Netherlands hotspot for digital marketeers

Language

Nederlands

Thanks to its excellent physical and digital infrastructure, the Netherlands is the gateway to Europe for international companies. They also see the country as the perfect test market for new products, which is why the Netherlands is in the top 10 hotspots for marketing specialists.

The Netherlands has proven to be a magnet for foreign-owned marketing and sales operations because it has the perfect climate to compete successfully in Europe. Its corporate tax structure, multilingual workforce, and last but not least the excellent digital infrastructure make it an attractive location for multinationals. According to the Foundation Digital Infrastructure Netherlands, the country is well on its way to becoming the digital gateway of Europe.

At the same time, in the Netherlands companies will find the perfect testbed for new products and marketing strategies. This is one reason why a number of well-known international companies have also established their marketing and sales operations in the Netherlands, such as Abbot, Lux Research, Molex, Oracle, Verizon, VisualSonics, Dawn Food Products, National Premium and Equinix. It is also a big reason why Unilever decided to base their European Marketing & Innovation hub in Rotterdam.

It should come as no surprise that the Netherlands is high on the list of most popular destinations for marketeers with international ambitions. According to a survey by Michael Page one-third (33 percent) of marketeers that are willing to relocate for their work, would choose the Netherlands as their preferred location.

Event marketing becoming more important

Over the course of the last decade, event marketing has been perceived as a pillar of a successful marketing campaign in several notable destinations. According to a recent study, budgets for event marketing in the United Kingdom are greater than general marketing spending. Last year, marketing budgets in the UK were reported to have risen by almost 10%.Due to the fierce competition for potential customers and clients on social media, It has become increasingly difficult for brands to connect to new consumers. “Traditional marketing has become less effective in breaking down people’s defense mechanisms”, explains Kerry Smith, founder of Event Marketing Institute, in business magazine Forbes. “Face-to-face interaction has become the best way to create chemistry, moving people and logistics focused on a one, two, or three-day period.”

The increasing popularity of event marketing has made Spain one of the top global marketing destinations for companies and marketing specialists alike. According to Michael Page’s survey of over 18,000 professionals worldwide, over 40% of marketing professionals who are willing to relocate for work see Spain as an ideal destination to boost their career prospects.

Barcelona ranks highly on all international lists of preferred cities for events: the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) ranks the Catalan capital second place, after Paris and before Madrid.

Outsourcing marketing services

Another development that favours Spain as a popular destination is the outsourcing of business process activities. Many companies find it difficult to justify spending money on permanent marketing employees, whereas outsourcing, or “centralising” services, provides an efficient alternative.

Worldwide many countries are profiting from this new trend. Among other European countries, Ireland – ranking 13th as most attractive destinations amongst marketers – has become one of the most important locations for customer experience centers. Huge global brands such as Google, Facebook, LinkedIn and Microsoft have all their headquarters stationed in Dublin.

Eastern-European countries like Poland, Romania and Bulgaria, and countries in Asia, such as India and the Philippines, have traditionally been attractive locations for companies to outsource their marketing operations. However the Iberian peninsula’s long-standing draw for tourism and the increased buoyancy of the national economy following the 2007-8 global financial crisis is serving to attract high quality candidates from abroad.

Ranking global hotspots for marketing professionals

For Trend Watch, PageGroup surveyed 18,352 job seekers worldwide, who applied on our Michael Page and Page Personnel websites during the 3rd quarter of 2017.

Of the 1,496 marketing professionals who participated in the study, 64% were willing to relocate, for job opportunities, a better salary or a different lifestyle.