Sanne Demir – De Combinatie Van Factoren

Brand activation is evolving, shifting from short-term sales drivers to essential tools for long-term brand growth. In this interview, we speak with Sanne Demir, Communication & Behavioural Strategist at De Combinatie van Factoren (DCVF), a Dutch activation agency known for combining creativity, behavioural science and retail design into impactful brand experiences. From developing concepts to 3D retail design and production, DCVF helps brands bring their strategies to life with a full-service approach rooted in insight and execution. In our conversation with Sanne, we explore how brand activation changes, why relevance matters more than ever, and what it takes to build behaviour, not just awareness.

Brand Activation as a Bridge Between Short-Term Impact and Long-Term Growth

Brand activation is often seen as a quick win to drive immediate results through promotions or in-store campaigns, but when done right, it can play a much bigger role in building long-term brand value. According to Sanne, brand activation is essentially about triggering behaviour. “You want consumers to take action. This can be a short-term action, such as impulse buying. But even when activation seems short-term, it often serves a long-term goal.”

Sanne mentions Innocent Drinks, a company that she’s currently working with. One of their goals at the moment is to get consumers to try their new ginger and lemon shots. “At first glance, you could say that’s just a one-time trial. But the real objective isn’t just for people to try it once, it’s to encourage repeated use,” she exemplifies. “The idea is that people experience the benefits, develop a preference for the product, and start incorporating it into their routine.”

However, not all brand activation campaigns are about trials and direct sales. Nowadays, it is also common for brands to drive engagement campaigns, especially on social media. These campaigns could include increasing interactions with a giveaway or more organic content, like generating conversations about topics that matter for the brand. She mentions GVB, Amsterdam’s public transport company as an example.

As public transportation companies often deal with certain negative stereotypes, it is necessary to have a broader communication strategy, including activating elements to give the communication a boost. “GVB’s anniversary coincides with Amsterdam’s anniversary, so we’re using that as an opportunity to create engaging content. One element of this campaign is a quiz. The idea is that by participating in the quiz, people not only engage with the brand but also learn more about GVB and its connection to Amsterdam.” In this way, people are more likely to remember and create a stronger emotional connection with GVB, contributing to long-term brand building.

“Even when activation seems short-term, it often serves a long-term goal.”

Starting from the Consumer’s World

While many brands still approach activation from their internal priorities, Sanne stresses that true effectiveness starts with the consumer’s reality. She highlights that internal dynamics often make it difficult to focus because there’s usually a long list of messages that different stakeholders want to include. Here, brand activation helps because it demands focus by nature; it requires choosing the one message that truly connects with the consumers.

“When you make that connection strong, your communication automatically becomes more effective. But for activation, it’s an absolute necessity, you won’t get engagement without it.”

From Engagement to Lasting Behaviour Change

Achieving a long-term behavioural change with activation is not always easy. Sanne mentions two key factors when it comes to long-term behavioural change. The first one is breaking an existing habit in the moment, usually using a trigger or an impulse to get someone to try something new. In these settings, it is often possible to control the environments too, such as in-store displays to grab attention. However, breaking a long-term habit is more difficult. This often requires breaking it down into stages, until the consumer successfully establishes a new one.

Sanne explains, “Breaking a habit is relatively straightforward; you create a moment of disruption to get someone to try something different. But forming a new habit comes with a bigger challenge: preventing people from reverting to their old ways or getting distracted by a competitor. That means you’re constantly working to reinforce the new behaviour while counteracting the pull of previous habits. It’s a delicate balance that requires multiple touchpoints over time.”

Motivation is also a key factor for making a long-term shift in behaviour. Brand activation often relies on external motivation, such as promotions, discounts or incentives. But for a behaviour change to stick long-term, intrinsic motivation is also necessary. “It’s easy to lower your product price dramatically compared to a competitor; this is a great extrinsic motivator, but it will damage the brand image. For a brand to build true preference, it needs to shape brand perception, prove relevance, and give consumers a reason to stick with it beyond just price. This is done through intrinsic motivation.”

“For a brand to build true preference, it needs to shape brand perception, prove relevance, and give consumers a reason to stick with it beyond just price. This is done through intrinsic motivation.”

Trends in Brand Activation

The activation landscape is shifting. With high inflation, people are less likely to try out new products if they don’t see them as essential. However, there is an opposite trend going on in travel retail, where emotional experiences are becoming more important than discounts alone. Sanne explains, “During Covid, airports were shut down, and even after they reopened, shopping at airports didn’t immediately bounce back. People were cautious, and the whole in-store experience was put on hold. Now, however, we’re seeing the exact opposite trend; people are spending more than before, almost as a form of self-reward. When you’re on holiday, your mindset changes, and spending money while travelling feels completely different from spending money at home.”

Brands that can reinforce this holiday feeling and enhance the experience are more likely to have a stronger impact with activation. This shift is becoming more apparent in airport retail, where integration between digital and physical activations is becoming more popular. However, Sanne highlights a few things to pay attention to when doing activations. They might seem fundamental, but are often overlooked.

The first one is to be intentional about the digital-physical connection. “If you want to drive purchases, don’t let digital activations pull people away from the shopping journey,” Sanne says.

“Secondly, think about logistics. Make sure your activation works in the environment where it’s being implemented. And thirdly, consider the user experience. If people need to scan a QR code, is there a clear benefit for them? Does it enhance the experience, or does it just create an extra step?”

Lastly, Sanne stresses the most common mistake she sees in activation: inconsistency. If the activation doesn’t align with the brand’s broader messaging and the visual identity is disconnected, the activation will just exist in isolation without reinforcing the long-term brand goal. “Sometimes, activations even contradict the brand’s main communication strategy, which is a complete disaster. These things can make or break an activation.”

“If you want to drive purchases, don’t let digital activations pull people away from the shopping journey. Make sure your activation works in the environment where it’s being implemented, and consider the user experience.”