We travel the world to meet interesting people and brands. We write their story with a wow-factor and stickiness to facilitate word-of-mouth. Then the stories are seeded to opinion leaders to find their way via connectors to travel the planet.

1. Rio de Janeiro
Latem non alitempesunt
Xerum reperistibus eum ditaque volor moluptatin core et ullore, odi
asse volore perecab oressit. Vel et ea porrunt utate maxim volorrum siti
blam harum quis ne volore, odiae nulla con et del mi, aliqui temporia estio.
Ita sus, sit et facesci endanda volores nullacius reptae ni id quo beatur
sinto quia quis aut recab ipitature prat.
Sundiat iberiam quas illatibus quia nem earibus, senitatia simos volorem-
porro quo ent abo. Beaquamus eum non re optate dolupta ssimilicae sint
faceatest occus es aut aut aut latiorempero officab orest, to odion ped
magnam quid maiorro essint quossum, ommo mod elibusant arum, as ius
sum inctur, omnimus rem voluptae eictorrum sedita dunt hicte sit est, si-
molup taquaep tatibusa aute moluptin nonseque consectem eicabo. Itae
sed exped ut ad modit, naturit asimole stiore soluptatiis magnihi taquatur?
Os ulluptaquis alignam quo tem aliquunt laccusa ndissequam faccusamet
as quis molorenet voleseque sitaestibus susaerum exerio. Uribus quas
derovidel ium verovidipid ut utem esed expelen ducilli quiae. Namet, con-
sequi simaion emporem incitat.
Tet, quos sedit velluptatio inulla sendaectem. Ationsequi del illaut quam
dollupt iossit quuntiore, ut et etusam, que opta ea volor aut volupta tu-
mendae pro inum vollis ium nobit la net qui dem adictiore prae nonsenti
torporro maximi, nulla dolo ipsanianda doluptatum et erio. Con estis ip-
sumqui volupiti isimped que nihil eiciam rendae con eniant qui dit, volorro
doloratquo moluptam nimus assequi vel is rectureped ma suntotatur, sim-
pore pererum facepero quist, tes rem nus ventur alit et quat.
Ra dolupta tiuria pa cum unt.
Te pliatas pissinv enduciatiat.
Epera vendipit adit pro dolut et oa consed maximagnisti commolorem abo-
rate cepellut ut hiliquist es porum quia quas volorum im est aute il id quia
nis et, officium suntendam quatur, voloriam, si consediciae evenda comn-
imus et dit fugitat emquae quam re reriaeperum exera corem. Lestiatias
quis et odior aborpor epereru ptatem sitia que volore eriassus rem quas
velis eatest magnam fugit omnis ni rernam, odit, velendundit eos earunt
eum qui sitatestia volorpo remporescia cum ent aut eturiam, con reiur, qui
nessi te ped maiorere culparciis re nonecabor simaxim inimilic tem a et
harumquae nis maio modignim ullorerorest qui to blaut que ea volupta
tendige nient, sectore officae. Nam fugia doluptati ulparcillant offic tecto
que nus, ium laboribusa nobis eos perum que aut et qui blandantius et,
nam in con nos volor a ad magnis denihilit, serciento blatur aceatusaepra
nos vite re rerferi onsequo blatus eniminc tasitae cus a dolenis reris aut
laudam recatia volessimus.

2. Brazilian Soul
We walk through rua Vinicius de Moraes in the direction of
Ipanema beach. On the corner we pass a small café where the same
Vinicius wrote the famous song “the girl from Ipanema”, performed
by Astrud Gilberto, Frank Sinatra and many others. When we arrive
at the beach I take off my shoes and walk through the hot sand in
the direction of the Ocean. When we reach the water we turn left in
the direction of Arpoador where the beach ends and where a huge
rock inflates the waves, turning the ocean into a surfers playground.
“I love Rio” Anouks says while avoiding a wave. “Where else does
one have business meetings on the beach?” Without answering I
start singing out loud: “When she walks, she’s like a samba, that
swings so cool and sways so gentle.”
meeting We arrive at Arpoador beach where we have a meeting with Oskar
Metsavaht, a man with many talents: fashion-designer, creator, film-
O s ka r M e t s a v a h t maker, artist, entrepreneur... the list is long, the talents are diverse. But
what we want to talk about today, is Oskar’s view on the Brazilian Soul.
on
Sustainability all the way
Ipanema “I want to promote Brazil as the sustainable country of the world” Os-
kar starts. “If you think about it, you could say that every continent or
country has a distinct feature”, he says, waving his arm in the direction
of the ocean. “In the US that would be entertainment, in Europe cul-
ture, in India spirituality and in Asia technology.” He pauses his speech
and takes a sip of his coconut juice. “And Brazil?” he continues. “What
does Brazil have what the other countries lost, many years ago?” The
word Samba pops up in my mind, but probably not being the right
answer, I do not pronounce it. “Nature!” Oskar exclaims. “Nature, rain-
forest, natural resources.” Oskar is now pointing in the opposite direc-
tion of the ocean, probably towards the Amazon Rainforest, 3.000 km
Northwest of the beach where we’re sitting right now.
