By Editor Design.nl / 12-02-2008

Eden Design & Communication announced last month that it would be merging with SpiekermannPartners in Berlin. The agency also said it plans to work with Kleimann Communication in Washington. "Its all part of an international strategy", Willem Woudenberg, board chairman at Eden tells Design.nl

Dutch companies are increasingly looking for business opportunities overseas, says Woudenberg. "Clients are increasingly demanding international quality. International agencies are increasingly active on the Dutch market. Agencies based elsewhere will certainly be taking part in the next tender for government. The design market is internationalising. Eden works for large clients, so strengthening our position overseas is important for the agency's future. We aim to generate half of our turnover from clients outside of the Netherlands within five years. In 2007 we were generating 25 % of our turnover from overseas assignments, so we're already well on our way".

"Dutch Design is not enough"
Woudenberg says that the SpiekermannPartners merger is a springboard to further international growth for Eden. "Germany is an important market that fits well with our agency signature (branding, Internet and information design). The merger should lead to the formation of a large design agency with North-West Europe as its home market and a strong international position. It will be an agency with a recognisable profile inspired by the functionalist tradition of North-European design. Dutch design works at a high level, but it is a real question whether we can interest German or American companies with Dutch design alone"

SpiekermannPartners and Eden have similar professional cultures and both have international ambitions, Woudenberg added. Like Eden, SpiekermanPartners works for international clients, and is also represented in the US and the UK.

"Networks don't work"
A merger is a big step, but it can be a good way for creative companies to anchor change and develop a common culture, he adds. "At Eden we have a lot of experience in that area. We've been through two mergers and we have built up experience with international networks. Our conclusion is that networks don't lead to sustainable connections between creative companies. They don't get off the ground. They're too informal and they don't fit with the need clients have for commitment from creative professionals".

Woudenberg insists that he does not see Eden operating all around the world from its bases in Amsterdam and Berlin. "To work on the American or Asian markets, we plan to develop cooperative ventures with local agencies. Our work with Kleiman Communication is an example. Kleimann is active in the public sector in the US, working with the American Federal Government among others, with the emphasis on information design." Eden's international strategy is still in its infancy but the company plans to develop it further during the next couple of years. "We don't have the patent on wisdom, but we've learned the lessons we needed to learn, and I want to develop them further with other design agencies".

Woudenberg's tips for internationalisation:

- Ensure that your positioning and strategy are sharp; choose a form that suits your style.
- Think in the long term.
- Ensure that you have enough senior talent in your agency.
- Ensure that your project/process/account management is up to speed.
- Don't forget your home market or the clients you have worked for over the last five years.

Images:
Exterior Eden
Willem Woudenberg
Interior SpiekermannPartners
Interior Eden

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