WhatsAppen met Steve Heywood van Edelman Amsterdam
05-11-2019 (10:31) - Appen met
De Britse Steve Heywood (37) is sinds een kleine twee maanden de nieuwe general manager van Edelman Amsterdam. Een goed moment voor FONK om eens met hem te Whatsappen.
Whatsapp-status: -
Hi Steve! It's Ilja from FONK. Do you have time for a chat??
Hey! Yes, now is perfect. I've been looking forward to it.
Hey! Yes, now is perfect. I've been looking forward to it.
Good 
First of all: congratulations with your new position!
Thank you! I'm really excited to be taking over such a brilliant agency, at a very exciting time. It feels like the market is changing – we’re seeing more ‘buzz’, more interest in Amsterdam. I think that Edelman is perfectly positioned to compete and win in that space as we have exceptional, international-experienced Dutch talent working alongside a diverse range of international talent right here in one melting pot. So it's a great time to become General Manager
First of all: congratulations with your new position!Thank you! I'm really excited to be taking over such a brilliant agency, at a very exciting time. It feels like the market is changing – we’re seeing more ‘buzz’, more interest in Amsterdam. I think that Edelman is perfectly positioned to compete and win in that space as we have exceptional, international-experienced Dutch talent working alongside a diverse range of international talent right here in one melting pot. So it's a great time to become General Manager
Very exciting time.... what makes it so exciting? And what are your plans for Edelman in your new position?
Definitely the potential in the market, the buzz that I mentioned. But also where we are as an agency. We've transformed into an integrated communications marketing agency. Perhaps you can even say that we already did the hard bit
. So my job is to optimise even further - to go from good to great.
Definitely the potential in the market, the buzz that I mentioned. But also where we are as an agency. We've transformed into an integrated communications marketing agency. Perhaps you can even say that we already did the hard bit
. So my job is to optimise even further - to go from good to great.Yes I heard that marcom is one of the important fields Edelman Amsterdam is putting a lot of effort in
Glad to hear!
Glad to hear!
What are the next steps in that field?
The key challenge is to (remain) fully integrated. I don't mean "full-service". Hiring a couple of creatives doesn’t do anything to add value for clients. What changes the game is having the ability to integrate creative, insights, digital and activation into one cohesive programme. We have made great progress in this. But we need to do more!
The key challenge is to (remain) fully integrated. I don't mean "full-service". Hiring a couple of creatives doesn’t do anything to add value for clients. What changes the game is having the ability to integrate creative, insights, digital and activation into one cohesive programme. We have made great progress in this. But we need to do more!
Can you give me an example of what more you have in store?
Sure, I think the most visible change the market will see next will be some key strategic hires in digital, integrated marketing solutions and strategy. For our clients, I hope they will see the impact of this through campaigns which are based on insights, deliver on a real organisational goal and are creative and impactful. A great example of that is a Psoriasis awareness campaign we just launched this week:
https://vimeo.com/369510220/3ff00eeb7f
Sure, I think the most visible change the market will see next will be some key strategic hires in digital, integrated marketing solutions and strategy. For our clients, I hope they will see the impact of this through campaigns which are based on insights, deliver on a real organisational goal and are creative and impactful. A great example of that is a Psoriasis awareness campaign we just launched this week:
https://vimeo.com/369510220/3ff00eeb7f
Yes we've seen that campaign. We love it. Very original
Thanks! I think it's a good indication of where we want to continue to focus: the intersection of real impact, purpose, great creative and integrated storytelling
Thanks! I think it's a good indication of where we want to continue to focus: the intersection of real impact, purpose, great creative and integrated storytelling
Does Edelman Amsterdam have an exemplary role in the marcom for the Edelman offices in the rest of the world?
We have a big role to play in our network. The great thing about Edelman is that we are family-owned, so it is a
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real network with shared values and quite an easy place to co-operate together to deliver great work for our clients. A good example of that is how we collaborate on global clients - we recently took on a big production assignment for our New York office and it was a true partnership where we were able to deliver literally 1000s of creative assets in an incredibly short timescale by working hand-in-hand.That must be very interesting for your clients, to have such an international team working for them
That's the feedback they give. Clients really value having experienced senior teams here in the market to be the main contact person and advise on the nuances of this interesting and unique market, but they also appreciate drawing on resources from across the globe.
That's the feedback they give. Clients really value having experienced senior teams here in the market to be the main contact person and advise on the nuances of this interesting and unique market, but they also appreciate drawing on resources from across the globe.
And Steve how long have you been living in the Netherlands now? For our readers: you are from the UK right?
Almost four years - I really love it here. I spent most of my career in London but grew up in the middle of nowhere in the countryside!
Almost four years - I really love it here. I spent most of my career in London but grew up in the middle of nowhere in the countryside!
How is your Dutch?
Getting there: sort of birthday party level now. But in a work context I prefer to speak English as I believe that words really count, and I can more naturally express my thoughts in my native language – I’m just thankful that I am able to do this in a professional context, thanks to the brilliant English of our clients and colleagues (which puts the language education in the UK to shame)
Getting there: sort of birthday party level now. But in a work context I prefer to speak English as I believe that words really count, and I can more naturally express my thoughts in my native language – I’m just thankful that I am able to do this in a professional context, thanks to the brilliant English of our clients and colleagues (which puts the language education in the UK to shame)
Yes we Dutchies love to speak English. Thank you Steve for your time!
Thank you, let's talk again soon!
And it was great to meet you last week in your office for the Coolest Dutch Brands jury meet up
likewise, we were happy to host it!
Have a good day!
likewise, we were happy to host it!Have a good day!