Instituto e
“We have 2 options”, Oskar says while raising two fingers, “export-
ing raw materials like we’ve been doing for the last 5 centuries or...
creating value by taking care of our natural resources and ensuring
sustainability”. I founded instituto e to promote Brazil worldwide as
the sustainable country.”
He sits back in his chair and looks aside to the beach. A big wave is
rolling in from the ocean. A surfer who was waiting for this wave,
now climbs onto his board, accelerates in a very stylish position,
makes a u-turn, a jump and disappears under water. Oskar turns
back to us, as if he was teleported from the surfboard back to the
table. “My mission is, or better, one of my missions is to make sus-
tainability cool. With e-brigade I promote sustainability in combina-
tion with design and lifestyle, making it cool to buy socially and
environmentally conscious products.”

3. eBrigade
Tempelenit estrum saepel idunt excerum quatemquamus dem fuga. Nequodi do-
lor solorpo restiam que nostium re consequas as dem fuga. To berferum et esti idustiis
mil ellabor eiuntus magnihi cipit, odis erae ra nostionest faccum enim ut quostiatios
iminctiur antur sumet a nusti solendunt ullat di occuste prepuda natumet fugiam sit-
inct aturit utem estist ut qui ditiisq uissunda pa quamus, consendit ulluptatur, int
porum voluptius, seratur, sit, volore magnatem rem aria eum sapicaborum nita quod
mint magnimolum quis aut et quam etur, as pero ipsunt, ommodictur sin ea samus
as si dolupta nihicipitae evenessed magniae entia simusandae omnimus ulles veles
solore quatem quisti berroresequi odipis inis ut lamet es pore, voluptas as everum
rerum audis quodit apersperrum et excepe exeriore rentior sendam rem eium aditae
repelig endiciis aliberibus, omnimus, num nestiuntiis solupta tassiti berorro to consers
pelentempor simo et adignim vit, sunt lam fuga. Itat accustr umquia sandi int eum Oskar Metsavaht-
autem volupturit id ut veni non raeperum quati ium iusdaep edignatus essum et of-
‘Make sustainability cool’
ficiendae voluptatiis eat.
Cus por aturecest, non cum, sunt.
Istituto e
Omnienditat qui core prerrum quos ut est, vel ea nosaere cuptae ea qui di-
tatquid quame ad molest, quid eius, sam. Tasperspid magnit repudae nos estia
nimagnim quiam, qui sunt venisquiam quam es doluptatus.
Te aut etur, volorio conse pel et min ne re rem volorepudae et officitata aut mos apedi-
ostrum alitio. Et quis sint ulla sedi temquia volupic ipsaerro dunt, volupta sequia digni
blam quid que minverrunt, se officiumquae sunt aut ipit pratur rem facipsa ndestrum
simporeperem in remporum, tecta volorep ellabo. Et aborepellam eariatur, tores quam,
et qui blaccum fugitis ex eos sus qui beris ullanis ant, officab int litaque prem que
molorem sequi inum etur, quo dellupici nonsequatem fugiant a conet harum nonsed
moluptatio voluptae paria audis aut voluptat dit que nobis pa nuscia dem hari que et
vellorio. Ut ipid que volectiandes ium et fugitatur? Officiae cone od maior alibus si
dendige nducid estis qui cus aut ullaut laborendus asinus as mi, sitiis quia por am rem
que is sitatum eostis aut eniet utas di voles es ellitatatur, coratur epediosserci dolupiti
blabo. Itat dignis pero core cum, ius iunt ommo corum quae dolorrorit laborem net
aborrore, ut labo. Ttiam qui iliti quis cusam, sitibea dignihic tendi vit qui ad minimin
ullorum ullatqui aute pos ut quiaepuda cori dolupta tiatur a int. Imet, quam, sa do-
lenimolor moluptium qui testo ea iur repeleceati adipsa et molupienihil il idelis eum,
volum volut quunt inis siti sunt volum aut estisciumet labor renem quis.
