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Netherlands 
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Hand-filtered
news from the Dutch online mainstream and trade press designed to give you topical insight
into Dutch advertising and marketing, life and lifestyles............. 21.12.05
Over the past couple of years in continental Europe, brewers have linked with makers of household appliances to develop and market products which allow beer drinkers to enjoy the taste of a glass of freshly-dispensed draught beer in the comfort of their own home. With some success, says the Dutch daily newspaper Algemeen Dagblad. Heineken, which linked with Krups, has sold more than 150,000 of its 'BeerTender' system, the paper says, while Philips has sold 30,000 of its PerfectDraft systems - developed in conjunction with InBev - since October alone, prompting it to call on supplies from abroad. Philips is now calling on consumers to return their empty vats to stores as soon as possible given that InBev is having difficulty in delivering full containers of its Jupiler and Dommelsch brands, due to the high demand. Heineken admits it has also had a similar problem. BeerTender's history goes back to 2002 when Philips and Hieneken first began to work together on a joint system, Algemeen Dagblad says. Philips later pulled out, cauasing Heineken to continue with Krups. Philips later teamed up with InBev. Heineken finds the Philips product far too similar to its own, Algemeen Dagblad says, and has sought to have sales if PerfectDraft forbidden by the courts. This was refused. It is not yet known whether Heineken will continue in its quest to get the Philips product taken off shelves. To read this story for yourself, in Dutch, click on the link below (left) to see it as published on the Algemeen Dagblad website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit the PerfectDraft website or here to visit BeerTender.
05.12.05
Albert Heijn, the Netherlands' leading supermarket retailer, has unveiled the first of what it is calling a 'new generation' of stores, with a format designed to appeal both to those looking for standard presentation of top brands and to other (or the same) shoppers looking for goods at low prices with minimal presentational frills. These, in the style of 'hard' discounters such as Aldi and Lidl, will be sold from boxes, as delivered from the factory, while recognised brands - or 'A-Marken', as they are known in Holland - will be allowed a place on the shelves. Four openings are expected to follow in 2006, says the news site AgriHolland Nieuws. The motive behind the new format, according to Albert Heijn, is the changing expectations of consumers who now demand a combination of convenience and inspiration, helpful staff and attractive prices. Around 35% of stock in traditional Albert Heijn outlets bears the company's own brand, AgriHolland Nieuws says, but this percentage is much higher in the new-format stores. One feature of the new range is a selection of 60 products - sold under the 'Kies & Kook' ('Choose and cook') brand, which promises shoppers that, by buying for of them, they can put together a meal in 15 minutes for just 8 euros. To read a longer version of this story for yourself, in Dutch, click on the link below (left) to see it as published on AgriHolland Nieuws. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to open up a video sequence in Windows Media Player format that gives an overview of what the new format looks like and posted on the website of the Dutch business newspaper Zibb.
30.11.05
Got a friend that can't stop telling you all about this or that new product with great enthusiasm? Well, if so, it could be that he or she is a 'buzzer', at least in the Netherlands. The latest films, CDs, games, cosmetics... buzzers get them all for free, as long as they promise to go around telling the world about their plus points, says the magazine Trouw. 'Buzzing' is the idea of the Amsterdam-based firm Buzzer, founded by Willem Sodderland, and capitalises on the fact that the most effective form of promotion is often word of mouth. "People are tired of all the commercials", he tells Trouw, "you have to reach them in another way. We let consumers speak for themselves, effectively making them marketers". Three main reasons lie behind buzzers' motivation, according to Sodderland. Firstly, status (they get products before other people hear about them), influence (both on people and on manufacturers) and having a story to tell. "We offer manufacturers a group of discriminating consumers who are please to tell people how satisfied they are with their product", says Sodderland. "The manufacturer gets free advertising and both sides profit from the deal". The idea for Buzzer, Trouw says, stems back to 1998 when Sodderland was involved in an 'incubator' group helping small companies to get their ideas off the ground. He soon realised how important the first group of consumers were to the potential success of new brands whihc often did not have the funds to advertise. The idea gradually developed into a company set up by Willem Sodderland with Robert Cornelissen, one they claim is unique in Europe. To read more about 'buzzing', in Dutch, on the website of Trouw, click on the link below (left). Alternatively, to check out Buzzer for yourself, in Dutch, and even to register yourself with the firm click on the link below (right). Can't face it in Dutch? Click here to be taken to the English-language section of Buzzer's website
24.11.05
Dutch children's protection foundation Stichting De Kinderconsument has sent an open letter to the internet and mobile phone company Scarlet asking it to alter its current promotion, which offers a free child's mobile phone for every adult subscription taken out, writes the advertising magazine Adformatie. Displayed on posters across the nation, advertising for the promotion shows a woman and a young girl dressed in what the foundation describes as 'miniscule lingerie'. Despite its potential to offend and the number of complaints which it has prompted, Holland's self-regulatory vetting authority, Reclame Code Commissie, gave the campaign the green light, Adformatie says. Now Stichting de Kinderconsument has taken up those complaints and new ones it has received asking for the billboard and the website to be taken down. Basis for the complaint is that the young girl is shown as an exact copy (including lingerie and make-up) of an attractive young woman who is 'clearly sexually attractive and displayed in a seducive pose in lingerie that leaves nothing to the imagination'. Click on the link below (left) to read this story for yourself, in Dutch, on the Adformatie website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit Scarlet's website and make your own judgement on the promotional approach it is taking.
