We help medium-sized companies and scale-ups make the most of their brand.
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BrandCrafters helps companies build or strengthen an authentic, distinctive and consistent brand. Starting with the basics: positioning and brand strategy. This investment pays off in everything: from qualitative leads and happy employees to customer satisfaction, for example. We don’t stop until everything is rock solid; we take the burden off businesses by handling the development and implementation of all assets, from brand identity items to websites and online marketing.
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We approach a brand issue with a holistic view - arising from our broad experience - and never according to a predetermined plan. For each case, we look at what we can tackle - and how. We work in phases and in co-creation with our client. The starting points are always the company DNA and the business case. And the question: how can we use the brand potential to contribute to achieving the goals?
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A collaboration with BrandCrafters starts with many questions, to get to the bottom of things for optimal results.
THE POWER OF BRANDCRAFTERS
BrandCrafters is a collaboration between Carline Schaad and Raymond Joore, two experienced brand specialists. BrandCrafters stands alongside entrepreneurs and directors to help them with their strategic and creative brand needs. BrandCrafters does this with a pragmatic and committed approach. It is the combination of useful advice, professional unburdening and a creative network at the highest level that ensures that existing brand potential can be optimally utilized.
TOGETHER WE CRAFT YOUR BRAND
Although we are broadly oriented and experienced, our hearts beat fastest for business to business service providers. In other words where the USPs are often less obvious. We find the distinguishing factors among others in the DNA of the company and the people who work there. BrandCrafters does not settle for platitudes such as 'professional' or 'reliable', we dig deeper.
Usually there is a reason to want to develop your brand: an objective, business case or momentum. For example, the desire to grow, the next generation taking over the helm of a family business, a future sale of the company, takeover of a competitor, or challenges in the field of talent recruitment in an overheated labor market.
STRATEGY
A solid strategy forms the foundation of your brand and marketing efforts. In co-creation with your team, we define a powerful story, positioning and course that perfectly align with your business goals. We translate this vision into a practical and inspiring document, with clear guidelines for all subsequent steps. In this way, you lay a solid foundation for a recognizable, consistent and distinctive brand identity. A strategy that not only provides direction, but also offers your entire organization confidence and support, now and in the future.
IMPLEMENTATION
In the implementation phase, we bring your strategy to life. We create the necessary resources – from visual expressions to content – and ensure a smooth, structured execution. With strict project management, we monitor progress, planning and quality, so that everything fits together seamlessly. We train your team so that they can work independently with the new guidelines and tools in the long term. This creates a strong and sustainable foundation on which your brand continues to function flawlessly, even after we take a step back.
SUPPORT
Don't have your own marketing department yet? Then we act as your external, internal team. We develop smart campaign plans, execute them and monitor the results, always with an eye for growth and brand consistency. Whether it concerns social media, PR, online marketing or inspiring content: we always start with a clear strategy as a foundation. In this way, we flawlessly align all activities with your objectives. Through intensive collaboration, management of external agencies and continuous knowledge sharing, you can count on flexible and professional support. This way, you stay on the move, without heavy investments in permanent teams.
'BRAND COMMISSIONER'
As a follow-up to a trajectory with us, or completely separate, we can act as your 'brand commissioner'. With a fresh, expert eye, we periodically review the status of your brand, identify opportunities and expose areas for improvement. We delve deeper into the latest developments within your sector, so that your brand remains current and distinctive. This 'brand check-up' offers concrete tools, fresh insights and valuable connections that keep your brand future-proof and inspiring.
THE BRANDCRAFTERS
During the projects Carline Schaad and Raymond Joore worked on together, it became clear that they got energy from issues that would scare off colleagues: complex matter, less obvious USPs, too many stories to choose from and challenging objectives. They like to sink their teeth into that. Their experience and synergy ensure that they quickly see the brand potential of their clients and know how to optimally use it. Their approach is pragmatic, goal-oriented and according to a phased approach in co-creation with the client. And above all: with energy and pleasure.
Variety is an important requirement for Carline and together with her inexhaustible energy, she has been successfully doing business for the past decades. Carline has worked with a wide range of clients, from FMCG to non-profit organizations. But her heart lies with the complex projects where she focuses on the overview and the big picture.
"From a young age I have had a great passion for art & design. I find it impressive how artists can portray their story in images. I also use this way of looking at things in my work. The art of unraveling complex material and translating it into images; that's what makes me enthusiastic. As a former colleague once said about me: 'Carline, you have ants in your pants'. What he meant by this is that I am very enthusiastic, which allows me to switch quickly and extract what makes a brand unique. "
CARLINE
SCHAAD
RAYMOND
JOORE
Raymond is a versatile brand strategist with experience in the hospitality industry, banking, advertising and PR agencies, start-ups, and as an entrepreneur. He combines vision and strategic thinking with creativity. His leadership experience, complemented by a healthy dose of curiosity, enables him to quickly get to the heart of the matter.