Lifestyle nations
Lem incim fuga. Et aut est et ad mod et ipsante consequ atiunt quo cullore pellectem
int et et quide ommolorem liquaspera sam sum alitis earchicil ea is alique nulpa num
excestem num ium volum que verum quias qui blacepe rferfer iberio cum quae sequae
nit maxime et litas utemper umquam que vendae. Nam este consectotas alit fugitis
tioriamus comnien ietur, alibust ipsa adis ipiet perum quia conemporia si dolorendi
aute volupta quaeptatis ut assedit porio modioss itatem quae excest vit as conecae in
exceptae ipid ernam etur, cum isinctis maximin veniscia pro beatem audae sa plit vo-
lore perae eatem. Idel molesciur sandis commolut es earit aciae es dolora id ut modita
id eum eum rest ea estius adiae magnis idenihi lleste solupti re, que vel int labo. Sus,
torem comnim ab incia dene explit, uta vendelitate

5. The brand The brand vision
OSKLEN finds itself between the dynamism of the metropolis and the exuber- OSKLEN finds itself between the dynamism of the metropolis and
ance of Brazilian nature, giving life to a style based on the harmonization of the exuberance of Brazilian nature, giving life to a style based on
contrasts. The brand represents the lifestyle of contemporary women and men the harmonization of contrasts. The brand represents the lifestyle
in a world where urban and nature, global and local, organic and technologi- of contemporary women and men in a world where urban and
cal live together. nature, global and local, organic and technological live together.
It is precisely this perception of the integrated nature, culture and society, It is precisely this perception of the integrated nature, culture and
with refined aesthetics, that makes OSKLEN be considered one of the ten society, with refined aesthetics, that makes OSKLEN be consid-
most influential and inspiring brands in the world by WGSN and identified as ered one of the ten most influential and inspiring brands in the
“Future Maker” by the WWF-UK. world by WGSN and identified as “Future Maker” by the WWF-
UK.
OSKLEN has presented its collections at São Paulo Fashion Week and Fashion
’20s
Rio. Fashion, art, culture, design, and the environment are all a part of OSK- OSKLEN has presented its collections at São Paulo Fashion Week
LEN’S inspiration, and make it not only a brand, but a vehicle of communica- and Fashion Rio. Fashion, art, culture, design, and the environ-
segmentation
tion for a lifestyle. Nowadays, OSKLEN has 55 stores in Brazil. 2 in Milan 1 in ment are all a part of OSKLEN’S inspiration, and make it not only
product line
New Luxury
GLOBAL
Rome, 1 in New York, 1 in Miami (opening in February 2010) and 1 in Tokyo. a brand, but a vehicle of communication for a lifestyle. Nowa-
Besides its showrooms in Italy, Greece, Russia, Australia and USA. OSKLEN days, OSKLEN has 55 stores in Brazil. 2 in Milan 1 in Rome, 1 in
also exports to France, UK, Germany, Korea and The Middle East. New York, 1 in Miami (opening in February 2010) and 1 in Tokyo.
Besides its showrooms in Italy, Greece, Russia, Australia and USA.
OSKLEN also exports to France, UK, Germany, Korea and The Mid-
The style dle East.
’10s
Oskar Metsavaht is creator that keeps going between areas such as fashion,
Sustainability
furniture design, social-environmental actions, expeditions and documenta- OSKLEN finds itself between the dynamism of the metropolis and
Fashion Design
ries. His main activity is working as a style and creative director of OSKLEN, the exuberance of Brazilian nature, giving life to a style based on
product line
which reveals an original view of a contemporary, sophisticated and groovy the harmonization of contrasts. The brand represents the lifestyle
N AT I O N A L
design
Brazilian lifestyle. The brand, founded by Oskar, has stores in New York, Rome, of contemporary women and men in a world where urban and
Tokyo, Milan and in the main capitals of Brazil. nature, global and local, organic and technological live together.
The ethos of Oskar Metsavaht and his creative team include the involvement It is precisely this perception of the integrated nature, culture and
with social-environmental issues since the nineties. Oskar is, for instance, the society, with refined aesthetics, that makes OSKLEN be consid-
founder of instituto e, a not-for-profit institution located in Rio de Janeiro, ered one of the ten most influential and inspiring brands in the
’00s
dedicated to the promotion of sustainable human development. Through the world by WGSN and identified as “Future Maker” by the WWF-
institute, the project is developed, in partnership with companies, institutions UK.
product line
and research centers, and it identifies fabrics and materials developed from
Lifestyle
concept
LOCAL
social-environmental criteria. He is often invited to join as a speaker about
new luxury in conferences around the world, such as Milano Fashion Summit The creative director
and the Ethical Fashion Paris. “My creative process begins with a scene, a The ethos of Oskar Metsavaht and his creative team include the
history, a style, a concept that I create from something that I wished or lived. involvement with social-environmental issues since the nineties.