21.11.05
Soon to be launched in the UK but available now for over a year in Germany and the Netherlands, one of Coca Cola's latest new product introductions has caused severe discomfort at its major rival, Pepsico. The reason? Well, says the Dutch business news website Zibb, the fact that the product is called 'Ipsei' might have something to do with it. Pepsico, it says - and perhaps with some reason - feels that this name is uncomfortably close to that of its star soft drink, Pepsi. For its part, Coca Cola counters with the claim that the name is in fact derived from 'ipse', which is Latin for 'self', and continues to promote the product as having a surprising taste, unique design and being good for the body, given that it contains natural anti-oxidants which help to strengthen the body's defences. Bottled in the Netherlands by Vrumona, a subsidiary of Heineken, Ipsei will now be the subject of a judgement by the European Patent Office in the Dutch town of The Hague, says Zibb. Click on the link below (left) to read this story for yourself, in Dutch, on the Zibb.nl website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to go to the website set up for Ipsei in neighbouring Germany or here to see the product presented to the Dutch public.
27.09.05
The world of mobile phone tariffs, says the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, is not always as clear as consumers would like and websites operated by third parties have sprung up making it easier for potential customers to compare rates and call plans. Such developments have clearly not gone unnoticed at the country's largest phone company, KPN, which has introduced a new mobile brand - its third - designed to capitalise on this need that consumers feel for simplification. Called Simyo.nl, the brand was designed based on the findings of research conducted by KPN marketing boss Marco Visser, Algemeen Dagblad says. "The survey showed us", Visser tells the paper, "that a large group, comprising millions of callers, did not want to take out a subscription with complicated options. Like Unilever and Heineken, we have made a brand with a target market in mind, in this case that of 'non-nonsense' people". Colleague Eric-Jan Doorensbosch adds that: "the brand is aimed at people who don't want bells and whistles when they call - they just want to call and send SMS messages for extremely attractive prices. These are the kinds of people who shop at Aldi or C1000, no-frills shops where you can save on cost". KPN is able to deliver Simyo.nl at low cost because all administration is handled over the internet, says Algemeen Dagblad. Customers paying 5 euros are sent a SIM card allowing them to send texts and make calls at fixed low prices (currently 18 cents per minute) on the handset of their choice. Click on the link below (left) to read this story for yourself, in Dutch, on the Algemeen Dagblad website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to the Simyo.nl site and explore the service (available only in the Netherlands) for yourself.
The ads will be assessed to determine whether they respect the company's advertising code for alcoholic drinks which, among other things, forbids ads being specifically targeted at those under the legal drinking age. The judging will be done by a commission independent of the advertising industry, with members drawn from the world's of business and education, Adformatie says. In addition to its conditions placed on TV and radio advertising, the code also forbids promotional messages for alcoholic drinks being transmitted via SMS, games or ringtones. All TV and radio ads will henceforth carry the slogan: 'Geniet, maar drink met mate' ('Enjoy, but drink in moderation'). Click on the link below (left) to read this story for yourself, in Dutch, on the Adformatie website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit Stiva.
While accepting that it is a form of bargaining, the trade association for small and medium-sized companies, MKB, is referring to the practice as 'blackmail', Zibb says. Spokesman Kees Verhoeven tells the paper that he is 'absolutely not charmed' by the practise, which is evident with growing frequency the more expensively an item is priced. One retailer spoken to says that clients are giving him the choice of selling at under his displayed price or not selling at all. Bicycles (this is Holland), TV and hi-fi systems are among the items most frequently involved. What these consumers are failing to understand, MKB says, is that there is a difference between an internet store and a 'normal' store. In the latter, more information and service is available. "I generally tell the customer that he is free to go and buy his bike somewjere else", says another shopkeeper spoken to by Zibb. "But I also tell him that he needn't bother coming to me for a change of tyres or a repair". Click on the link below (left) to read this story for yourself, in Dutch, on the Zibb website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit the MKB - not very interesting, but for the record.
