Utrecht, 1 September 2026 - DVJ Insights, the global market research agency that has achieved consistent organic growth for more than a decade, announces the appointment of Jolique Weelink as Global Commercial Director. In this role, Jolique will be responsible for shaping and executing DVJ’s global commercial strategy and driving the company’s continued growth. Jolique brings extensive experience in commercial leadership within the international market research industry. During her career at MetrixLab and Toluna, she was responsible for driving international growth, leading commercial teams and building strong client partnerships in a highly competitive and fast-scaling environment. Her experience also spans innovation, research quality, data science and technology, bringing a broad perspective on how the market research industry is evolving and what this means for clients. This combination of strategic thinking, commercial focus and international market research experience makes her a strong addition to DVJ’s leadership team. The appointment comes as DVJ continues to expand its international presence and strengthen its position as a global research partner for Brand Growth. Following more than a decade of consistent organic growth, the company now has teams across the Netherlands, UK, Germany, Spain and the Nordics. Jolique will play an important role in building on this momentum by further developing DVJ’s commercial organisation and supporting its ambitions for continued international growth. Jolique Weelink, Global Commercial Director at DVJ Insights, says: “Joining DVJ was a very conscious choice. DVJ’s commitment to high-quality research, strong client partnerships, and creating happiness for both clients and colleagues deeply resonated with me. The company has built an impressive track record of consistent growth, and I’m excited to build on that strong foundation. I look forward to working with our teams across markets, strengthening our client partnerships and helping drive DVJ’s next phase of global growth.” Marieke van Echtelt, Managing Director at DVJ Insights, adds: “We are very happy to welcome Jolique to DVJ. Jolique brings extensive experience in driving international growth, building strong client partnerships and providing strategic leadership in an international environment. Her strategic mindset, commercial focus and ability to translate ambition into action are a great fit with DVJ and our ambitions for the future. Just as importantly, we value the way Jolique leads: with energy, openness and a strong belief in collaboration and empowering people. Her leadership style strongly reflects the values we believe in at DVJ: bringing positivity and passion to what we do, while always striving for the highest quality. Together with the rest of the Management Team, she will play an important role in shaping DVJ’s next phase and turning our ambitions into continued sustainable growth.”

In categories where consumers rarely spend much time thinking about brands, building growth requires a different kind of discipline. Laundry detergent, floor cleaners, soap and shampoo are often low-involvement purchases, yet competition is intense, private labels are strong, and the retail landscape is becoming increasingly fragmented. For Nina Holen, Media & Communication Director at Orkla Home & Personal Care (OHPC), brand growth starts with a simple principle: know your consumer, know your brand, and invest consistently in making that brand relevant. From building mental availability to navigating AI and an increasingly complex media landscape, Nina shares how OHPC approaches long-term brand growth in a rapidly changing market. Building Brands through Focus and Long-term Thinking As a house of brands, Orkla Home & Personal Care manages a broad portfolio across both home care and personal care categories. According to Nina, one of the biggest drivers of growth has been making clear choices about which brands to support and ensuring they receive sufficient resources. “I think for us it starts with prioritising our brands. We are a house of brands, so we have many brands. Making clear choices and ensuring we have sufficient resources to support them in the market has been an important driver.” That focus is supported by a company-wide strategy built around becoming more consumer-centric. As shopping habits evolve and consumers increasingly spread their purchases across different retail channels, OHPC aims to be present wherever consumers choose to shop. The company has traditionally been strong in grocery retail, but newer channels, including discount retailers, specialist chains and online platforms, are becoming increasingly important. This shift affects everything from innovation and distribution to media planning and communication. At the same time, Nina believes growth depends on resisting the temptation to focus exclusively on short-term results. “We try to avoid becoming too focused on the short term, even though we sometimes fall into that trap.” Instead, OHPC continues to invest in brand building and broad consumer reach. “We genuinely care about our brands. We invest in them, discuss the long-term perspective, focus on broad reach, and build mental availability so consumers think of us when they stand in front of the shelf.” “For us, it starts with prioritising our brands. We are a house of brands, so we have many brands. Making clear choices and ensuring we have sufficient resources to support them in the market has been an important driver.” Making Low-involvement Categories matter One of the challenges of working in home care and personal care is that many consumers simply do not spend much time thinking about the category. “People do not necessarily care about floor cleaner,” Nina says. “But we have managed to create communication that people still appreciate.” For her, strong communication starts with strong brand foundations. Clear positioning, a deep understanding of the consumer and consistent brand management create the conditions for both effective communication and successful innovation. “If you have strong brands, clear brand positioning, and strong brand foundations, then good communication follows naturally.” This philosophy is closely linked to the concept of mental availability. Nina openly credits Ehrenberg-Bass as a major source of inspiration. Building mental availability becomes even more important in categories where consumers make quick decisions and where private labels often compete aggressively on price. Many of OHPC’s brands operate in categories where differentiation can be difficult, making familiarity, trust and distinctiveness critical assets. “Our brands need to look good. Many of our biggest competitors are private labels in categories people do not care deeply about. We must show that our brands stand for quality and can be trusted.” “Our brands need to look good. Many of our biggest competitors are private labels in categories people do not care deeply about. We must show that our brands stand for quality and can be trusted.” Navigating a more Fragmented