’90s
Oskar is, for instance, the founder of instituto e, a not-for-profit
From this point, I create the environment, the atmosphere, the looks and the institution located in Rio de Janeiro, dedicated to the promotion
attitudes. In most cases, I have the concept of the campaign before the col- of sustainable human development. Through the institute, the
lection. Maybe that’s the reason I love doing the art shooting. I create the project is developed, in partnership with companies, institutions
atmosphere of the story and I make my own films, with which I can share the and research centers, and it identifies fabrics and materials de-
scene I imagined from the beginning of the process. The pieces are drawn to veloped from social-environmental criteria. He is often invited
be the figurine of my film. And it is possible to “watch” in each detail of my to join as a speaker about new luxury in conferences around the
collection. I am only satisfied when proposed elements for each piece, the world, such as Milano Fashion Summit and the Ethical Fashion
colors, the textures and the silhouettes start being used by the characters of Paris. “My creative process begins with a scene, a history, a style,
the film I made” Oskar Metsavaht. a concept that I create from something that I wished or lived.

6. Lenny’s inspiration
We get out of the taxi at the passenger terminal of pier Maurá.
Construction of the new Rio Art Museum has started at the other end of
the pier. With the 2014 Olympic Games coming up, Rio’s whole port area is
being renovated and upgraded.
We enter the former warehouse where the Rio Fashion Show is taking place
and head straight for the reception. “Boa tarde, we have a meeting with
Lenny Niemeyer.” The building is beautifully renovated without hiding its
origins as a warehouse. We make our way through the venue where the
guests, a mix of cool, fashionable, young and old, many journalists are
arriving. Lenny exudes a Zen-like calm, which is surprising as her new
swimwear collection is going on show in less than an hour. “During the
creation of the collection, I’m nervous and even insecure: creating the story
behind the collection, finding the print, the materials and the colours,” she
says, moving her arms as though she were painting the air. “Once the crea-
tive process is over, I relax.”
From where we are standing, we can see the catwalk, while Lenny can at
the same time keep her eye on the goings-on backstage. In the dressing
room the air is filled with an electric excitement as models, hair stylists
and make-up artists crowd around the mirrors. Meanwhile guests are pour-
ing into the space and jostling for seats near the catwalk. As the tension
rises backstage and the anticipation becomes palpable among the audi-
ence, Lenny loses some of her composure. She disappears backstage and
re-emerges two minutes later. “Showtime!”
We know the previous collection – Lenny even offered me a bikini for my
birthday. “My main aim is to help women feel perfect,” she says without
taking her eyes off the models. “When you meet somebody in São Paulo,
you go to a restaurant or theatre play. When you meet somebody in Rio,
Meeting
chances are you will end up at the beach at some point. On the beach,
you can’t hide and so you need the very best tools to present yourself. My
Lenny Niemeyer
beachwear is there to help you.”
at the
“Look at the print on the bikini that the first model is wearing,” she says,
pointing at the catwalk. “I get my inspiration for prints and colours from all
Rio Fashion Show
over the world. For this collection I went to Asia and Africa. This particular
design is drawn from the TingaTinga painting style from Tanzania in which
they use shiny bicycle paint to depict animals in a primitive way.” The result
is a lively bikini print with small fish swimming in random directions. “By
traveling the world for inspiration, I bring the world to Brazil,” she says
before disappearing backstage again.
The models strut their stuff over the catwalk, and in doing so, not only
show off the exquisite swimwear, but also tell the story of Lenny’s quest
for inspiration around the world.

7. S ã o Pa u l o
A city of many
La de molorro ruptasi volupta eceatius. Acea quibus etur, sit,
tem que mo comnit optam reium harum volore dit faces vendis alitiis
ra quist, ommo dolest ditectur aut re, optias vitisciet, cum hit aspi-
ciunt. Ne nobis dolorum fuga. Occum expediam estrum quae simil
incidita corion et officip sanderundus ut offictiorion pliae nihilis nul-
lame ndaeptibus aut quatectur alit pernatum laborem sequis reium
fugiam quam facestinctur a consequi aut quia con consectotat exces
sandanis eos et lignimus volupti utem reperibus aspe nessunt eum
ut verios endae dist lam faccum faccusciae et quam rest volorrovidel
et rentur?
Hiliquam, sim doles sintemq uuntio. Ita culpa con conecaestrum do-
lendit prae. Nam que nonsequis dic tem vellaborero imin consequi
dolum ut pro ditiberfero este voles si ime ande acimenis dolum ip-
sunt adi unt as eicae. Itasperumet im et et ellatquidiam nobit omn-
iminctur ad quas eium sint est quae sunt animentia que vero iditendi
ati con reptatendi temporendit aut esto ium sim dolorpor sintum
sumquisciam incias arit ped mincili citata velitas imagnati bea qui
quis aditates modipsae posant.
