Zwitserleven
Brand Strategist
Making an iconic brand matter again.
The challenge
A generation grew up with Zwitserleven. But the picture they grew up with had aged: blue seas and rest, enjoyed on your own. My challenge was to change how people see the brand, and set it up for the commercial growth a changing pension market brings.
The insight
Retirement isn’t financially scary. It’s emotionally scary.
What I did
💘 Wrote the agency briefs for Pensioenambities: a campaign that starts with what you want to do with your time, not with your numbers.
💘 Translated Een gevoel dat we delen and Pensioenambities to an online experience. At a rapid pace: hundreds of visuals, tens of thousands of words, playlists, emails and landing pages. Plus a book full of dreams and tips from people already enjoying their retirement, and a digital coach that helps you take your own next step.
💘 Kept the brand’s heart beating in Bijna met pensioen, an online platform for people nearing retirement. We spoke to 541 customers, tested prototypes and turned wireframes into reality. I made sure everything felt like Zwitserleven.
💘 Took the story on stage: an Emerce Talk with PINK, a workshop at the annual Zwitserleven PensioenEvent for B2B customers, presenting an online webinar, and a session with our director for all of Athora Netherlands.
The challenge
A generation grew up with Zwitserleven. But the picture they grew up with had aged: blue seas and rest, enjoyed on your own. My challenge was to change how people see the brand, and set it up for the commercial growth a changing pension market brings.
The insight
Retirement isn’t financially scary. It’s emotionally scary.
What I did
💘 Wrote the agency briefs for Pensioenambities: a campaign that starts with what you want to do with your time, not with your numbers.
💘 Translated Een gevoel dat we delen and Pensioenambities to an online experience. At a rapid pace: hundreds of visuals, tens of thousands of words, playlists, emails and landing pages. Plus a book full of dreams and tips from people already enjoying their retirement, and a digital coach that helps you take your own next step.
💘 Kept the brand’s heart beating in Bijna met pensioen, an online platform for people nearing retirement. We spoke to 541 customers, tested prototypes and turned wireframes into reality. I made sure everything felt like Zwitserleven.
💘 Took the story on stage: an Emerce Talk with PINK, a workshop at the annual Zwitserleven PensioenEvent for B2B customers, presenting an online webinar, and a session with our director for all of Athora Netherlands.
BIYU
Brand + Marketing Manager
Shaping and implementing the brand identity and marketing strategy.
The challenge
BIYU wanted to make renting the new buying. I joined as the first marketeer, when that ambition still lived in the founders’ living room. We talked a lot about our products and too little about ourselves. Followers grew, while reach and engagement dropped. And we were up against Praxis, Gamma and Boels. 500 customers when I joined.
The insight
People don’t rent to save the planet. They rent to get the job done, and to feel like they won.
The challenge
BIYU wanted to make renting the new buying. I joined as the first marketeer, when that ambition still lived in the founders’ living room. We talked a lot about our products and too little about ourselves. Followers grew, while reach and engagement dropped. And we were up against Praxis, Gamma and Boels. 500 customers when I joined.
The insight
People don’t rent to save the planet. They rent to get the job done, and to feel like they won.
What I did
💘 Defined the brand identity with the founders + briefed agencies.
💘 Wrote BIYU’s first marketing plan on my own: stop selling products, start telling our story. With partnerships, new hubs and guerrilla activations.
💘 Made one of the Netherlands’ first fully AI-generated OOH campaigns (2023). I owned the creative strategy and steered a creative team.
💘 Grew the brand from a belief into 10.000+ customers, two physical locations and a lot of partnerships.
💘 Came up with a rolling party for ADE: our cargo bike through Amsterdam with JBL speakers and disco lights, and everything on board was for rent. Partying first, renting made easy.
💘 Started influencer campaigns on a tiny budget. BIYU is built for people who want to do more, so we backed people just getting started, like a DJ who could try new gear without buying it. More real stories, more word of mouth.
💘 Represented BIYU in the Club van Circulaire Ondernemers, alongside brands like Swapfiets, Fairphone and MUD Jeans. We met every quarter and organised a pop-up Circular Expo on the Zuidas together. And BIYU made it into Het Parool.
💘 Hired across disciplines and left behind a marketing team of five.