The larger chains in particular, Foodnieuws says - such as New York Pizza and Domino's Pizza - are competing both against each other and against national supermarket chains which have enlarged their range of frozen and takeaway pizzas. According to Philippe Vorst, director of New York Pizza, which has 72 franchised outlets, the 'war' risks getting out of hand, given the pressure it is putting on margins. Prices have fallen during the current wave of special offers from € 13 per pizza to € 5.99. Rival Domino's, which runs 63 outlets, is offerign to deliver pizzas to homes for € 7.99 with European head Laurincy Soul admitting that he is going for volume through attractive pricing. Even these prices, however, cannot compare with those offered by the country's supermarkets, with market leader offering its All American Pizza at just € 1.60 during a recent special offer. Click on the link below (left) to read this story for yourself, in Dutch, on the Foodnieuws website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit Domino's Dutch website.
Speaking at the 'Stimulans naar Balans' meeting in Utrcht, Hoogervorst said that he supermarkets could take a lead role compared to other marketers. "If we don't take action in time, teh food industry could end up in the same corner as the tobacco industry. That would be an undesirable situation". Hoogervorst also thinks that it would be better if no confectionery were displayed near Dutch supermarket checkouts. "I've heard that there are plans for 'sugar-free checkouts'", he said, "where people could settle their bill without their son or daughter putting sweets on the conveyor belt. I think a lot of consumers would agree with me on this". In a response to the Dutch news agency ANP, Klaas van den Doel, head of the retailers association CBL, says that this could be an option in the larger supermarkets. "But consumers naturally want to have freedom of choice over what they buy". Overweightedness is a growing problem in the Netherlands, says the trade journal Marketing Online, which carried this story, with around 40% of the Dutch currently overweight and 10% considered as obese. This figure could double in ten to fifteen years, it says, if current trends continue. To read this story for yourself, in Dutch, click on the link below (left) to visit Marketing Online. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit the CBL website.
In what is set to turn the country's railways service, Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), into a 'Heineken-free' zone, arch rival Bavaria has reached an agreement with Servex - the company which operates catering, fast food and vending sites within NS premises - giving it exclusive shelf space in all outlets on the company's sites. Bavaria has plans to increase its market presence across the Netherlands, Zibb says, and wants to give consumers more opportunities to drink its beer and, indeed, drink more beer, with plans to increase sales on and around trains by 10%. To read this story for yourself, in Dutch, click on the link below (left) to see it on the Zibb.nl website. You probably know Heineken but may not be so familiar with Bavaria, so why not click on the link below (right) to visit the company's site.
In the first instance, the campaign will be aimed at a target audience agede around 70 years old, although the subject is of relevance to other age groups, Communicatie Online says. Should the campaign prove a success on a local level, it may eventually be rolled out nationwide. Topics covered include how to deal with depression and loneliness. A film has also been created on the subject, to be projected in various locations around Den Haag over the coming months. To read this story for yourself, in Dutch, click on the link below (left) to visit the Communicatie Online website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit the site developed by the campaign's backers and devoted to the initiative.
The decision was announced, says the trade magazine Adformatie, by Dutch secretary of state for education, culture and science, Medy van der Laan following a weekend meeting of the country's coalition parties. "The VVD (People's Party for Freedom and Democracy) wants to move towards a BBC model. I intend to work on the details over the coming weeks, but the outline of the model is there", she is quoted as saying. In the future, news and sport programmes will be carried on the mainstream NOS station, opinion forming programmes and those designed to foster societal debate will be consigned to themed public channels while education, art and culture will be accommodated within a yet-to-be-defined structure. The question, Adformatie says, is what van der Laan understands under the term 'amusement'. Popular shows such as Dit was het Nieuws, Kopspijkers (a satirical news programme which is among the most viewed in Holland) and Lingo (a word-based game show) appear to enjoy the benefit of her favour, the magazine says, while shows such as Love Letters (in which 3 competitors propose to their partners in a spectacular manner in an attempt to win a marriage ceremony performed at the end of the show) should be left to the commercial channels. A programme like 'Boer zoekt vrouw' ('A farmer seeks a wife'), however, seems to stand on the borderline. Currently aired on state station KRO, "it should, perhaps", she says, "stay on the public platform". To read this story for yourself, in Dutch, click on the link below (left) to go to the Adformatie website. Alternatively, to find out all about the farmers currently seeking wives on KRO, click on the link below (right) to visit the mini-site dedicated to the programme on the station's website.
29.03.05
A court in The Hague has ordered the Dutch Consumers Association, Consumentenbond, to issue a correction in relation to its reaction to the placing of a webcam in a supermarket in Alphen aan den Rijn, writes the Ditch advertising magazine Adformatie (click here to see that earlier story, from October last year, in which Unilever denied that it was behind the initiative). The webcam, Adformatie says, recorded the behaviour of clients and how they responded to promotional offers, with pictures being beamed back to manufacturers. Consumentenbond came out against the use of such cameras for commercial purposes, while accepting that they could be useful for security purposes. In articles appearing in its publications, however, it referred to the initiative with words such as 'gegluur' (Dutch speakers - please e-mail FEWL to explain why this is offensive). The shopkeeper in question felt that this constituted an attack on his good name and took recourse in the courts. Consumentenbond, on the other hand, says that "naturally, we aim to be responsible, but we also value the opportunity to speak as we find". It is, Adformatie says, considering taking the matter to a higher court. So far, no decision has been issued as to whether the placing of a webcam in a supermarket contravenes Dutch privacy laws. Click on the link below (left) to read this story for yourself, in Dutch, on the Adformatie website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit Consumentenbond (I know, it's all Dutch to you).