Piet officipsus sitibusam faciaessusa doloria voluptur aspeditint fu-
giam veliquid quam, volora veremqu asperiberis dolorrovid ut vento-
riandit que rerum quo mi, quatiosam ipsum vendes a amuscid erunti
dignis es sum nonseque cus alique poritia tiusam simillu ptaspitata
et elis aut et eniet volupta tiorepel moluptatur aut andiciuntis que
sumqui doluptae mod mi, ut qui ullecti quate re sapersp eroriaectus
dolorum qui omni idipienet, eum qui dollupta quod quiducia vo-
lupta venis eum ut veliquia ent et escipsaest, santecusapid maximos
rempore ctionsequi beatum re nossita epelecto dolore voluptatur
si comnimo luptate endunt ea veliquibusto exceaquiam vid quisto
cor suntur? Rovitas pellore ctibus alit aut volupta volestorae volorit
aut eum, cum nihicae volupta tuscit ilibus ea soluptat repta dolup-
tatur accatur? It occus dolorehendae poriame nient, omnis sinum,
simil ipid ut de volectatur sum que num faceper ibusam, que et vent
maximi, secus.
At. Se aciur maxim conseque pore od est, sit aut magnimin rem volut
molo occuptatur, qui ut ducium des velendam nonsed quas pa sit
quia niminis dio. Os sunditi cupici dis ius alignis quam la qui aut am
vel modis dolupta eprempos denis as maximus deris magnihic tem
quia quias magnam volum andanihil et ut quasita quia nescipsande
laut aut et alibus unt

8. A walk in the park
We leave our pousada just after breakfast. We walk to the corner of
the street where we hail a taxi. “To Parque da Luz next to the Pinacoteca” I
say in my best Portuguese. The taxi makes a left turn, then a right and then
a left again, zigzagging through the streets of Jardims Paulista. “I love this
part of town,” Maarten says while looking out of the window. “It doesn’t
feel like we’re in a metropole of 20 million inhabitants.”
After 20 minutes we arrive at the Pinacoteca, the oldest and one of the
most important art museums of Brazil, since 1905 housed in this charac-
teristic building. Here we have a meeting with Aline Santos, global brand
vice-president for Omo. We find her on the terrace of the Pinacoteca café
which looks out over the park. “Instead of meeting in my office, I wanted
to find the right setting to tell my story,” Aline says, pointing at the tall
trees in the park. We look at the trees and back at Aline. “Is Omo into tree-
washing these days?” we ask. “Not trees,” she replies, “but the children
playing behind the trees.”
Dirt is good
“A few years ago, we came up with the Dirt is good concept, which was a
revolution in detergent land, where dirt used to be the enemy. We started
encouraging parents to let their children play outside more. Let your kids dis-
cover the world, let them get dirty and Omo will take care of the dirt. What
started as an advertising campaign has grown into something much bigger.
We discovered that there are many different reasons why children don’t play
outside: lack of safety, strict education, lack of space and many other reasons.”
A walk Aline points at the trees, or rather at the children behind the trees. “I
in the park
remember my own childhood, I played outside with my brothers all the
time, climbing trees, building tree houses, running around, feeling free and
with Aline Santos
getting the opportunity to explore the world around me. This is not only
important for kids, but also for the adults they will become.”
The São Paulo sun is shining in the park, we leave the café, start walking
towards the children and stop in the shade of the trees. I watch the running
children, then turn to Aline: “So Dirt is Good has become a philosophy?”
She pauses for a few seconds. “You can say that it has outgrown Omo as a
product and has become a wake-up call for mothers.”
Every child has the right
“Using Omo as a vehicle, we started spreading the message about the
importance of playing and exploring. The physical and emotional devel-
opment that go with it. Children have the right to play, to be children. Of
course, in the end we are a detergent producer and I have to make sure we
sell enough products, but we make sure that we have a purpose in society.”
We walk back towards the Pinacoteca and I turn to Aline. “Thanks for your
story. It is a most interesting challenge you have, creating a higher purpose
for a detergent,” I say. “It probably isn’t a walk in the park at all.”

9. The Iguassu River meanders through the Mata Atlantica forest be-
fore reaching its apotheosis at the Iguassu Falls. In the 16th century,
when Portuguese explorers reached what is today the Brazilian coast, the
Atlantic rainforest covered the whole coastline from north to south. ‘Civi-
lisation’ replaced forest with cities and agriculture, leaving only 7 percent
of the primary forest. “Who needs trees, if you can have cities and cars?”
I think out loud, while we’re following a track through the wilderness
towards the river. “But then again, what will we breath when there are no
more trees left? Carbon dioxide?”
We follow a foot trail to the river to take in the serene beauty of the wil-
derness. High up in the trees, a group of monkeys is making a huge racket.
The noise approaches slowly and seems to come from different directions.
