Ynzo van Zanten, a keynote speaker at the marcus evans EuroPack Summit 2020, discusses how businesses can contribute to society in the current Covid-19 pandemic.

1. Interview with: Ynzo van Zanten,
C h o c o E v a n g e l i s t , T o n y ’ s
Chocolonely
“During the Covid-19 pandemic,
businesses need to focus on being a
part of the society around them, and
contributing in whatever way they can.
At the moment, the most purposeful
brands are not communicating or
promoting their products, but contribut-
ing to society,” says Ynzo van Zanten,
Choco Evangelist, Tony’s Chocolonely.
Van Zanten is a keynote speaker at the
marcus evans EuroPack Summit
2020, taking place in Switzerland,
10 – 11 September.
What are the potential positive
upsides of this current crisis?
The upside of this pandemic is the social
cohesion taking place between family
members staying home, and also the
smaller and larger communities around
them. Many people are helping other
people out. This is just from the social
perspective. Perhaps this will reset our
social systems and how we care about
our society.
From a business perspective, we are
seeing many entrepreneurs closing their
shops or restaurants, and at the same
time, entrepreneurs who are jumping at
the opportunity to really pivot and start
working towards other business models
that are possible within their value
chain. This is a very positive upside.
And finally, many people are managing
to work without a single cm of travel-
ling. I think we will get used to different
ways of connecting with people and
conducting business meetings.
In the current landscape, how
should brands engage with consum-
ers or promote sustainable behav-
iour?
At this moment, brands should not do
anything besides help society and their
consumers. They do not need to brag
about their good deeds, just do them!
This is an opportunity for businesses to
get back in touch with society. Brands
that tend to be perceived as less
purposeful may now realise, because of
their own reset moment, that there is
much more to life than satisfying
shareholders or creating money for the
sake of it.
It is much more about creating meaning
as a brand. Nevertheless, some busi-
nesses are finding ways to make money
while doing good. It does not have to be
philanthropy, which is also nice.
As a company, we stopped all marketing
activities. There are much more impor-
tant things for us to focus on than brand
awareness. I believe that in the end, if
you prove you are authentic through
your actions towards your team,
society, suppliers and customers, after
the crisis people will recognise what you
are as a brand.
What trends should businesses
prepare for?
We are in a transition period from one
era to another. We are moving from
20th century capitalism towards 21st
century capitalism, and there is a
bumpy road in between. I believe we
are going towards a much more pur-
poseful, inclusive and social economy
that is more human to human, than
business to business or consumer. An
economy where we care much more
about each other. Unfortunately we will
experience some bumps until busi-
nesses turn around. Consumers are
having difficulty understanding what is
authentic and what is not.
Purposeful brands will be able to
maintain their business, but old school
brands will automatically diminish or
die.
This is an
opportunity
for
businesses
to get back
in touch
with society
What Brands and Businesses
Should Focus on in a Pandemic

2. The Marketing Network –
marcus evans Summits group
delivers peer-to-peer information
on strategic matters, professional
t r e n d s a n d b r e a k t h r o u g h
innovations.
Please note that the Summit is a
closed business event and the
number of participants strictly
limited.
About the EuroPack Summit 2020
The EuroPack Summit is a premium forum bringing elite buyers and sellers
together. The Summit offers FMCG packaging executives and suppliers and solution
providers an intimate environment for a focused discussion on how to win the battle
for market and mind share through packaging. Taking place at Fairmont Le
Montreux Palace, Montreux, Switzerland, 10 – 11 September, the Summit includes
presentations on pushing the boundaries of packaging, developing more sustainable
materials, processes and products, creating eCommerce-ready packs, and
disrupting ingrained packaging norms and practices.
www.europacksummit.com
About marcus evans Summits
marcus evans Summits are high level business forums for the world’s leading decision-makers to meet, learn and discuss
strategies and solutions. Held at exclusive locations around the world, these events provide attendees with a unique opportunity to
individually tailor their schedules of keynote presentations, case studies, roundtables and one-to-one business meetings.
For more information, please visit: www.marcusevans.com
Upcoming Events
AmericaPack Summit - http://americapacksummit.marcusevans-summits.com
To view the web version of this interview, please click here:
http://events.marcusevans-events.com/europack2020-ynzo-van-zanten
Contact
Sarin Kouyoumdjian-Gurunlian, Press Manager, marcus evans, Summits Division
Tel: + 357 22 849 313
Email: press@marcusevanscy.com
All rights reserved. The above content may be republished or reproduced. Kindly
inform us by sending an email to press@marcusevanscy.com