22.03.05
Supermarkets and manufacturers, says the Dutch online newsletter Agrifood, may be paying increasing attention to consumer needs and desires, but in doing so, they are losing track of the real picture. That, at least, is the opinion of Justien Marseille, a trend watcher who believes that the proliferation of product variants works against what people actually want and that clear choices and innovative products are what mothers looking to save time and money actually want. Since 1995, Agrifood says and Marseille believes, manufacturers have been principally targeting single- and dual-income households, resulting in a broad product offering with an elevated high-tech element. This, however, does not meet the needs of mothers, for example, who don't have the time or inclination to choose between the five different kinds of prepared sausage recently launched by retailer Albert Heijn. The extra choise, Marseille maintains, is a burden not a plus. Companies, she says, should look at what consumers really want - for example, offering the same variation but within one package. The best thing they could do is limit, rather than extend, consumer choice, she continues. Restaurants where the chef defines the menu, rather than the establishment trying to offer everything to everyone, are doing the right thing, she says. Subscription-based supermarket shopping is another suggested avenue for exploration. True, or just a sign of somebody growing old? Click on the link below (left) and decide for yourself after reading this story for yourself, in Dutch, on the Agrifood website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit the site of Kona/The Future Institute, where Justien Marseille is a director.
14.03.05
The Dutch minister for health, wellbeing and sport, Hans Hoogervorst, says he is open to the idea of placing a tax on certain snack foods as a way of attempting to tackle the country's growing obesity problem, reports the newspaper Algemeen Dagblad. The country's leading health authority, Raad voor de Volksgezondheid, has been increasingly issuing calls for action, Algemeen Dagblad says. Speaking this weekend on Dutch TV, Hoogervorst said that such a tax would be difficult to introduce, but that he did not rule it out. A spokesman for the health authority said he believes the so-called 'snack tax' would be much more effective than other initiatives currently underway, including those under the Postbus 51 public interest banner, and likens the levy to that currently placed on alcohol and tobacco products. Overweightedness, says Algemeen Dagblad, is a growing problem in the Netherlands, with 4 out of every ten Dutchmen estimated to be too fat. In addition, over the past twenty years, the proportion of children ajudged to be overweight has risen from four per cent to twelve per cent. Click on the link below (left) to read stories like this for yourself, in Dutch, on the Algemeen Dagblad website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit the Postbus 51 site.
11.11.04
The amount of money channeled into online advertising in the Netherlands rose by 62% during the third quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2003, according to figures released by the local chapter of the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB). A total of 14.7 million euros was invested during the period, IAB says. Its figures are based on those reported to it by market-leading sites such as MSN, Adlink, IP, Netdirect and Adformatie, the advertising trade newsletter where this story comes from. According to the IAB,
expenditure during the first quarter amounted to 16 million euros, followd by 15.6 million
between April and June. Most money came from the telecoms and IT sectors (24%), followed
by media (18%), financial services (17%), catering/ tourism/ leisure (9%) and retail (7%). Click on the link below (left) to read this story for yourself, in Dutch, on the Adformatie website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit the site maintained in the Netherlands by the Internet Advertising Bureau.
04.11.04
Ajax, the Dutch football club that introduced Johann Cruyff to an international audience and - although currently only fifth in the table - many times national champion, has introduced its own brand of coffee, writes the Dutch food portal AgriHolland Nieuws. The 'Ajax Koffieselectie' is available in four variants and is produced by the coffee roasting company TikTak/Segafredo Zanetti. The product will at first be launched in supermarkets in and around Ajax' home city of Amsterdam, AgriHolland Nieuws says. If successful there, distirbution in other regions will be considered. According to the club, 'Ajax koffie' is for 'real Ajax fans who, by buying it, demonstrate their support for the club. TikTak/Segafredo Zanetti says it has no plans to launch other coffees bearing the brand name of other football teams. Other products and services marketed by Ajax to its fans include domestic energy and credit, in conjunction with the bank ABN AMRO. Click on the link below (left) to read this story for yourself, in Dutch, on the AgriHolland Nieuws website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit the page on the Ajax website where the club presents its new product.