Then we see them, crossing the track one by one, two levels up. They jump
from tree to tree, stop and stare at us just as we are staring at them. “Is
this the way to the river?” I ask them, pointing in a random direction. They Fight with a toucan
look at me as if I’m speaking Chinese, and then continue their route. “Let’s
assume this is the right direction,” I say and lead the way along the trail. at Iguassu falls
Suddenly I have the feeling that we’re being watched. I look back along
the track, but see nothing. I scan the forest, but see only trees. Hundreds of
animals are probably watching us, but we do not see a single one. But then
I spot a black-and-orange bird high up in the trees. It’s a toucan, observ-
ing each and every move we make. We walk on, but the bird is following
us from the treetops. He moves down a level and starts shouting at us in
toucan language. “What do you think you’re doing in my forest!” I look up
and reply: “Sorry, but I thought this was a public space – we’re just taking
some pictures.” The toucan moves down a branch and shouts: “Well, take
your pictures elsewhere, this is my forest!” I look at the bird, amazed by
its arrogance and reply: “Who do you think you are, Elvis or something?”
The bird comes down to ground level, settling on the railing of a makeshift
bridge over a small stream. He sits there in silence and observes me from
head to toe with an arrogant glint in his eye. “You may talk big, but I’m at
least ten times bigger than you,” I say confidently, “so no funny business,
do you hear?”
I slowly walk up to the bird, but he doesn’t fly away. I take another step
closer, and just as I reach for my camera to take a close-up of this phe-
nomenon,
the toucan hops forward, takes the strap of my camera in his beak and
starts pulling at it. ”I’ll show you strangers, stepping into my world with-
out my permission!” Surprised but not afraid, I hold on to my camera and
press the button, shooting some random pictures as evidence of this as-
sault. “I must say you really have a big mouth for a small bird,” I observe.
Then the bird lets go of my camera strap, flies up to the top of a tree
and shouts down in toucan language: “And you humans have really small
brains, cutting trees and destroying the forest!” He turns his back to us as
concludes his tirade: “Now go forth… and stop reproducing!”

10. We’re in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest where we decide to
take a boat downstream the Amazon river to Belém, which will take
approximately 6 days. The menu on board is simple; rice, beans and meat
every day, twice a day. The view is as consistent as the menu; river, boats
Mr. Seabra I presume
and trees, every day, all day. So we spend our days lying in our hammock,
fishing piranhas, eating beans and watch the trees go by.
Close to Belém we have a meeting with Luiz Seabra, the founder of Natura,
a Brazilian cosmetics company. Natura procures part of the natural ingredi-
ents for their products from the Amazon region. Sustainability, biodiversity
and social responsibility are the key words, while working with local grow-
ers in the Amazon. Luiz is here to see for himself that the biodiversity is not
degraded and traditional local cultures are respected.
Anouk is sitting on the railing reading a dossier about Luiz while I try
catching a piranha. “The man is more than a businessman or entrepre-
neur”, Anouk says while browsing through her papers, “He’s a kind of phi-
losopher as well. One of his favourite quotes is “the one is in the whole, the
whole is in the one”. “Interesting”, I say, “what does it mean?”
“Let’s ask him when we meet”, Anouk says. “I also read that Natura was
one of the first companies to embrace the triple bottom-line accounting,
not only ensuring profit, but also taking care of people and planet. Interest-
ing fact that a cosmetics brand from South America had such a vision in the
early days of sustainability.” She continues reading as time goes by.
We arrive in Belém the seventh day in the early morning. Luiz is in a neigh-
bouring town called Campo Limpo.
It is late in the afternoon when we arrive at the only hotel in Campo Limpo.
“Do you have a guest called Luiz Seabra?” we ask the man behind the re-
ception. “Nao, senhor Luiz is staying at the Hacienda. My name is Rodrigo,
I can bring you there.”
We enter the farmhouse; on the left there is an empty reception desk, on
the right a room with a fireplace, in front of the fireplace a man is sitting
in a chaise longue, reading a book. We feel like Henry Stanley, the reporter
who led an expedition through Africa in 1871 to find Doctor Livingstone,
the explorer who was feared to be lost, captured or dead. We put down our
bags and walk towards the man in front of the fire place “Doctor Living-
stone I presume?” The man looks up from his book. “I mean, Mr. Seabra.
Are you Luiz Seabra? The man smiles “Please, sit down”.
We spend two hours discussing the purpose in life, the privilege of being
who you are and the responsibility as a company. “Enough philosophy”, he
says all of a sudden, “do you want something to eat, you must be hungry”.
During our conversation I forgot all about food, but suddenly I feel our
abstinence of the last days. “Diner would be great”, I say, “sushi, pizza,
anything, but please no rice and beans.”

