Stories

A space for exploring the ideas behind good marketing and communications — and the realities that sometimes challenge them. Some stories come from research. Others from more than two decades of working across brands, agencies, industries and markets. And some come from personal experience navigating change, career and life between Indonesia and the Netherlands. All are driven by the same curiosity: what can we understand better — and what could we do differently?

500 SMEs, 17,000+ Islands — A Small Window into Indonesia

500 SMEs, 17,000+ Islands — A Small Window into Indonesia

What one afternoon at Karya Kreatif Indonesia revealed about the extraordinary range of products, craftsmanship and possibilities within Indonesia's SME economy.

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Can Sustainable Heritage Textiles Compete with Fast Fashion?

Can Sustainable Heritage Textiles Compete with Fast Fashion?

The opportunity may not be competing on price or volume, but on craftsmanship, provenance, sustainability and finding the right international market.

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Beyond Bali: What Indonesia Can Supply to European SMEs

Beyond Bali: What Indonesia Can Supply to European SMEs

Indonesia's export story is much bigger than its best-known destinations and commodities. For European SMEs, the more interesting opportunities may sit in specialised, design-led and small-batch supply.

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What Dutch SMEs Should Know Before Sourcing from Indonesia

What Dutch SMEs Should Know Before Sourcing from Indonesia

Indonesia can offer distinctive products, craftsmanship and manufacturing capability, but successful sourcing starts with realistic expectations about suppliers, quality, communication and scale.

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Small Orders, Big Opportunity: Why Indonesian SMEs Could Be Interesting Partners for European SMEs

Small Orders, Big Opportunity: Why Indonesian SMEs Could Be Interesting Partners for European SMEs

For smaller European buyers, flexibility and collaboration can matter as much as volume. That is where the right Indonesian SME can become a particularly interesting partner.

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Starting Again: Building a New Chapter Between Indonesia and the Netherlands

Starting Again: Building a New Chapter Between Indonesia and the Netherlands

Moving countries can mean learning how to explain your professional identity all over again — while discovering which parts of experience truly travel.

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What 20+ Years in Communications Taught Me About Change

What 20+ Years in Communications Taught Me About Change

Platforms, technologies and industries change. The deeper lesson is learning how to stay useful, curious and adaptable through all of it.

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When Experience Travels, But Your Career Has to Start Again

When Experience Travels, But Your Career Has to Start Again

A career can pause, bend and restart without erasing what came before. Sometimes the challenge is learning how to tell the story differently.

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When a Crisis Moves Faster Than Your Approval Process

When a Crisis Moves Faster Than Your Approval Process

Readiness, clear roles and decision-making are what turn speed into credibility.

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To Respond or Not to Respond?

To Respond or Not to Respond?

Not every critic needs a public answer. Knowing when to engage is part of crisis strategy.

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Transparency During a Crisis

Transparency During a Crisis

Honesty, clarity and consistency matter more than simply saying more.

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Why Indonesia, Why Now?

Why Indonesia, Why Now?

Looking beyond the size of the market to understand genuine gaps and meaningful opportunities.

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Pekalongan and the Global Potential of Indonesian UMKM

Pekalongan and the Global Potential of Indonesian UMKM

Heritage, creativity and craftsmanship abound in Indonesia.

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Beyond Sugar: Rethinking Health for the Future

Beyond Sugar: Rethinking Health for the Future

Sugar consumption in Indonesia continues to rise. What are the long-term health risks?

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The Netherlands Knows Water. Indonesia Knows Indonesia.

The Netherlands Knows Water. Indonesia Knows Indonesia.

Powerful collaboration happens when Dutch expertise meets local knowledge.

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Rethinking Waste: From Crisis to Circular Solutions

Rethinking Waste: From Crisis to Circular Solutions

Indonesia’s waste challenge is more than an environmental issue — it’s a systems opportunity.

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