Media Landscape Alongside changes in retail, Nina sees major shifts in media and communication. Consumers are spreading their attention across more platforms than ever before, while retailers themselves are increasingly becoming media channels. “It will become more fragmented. More platforms are emerging. Retailers are becoming media channels themselves.” For marketers, this means maintaining a consistent brand experience across a growing number of touchpoints. Regardless of where consumers encounter the brand, the feeling and identity need to remain recognisable. “That means brands must be very clear and consistent wherever they appear.” The increasing number of channels also creates operational challenges. Campaigns now require far more adaptations across formats and platforms than in the past. Although content production itself has become more efficient, the growing number of assets required means campaign execution remains highly complex. “Content now needs to be adapted for so many different surfaces. We’ve become much better at handling that, but it’s still a challenge. You have to consider every platform from the very beginning.” “Content now needs to be adapted for so many different surfaces. We’ve become much better at handling that, but it’s still a challenge. You have to consider every platform from the very beginning.” AI, Creativity and the Human Touch Like many marketers, Nina sees artificial intelligence as one of the biggest developments shaping the future of marketing. Yet she views it more as an opportunity than a threat. “AI will change how we work creatively, strategically, and in media planning.” The biggest advantage, she believes, is speed. If used correctly, AI can automate tasks and free up time for higher-value activities. However, she also sees a clear risk. “There will be a huge wave of low-quality content, which means creativity will become even more important.” Rather than replacing creativity, AI raises the value of it. As content becomes easier to produce, the brands that stand out will be those that continue to deliver distinctive ideas and high-quality execution. “I think creativity and quality will become more important than ever.” While AI is already becoming useful for production, imagery and animation, Nina does not believe it will replace people in the creative process anytime soon. “I do not think humans will disappear from the creative process. People like seeing real people.” This is particularly relevant for categories such as skincare and personal care, where authenticity and trust remain important drivers of consumer choice. “There will be a huge wave of low-quality content, which means creativity will become even more important.” Understanding Consumers as the Foundation of Growth Throughout the conversation, one theme consistently returns: understanding the consumer. Whether discussing media, innovation, data, communication or future growth, Nina repeatedly comes back to the importance of consumer understanding as the foundation for every decision. “We use research to understand consumers, segment audiences, pre-test and post-test campaigns, evaluate media investments, and understand customer journeys.” For marketers starting their careers, her advice is equally straightforward. “Know your consumer. Protect your brand. Build strong brand foundations.” Looking ahead, she believes the brands that continue to grow will be those that remain relevant while staying true to their identity. “The most important thing is to continue building our brands and keeping them relevant.” Because ultimately, relevance is what gives consumers a reason to choose one brand over another. “It is absolutely critical. Otherwise, why would consumers choose you?” “The most important thing is to continue building our brands and keeping them relevant. It is absolutely critical. Otherwise, why would consumers choose you?”

Why artificial intelligence has become one of the hardest things in enterprise technology to budget AI is not one stable product with one stable price. It is a stack of models, reasoning settings, tokens, routing, service tiers and credits. Each layer can change independently, turning annual procurement into management of a moving computational market. For decades, enterprise software procurement rested on a stable unit: the licence. Products evolved, but a seat still bought recognisable access for a fixed period. AI breaks that assumption. Its subscription is increasingly an entrance fee to a computational system whose cost is determined only after the user presses enter. A request may cross an agent, router, model, reasoning setting, token meter and service tier before becoming credits or an invoice. Each layer has a purpose, yet each can change without altering the licence count used in the annual plan.

Growing a destination brand is fundamentally different from growing a conventional product brand. There is no single product or consumer experience to control. Instead, Visit North Zealand must bring together hundreds of attractions, hotels, restaurants and local businesses under one clear and compelling destination story. For Allan Askov Christoffersen, Head of Marketing & Partnerships at Visit North Zealand, growth depends on creating awareness of the region, helping people understand what they can experience there and ensuring the organisation and its partners work towards the same priorities. Since joining after more than two decades in marketing, including senior roles at Momondo and KAYAK, Allan has introduced a more focused and data-driven approach designed to generate more impact from every marketing euro. BUILDING ONE BRAND FROM MANY EXPERIENCES Visit North Zealand is the official destination management organisation for the region, attracting both Danish and international visitors. Its priority markets include Sweden, Germany and the United Kingdom, alongside visitors already staying in Copenhagen. Unlike a company selling one clearly defined product, Visit North Zealand markets an entire ecosystem. The destination includes cultural institutions, coastal areas, restaurants, hotels, local producers, shops and smaller attractions. Allan’s role is to connect these different ingredients and turn them into one recognisable proposition. “I’m selling a destination,” he explains. “I’m doing that with two things. One is the emotional triggers: trying to make people feel that North Zealand is somewhere they should visit. The other is the functional triggers, such as showing them how easy it is to get here from Copenhagen.” This combination is central to destination growth. Consumers need to feel inspired, but they also need practical reasons to act. It is therefore not enough for people simply to recognise North Zealand. They must also understand what the region offers and why it is relevant to them. “It’s not Visit North Zealand as an organisation that I’m trying to grow as a brand,” Allan says. “I’m growing North Zealand as a destination brand.” “It’s not Visit North Zealand as an organisation that I’m trying to grow as a brand. I’m growing North Zealand as a