Originally on Quora. This is sort of a trick question, as they technically didn’t wear “helmets,” but leather “flight caps” that covered the head and ears. These kept the pilots from getting too cold or going deaf while flying with their cockpit canopies open, which they sometimes did to get a better view when taking […]

David Coulthard labelled it the sporting story of the year, but citizens of the Netherlands went even crazier when Max Verstappen crossed the finish line on lap 66, to win a Grand Prix at 18 years old. Yesterday, grown-ups cheered and cried, newsbreaks hit the television, and timelines were flooded by celebrations as if we’d […]

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya delivered a stunning Spanish Grand Prix. After Rosberg and Hamilton collided on the opening lap, the Red Bulls and the Ferrari duo fought over who would take the first non-Mercedes victory since September 2015. Max Verstappen prevailed, winning on his Red Bull Racing debut, not only becoming the first Dutch Grand Prix […]

All of the universe’s infinite beauty, is created from only three primary colours on the palette, from only twelve notes on the musical scale, from only twenty-six letters in the alphabet, and from only one-hundred-and-eighteen chemical elements. The point is that creativity doesn’t stifle from basic structures: it thrives from a set of parameters in which […]

From what rises ambition? Or love? Why can’t some of us be content with the lives we’ve been given? Why do some yearn for so much more? Tom Pryce wanted to drive cars, fast, and couldn’t be stopped by the perils of the sport. He was on a seemingly impossible quest for greatness, yet by […]

(Originally posted on OneWorld.) I always wanted to be in advertising because you could create media that many people would see. I saw it as a sport. I thought it would be cool to say I was the person behind those commercials. Advertising was a status thing for me. “Thirty seconds for Supradyn,” right, those […]

Not doing what everyone would do, not taking what everybody would take. That’s strategy at heart, and there’s a Chinese tale that tells with surprising truth about a Mandarin who spent years fishing on the riverbanks, using a straight needle instead of a hook. People looked and wondered, and told everyone about that remarkable way […]

Working in the ad industry can be weird, at times. It struck me when our first television campaign went live on national television, for Supradyn, those vitamin supplements. Instead of feeling proud, I felt confused: “Are this pills even working?”, and “Who am I helping here?”. From then on, I saw the ad industry in […]

Some days ago, Vandebron won the Launch of the Year award, from the Dutch Marketing Award. Especially for the marketing team, it’s great — because after all the awards Vandebron received for social and renewable impact, this is also a nod that our marketing is sound. Also, it’s special because what we do, doesn’t per […]

Dutch marketing & advertising websites Adformatie & Pim Online interviewed me about Vandebron, about our lack of experience in the energy market and the way we do marketing. You can read the interview (in Dutch) here: Vandebron profiteert van gebrek aan ervaring in energiemarkt