure dominates decision-making. Metrics fragment attention. Strategies become disconnected. And the systems that should enable growth quietly work against it. As a result, organisations optimise performance but undermine growth. They become better at managing the present, while weakening their future.
This is where The Growth Decision starts.
The Strategic Growth Gap
The book introduces the Strategic Growth Gap: the structural difference between organisations that build demand over time and those that optimise results quarter by quarter. It explains why brands facing the same market conditions can show completely different growth paths and why that difference is not driven by market forces, but by leadership choices, organisational design, and the way decisions are made under pressure.
In The Growth Decision, Lucas Hulsebos brings together more than ten years of Brand Growth research, combining academic insight with real-world application. The book is built on one of the largest global research programmes among marketing professionals, incorporating the perspectives of over 20,000 marketers across industries and markets.
Rather than offering another framework or set of best practices, the book reframes growth as a system. It challenges widely held assumptions around innovation, Moments of Truth, promotions, creative effectiveness, brand building, and data-driven decision making. It shows that none of these marketing activities work in isolation. Growth emerges from how these elements are connected, prioritised, and consistently applied over time.
Why should you read it?
The Growth Decision is for Executives, Marketing leaders, Brand strategists, Insight leaders, and Commercial leaders responsible for growth decisions. It provides leaders with a clear, evidence-based perspective on how to close that gap. It helps organisations move beyond fragmented activity and towards a coherent growth system — one where strategy, execution, and organisation reinforce each other. Over the past 10 years, DVJ Insights has achieved consistent year-on-year growth, entirely organically, without investor support or external financial backing.
About the author
Lucas Hulsebos is the owner and CEO of DVJ Insights, with over 30 years of experience in marketing and market research. Through the Brand Growth Platform and collaborations with leading organisations and academic partners, he has been at the forefront of translating marketing science into practical growth decisions.
‘Growth is not an outcome. It is a leadership choice. It is a strategic perspective on how growth is built and protected under pressure.’
Enquire for a Brand Growth keynote by Lucas Hulsebos
A keynote by CEO Lucas Hulsebos on the themes behind The Growth Decision and what it takes for organisations to create the conditions for sustainable growth.
Ideal for leadership events, client events and team inspiration around growth, strategy and decision-making.
Price €9,000