A new phase

In many countries, September is known as the harvest month. In this month, we mainly harvest and prepare the feasts of October. September is not really the harvest month in our profession, but it is an important month because we are present at many conferences. These conferences are all about growth. In Frankfurt, at the “Werbewirkungsgipfel” we introduced a framework for brand growth which is successfully used by both Beiersdorf and Tchibo. In the Netherlands at the “Nima Marketing Day” we presented the ingredients for brand growth by focusing on the role of data and in London, at “Quirks” we will show which media strategy contributes most to growth. And then we end the “harvest month” on 30 September with our own event where we get to share a great series of stories about the role of data in achieving growth. Not only are the results of our own large-scale research interesting, but the scientific approach and practical cases of Facebook and Domino’s promise to provide some great insights as well.

DVJ has also entered an important next phase in the management of the company. Ronald Jansen is starting a new company after 25 years at DVJ, more about this in our newsletter, and has stepped down from the board of DVJ. This means that I will be continuing the management of DVJ on my own. Of course, I will not do this alone, but together with a great team. Under the leadership of Marieke van Echtelt, an excellent team has been put together. Not only in the Netherlands but also the UK and Germany we have found very experienced people who work with the same ambition and attention to quality and added value. These passionate people are helping to take DVJ to the next phase and fulfilling our ambition to make research a little better every day. For me and DVJ, it is far too early to talk about harvesting. But that doesn’t mean I’m not looking forward to the wine and beer festivals in October.