Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Špela Mikuš, journalist, Finance magazine
Huib Van Bockel is one of the key speakers of the Sarajevo Marketing Summit, where he will present examples of Marketing Revolution in the new social era. The 5th Marketing Summit will be held on November 08, 2018, at the Hotel “Hills” in Sarajevo.
Huib van Bockel is the founder of Tenzing company, which produces 100% natural beverage, and he’s the former marketing manager at Red Bull for Europe. He’s considered one of the leaders of “new” marketing in which brands should behave more like publishers than traditional traders. His book, The Social Brand, published in 2014, talks about how to succeed in the new era of social media.
What lessons have you brought from Red Bull to Tenzing?
Huib van Bockel: Something I always firmly believed in is that business and marketing bring value to the lives of people. For example, instead of annoying people with your ad, you can organize an event that they can visit. Or, create an app that will inspire people to run, instead of making a campaign where you show world class runners. This is the theme of The Social Brand. How to create a brand that is social, rather than just a brand that is on social networks. Red Bull does this well. Despite my love for this brand, I simply could not identify with the product any longer.
Why have you decided to do the same thing, but in your own way?
Huib van Bockel: There are two key reasons. First of all, I wanted to change the way people boost their energy. Instead of the “extreme”, artificial energy, I wanted to create a drink entirely made of plants with few calories. The result of this voyage was Tenzing – a natural energy.
The second reason is that I had enough of the politics and management. I wanted to start my own business so I would no longer have bosses who would tell me how and what to do. And I did not want to be the only one who would benefit from this. I did not want to tell my team how and what they will do. That is why I founded a non-hierarchical company. Nobody is the boss, nobody tells anyone what to do. This is a wonderful journey in which we discover new things every day. Everything is based on trust, dedication and entrepreneurship.
What are the differences between working in a big, multinational company like Red bull, and working in a smaller company like Tenzing?
Huib van Bockel: I believe there’s no comparison with a place where you do teamwork in intimate atmosphere. Everyone in Tenzing is ready to help the person next to them, regardless whether their jobs might not be very related, or if it means they have to get up at 5 am on a Sunday. What is most important for me is that we see each other as equals, and that we all play important roles in our success.
The second key difference is to realize that not all sellers were interested in getting to know me, as they used to be when I was a big shot at Red Bull. It was hard to go from having a status that allowed you to arrange a meeting with anyone, to a point that you can’t arrange a meeting even with small chain’s sales assistant. It was very humbling and probably something where I learned the most. I learned how to start from scratch.
It’s like the famous Marshmallow psychological test for the five-year-olds. Can you wait and not eat one marshmallow only to get two of them later? In other words, are you willing to sacrifice in the short term to get something of much greater importance in the long run? Most people prefer not to sacrifice their safe daily jobs.
What are the pros and cons of both?
Huib van Bockel: Looking from aside, it seems that big companies are the place where you need to be. They give you a status that allows you to sell the product easier. On the other hand, selling a new product is a challenge, and it’s hard, but all this has made me much more resilient.
When it comes to marketing, it’s always a plus to have a larger budget that goes naturally with a larger brand. It allows you to do incredible things, but at the same time, the more money in the game the greater the interest is, and you start to face restrictions and creative limits because of the size of the operation. That’s why the freedom we have here is much more exciting. I can hardly wait to get to the stage where we aren’t limited by the global reach, and where our campaigns can be present all over the world.
Why did you work for Red Bull for so long? The brand goes far beyond the traditional (energy) drink company. Why and how did this transition come about?
Huib van Bockel: We don’t call ourselves an energy drink, because we go above the traditional energy drinks on the market. Tenzing is purely made of plants, it contains twice less sugar than the competition and gives you more natural energy. I’ve always wanted to make a healthier alternative to the market. I wanted to transform the way people consume energy drinks, give them the option to choose low-sugar drinks, choose natural and environmentally friendly options at a time when personal, mental and environmental well-being is more important than ever.
How important is it to build a brand beyond its basic business in order to sell products?
Huib van Bockel:
It’s important to clearly identify your sales channels. For example, our Brand Channel focuses on health and fitness locations that we consider to be a key part of our target market – sports enthusiasts. Although we have identified multiple channels, we must remember that we started with limited resources. The goal is to stay focused, rather than covering all channels and extending too wide.
What lessons can other brands learn from Red Bull and include them in their marketing strategy?
Huib van Bockel: You would have to ask Red Bull team to answer that question.
Brands today act much differently than before. Social media have changed the way brands communicate with their buyers. They have changed the way they present themselves. How to be noticed in all this fuss?
Huib van Bockel:
Standing out in the flooded FMCG market and being noticed – that’s the mission. Our team realized that we should use social media to give people insight into the brand’s personality. The people who make Tenzing what it is. We’ve recently been on the cover page of Time Out Magazine, with a photo of the whole team. It was something we were proud of, as well as our followers on social networks – earning us the highest level of engagement we’ve ever had!
How to win buyers and convince them to trust you?
Huib van Bockel: It’s simple. Give them something that has value.
