Rik Riezebos is one of my personal heroes. As a students, his books on brand management and positioning shaped my first thoughts on brands. Although I can fiercely disagree with some of his arguments now, I still am thankful for laying the foundations of how I think about brands now. So, everytime I can find an excuse to work with him, I try to do so.
So with the EURIB, the European Institute for Brand management, which was founded by Riezebos and where marketeers are educated in brand, design & reputation management. An impressive line up of guest lecturers (Jeroen de Bakker, Jim Stolze, Renee Peeters, Ingmar de Lange, amongst others) trains the marketeers in branding, digital, positioning and reputation management. A line up that makes me wish I could be a student there.
Very similar to Lessius several days ago, with a lot of practical examples, I try to gently convince the students to create stuff worth sharing. To be maniacal in managing expectations. To create acts, not ads. To not only contact consumers when they have to pay an invoice, but to gradually engage them via campaigns AND programs. And that to do this, you have to change companies from the inside. Not by brute force, but by smart projects.
Hope you like it.