29.10.04
Advertising agencies in the Netherlands are having an increasingly tough time, according to one agency head spoken to by the local marketing website Marketeer. According to Jacques Kuyf, managing director of FHV BBDO, profit margins at the average agency sank to just 3.8% last year from fully 15.7% during 2002. This enormous decrease means that the market has 'shrunk' by 25% in the past two to three years, Marketeer says. According to Jacques Kuyf, the larger agencies have been better able to maintain their margins, reporting an average of around 12.7%. Nevertheless, the many limitations put on the advertising sector by the government continue to make agency life harder. "Just look at tobacco advertising", he says, which has had heavy restrictions placed on it. That costs us income". The low margins, Kuyf points out, are a problem given that service businesses need a margin of between 15% and 25% in order to be able to attract and keep good people. Click on the link below (left) to read a fuller version this story for yourself, in Dutch, on the Marketeer website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit FHV BBDO which handles advertising for, among others, Chrysler, Douwe Egberts and TPG Post.
28.10.04
Unilever's Dutch subsidiary Unox has issued a statement to clarify that the webcam placed in a C1000 supermarket in the town of Alphen aan den Rijn were not installed at its request. Unox was obliged to respond to the accusation on account of the fact that the camera was pointing directly at a shelf carrying the company's smoked ('rookworst') sausages. In fact, the camera was set up on the initiative of Gerard Rutte, a Dutch retail expert who has launched a web platform, allesoverfabrikanten.nl ('everything about manufacturers') designed to serve as a focal point for manufacturers, suppliers and supermarkets. Companies subscribing to the site can - among other things - keep an eye on what is happening in individual stores and observe consumer reactions to their products. Unilever is, indeed, a subscriber to the site, as are Heineken, Smiths crisps and Lever Fabergé Nederland. The fact that the camera was set up to point at its products is pure chance, Unox says, despite claims in the media to the contrary. In fact, its managers had not even looked at the images and, in any case, other forms of market research are preferable as they provide more information relating to the purchase decision. To read a fuller version this story for yourself, in Dutch, on the website of AgriHolland Nieuws, which published it, just click on the link below (left). Alternatively, click here to visit the 'allesoverfabrikanten' site or on the link below (right) to visit the Unox website.
20.10.04
Aldi, the German-based discount retailer of groceries and household goods, claims it sold out of 30,000 pieces of art stocked in its Dutch stores over the past two weeks. More commonly an environment for simply-branded, low-priced consumer staples, Aldi first branched out into art last year in a successful promotion run in its German stores, writes the online newspaper De Volksrant. Now, having extended the concept to neighbouring Holland, it is considering running the promotion in furthr countries. The works offered - all limited-edition pieces signed by the artist concerned - sold for €12.99. Aldi's aim in running the promotion (and apart from making money) is explained by a company spokesman as: "to make the work of young, independent artists accessible to a broader public. In addition to driving demand for contemporary art, the promotion has served to generate a significant amount of publicity for Aldi, which normally limits its own promotional efforts to product leaflets and newspaper advertising. Artists happy to see their pictures displayed alongside cat food and crisps included Robert Heykoop, Corinne Annelies and Thessa van der Voort, De Volkskrant says. Work ranged from realistic to abstract and the promotion sparked a lively aftermarket, with pictures bought at Aldi prices later being offered for sale - often on the same evening - for as much as €150. To read a fuller version this story for yourself, in Dutch on the Volksrant website, just click on the link below (left). Alternatively, to visit the Interview NSS site and read up about other recent studies conducted by the agency, just click on the link below (right).
21.10.04
Numico, the Dutch maker of baby food sold internationally under the Nutricia brand name, is coming under increasing pressure across Europe as supermarkets extend their own label reach into the category, writes the Dutch advertising magazine Adformatie. Baby food is a product category requiring a high degree of shopper trust and supermarkets have traditionally confined their offer to manufacturer brands from companies such as Nestlé and Danone. Now, however, Adformatie says, leading chains in Germany, France and the UK are stepping up their offer with cheaper products which are finding good consumer acceptance. In Nutricia's home market of the Netherlands, the competition could also be increasing soon, with Albert Heijn, the country's leading supermarket chain (700 outlets) confirming that it is considering offering own-label baby food. In France, Casino, Leader Price and Carrefour - who operate a total of over 1,800 outlets between them - have all introduced an own-label range while, in Germany, drug store chain Van Rosmann and the discounter Penny (2,400 stores) have done the same. In the UK, Boots has launched a rnge of vegetarian products, Adformatie says. Numico, which has shareholders to please, is particularly worried as these are its main export markets. Though margins, at 20%, are currently good, this has not escaped the attention of the supermarkets, who believe they can undercut Numico's prices and still make a good profit. Numico says that own-label currently only accounts for around one per cent of the market and that it doesn't fear the competition too much, as many of its products come with health claims based on patented processes and technology. Retail analysts IPLC, however, say that the company is in danger of ignoring reality. To read this story for yourself, in Dutch, on the Adformatie website, just click on the link below (left). Alternatively, to visit Nutricia website in the Netherlands, click on the link below (right).