destination brand.” GETTING MORE FROM EVERY MARKETING EURO Visit North Zealand measures success through overnight stays and tourism revenue, but Allan also sees opportunities in day visitors from Copenhagen and in attracting tourists outside the summer season. To support these priorities, he has introduced a more performance-driven digital strategy. “Brand growth isn’t only about spending more,” he says. “It’s about understanding what you are paying to reach your audience, whether those people are relevant and what they do afterwards.” The organisation has lowered media costs while improving click-through rates and the quality of website visits. One important change was to direct people to content that matches the message they responded to, rather than sending everyone to a generic homepage. “Even though we made the rules much stricter, meaningful visits increased significantly,” Allan explains. “That tells us that the people arriving are more relevant.” Visit North Zealand also tracks how effectively it sends visitors onwards to its partners, connecting marketing performance more closely to the wider tourism economy. “Brand growth isn’t only about spending more; It’s about understanding what you are paying to reach your audience, whether those people are relevant and what they do afterwards.” ALIGNMENT CREATES FOCUS For Allan, stronger marketing performance begins inside the organisation. One of his first priorities was to establish a clear strategy connecting long-term goals with the team’s everyday work. The entire team was involved in developing the approach. Shared objectives, milestones and weekly performance reviews now help ensure that everyone works towards the same growth priorities. “I think it is really important to involve the full team,” Allan says. “Then they take ownership. We can discuss whether we are on the right track, what we should change if something is not working, and whether we should do more when something performs well.” This alignment is particularly important in a small organisation. Limited resources make it impossible to pursue every attractive opportunity. “Lack of focus is a big issue in many organisations,” Allan explains. “It is easy to hear about something interesting and decide to do it. But when you spread your resources too thinly, there is a real risk that none of it will have sufficient impact.” Visit North Zealand still reserves time and budget for experimentation, but testing is deliberate and connected to the strategic priorities rather than driven by isolated ideas. “I think it is really important to involve the full team. We can discuss whether we are on the right track, what we should change if something is not working, and whether we should do more when something performs well.” BALANCING BRAND AND PERFORMANCE One of the biggest barriers to sustainable growth, according to Allan, is the tendency to focus too heavily on immediate returns. “I see a very strong focus in businesses on short-term investments,” he says. “That often means performance marketing, because people want the immediate gain. But it can come at the expense of long-term results.” Visit North Zealand therefore combines long-term brand building with more immediate activation. Brand communication is designed to strengthen awareness, emotion and memory. The “Meet the Locals” concept, for example, uses passionate residents and business owners to share their favourite places and hidden gems. Performance communication has a different role. It gives people a timely and concrete reason to act, such as what to do this weekend or where to go on a sunny day. “You need branding activities as well as performance activities,” Allan says. “Branding drives the mid and long term, while performance gives people a clear short-term call to action. You need both.” This balance also applies to the organisation’s partners. Individual attractions and businesses naturally want immediate results, but Allan stresses that they benefit from investing in the wider destination story. “If a partner gives one Danish crown to the destination story, it becomes worth much more because they become part of all the other stories and investments around them,” he explains. TURNING DATA INTO BETTER DECISIONS Despite improvements within its own digital environment, Visit North Zealand still faces limitations in visitor data. Market research provides valuable information about different traveller groups, but the industry lacks the detailed insight needed to connect marketing activity, visitor behaviour and economic outcomes with precision. “One thing is to receive a report describing different types of German travellers,” Allan says. “But where do we reach them? What messaging should we use? When should we reach them and how often? Those are the insights you need to invest your money in the right way.” For Allan, the value of data does not lie in collecting more numbers. It lies in making better choices. “The brands that win are the ones that understand how to use data and insights to do something meaningful,” he says. “Data should help you decide what to do differently.” Better insight allows Visit North Zealand to prioritise audiences, improve communication and direct investment towards the activities most likely to create sustainable growth. THE NEXT BATTLE IS AI SEARCH Looking ahead, Allan believes the next major battle for brand visibility will take place in AI-powered search. As consumers increasingly use tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini for travel inspiration, brands need to understand how these systems find and recommend information. “If you are not found there, people may never get to your website,” Allan says. “They may never even know that you exist.” Visit North Zealand is therefore exploring Generative Engine Optimisation, or GEO: improving content so it can be understood and surfaced by AI assistants, not just traditional search engines. Allan compares the shift to the arrival of Google. AI may once again change how people discover and choose destinations. Brand building will remain essential, but visibility in AI-generated answers will become just as important. “You still need to drive awareness elsewhere,” he concludes. “But when people ask what they should do, you need to show up.” “You still need to drive awareness elsewhere, but when people ask what they should do, you need to show up.”

Marginal Gains: Why Tiny Improvements Create Extraordinary Success In elite sport, winning rarely comes from one revolutionary breakthrough. More often, it is the result of relentlessly improving hundreds of small details. This philosophy became famous through the transformation of British Cycling under Sir Dave Brailsford. Ahead of the London Olympics, his ambition was not simply to train harder than everyone else. Instead, he looked for countless opportunities to improve performance by just one per cent. Better nutrition. Better hand hygiene to reduce illness. Optimised riding positions. Improved recovery. Even bringing each athlete's own pillow to competitions to ensure the best possible sleep.

