09 Nov Spadel, Lucien and José Fernandez (D’Ieteren) winners Belgian Marketing Awards
Spadel, Lucien and José Fernandez (D’Ieteren) are the winners in the three categories of The Belgian Marketing Awards. The laureates of the fourth edition were announced during a festive evening on Nov. 8 at Deloitte.
Spadel, producer of natural mineral waters, became the fourth company ever to be awarded Belgian Marketing Company of the Year. It thus follows in the footsteps of brewery Alken-Maes, plant-based dairy producer Alpro and supermarket chain Delhaize. It left Edgard & Cooper and LolaLiza behind. They went home with a Silver Award and a Bronze Award, respectively.
“By emphasizing its added value through marketing, Spadel succeeds in capturing consumers’ hearts in a commodity market. Moreover, it finds the right balance between history and innovation, between its authentic story and innovations in terms of branding and products,” according to the BMA jury, composed of marketing professionals, both from the academic and corporate world.
In the Belgian Young Marketing Company of the Year category, victory went to Lucien, a young but already leading company in the world of bicycle stores (and part of D’Ieteren). FlexiQ (games manufacturer) was good for a Silver Award, Goodless (producer of sustainable packaging) for a Bronze Award.
The judges were impressed by the maturity of the young firm’s marketing approach: “Across the entire marketing line, Lucien stands for quality. It masters all dimensions of the business to perfection. This is also proven by the Lucien Assistance campaign. It not only highlights its excellent service, but also proved to be a perfect vehicle for setting up a customer database for personalized communication.”
Finally, José Fernandez, CMO at D’Ieteren, pulled ahead of Cédric Cauderlier (MTV Networks) and Wim Vermeulen (Bubka) in the Belgian Marketing Leader(ship) of the Year category. They both received a Silver Award. “Fernandez presented us with a clear and, above all, very powerful dossier,” clarified Michel Mersch, jury president and CEO of Nestlé Belgium and Luxembourg. “It speaks for him that he knows how to make a big impact in a very challenging sector. In doing so, D’Ieteren made the bold move from distributor of cars to supplier of mobility solutions. Moreover, he is more than a leading figure in his field: also as a lecturer and in other forums, he puts his knowledge at the service of the collective.”
Deloitte Award
A Deloitte Award was also presented this year, for Excellence in Data & MarTech. Cédric Cauderlier was honored to receive it. The jury explains why: “Cédric Cauderlier has always been at the forefront of discovering new technologies in digital marketing that can increase the effectiveness and efficiency of marketing investments. Moreover, he is an evangelist at home and abroad about the positive impact marketers can achieve by making smart choices regarding the use of data and technology.”
Een collectief werk, van zowel jury als kandidaten
“Ik was niet alleen onder de indruk van het niveau van de ervaring en het professionalisme van de juryleden, maar ook van de vlotheid van de debatten. Er werd veel geluisterd en gediscussieerd, altijd in een geest van wederzijds respect”, besluit Michel Mersch. “De keuze van de winnaars was moeilijk, gezien de uitstekende kwaliteit van de ingediende projecten, waardoor we voorrang moesten geven aan de verschillende marketingvaardigheden en de maturiteit van de voorstellen. Bij het uitreiken van deze prijzen willen we ook het teamwork benadrukken dat heeft bijgedragen aan deze successen.”
Mede mogelijk gemaakt door Deloitte, Kanaal Z, Adobe en Rosalie.
More information can be found on the website www.belgianmarketingawards.be.