20.10.04
Dutch discount drugstore chain Kruidvat has been ordered by an Amsterdam judge to stop altering the packaging of L'Oréal products stocked on its shelves, writes the online newspaper Zibb. The ruling is likely to lead to L'Oréal products disappearing from the retailer's shelves altogether. Kruidvat resorted to its practice of altering product codes on the items sold in order to conceal where it had sourced them from. In the Netherlands, L'Oréal only distributes its products through approved perfumeries and drugstores that meet certain quality criteria. Holes in its distribution system, however, meant that Kruidvat was able to obtain L'Oréal products on the open market and offer them in its stores. The retailer also resorted to the same practice for other luxury brands. Makers of these are now likely to seek similar rulings against Kruidvat and other drugstores acting in the same way. To read this story for yourself, in Dutch, on the Zibb website, click on the link below (left). Alternatively, to visit the Kruidvat website and decide for yourself whether this is an environment suited to 'luxury' products, simply click on the link below (right). For comparison, visit L'Oréal's Dutch website by clicking here.
20.10.04
Practically all (well, 96% of) young Dutch men and women are now online, reports the local adevrtising magazine Adformatie. Reporting on a study of the country's 15 to 24 year-olds conducted by the local research agency Interview NSS, Adformatie says that this figure - which corresponds to the pecentage of that age group which 'has access to the internet' - represents a rise of 9% over 2003.. a figure which, clearly, will not be repeated this year. According to Interview NSS, which spoke to 2,400 people in conducting its survey, not only do younger Dutchmen and women have greater access to the internet, they use it more often than other age groups, going online, on average on 5.5 days per week, compared to 4.4 days for the population as a whole. Average length of each online session, the researchers say, is 104 minutes. In all, 76% of the Dutch population says it has access to the internet. In addition to younger user gruops, interest is growing among older surfers. Whereas, in 2003, 49% of over 50s were online, today the figure is 52%. To read this story for yourself, in Dutch in the pages of Adformatie, click on the link below (left). Alternatively, to visit the Interview NSS site and read up about other recent studies conducted by the agency, just click on the link below (right).
12.10.04
Supermarket goods may have stable prices, but their contents are getting smaller and smaller. That, at least, is the finding coming out of a reader poll conducted by the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. Manufacturers, the paper says, recognise the fact that people are talking of 'content forgery', but counter with the claim that while the contents may be reduced, this should be balanced against improvements in quality. A spokesman for the Dutch consumer association, Consumentenbond, says that answer is surprising. "It's questionable whether consumers really benfit from these so-called quality improvements. It seems more like a way of concealing price rises". De Telegraaf included some examples of the practice in this Sunday's edition. Calvé salad dressing with herbs, for example, has shrunk from 400ml to 300ml, Grolsch beer in new packaging is being sold at 90% more than its predecessor and toilet rolls are getting thinner. The paper had asked its readers some weeks ago to send in examples of 'content forgery'. Many readers complained that manufacturers, upon launching new products, increased the content, only to cut it back once the item was established on the market. To read a fuller version of this story for yourself, in Dutch in the pages of the advertising magazine Adformatie, click on the link below (left). To visit the De Telegraaf website and read more stories like this, again in Dutch, just click on the link below (right).
11.10.04
Pharmaceutical companies Bayer, Pfizer and AstraZeneca are being accused over overstepping what is allowed within their own regulatory code to promote prescription drugs, writes the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant. The original complaint, by local doctor Hans van der Linde of Capelle aan den Ijssel, has now been passed to a higher authority, the paper says. According to the accusations, AstraZeneca ran a symposium in March last year of which the subject was its cholesterol-lowering medication Crestor. Doctors were offered an inducement of 230 euros to attend, plus 27 cents per kilometer travelled. In addition, they were offered a dinner and the opportunity to attend the opera Aida. According to rules established by the pharmaceutical industry itself, participation allowances should total no more than 50 euros per year, with a maximum of 150 euros. Bayer is alleged to have promoted its Avelox drug, against infections of the airways, with payments of between 150 and 250 euros to doctors, De Volkskrant says. Pfizer was offering payments of 200 euros to doctors to attend a conference devoted to its new painkiller, Celebrex, plus travel costs. The stakes are high, De Volkskrant says: a potentially successful drug needs doctor endorsement. In 2003, on the other hand, Bayer's income from Avelox was just 190,000 euros. In an insert in medical magazines this week, doctors were invited to receive compensation of 10 euros, in the form of a voucher to spend on the online bookshop bol.nl, for viewing an online presentation relating to the drug. "We see it as another contact opportunity with doctors", a spokesman is quoted as saying. "Cheaper than medical visitors". To read a fuller version of this story for yourself, in Dutch and in the pages of De Volkskrant, click on the link below (left). To visit the site maintained by Bayer in the Netherlands, just click on the link below (right).