In a world where artificial intelligence is reshaping industries, international mobility is becoming more complex, and prospective students have more educational options than ever before, business schools face a growing challenge: how do you stay relevant and continue to grow? For Lucy McCulloch, Director of Digital Experience at Hult International Business School, the answer lies in combining a clear brand proposition with constant adaptation. As a globally focused institution competing against established universities and business schools, Hult’s growth depends on demonstrating the value of global experience, real-world learning, and human skills, while evolving quickly enough to meet changing market demands. BUILDING A BRAND AROUND INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE Hult International Business School occupies a unique position in higher education. Unlike traditional universities rooted in a single city or campus, Hult operates across London, Boston, and Dubai, with students able to rotate between locations throughout their studies. That global experience sits at the heart of the brand. Hult recently refined its brand positioning around three core pillars: building human skills, joining a global classroom, and connecting to the real world — each one reflecting what students want and what employers consistently ask for. According to Lucy, these pillars reflect both what students are looking for and what employers increasingly demand. “We are a truly global school — and that sits at the heart of everything. The idea of joining a global classroom isn’t a tagline; it’s the actual experience students have every single day.” At the same time, the school works closely with businesses to ensure students graduate with practical experience. Companies such as EY, Accenture, Unilever, Google, Hilton, Revolut, and BMW regularly provide real business challenges for students to solve during their studies. The goal is for graduates to leave with more than just a degree. “We want our graduates to come out with real-world experience, working with actual businesses, alongside the human skills employers are looking for.” “We are a truly global school - and that sits at the heart of everything. The idea of joining a global classroom isn’t a tagline; it’s the actual experience students have every single day.” GROWTH THROUGH PROGRAMME EXPANSION For Hult, growth is measured differently than in many commercial organisations. Ultimately, success comes down to attracting and retaining enough students to sustain and expand programmes. “Growth, for us, means students who choose Hult, show up, and dare to do something with it,” Lucy says. One of the biggest drivers of recent growth has been expanding the programme portfolio. Alongside its Bachelor of Business Administration, the school has introduced new undergraduate programmes in areas such as entrepreneurship, computer science for business, and politics, economics, and psychology. For Lucy, the growth of the undergraduate offering reflects Hult’s ability to read and respond to shifting market demand — expanding its reach without losing focus on what it does best. One of the clearest growth opportunities for Hult has been Dubai. “Dubai is a booming destination for international study and career opportunities right now. The appetite for it is growing fast, and we’re seeing real momentum there.” THE CHALLENGE OF BUILDING A LESSER-KNOWN BRAND Despite its international footprint, Hult still faces a fundamental brand challenge: awareness. The institution competes against long-established universities and business schools with decades, or even centuries, of history. For many prospective students and parents, particularly in undergraduate education, familiarity remains a powerful factor in decision-making. To address this, Hult takes a multi-layered approach — investing in brand awareness while running targeted outreach to reach prospective students at the moments that matter most. “We’re still building awareness in some markets, and that’s actually a space where we thrive — because once people discover what Hult is and what our graduates go on to do, the conversation changes completely.” The school actively promotes alumni case studies, employer testimonials, and career outcomes across channels, demonstrating the tangible value of a Hult education. Rankings also play an important role in strengthening credibility and reputation. Hult closely monitors rankings from organisations such as the Financial Times and LinkedIn, viewing them as important proof points for prospective students evaluating their options. “We’re still building awareness in some markets, and that’s actually a space where we thrive — because once people discover what Hult is and what our graduates go on to do, the conversation changes completely.” THE IMPORTANCE OF A CONSISTENT DIGITAL EXPERIENCE As Director of Digital Experience, Lucy’s role centres on ensuring that prospective students receive a seamless experience across channels. Whether someone discovers Hult through social media, a paid search advertisement, an email, or the website, the messaging and experience need to remain aligned. “You wouldn’t want someone to receive one message and then arrive on a website where none of the information matches what they were expecting.” This consistency becomes increasingly important in a long and complex decision-making journey. Choosing a university is rarely an impulse purchase. Students often spend months researching programmes, comparing institutions, speaking with family members, and evaluating career outcomes before making a final decision. For Lucy, digital experience is therefore about more than usability. It is about creating confidence throughout the journey. “We have strong behavioural data across the journey. The frontier for us now is pairing that with richer qualitative insight — really understanding the human moments behind the numbers.” This creates an ongoing focus on combining behavioural analytics with direct feedback from students, parents, and enrolment teams to better understand motivations and barriers. “We have strong behavioural data across the journey. The frontier for us now is pairing that with richer qualitative insight — really understanding the human moments behind the numbers.” AI AS AN OPPORTUNITY, NOT A THREAT Like many educational institutions, Hult is actively adapting to the rise of artificial intelligence. Rather than treating AI as a separate topic, the school is integrating it throughout its curriculum while maintaining a strong emphasis on human skills. “It’s an opportunity,” Lucy says. “But people also need the skills and business understanding to know how and when to use it.” This philosophy reflects Hult’s broader positioning. AI capabilities may become standard across educational providers, but Lucy believes differentiation will continue to come from the institution’s core strengths rather than from technology alone. “You can’t rely on AI being the thing that distinguishes you because everyone will eventually offer it.” Instead, she believes institutions need to stay focused on what makes them fundamentally different. “Whatever's happening, we will adapt and offer it as part of what we do. But underpinning that will still be these three pillars because that's true to who we are.” “You can’t rely on AI being the thing that distinguishes you, because everyone will eventually offer it.” LOOKING AHEAD: THE FUTURE OF SEARCH AND EDUCATION Looking ahead, Lucy believes one of the biggest shifts will be how people discover information online. Rather than starting with Google and browsing websites, more people are already turning to AI-powered assistants and conversational search tools. “People are searching in an agent and saying: where's the best place to go?” she explains. “They're not even going to websites anymore.” This has significant implications for marketers and brands. Instead of focusing purely on traditional SEO, organisations will need to think more carefully about how information is structured and how easily AI systems can understand and surface it. “You need to think about the questions people are asking,” Lucy says. “Being really factual, providing the right content at the right time, and thinking carefully about how information is structured.” For Hult, that means preparing for a future where prospective students may interact with AI assistants long before they ever visit a university website. “I think education has to remain relevant to the real world and what’s actually happening,” Lucy concludes. “If you don’t do that, you’ll simply fall behind.” “I think education has to remain relevant to the real world and what’s actually happening. If you don’t do that, you’ll simply fall behind.”