The Next Closet
Brand Manager + Experiment lead
Making second hand the first choice
The challenge
In 2021, The Next Closet had just raised €3 million to grow. 250,000 pieces had already found a new owner. But second-hand fashion is a crowded game with thin margins. Vestiaire and Vinted are the big players, and fast fashion is always one click away. We wanted to be there for everyone who loves quality and design but has less to spend. Access over exclusivity. My challenge was to lower the threshold as far as I could. So I experimented a lot, always with the same question: how do we make second-hand the first choice?
The insight
People don’t skip second-hand because they don’t want it. They skip it because it’s a hassle. Blurry photos, unclear descriptions, and no idea who’s on the other side. On a C2C platform, the brand has to be the one thing you can trust.
What I did
💘 Every six weeks a new experiment, to grow brand awareness and make second-hand easier
💘 Came up with Biking to the Future in our first experiment sprint: slow fashion, fast service. We scoped it down to what mattered most: your order delivered by bike within one hour, anywhere in Amsterdam. Launched for the Christmas season with its own campaign on OOH and social. Fully booked, again and again.
💘 Took an online platform offline, with pop-up stores in Batavia Stad (Lelystad) and Amsterdam.
💘 Owned Green Friday. While everyone else shouted Black Friday deals, we asked our buyers to sell one when they bought one, because what you’re looking for is probably already in someone else’s closet. Every buyer got our Close the Loop e-book, and Trees for All planted 111 extra trees.
💘 Wrote every campaign brief, and designed a lot of it myself, from social posts to tote bags. From influencer collabs to a sportswear drop with Dolly Sports, plus the input for our performance campaigns.
The challenge
In 2021, The Next Closet had just raised €3 million to grow. 250,000 pieces had already found a new owner. But second-hand fashion is a crowded game with thin margins. Vestiaire and Vinted are the big players, and fast fashion is always one click away. We wanted to be there for everyone who loves quality and design but has less to spend. Access over exclusivity. My challenge was to lower the threshold as far as I could. So I experimented a lot, always with the same question: how do we make second-hand the first choice?
The insight
People don’t skip second-hand because they don’t want it. They skip it because it’s a hassle. Blurry photos, unclear descriptions, and no idea who’s on the other side. On a C2C platform, the brand has to be the one thing you can trust.
What I did
💘 Every six weeks a new experiment, to grow brand awareness and make second-hand easier
💘 Came up with Biking to the Future in our first experiment sprint: slow fashion, fast service. We scoped it down to what mattered most: your order delivered by bike within one hour, anywhere in Amsterdam. Launched for the Christmas season with its own campaign on OOH and social. Fully booked, again and again.
💘 Took an online platform offline, with pop-up stores in Batavia Stad (Lelystad) and Amsterdam.
💘 Owned Green Friday. While everyone else shouted Black Friday deals, we asked our buyers to sell one when they bought one, because what you’re looking for is probably already in someone else’s closet. Every buyer got our Close the Loop e-book, and Trees for All planted 111 extra trees.
💘 Wrote every campaign brief, and designed a lot of it myself, from social posts to tote bags. From influencer collabs to a sportswear drop with Dolly Sports, plus the input for our performance campaigns.
About
The Brand Cupid
I work with brands that are just getting started, brands in transition, or brands that know something has to change but aren't quite sure what yet. That's where I feel at home. In the messy phase. Asking the right questions, finding the insight and turning strategy into stories, concepts and experiences people actually connect with.
Sometimes that becomes a brand strategy. Sometimes it's a creative brief, a campaign concept or customer experience requirements.
Building brands worth falling for.
Background
When studying branding in the direction of brand strategy at AMFI, I fell in love with sharpening brands to make them better connect with people and the world.
After my study I worked in several start-ups where I learned to translate customers needs for brand activations. I like to work in sprints and I am a thinker and doer at the same time. This is causing that I love to work project based in the first phase of a brand, rebrandings or on campaigns.
Want to build your brand but don’t know how to? I’m on my way! You can book me as a translator of cutting-edge ideas and let me turn them into real-world success stories. Lets goo!
In other people’s words
“Jonne is one of those rare talents you only meet once in a while. She effortlessly bridges strategic thinking and creative hands-on execution, is a star at planning and concepting but also knows how to create a kick-ass visual from scratch. She is a rock to build on who will always bring great ideas to the table while supporting others realizing theirs. It was a pleasure working with Jonne and highly recommend her to anyone looking to strengthen their brand and their team!”
- Suzanne Kats