11. Route 66
B o r n To B e W i l d
Of course we know that California is an obligatory stop on our
quest for cool stories and cool brands. But no one said we had to
fly there. If we’re talking cool, how about the idea of taking a Harley
down Route 66 to drive to California? Scenes from the Easy Rider
movie enter my mind and I start spontaneously singing the Step-
penwolf song “Get your motor running, head out on the highway…”
Drive down the ‘mother’ road from Flagstaff right down to the Santa
Monica pier. On the way we’ll drop off at the Grand Canyon and Las
Vegas, before heading up north to meet with some Silicon Valley
brands, like Google, HP and YouTube.
“Great,” says Anouk. “We have a plan, we have the itinerary, we
know where to rent the bikes. That leaves us with just one question:
what outfit shall I wear on my Harley?”
As we arrive in Flagstaff, we head straight for the Eagle Rider shop
which is on the other side of town, on Route 66. Born and bred Ari-
zona biker Jim is more than willing to help us pick the perfect bike.
He has been a fanatic Harley rider for many years and is suggesting
all kinds of tours. I think he is even willing to come with us, he can
get right on the bike, his jeans and white shirt only need a leather
jacket to complete the outfit. “For the trip you’re about to make, I
recommend you take the Fatboy,” Jim says pointing at an impressive
black bike standing in front of the shop. I mount the bike and push it
to a vertical position to feel the weight. It has been some time since
my last ride, so I have to get used to the weight and the power of the
machine again. “It feels kind of heavy,” I say while balancing on the
bike. I push the start button and the engine emits the unmistakable
Harley sound. I get into first gear and the bike glides away smoothly.
“Take it around the block,” Jim shouts. The bike roars as I accelerate
and am absorbed by the traffic on Route 66. Again visions of Easy
Rider’s Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper pop up in my mind. “Born to
be wi-hild…” I sing out loud as I take my Fatboy around the block.
Back at the Harley shop, Anouk has picked a snow-white Heritage
Softail. With her white outfit on the white bike, she looks like she’s
starring in a commercial for a detergent. “Harley-Davidson makes
your laundry whiter than white.” Twenty minutes later we wave
goodbye to Jim and drive our bikes down Route 66 into setting sun,
final destination Silicon Valley.

12. Eric Schmidt - When the man talks, you listen
Eric Schmidt
Our Harley-Davidsons are running hot as we pull up to the Google-
plex in Mountain View, California. With our helmets under our arms, we
walk into the reception area. “We’re here to meet the big boss,” I say in my
best Arnold Schwarzenegger interpretation.
The Googleplex, Google’s famed California headquarters, looks like a uni-
versity campus. Many low-rise buildings, all connected by bike trails, are
at the heart of the complex. We spot little gardens that grow vegetables
and herbs, taken care of by the cooks to prepare healthy food. Inside, we
see people thrive in a highly personalized environment that allows them Elaboration will be on:
to be themselves within the ever-buzzing hive. Apparently, even shoes are Google Green – CO2 reduction
optional! Within these hallowed walls great concepts like Google Earth, Windmills project
Gmail, Chrome and Android were created.
In one of the coffee corners, we meet the man who powers it all, Google
CEO Eric Schmidt. “Everything you always wanted to know but were afraid
to ask, is now purring readily at your fingertips,” he jokes. “It is all about
context. You really want to go from syntax to semantics, from what you
typed to what you meant,” he elaborates.
Anouk explains that we’re looking for People, Planet, Profit stories. “We
can see you take good care of your people, we know you make profit, but
what about the planet, the third P of the triple-bottom line?” she asks. Eric
smiles, “Ah, you want to talk about Google Green,” he says. “That is quite a
story. I will tell you some things now and we can elaborate later on. A huge
pool of solar panels has been fueling about 30 percent of the Googleplex
since 2007. And the power of the sun is just one of many sustainable initia-
tives within Google Green,” he continues. “We of course use energy but
we compensate accordingly, efficiently and definitively. Our data centers
have been tuned to use 50 percent less energy than most known facilities”.
He pauses for a moment giving me the opportunity to ask a question. “In
the parking lot we saw several biodiesel shuttles. What are they used for?”
“We do not stop caring at our front door,” Eric says while raising a finger.
“Google wind farms in North Dakota, for instance, now generate enough
megawatts to power 55,000 homes.” Eric is back on track and I will not
disturb him with a question about the colored bikes on the campus. “These
farms have garnered enough trust to develop a project to build a trans-
mission backbone off the mid-Atlantic coast to accelerate offshore wind
development. The potential? Collecting 6,000MW of wind, enough to serve
1.9 million households.” Eric pauses and looks at us for a reaction. “Wow,”
I say ……..“So, if we are talking Google Green, this means using less
energy within Google, and generating renewable energy from solar power
and wind for millions of households… And what about the colored bikes
on the campus?”

