How do you make the Dutch brand ‘de Bijenkorf’ come alive in Belgium? The Valley rose to the challenge in cooperation with de Bijenkorf. The agency tackled the project using their Total Brand-approach and delivered the strategy, creative concepting and production support for the campaign ‘Van de Bijenkorf’.

At de Bijenkorf, everyone gets to feel special. The brand offers a wide and stylish assortment from fashion to home living with products that, because of their special nature, don’t just affect the individual, but also their environment. It is the brand’s total experience that makes de Bijenkorf unique. In the Netherlands, de Bijenkorf has existed for almost 150 years. In Belgium, its history isn’t as rich yet and no physical store locations exist. Therefore, it is all the more challenging to make the magical experience of de Bijenkorf truly come alive.

In the new campaign, the Bijenkorf delivery box plays an important and highly visible role. This physical element of the online department store is a symbol for the magic of de Bijenkorf.

The Valley developed four commercials using a cinematic approach. Each commercial depicts a special moment that is transformed into a magical experience when de Bijenkorf (in the shape of the delivery box) enters the home. Emphasis is put on the feeling that de Bijenkorf evokes. That way, the films (produced by Bonkers) stay true to what de Bijenkorf represents: beauty coupled with stylish quality and a magical touch.

Cédric Beeris (Country Manager Belgium at de Bijenkorf): “With this campaign, we mark the start of the next phase of our brand experience in Belgium: from a web shop with beautiful brands to bringer of magical moments and small happiness.”

“We have a driving desire to share the aesthetic of de Bijenkorf experience with Belgium. With that motivation we completely embraced the cinematic approach, indulging in light and colour to create bite-sized tributes to style and design. The new brand theme accentuates the sense of fashion while remaining light and whimsical”, says Sheldon Bont, Creative Director at The Valley.

So, in the films, the focus isn’t on the products, but on how they enrich the style and beauty of life around them. This is reinforced by the attention to detail in each shot and the subtle dialogue, which has been kept short on purpose: each character speaks only one sentence. The result is a unique and recognizable style of communication.

In line with their Total Brand philosophy, The Valley also developed a one-of-a-kind musical brand theme and sound logo in cooperation with Pedro Botsaris of Antfood. Recognition reinforces a brand’s mental presence. All elements of a brand must come together to form a harmonical unity. The combination of visual and sounds hereby strengthens the perception of de Bijenkorf in Belgium so that the recognizability of the brand increases.

De Bijenkorf is active in Belgium since 2015 with their web store, to much success. From september 16th on, three commercials from the campaign ‘Van de Bijenkorf’ are live on Belgian television channels. At the end of this year, the fourth (Christmas) commercial will make its debut.

De Bijenkorf
Laura Heeren, Inge Konings, Cedric Beeris, Magali Herssens, Marjolijn Meynen.

The Valley
Creatie: Sheldon Bont (CD), Joost van Praag Sigaar, Michelle Queckel, Demian Geurts, Robbie Cap
Strategie: Gijs ten Buuren
Account: Francis Verdouw, Inge Arntz
Producer: Eric Smit

Bonkers
Regisseur: Bram Schouw
DOP: Daan Bukman
Executive Producer: Saskia Kok
Producer: Jan Jinek

Kapsalon
Editor: Brian Ent

Crabsalad
Color & grade: Laurens Orij

Warnier Posta
Sound: Jos van Galen

AntFood
Sonic Branding: Pedro Botsaris
Executive: Steve Johnsen