"I can approach issues from various angles. Perhaps this stems from my curiosity. I am creative while also maintaining a business perspective, understanding the dynamics and priorities of a company. Growing up in an entrepreneurial environment in Tilburg and honing my business skills in Amsterdam allows me to draw on 'the best of both worlds.' This also applies to my experiences in both corporate and entrepreneurial settings. My outlet is sculpting, and I have a passion for hotels, developed during my time at hotel management school. I’m not easily categorized."
SOME OF OUR CASES
More background information about a case? Due to the confidential nature of our cases, we unfortunately cannot show everything. Please contact us so we can provide further explanation.
Swishfund is a pioneer in non-bank business financing, founded in 2016 by, among others, Pieter Schoen, known from Dragon’s Den. Over the years, the business financing market has become highly competitive, with little differentiation between providers - and customers show no brand loyalty: as long as they secure their financing and they can move on with their business. It was time to explore how Swishfund could stand out with their positioning, brand strategy and branding.​ In various workshops, with representatives from every Swishfund department, we identified what sets Swishfund apart: their mentality and service. After defining the brand archetypes, BrandCrafters developed a distinctive brand identity, tone of voice, and visual language and handed the baton to Swishfund’s online marketing agency and website developer.
Yazen is a Swedish scale-up: a digital healthcare provider that offers a combination of medicine, lifestyle coaching and 24/7 digital tools for the best results in the treatment of obesity. More than 22,000 people have lost more than 200,000 kilos with the Yazen method. Now it is time for the Netherlands to get acquainted with this game changer. BrandCrafters has put together a team of specialists, devised the Dutch PR strategy and is executing it: credibility first, then publicity. So that healthcare professionals and stakeholders first get to know the Yazen method and then the general public
CNB International is a startup in Cyprus, founded by Joore Accountants and WG Accountants from Belgium. The office exclusively supports the audit departments of Joore and WG in their work and therefore does not work for its own clients. Due to the presence of a number of good universities, Cyprus has a lot of highly educated, internationally oriented talent, who like to work for a renowned company. The question for BrandCrafters was therefore: how can you show from the website of a startup that there are renowned parties behind it? And that the website is purely intended to recruit talent, not a business? BrandCrafters devised a brand strategy and branding for CNB International and created a website, including copy, that is clearly related to that of Joore Accountants.
Blicon is a renowned security company that has been in the hands of the next generation of the family that founded it for a number of years. There is a lot of competition in the security sector and it is difficult to distinguish yourself. Blicon has also shifted its focus to the business market, especially complex projects. In other words: time for a repositioning and rebranding. As befits a good family business: an evolution, not a revolution. BrandCrafters developed a positioning based on the DNA and strength of Blicon, a distinctive rebranding for the security sector and the marketing strategy. BrandCrafters also coordinates the implementation of the resources, including the new website. Finally, BrandCrafters facilitated the search for an online marketing agency.
Lips Van Dijken is a law firm specializing in labor and corporate law, based in Amsterdam. The firm’s partners have been working together since 2012, offering a unique proposition with their approach. After defining a growth ambition, it was time for a refreshed positioning and a marketing plan. The brand identity was recently updated, so we left that as is. Through several sessions with the firm’s partners, we established a clear positioning and proposition: synergy and prevention. Their exceptional way of collaborating - both internally and with clients - ensures that 1 + 1 truly equals 3. And a law firm actively focusing on prevention is unique. After defining the core values, other distinguishing factors and the desired tone of voice, BrandCrafters refined the website copy. This included conducting an SEO analysis to make the content SEO-proof. Next, we are working on the marketing plan.
For the launch of the new brand Securance, an international one-stop-shop solution for risk management and cybersecurity, BrandCrafters guided the involved stakeholders in identifying and advising on the right positioning. Securance was initiated by an accountancy firm in collaboration with an investor and follows an active buy-and-build strategy. For this reason, we examined the coherence between the various brands under the Securance umbrella, as each brand brings its own expertise and DNA. BrandCrafters developed the positioning, brand strategy, and brand identity for Securance.
LET'S MEET
Before starting a project, we like to get to know each other. This is completely non-binding: it gives us a chance to connect and discuss how we can assist you. In the next step, we’ll create a phased plan to unlock your brand's potential.
CARLINE SCHAAD
+31 (0)6 557 915 26
RAYMOND JOORE
+31 (0)6 506 700 76