For Rabobank, brand growth is not about becoming louder or simply more visible. It is about making the bank’s cooperative identity relevant in today’s world. For Chris Kersbergen, Head of Global Brand, and Esther Vernhout, Brand Strategist, that means building from Rabobank’s distinctive DNA: not just being a bank, but a cooperative bank with a role in society. With “Onze Bank” (Our Bank), Rabobank has found a platform that makes this idea simple, recognisable and flexible enough to speak to very different audiences, from young consumers to entrepreneurs, members and international business clients. MAKING THE COOPERATIVE RELEVANT Rabobank serves a broad customer base, from retail banking in the Netherlands to international Food & Agri and wholesale markets. That makes brand building complex: the brand needs to feel consistent, while still being relevant to people with very different needs. For Esther, the starting point is Rabobank’s cooperative mentality. “I think the number one thing by far is the cooperative mentality we have, making that stand out in today’s world.” That relevance is especially important among younger audiences, where digital banks and specialised financial players are competing for attention. “Rejuvenation is very important as a bank, especially with emerging neobanks that focus a lot on the technology side.” Rather than moving away from Rabobank’s cooperative identity, “Onze Bank” helps translate it into something simple, recognisable and useful. The platform also prevents Rabobank from becoming too generic. Instead of claiming to be the bank for everyone in the same way, it allows the brand to provide specific solutions for specific audiences. “Rejuvenation is very important as a bank, especially with emerging neobanks that focus much more on the technology side.’’ ONE PLATFORM, MANY STORIES The strength of “Onze Bank” is that it creates coherence without limiting the brand. Rabobank can use the same overarching idea for homeowners, entrepreneurs, young people, members and international business clients, while still making each message feel specific. “On the one hand, it creates a lot of coherence between those different elements,” Chris says. “But it also gives a lot of flexibility to tell very specific stories for those specialised target groups.” Esther sees that the different messages add up over time. A mortgage campaign may not be directly relevant to everyone, but it still contributes to the broader understanding of Rabobank’s role. “The sum of all those specific messages makes ‘our bank’ into: yes, that is Rabobank. So it is both the specific and the total sum that come together, and we are now also seeing the effect of that in the strength of the brand.” Since the launch of the platform, Rabobank has seen relevance and other brand metrics improve. “Since we started with the 'Onze Bank’ campaign, we see relevance increasing.” For Chris, relevance is the most important and most difficult lever in banking. Large banks are often seen as part of the same category, and true differentiation is hard to achieve. Salience can be bought to some extent, but relevance needs to be earned through understanding and emotional connection. “Being relevant is really the most difficult. Especially if you also want people to have an emotional connection with us. This requires a deep understanding of each of your customer audiences. So consistently enhancing relevance in an emotional way across multiple audiences has been our core focus all along.” “Being relevant is really the most difficult. Especially if you also want people to have an emotional connection with us. This requires a deep understanding of each of your customer audiences. So consistently enhancing relevance in an emotional way across multiple audiences has been our core focus all along.” BUILDING FROM THE INSIDE OUT Because Rabobank is a cooperation, the brand is carried by more than campaigns alone. Employees, members and member representatives all play a role in how the story is told. That made the internal launch of “Onze Bank” just as important as the external one. Esther explains that Rabobank first focused on getting people inside the organisation behind the idea: “How do we get all colleagues, all member representatives, on board as well, so that they also really start to embody that ‘our bank’ idea, that internal pride is built?” This matters because Rabobank has many voices speaking for and about the brand. “Because we are a cooperation, we also have many voices that speak for us and about us,” Esther says. “The challenge was: how do we funnel that as much as possible towards the same story so that everything adds up even more.” In that sense, “Onze Bank” gives the organisation shared language. It helps employees and members explain the cooperative idea through concrete examples rather than abstract definitions. As Chris puts it: “It helps to give your own support base words with which they can say much more simply: how cool that we are going to do this too, because that is what ‘our bank’ is.” The platform now goes beyond advertising and appears in corporate communication, social content, impact reporting, employer branding and product campaigns. It gives teams a shared starting point without forcing every expression into the same template. LISTENING TO STAY RELEVANT For Rabobank, staying relevant starts with listening. This is especially true for younger audiences, where the brand is not always as naturally strong as in other parts of the market. Rabobank therefore went beyond the quantitative data, by spending time with young people in key cities to understand what they watch, what appears in their feeds and what keeps them awake at night. “We went into the homes of 25 young people in Amsterdam and Rotterdam for four hours,” Chris says, “just looking at what they do, what is on their minds and on their feed, what they watch, what keeps them awake at night. Really getting under their skin.” Those insights also shape Rabobank’s social approach. Through Rabo Next, the bank listens to what is happening among different groups and tests what resonates. Esther notes that honest, peer-led formats work better than content