my name is
and I am a
Inspired and creative writer.
Passionate marketing and branding expert.
Business realist by day, creative explorer by night.
Proud father and short-order cook for two kids.
Which means there is always something to talk about.
I am a storyteller by nature. My enthusiasm and natural curiosity have propelled me on a multi-faceted professional journey across three continents, but it has always been about storytelling for me, whether it is the narrative of a brand or product, the life story of a fictional character, or the story of my own life.
I founded and operate a communication consultancy agency called Look Right, which is based in Taiwan but which has clients all over the world. You should check us out: www.lookright.tw.
I write about business in Taiwan. It is not a blog, a rant, or a manifesto. It is just my personal view on marketing, branding, and the meaning of life; a stranger's perspective on a strange world.
Don't get me wrong: I love creativity. I make a living off it. But having success in my current job is determined by knowing when not to be creative. Good branding, marketing and copywriting is all about achieving results for someone else, not for yourself. At times, you just have to shut up your muse and ask her to leave the stage.
Taiwan is in a race to the bottom and we need to get out before we win to become the biggest loser. We need to learn how to play the global game and find a way to deliver quality goods while building real relationships with international customers.
English is used everywhere in Taiwan, but I am arguing it should not be – at least, not the way it is done now, because it is used incorrectly almost every single time. And by incorrectly, I mean bad grammar and – quite often – hilarious machine-translation based text that has no meaning at all. Taiwan's reputation might be better off if people did not do it at all, instead of doing it badly.
Why do almost all modems have these bands of flashing Christmas lights on them? Is it because consumers want a 24-hour light organ playing behind their sofa? Do the lights really add to their functionality and ease of use? The answer, of course, is “no” to both. Modems have a string of lights because they have been designed by engineers, manufactured by engineers and marketed by engineers.
There is a monster in the office. His name is Scope Creep, and he is one nasty little fellow. He manages to squeeze his ugly little butt into almost every business project, and ruin it. He's not just my enemy. He's yours, too. He is responsible for bloated budgets, cost overrun and lots of headaches for everyone.
Venturing into a brand new market and being the first to capture it might be a key to success. But sometimes, it might not be a bad idea to let someone else explore the unknown territory first.
Some words, cool as they may be in everyday life, just do not become generally accepted in the international world of business, where it is always considered prudent to err on the side of caution. Trying to be cool can seriously backfire.
The BMW hobbles forward and grinds to a halt. Upon closer inspection, the problem is obvious. This is one badly made toy car, produced with cheap parts that have been put together carelessly by a disgruntled factory worker in China.
In Taiwan, an international phone call in English is seldom seen as a potential business opportunity. More common, it is experienced as a frantic problem, and the source of a mini-crisis in the office.
It is tempting to focus on finding new ideas and ignore how many great businesses were built around an old idea that was executed in a brilliant way (Coffee from Starbucks, anyone?)
Many Taiwanese entrepreneurs build roads without taking the destination into consideration. It leads to where they think the road should go, not where the consumer wants it to go. Consequently, they build a road to nowhere. And who wants to go nowhere?
Agency specializing in finding creative communication solutions and consultancy in branding, marketing, product development, business development and PR. Over 30 international clients in B2B, B2C, the creative industries, hospitality, government and education. For a full company profile and client portfolio, please visit www.lookright.tw.
New York, NY USA
Free-lance consultancy and writing for marketing, branding, TV commercials, radio commercials, print, packaging design, multimedia consultancy, product development, corporate presentations for clients in the USA, Europe and Taiwan.
Whippany, NJ, USA
Manager and Chief Copywriter for supplementation company that produced TrimSpa (Anne Nicole Smith’s endorsed weight-loss supplements), as well as Winfuel vitamins (endorsed by Dale Ehrhart Jr.). Responsibilities included managing the creative department, conceptualizing and outlining strategies for print and web, as well as writing USA nationwide TV ads and radio copy.
Leyden, The Netherlands
Senior copywriter, content and concept developer. Responsibilities includes meeting and persuading clients, leading and motivating the pitch team, conceptualizing and outlining strategies and writing print and web copy in English and Dutch.
As a writer, story editor and series creator, I created more than 150 hours of film and TV in a variety of genres. Before I dedicated myself to full-time screenwriting, I was a producer, executive producer and line producer for several large production companies, producing anything from drama to documentary.
TV SERIES: Jan, Jans en de Kinderen (NCRV | sitcom | 28") | Meiden van De Wit (ZDF/Fremantle | drama | 50")
DAILY SERIAL/SOAP: Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden (RTL4 | soap | 28"), Ugly Betty/Lotte (SBS6 | telenovellas | 28"), Alex FM (MTV | soap | 21")
FEATURE FILM: Blackout (NPS | crime/thriller | 120"), Bazooka | short/comedy| 15")
DETECTIVE/CRIME: Luifel & Luifel (SBS6 | crime/drama | 50")
SITCOM: Bradaz (NPS | sitcom | 28"), SamSam/Three's a Company (VERONICA | sitcom | 28"), Kwartelhof (NPS | sitcom | 28")
RADIO DRAMA: Coming Home (BBC World Service | radio | 30")
TV COMMERCIAL: Trimspa (USA | TV | 15"/30"/60"), NV (USA | TV | 15"/30"),Nutramist (USA | radio | 15"), Trojan (USA | TV | 15"), iCool (USA | TV | 30"/15"), Qunol (USA | TV | 15"/30"),
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT: Waar Vallen Vrouwen Voor (SBS6 | talkshow | 50") | Lucky Lotto Live (Veronica | live show | 60")
DRAMA/SITCOM: In de Vlaamsche Pot (Veronica | sitcom | 28"), Fort Alpha (TROS | drama | 50"), Playback (VARA | TV movie | 100")
NEWS AND DOCUMENTARY: Angel One (NCRV | documentary | 55"), AT5 (news TV station)
I am fascinated with the American culture of warnings. Fear of litigation as much as fear of injury or death has suffused daily life with warning signs. Apparently, we are under constant threat from products containing peanuts, wet floors, hot contents about to be spilled and plastic bags that could suffocate our children. We appear to live in an urban jungle of our own making that is constantly out to destroy us.
Questions or comments? Send me an email!
© 2015 Luuk Frank van Heerde. Site by Look Right