07.10.04
Sanoma Men's Magazines, the Dutch publisher, is testing a local-language version of the news weekly Newsweek, writes the local advertising industry magazine Adformatie. The first edition of 'Newsweek Nederland', which has been produced under licence from the American publishers of Newsweek, Newsweek Inc., is currently being distributed free, Adformatie says, and is designed to compete with the weekly published by Elsevier. Other Newsweek licences have been handed out in countries such as Russia and Poland. To read a fuller version of this story for yourself, in Dutch and in the pages of Adformatie, click on the link below (left). To visit the Sanoma website, just click on the link below (right).
04.10.04
Given the reputation Amsterdam - capital city of the Netherlands - enjoys as a haven for drugs and sex, two commodities which have well-known, potentially long-lasting consequences, some people might question the wisdom of a campaign that has been reported this week in the Dutch advertising magazine Adformatie. London, Adformatie says, is currently being 'painted orange' by a massive campaign promoting short trips to the Netherlands. And the slogan? "Holland stays with you long after you've left". The campaign, Adformatie says, was developed by the London-based bureau of tourism and congresses operated by the Dutch government, NBTC. According to research they have conducted, the Netherlands is seen by Britons as a destination well suited to short vacations. In addition, it says, the British find the Dutch easy-going. NBTC director Hans van Driem tells the magazine that this is one of three, large-scale campaigns the bureau has developed. The focus is on major cities such as (yes) Amsterdam, Rotterdam, the Hague, Eindhoven and Maastricht. According to the NBTC, qualities, features and personalities it hopes will be associated with each town include gastronomy (Maastricht), Van Gogh (Amsterdam), the painter Vermeer (the Hague), design (Rotterdam) and 'contemporary' (Eindhoven). The campaign comes at a time when - independently - Amsterdam is gearing up for a similar campaign to that run by New York, to boost the image of the city among inhabitants and visitors alike (click here to see a story about that on From Europe With Love). But the question remains.. that slogan? Click on the link below (left) to read a fuller version of this story for yourself, in Dutch, on the website of Adformatie. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to be taken to the website developed by the government to promote all things Dutch, holland.com.
Campaigns devised by the Dutch government to promote various foodstuffs are 'too dry and boring'. That's according to Hans Dagevos, a sociologist from the agricultural economics instutite, LEI, who has written a report on the subject. According to Dagevos, advertising - in particular on TV - "should play on people's feelings more in order to compete with hamburger advertising, that does appeal to people. The mistake that government bodies make in their spots, says Dagevos, is to stick too close to "facts and rationality". Confectionery manufacturers and hamburger chains, he continues, make more use of emotions to present their products to the public. Messages such as telling consumers that they have a 'right to pleasure' are better received than warnings against overweightedness. Dagevos believes that images should be put at the centre of campaigns. Brands have a certain image, he says, that doesn't always correspond to reality. For example, cigaretts have been associated for decades with youth, health and sporty people. To read a fuller version of this story for yourself, in Dutch and in the pages of the advertising magazine Adformatie, click on the link below (left). To visit the website of IPM KidWise and read up on this and other research services provided by the company - again in Dutch - just click on the link below (right). Alternatively, right-click here to download and view (again in Dutch) a PDF report of the research.
01.10.04
Philips may be spending €80 million on a new global advertising campaign to introduce its new 'sense and simplicity' positioning, says the newspaper Het Parool (see right, or click here for more information on that). But while that may have been meticulously planned, the company was much slow offer the mark when it came to registering the new slogan as local web addresses. Should Philips now want to set up national domains using 'sense and simplicity' as their address, it will have to deal with a few keen opportunists who were quick to register the name as soon as it was announced. Michael van der Lingen, for example, who lives in Rotterdam, registered www.senseandsimplicity.nl, which could have served as the named for a Dutch site for Philips, directly upon hearing of the new strategy. Van der Lingen has placed single-page rebuke of Philips at the address, poking fun at them for not having the forethought to register the name. In addition to the '.nl' domain, he also snapped up '.de' and '.info', among others. While Philips itself maintains that it communicates through its '.com' address and is not overly bothered about local extensions, that has not stopped others from moving fast to snap up 'sense and simplicity' domains in other countries. Frido Knoester of Rutten registered '.biz', '.us' and '.net', among others, the paper says, while Jules Ruit of Eindhoven opted to register the '.org' variant. He did it, he tells the paper, "as a joke. I live so close to Philips I know how they go about these things. And as I thought, they hadn't registered anything. To read more stories like this for yourself, in Dutch, just click on the link below (left) to visit the website of Het Parool. To visit the site set up by Michael van der Lingen, click here. Alternatively, to visit the official Philips sense and simplicity address, click on the link below (right).