that feels too scripted. Street interviews, for example, give young people a glimpse into how others deal with money, making financial topics more accessible and recognisable. Chris summarises the lesson clearly: “Simple, honest things work best. And anything that comes across as somewhat scripted or overthought, they do not buy it.” This approach is also visible in Rabobank’s work with creators and ambassadors. Rather than only looking outside, the bank also looks for people who already have a relationship with Rabobank or its cooperative structure, making the content feel more connected to the brand. “Simple, honest things work best. And anything that comes across as somewhat scripted or overthought, they do not buy it.” CURIOSITY, CONFIDENCE AND UNCERTAINTY Rabobank’s approach to brand growth is built on the idea that relevance is never finished. Customer needs change, competitors move, and new technologies create new expectations. “Being relevant is never something static,” Chris says. “Being relevant to you today, I may no longer be tomorrow because another offer comes along or because something happens in the world.” That requires a combination of curiosity, confidence and uncertainty. Curiosity means continuously listening and gathering insights. Confidence means knowing what the brand stands for, especially the cooperative DNA and collective power Rabobank wants to show. Uncertainty means staying open to improvement and asking whether the brand can do things better or differently. For other marketers, that may be the most important lesson from Rabobank’s recent growth. The brand has not grown by changing its essence, but by making that essence easier to understand, easier to use and more meaningful to different audiences. “Onze Bank” works because it connects many stories to one shared idea, while keeping the organisation focused on what Rabobank has always been built on: the belief that a bank can be more than just a bank. “Being relevant is never something static.”

Customer Journey and Path-to-Purchase studies have become a staple of modern marketing. They offer an intuitive way to understand how consumers move from awareness to consideration, purchase, and beyond. Often, the findings are visualised as a journey map or funnel: a sequence of touchpoints arranged in neat order, suggesting a structured progression from one stage to the next. The appeal is obvious. These frameworks are easy to understand, easy to communicate, and visually compelling. The problem is that they can also be misleading.

Marketing has gained more tools, more data and more channels than ever before. Yet for Hanna Riberdahl, CEO of Brand Marketing Sweden, the central challenge is not whether marketers can do more, but whether they are creating more value. As the independent trade organisation for Sweden’s marketers, Brand Marketing Sweden works to strengthen the role of marketing, improve effectiveness and support companies in building long-term, profitable growth. In a landscape increasingly shaped by AI, performance metrics and short-term pressure, Hanna believes marketers need to reclaim their strategic role: not as a production unit, but as a business function that understands markets, customers and future growth. FROM SVERIGES ANNONSÖRER TO BRAND MARKETING SWEDEN For many years, Brand Marketing Sweden was known as Sveriges Annonsörer (‘Sweden’s advertisers’). It was a well-established name with strong recognition in the Swedish marketing industry, but over time it also became a limitation. As Hanna explains, the word “annonsörer” increasingly gave the impression that the organisation mainly represented media buyers or companies that purchased advertising space. In reality, its work had become much broader. Changing the name was therefore not just a cosmetic decision, but a strategic one. Brand Marketing Sweden wanted to be relevant not only to large media buyers, but to the full spectrum of marketers, including B2B companies and organisations where marketing is about much more than paid media. That made the rebrand both necessary and difficult. “It is a challenge in itself to dare to change,” Hanna says. “You can hold on to a name because there is a lot of history and value in it, which is usually the normal thing to do. But when the name becomes a barrier, you have to listen to that.” Today, Brand Marketing Sweden represents nearly 400 member companies and a network of more than 5,000 marketers across 26 industries. Growth remains important, not as an end in itself, but because more members allow the organisation to reinvest in knowledge, tools and industry-wide initiatives. From effectiveness frameworks and handbooks to transparent media measurement and AI recommendations, the organisation’s work is designed to help marketers navigate a more complex reality. “You can hold on to a name because there is a lot of history and value in it, which is usually the normal thing to do. But when the name becomes a barrier, you have to listen to that.” THE PROBLEM WITH LETTING TECHNOLOGY LEAD For Hanna, one of the biggest challenges facing marketing today is that the function has become too technology-led. Digital tools, data and AI all have value, but efficiency is not the same as effectiveness. The risk is that technology starts defining the purpose of marketing, rather than supporting it. “We have become very technology-focused in what we do,” Hanna says. “When we let technology, or the possibilities that technology gives us, define how we work, it makes me nervous.” Over the past years, many marketing departments have been pushed into a more tactical role: producing campaigns, managing channels and reporting efficiency metrics. Instead of contributing the market dimension to business strategy, marketing risks becoming a production unit. This also makes it harder to prove the true business value of marketing. Digital platform data may look positive, but it is not always transparent or independently validated. “There is no real transparency in the data we get from Google, Meta or TikTok,” Hanna says. “Often the data looks good, but it does not match the reality in the company’s own business systems.” For Hanna, this