The blog

A couple of months ago I moved to Brussels to live closer to my new job. After having found a nice apartment in a fairly quiet street I soon came to the conclusion that having a fridge was rather essential. As a young Gen Y member raised with all the benefits of the Internet I was sure this was but a minor issue and that soon my brand-new fridge would be delivered to my kitchen.

According to our Marketing Zoom on the way marketing is organized, Belgian marketing branches often hold more of an executional role, while strategic decisions are taken on a global level. 67% of marketers indicate that marketing decisions on brand execution and communication are made locally and only 42% have a say in the brand strategy. Furthermore, 48% of respondents predicted that there will be more centralized marketing-related decisions in the coming years. Although these findings seem logical, it made me think about the interesting role that local marketing managers can play within international companies that centralize. I believe local marketers, even those with less decision-making power, should still pursue their role of driving growth by generating innovative ideas (1) and testing them locally with the support of the global team and/or other local teams (2).

During the summer months, the monthly THoM meetings are replaced by informal activities, where we also meet our freelance consultants. These activities can vary: a quiz, Viking kubb initiation, ... This summer we visited to The Loop, a retail technology experience center in Antwerp where the THoMers discovered some interesting retail concepts of the future!

The House of Marketing created the Festival Marketing Survey: a short and fun survey about the sponsoring of Belgian music festivals, the profile of the typical festival visitor and the most impactful activations to get in touch with the festival visitors. No endless analysis but a clear infographic reveals all the results and gives you more time to eat, sleep, rave, repeat on the festival grounds!

Are you a SME or a start-up? Then your marketing impact is only one question away with askMARK. A lot of companies are in need of marketing help for attracting new customers, for managing the website, for launching new products, for developing folders, for organizing events,… but they don’t have the time nor the knowledge to really get things started.

Every morning when driving to work on the E40 from Hoegaarden to Waver, I always listen to the radio. It’s a way to get ready for the day. Sing along, laugh with the fine humor of Siska Schoeters and go over the planning of the day in my head.

The House of Marketing presented at the RetailSonar Day 2015, an event for retailers who are interested in getting grip on their omnichannel dynamics and eager to successfully integrate on- and offline in their strategies. THoMers Bart De Bodt and Dirk Oosterlinck explained how to develop a successful omnichannel strategy. We are happy to share the key takeaways of the event with you.

The House of Marketing had an inspiring time at the Vlerick Marketing Colloquium. Impressive speakers gave refreshing insights on topics like startup marketing, consumer trends, omnichannel and creativity.

We are not living in a golden age for the moment, so the decisions we make are well considered. Why should we spend money on products we hardly use, if we can borrow them from our neighbors or friends? The saved money can be used to go to a concert or travel to South-Africa.

Brussels, 20/04/2015 – Quanteus has reached an agreement with finance.brussels, the Regional Investment Company of Brussels (GIMB/SRIB) on the takeover of Hello Agency, a Brussels-based communications agency. Hello Agency, which specialises in retail communications, will continue to pursue its activities independently under the same name. Quanteus previously took over fellow marketing advisory and expertise centre The House of Marketing.