Marcel Zandvliet puts a pile of paperwork on a boardroom table in one of the Dutch Flower Group companies where we’re meeting. Some of it is confidential, some of it he can share. The CMO wants to give an idea of the work that DFG does before they start talking to a grower. “Many people, including some growers, don’t know what’s involved in our preparations for an initial meeting with a grower or a hardware supplier”, says Zandvliet.
Zandvliet explains how DFG is trying to stimulate the end customers’ sales via innovation. The marketeer lists several factors underlying this innovation. The lifestyle and trends study, their own sales figures and the results on the customer’s shop floor are three of them. Another one is the long-term vision related to social developments. Because product innovation isn’t just based on the fashion and interior industries at DFG, but on the expected social trends as well.
That’s why once every two years, Zandvliet hires the same trend forecasting agency to help DFG identify the current social trends. The CMO peels a piece of tape off a large poster, which he then unrolls. The poster shows a timeline with developments in the past and forecasts for the future. 2030 is marked by the word ‘climate change’. It’s the dot on the horizon; Zandvliet refers to it as the big disruptor. Climate change is influencing people’s behaviour. It already has an impact in the short term, on the legislation for example. (..)
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