is where the value of marketing and brand becomes most important. Short-term activation may protect immediate sales, but it does not necessarily build future demand, pricing power or profitable growth. When brands train consumers to wait for discounts and promotions, they may secure volume today while weakening the brand’s ability to command value tomorrow. “When we let technology, or the possibilities that technology gives us, define how we work, it makes me nervous.” FROM DATA-DRIVEN TO INSIGHT-DRIVEN One of the clearest shifts Hanna calls for is a return to insight-driven marketing. In her view, many organisations have become good at collecting data on what people do, but much less good at understanding why they do it. “We have data on what people do, but not why,” she says. “Working insight-driven is something completely different from working data-driven.” That distinction matters. Data can show clicks, searches, purchases or exposure, but it rarely captures the full context of people’s lives, needs and decision-making. A person may click on something, watch something or search for something, but that does not fully explain who they are or what they need in different situations. For Hanna, this loss of market orientation is one reason marketing has lost some of its strategic influence. Instead of being rooted in customer understanding, category dynamics and market opportunities, too many decisions are driven by dashboards and advanced analytics. “We get more and more data, but become more and more uncertain about what value it actually contributes,” she says. MARKETING NEEDS TO SPEAK FOR THE 95% A recurring theme in Hanna’s view of brand growth is the distinction between the small group of customers who are in-market today and the much larger group who may buy in the future. Sales teams naturally focus on those already close to purchase. But marketing has a broader responsibility. “Sales meet the 5% who are in the market,” Hanna says. “They define customer needs based on those who already know us and are interested in us. But marketing has to define the other 95% that sales have not met yet.” This is why Hanna believes marketing cannot simply be a support function for sales. Supporting sales is important, but it is not enough. If marketing only responds to existing demand, it fails to create future demand. The work of marketing is also to understand people who are not currently buying, identify the situations in which a brand could become relevant, and build the memory structures that make the brand come to mind when the need arises. That makes salience, consistency and emotional communication central to growth. When a need appears, the brand needs to come to mind. This does not happen through rational product messages alone. “You need to be persistent, consistent and create memory structures, and you do that best through emotional, entertaining communication.” “Sales meet the 5% who are in the market, but marketing has to define the other 95% that sales have not met yet.” AI, JOMO AND THE NEED TO CHOOSE AI is high on the agenda for almost every marketing organisation, and Hanna does not dismiss its potential. She sees clear value in using AI to analyse large amounts of data, support insight work, explore price elasticity or accelerate innovation. But she is concerned about the amount of attention given to the technology itself, rather than to the questions it should help answer. She believes many marketing departments have fallen into FOMO: the fear of missing out on the next tool, platform or trend. Her preference is almost the opposite. “I would like them to talk more about JOMO, the joy of missing out, because you have to be able to choose things away as well.” The challenge is to know what not to do. “The trick is to dare to choose things away,” Hanna says. “Dare to focus, hold a line, be persistent and be able to explain internally why those choices are smart.” AI can support this if it is used with purpose. But using AI simply to produce more content, for more channels, at a lower cost, risks reinforcing the very problems marketing already has. “Dare to focus, hold a line, be persistent and be able to explain internally why those choices are smart.” RECLAIMING MARKETING’S STRATEGIC ROLE Looking ahead, Hanna sees three connected priorities for marketing. The first is to handle technology and AI with more strategic discipline. The second is to strengthen marketing’s position as a business function. The third is to rebuild the strategic work inside marketing itself. “How do we move from being a tactical production unit to becoming a strategic partner for the business?” she asks. Marketing does not need to own every part of the business. But it does need to influence decisions around product development, distribution, communication and pricing. The function must bring the market and customer perspective into the decisions that shape growth. This also requires better alignment across organisations. Shared KPIs can help different functions understand how they contribute to the same business goals. But those KPIs need to reflect what marketing can actually influence, not only external factors or short-term volume swings. Hanna points to brand penetration, new customer acquisition and situational relevance as examples of metrics that can help marketers make a stronger internal case. For Hanna, the future of marketing depends on restoring that direction. The answer is not to reject technology, data or AI. It is to put them back in service of strategy, insight and growth. Marketing needs to understand the market, create value for customers, build memory structures before people are ready to buy, and prove its contribution to profitable growth.

Understanding Shopper Journeys Remains a Strategic Imperative Every purchase is the result of a journey. Consumers enter that journey with pre-existing needs, preferences, habits, and brand predispositions. Along the way, they encounter a variety of touchpoints that shape their decisions – from online information and recommendations to product displays, packaging, pricing, and in-store experiences. Understanding these journeys is critical for two reasons.