01.10.04
Ola. the Unilever-owned ice cream brand, is running advertising in the Netherlands with lines such as 'Iedereen die 'm eet wordt onverstaanbaar' ('Anyone who eats one becomes irresistible') and 'Het kan u seksleven positied beinvoloeden' ('It can positively influence your sex life'). The ads are designed to support sales of the company's Cornetto Love Potion cornets, but numerous consumers have been complaining, says the Dutch online newspaper Zibb, because, although they have eaten one of the ice creams, they have noticed no effect. Elsewhere in the campaign is the promise that Love Potion offers 'guaranteed success in the game of scoring and chatting up'. That, however, may not be the case, according to letters arriving at the company since the campaign first aired. One person wrote in, Ola tells Zibb, saying that he had eaten one of the ices one week earlier 'but still didn't have a girlfriend' and therefore wanted to lodge a claim based on the 'guarantee' that comes with Love Potion. Another correspondent confessed to having spent 100 euros on Cornettos 'but was beginning to wonder about your claim that they would improve by lifestyle'. Pure PR from Ola, it's true, but an amusing story nevertheless. To read more on this story for yourself, in Dutch and in the pages of Zibb, just click on the link below (left). Alternatively, to explore the world of Ola online, in Dutch, just click on the link below (right).
27.09.04
Practically all Dutch children aged between 10 and 14 years old own a mobile phone, according to research released this week by IPM KidWise, and one in three can barely imagine their life without it. The study, conducted by IPM for Orange, shows that, for this group, SMS messaging has taken over from traditional voice calls as the principal means of communication. The firm spoke to 400 young people during August to compile its research, says the online marketing magazine, Marketing Online. "Up till now, we have always addressed the adult market", Bruno Michieli, head of acquisition marketing at Orange tells the magazine. "This study shows us that we should also address children. Just like adults, they want to learn about how to get the most out of their phones". Among the most important results coming out of the survey, IPM KidWise found that 98% of 14 year-olds said they owned a mobile phone, with the number of 10 year-olds daying they had one reported as 79%. Around half (49%) use their handset mostly for sending SMS messages, followed by telephone calls (35%) and game playing (25%). For this age group, therefore, these new functions have replaced the traditional application associated with a telephone.. To read a much fuller version of this story for yourself, in Dutch in the pages of Marketing Online, click on the link below (left). To visit the website of IPM KidWise and read up on this and other research services provided by the company - again in Dutch - just click on the link below (right). Alternatively, right-click here to download and view (again in Dutch) a PDF report of the research.
24.09.04
Tchibo, the German coffee maker, has extended its retail concept to the Netherlands, writes the Dutch newspaper Zibb, opening its first outlet this week, in Eindhoven. While company's such as Starbuck's and Costa Coffee centre their offer on the range of coffee and other snacks available in their cafés, Tchibo's novel approach combines the company's core product - coffee - with a weekly selection of non-food special offers that can include anything from bicycles to bread-bins. Tchibo already has operations in Switzerland, Austria, the UK and a number of countries in eastern Europe, Zibb says. Its initial plans in the Netherlands extend to 5 stores, with further openings planned in Ede, Apeldoorn and Arnhem. Eventually, a spokesman tells the paper, Tchibo plans to achieve the same level of coverage as it enjoys in its home country. The weekly special offers are far more than a gimmick, providing as much as half of Tchibo's turnover. The company hopes its approach will help it to erode the prominent position of existing Dutch coffee manufacturers such as Douwe Egberts and Van Nelle. To read more on this story for yourself, in Dutch and in the pages of Zibb, just click on the link below (left). Alternatively, to find out more about the world of Tchibo for yourself, just click on the link below (right).
20.09.04
The fierce price war underway among Dutch supermarket retailers became even more intense this week with market leader Albert Heijn's announcement that its was cutting the prices on around 1,000 everyday items, writes the Dutch industry newsletter Marketing Online. Products included in Albert Heijn's latest round of cuts include orange juice, apple sauce, crisps, detergent, nappies and toothpaste, Marketing Online says, with the amount of the decrease ranging from 5% to 25%. Laurus, the second-largest player in the industry, took AH's action as an attempt to 'smoke out' its Super de Boer format, which announced similar cuts recently on own-label brands sold through its 400 stores. This, says Marketing Online, is the third round in the 'war' that commenced in October of last year, when Albert Heijn announced initial price reductions on 1,200 products in order to rid itself of its reputation as an expensive store. Despite the obvious financial implications of lower costs, the company says it is satisfied with its success rate, having attracted 200,000 shoppers back to its stores. Also this week, Albert Heijn announced that it was embarking on a new strategy, aimed principally at middle-class consumers, to position itself as a 'super service brand'. This will include a new generation of AH 'Excellentmerken', the company's top-of-the-range own label brand used on products such as truffle-flavoured olive oil and luxury pizzas. Click on the link below (left) to read a longer version of this story for yourself, in Dutch, in the pages of Marketing Online. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to go to the Laurus website
07.09.04
Albert Heijn, the leading Dutch supermarket operator, is interested in increasing the number of | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