13. Brand Google’s launch of the spectacularly successful Gmail demonstrates the
Quality – it counts wisdom of the young company’s approach. Instead of emailing millions of
If, in 1999, you asked anyone in Palo Alto what observations they could consumers, running TV commercials and billboard ads, they went in quietly.
make about Google, you would receive the sort of enthused reply I encoun- Google invited a close group of Google fans to sign up to the email service
tered as I left the building on my first visit there. There has always been a and enabled Gmail users to invite their friends to become Gmailers. Google
strong recognition about the product’s quality. In fact, at the time, this out- simply used the ‘by invitation only’ technique. As each Gmail account own-
standing product was probably the best of its kind in the world. Yet, from er invited peers to join Gmail, the network slowly grew. Three years later,
Q u a l i t y, c r e a t i v i t y a n d r i v a l r y
the start, the vox popoli of Palo Alto would also question whether Google there are still no ads in the paper, no radio commercials and no commercial
would ever make any money. Not only was using the product free of charge, promotions of Gmail in evidence anywhere. In fact, you can’t even find a
there were no ads, no banners, no links – the pages showed nothing apart sign-up function on Google’s homepage, a distinct oddity in the traditional
G o o g l e ’s w i n n i n g c o m b i n a t i o n
from your search results. marketing context. Convention would demand visibility on the home page.
But Google has built its brand on that most powerful of promotional tools,
Google couldn’t care less. For Google it was all about optimising their word-of-mouth.
product and making sure it became the world leader. Once the product was
in order, the Google guys knew that revenue would follow in one way or Just like Apple, every Google product is unique, so that when new re-
another. And it did. leases hit the streets, people talk about them. Gmail was the first email
service to offer several free gigabytes of storage ‘so you’ll never need to
Yet, many brands still claim that an average product is good enough as delete another message’, as the welcome page to every account states.
long as the brand behind it is powerful. This notion was not without reason That alone encouraged consumer con versation at a time when you typi-
in the past, but these days whatever veracity it held is fading. Increasingly, cally paid US$10 for every 10 megabytes of storage. Then Google became
consumers are looking beyond the brand’s glitter and becoming critical and the first to offer pictures taken from space. Now you could see your own
astute judges of quality, evaluating brands on the merit of their products, backyard from the air. That unique service also made people talk. The
rather than relying on the brand’s reputation to assure them of product message here is that the uniqueness of the product was enough to do the
quality. Apple’s iPod is a case in point. marketing work.
Three years in development, the Apple iPod reputedly took a committed
Steve Jobs one year to engineer a way of eliminating visible screws to Brand Innovation
achieve the desired aesthetic. Would the lack of visible screws alone have Give space to creativity
won the iPod its reputation? Probably not. But attention to this detail, and Google is quick into turning things around. But how does Google manage rapid
many others, contributed to a peerlessly refined whole. The parallel with introductions so smoothly? The secret lies in the way the company encourages staff
Google is clear. members to divide their time.
In a world of relentless cost-cutting, we tend to labour under the impression that Everyone is asked to dedicate 70% of their time to their core role; 20% of
people want things cheaper, faster and in larger quantities. In fact, the opposite their time to the development of their favourite functionality, or of a new
In 1999, I visited a small office in Palo Alto, California. I is the case. Today, Louis Vuitton sells more luggage to average wage earners than feature they believe will serve the company’s future; and 10% to whatever
guess there were about twenty people present, each one ever before. Nokia’s 7700 sold out despite being the most expensive phone in its project they’re interested in developing – whether it’s linked to Google or
of them absorbed in their computer screens. When the league, its purchasers including the whole socio-economic spectrum from business not. As I write, for example, a team is working on space-related equipment
time came for me to leave the office, I stepped out onto people to kids. The fact is that the great majority of consumers appreciate quality. – stuff hardly linked to Google’s existing product platform. But, you know
the street and was immediately accosted by a fellow pe- More than ever, quality should not be overlooked. It should be promoted and pur- what? This was how Google came up with the library service, Google Earth.
destrian who asked where I had just been. I gestured be- sued as a key to success. Google has arrived at many of its services by enabling creativity to thrive
hind me, indicating the office building I’d recently exited. and allowing its pursuit in the workplace. This bucks the trend experienced
“Ah, you’ve just seen the future,” declared the stranger. Brand Strategy by most companies where, once within the confines of the office, any latent
Put conventional marketing aside creativity that resides within the company community withers and dies. In
I’ve never been a big fan of TV commercials and print advertising. Trust most companies, the space for creativity and initiative has been filled with
me, I’ve done it all hundreds of times over. By now, these techniques have prescriptive timesheets, spreadsheets and research briefs. So development
reached their ‘sell-by’ date. Try and remember just one television commer- stalls.
cial you watched yesterday, I know I can’t recall any. This lack of impression
has been made on you and me as canny marketers.