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 products, flavours or formats, but as a way to solve meaningful problems for consumers, customers and businesses. Brand Growth Starts with Relevance For Pernella, brand growth starts with understanding what people actually need. “Brand growth really starts with relevance. You have to understand what end users need, but also what customers in the value chain, such as retailers, foodservice partners or B2B clients, are looking for. Those needs are not always the same, but they can reinforce each other. And in combination with a clear vision and strategy, and consistent execution, you can realise sustainable growth.” That also shapes how she looks at success. Business results matter, but so do penetration, repeat purchase and brand preference. A launch that creates trial is not enough if people do not come back. “If you are really talking about brand preference, then for me it is about people coming back,” she says. “One or two purchases is more like a hype or trial. It is no repeat.” This is why product quality remains central. Communication can create attention, but it cannot compensate for a product that does not deliver. Especially in food, the experience itself determines whether people return. As Pernella puts it simply: “If the taste is not good, there is no reason to launch it.” “Brand growth really starts with relevance. You have to understand what end users need, but also what customers in the value chain, such as retailers, foodservice partners or B2B clients, are looking for. Those needs are not always the same, but they can reinforce each other. And in combination with a clear vision and strategy, and consistent execution, you can realise sustainable growth.” Innovation is about Solutions that Matter Innovation can be a breakthrough product or service, but it can also be a better format, recipe, proposition or process. What matters is whether it creates value. “For me, innovation is translating insights into solutions that truly matter. Solutions for a consumer, a customer or the company itself. You can also innovate internally. Ultimately, innovation is about making an improvement that connects to an underlying need.” As markets move faster and product life cycles become shorter, companies feel pressure to keep renewing. But more innovation does not automatically mean better innovation. “The market is changing quickly, and that continuously asks for renewal,” she says. “But it is important to bring focus and direction to that, so that we do not keep filling shelves and foodservice with wild new ideas, but with concepts that are future-proof.” One area where she sees opportunity is crossing traditional category boundaries. The shift towards eating less meat and more vegetables, for example, is not just a product challenge but also a retail and behaviour challenge. Supermarkets often separate meat, meat substitutes and vegetables, while consumers shop from routines. “Everyone has their routines,” Pernella says. “You want to consciously seduce people to try something else. But if that option is not next to it, you are asking consumers to walk three displays further.” So the future shelf could be where meat (substitutes) and vegetables come together, an overarching category aligned with current customer relevance. ‘’Ultimately, innovation is about making an improvement that connects to an underlying need.” Timing Makes the Difference Even a relevant idea can fail if the timing is wrong. Pernella has seen innovations that were not bad ideas, but simply arrived before the market was ready. While working with a food innovator, she saw how an idea around traybakes was identified years before the format became familiar to the wider market. The trend was there, but consumers did not yet understand the concept or recognise the need. “You can not only be too late, but also be too early in order to achieve success,” she explains. “Timing is crucial.” Being an early innovator requires more investment. A brand then needs to educate the market, build understanding and work with trade partners to create rotation. “You can have a good idea, but can you realise it? Not just getting the product on shelf, but also making sure rotation starts.” That makes innovation an entrepreneurial process. Research can reduce uncertainty, but it cannot remove it completely. At some point, companies need to decide whether they believe in an opportunity enough to back it. “You cannot wait until it is big, because then you are already too late,” Pernella says. “That is where you have to use your business sense.” Different Consumers need Different Innovations The food transition shows why one solution rarely works for everyone. In the shift towards eating less meat, some consumers are ready for fully vegetarian or vegan products. Others need smaller steps. Pernella says: “If we want to make this transition successful, we really need to create change and innovation on all fronts. Hybrid meat, replacing meat with tasty vegetables, more vegetarian dishes. We need to develop, inspire and move on all fronts.” The key is to segment without polarising. Trendsetters may embrace radical change, but the mass market often needs reassurance and familiarity. “You have to be careful not to make it so drastic that it starts to polarise against the large mass,” she explains. “Then they do not become frontrunners, but opposites.” “You have to be careful not to make it so drastic that it starts to polarise against the large mass.” Better Preparation Reduces Failure Many innovations do not survive for long. Pernella refers to the often-cited idea that around 80 percent of innovations are no longer on shelf after a year, while noting that this includes many flavours, variants, formats and packaging updates. That makes the quality of the preparation essential. “You can reduce failure costs by doing the preparation better. By making sure you have better insights into the real needs, by understanding the timing well, by testing properly beforehand and by involving your customer.” The biggest opportunity lies at the front of the process. Too often, companies move quickly into brainstorming, creating many ideas without enough direction. Pernella therefore works with innovation platforms: overarching themes based on market, consumer and customer insights, combined with the company’s own capabilities. Without that direction, innovation risks becoming a scattergun approach: lots of ideas, but without a structured, consumer-based foundation or a clear understanding of the target audience. That also lowers the chance that new concepts will truly land. This also requires ownership. In many companies, marketers are busy managing day-to-day priorities, and innovation is easily pushed aside. Pernella believes companies need a dedicated innovation role, or at least someone with the time and space to step away from daily pressure. “When innovation becomes urgent, you are already too late.” “When innovation becomes urgent, you are already too late.” AI can Help, but only with Direction AI can support innovation by speeding up analysis, clustering information and helping teams explore possibilities faster. But for Pernella, that speed only becomes useful when companies already know what they are trying to achieve. “AI can bring a lot of confusion if you do not have a sharp idea of the direction you want to move in,” she says. “Then suddenly everything becomes possible.” Used only as an idea generator, AI may make the existing problem worse: more ideas, but not necessarily better ones. “The problem is not generating ideas,” Pernella says. “The problem is knowing your target and what you are aiming for.” For Pernella, successful innovation is therefore not about more ideas, but about sharper choices. It is the combination of consumer understanding, timing, entrepreneurship, creativity and disciplined execution that turns innovation from a new product on the shelf into a real driver of brand growth.

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