We travel the world - meet people with a vision and brands with a purpose. Project by CoolBrands CBNWS #CBNWS #ATW80B Authors: Anouk Pappers and Maarten Schäfer

1. Colophon The chances are,
Creative Minds
Anouk Pappers & Maarten Schäfer because of the fact
Design
Lonneke Beukenholdt & Laura van As, Blikveld
Editor-in-chief
that you’re reading
Francesca de Châtel
Writers this, you’re one of the
25.000 opinion leaders
Mark Gray
Cecily Layzell
Pamela Rubin
Daphne Pappers
Partners / With collaboration of
Gustavo Aguiar
Carlos Vieira worldwide who
receive this book.
Nizan Guinaes
Franklin Ozekhome
Solomon Ikhioda
Clara Chinwe Okoro
“Your mission is,
Marc Capra
Hristina Vasileva
Publisher
should you decide to
CoolBrands
CoolBrands House #5
AMSTERDAM
www.coolbrandshouse.com
Contact
To order books or to share your story accept it, to share
these stories in your
anouk@coolbrands.org
maarten@coolbrands.org Disclaimer
Printing The content of this book is based on reality, and could be true. Some situations have
social networks,
Printer Trento Srl – ITALIA been adjusted to fit the concept. Names of people, places and dates may have been
ISBN 978-94-90900-00-7 altered to suit the narrative context. For example, the TED meeting with Richard
Branson took place in 2007 in California. In the book it is set in the UK to match
© 2012 CoolHouse BV Virgin’s “place of birth”. The story of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi was compiled
Facebook,
The CoolBrands book can be ordered at anouk@coolbrands.org based on input from the Prince’s press office and our personal experiences during a
visit to Masdar.
All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored No animals were harmed during this trip.
in a retrieval or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, CO2 emissions generated by travel by plane or car have been compensated by planting
Twitter,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written trees in the Atlantic Rainforest, by IPE in Brazil.
permission of the publisher. All images are sourced from our own photographic archive, from brands themselves or
from image data banks such as istock.com, except when image captions specifically
The stories you are about to read are narrative and partially ficitional, mention a different source. Contributors who feel they should be credited for work
LinkedIn...”
meaning that not all content relies on actual facts. contained in this publication are kindly requested to contact us so that errata can be
ISBN 978-94-90900-00-7 mentioned in subsequent editions.

2. 4 The storyteller and the brand anthropologist
100 Instituto e - Make sustainability cool
6 Amsterdam - In the footsteps of the great explorers
102 H.Stern - House of design
8 Red Hot Chili Peppers
content
108 Oscar Niemeyer - The legend
10 Rabobank - The secret of cooperative banking
110 Lenny - Carioca at heart
12 Boom Chicago - Branded for life
114 Eike Batista - The power of passion
14 London calling
118 Iguassu Falls - Fight with a toucan
16 Richard Branson at TED
120 São Paulo - The city of many
18 Virgin Galactic - Global cooling and space travel
122 OMO - Dirt is Good
20 Berlin
128 Um Teto Para Meu Pais - Building a house in a favela
22 BMW i - The mobility enabler
130 Irmãos Campana
26 Henkel - Achieving more with less
132 Henrique Alves Pinto - The power of the mind
30 Geneva
136 Pantanal - Close encounter with a jaguar
32 Maximilian Büsser & Friends
138 Amazon - Swimming with pink dolphins
34 Nespresso - Building a passionate brand community
140 Yucatan - The end of the world as we know it
38 Paris
142 Bacardi - In search of the roots
40 Louis Vuitton - Some journeys cannot be put into words
144 New York rocks
42 Rabobank - Connecting to each other
146 Mark Sherwood - The Lovemarks Company
44 Sol de Janeiro
148 GE - Healthymagination
46 Bob Jeffrey - The man behind Woldmakers
150 Melissa - Plastic dreams
48 Diesel - The go-to statement for a generation
154 Michael Mendenhall - What’s your Archetype?
50 Gustavo Aguiar - PUNK
156 Route 66 - Born to be wild
52 Dubai - To infinity and beyond!
158 Harley-Davidson - Mean but green
54 Discovering The Ajman Palace
160 Disney - The mouse became a tiger
56 The old spice Souk in Dubai
164 Liz Dolan - Satellite Sisters
58 Kempinski Mall of the Emirates
166 San Francisco - Run for the sunset
60 Abu Dhabi
168 Steve Jobs - Just three stories
62 Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
172 Shanghai - Lost in translation
64 Etisalat - A sustainable contribution to healthcare
174 Tom Doctoroff - What Chinese Want
68 Cairo - Descent into the Pharaoh’s Tomb
176 Pepsi - A thirst for creativity
70 Serengeti - The Maasai wildlife channel
180 Shanghai Tang - The Nomad of Hong Kong
72 AMREF Flying Doctors
182 Bangkok - Cutting-edge sightseeing
74 Rabobank - Connecting to the society
184 Pen-Ek Ratanaruang - New Thai Cinema
76 Cape Town - Queen of the skies
186 Greyhound - Original Thai lifestyle
78 Sossusvlei - Big Daddy and I
188 Apollo Tyres - Entering the global arena full speed
80 Deola Sagoe - The princess of African fashion
192 Sydney - Full-Frame
84 Ken Egbas - Nigeria CSR Awards
194 Craig Davis - Brandkarma
86 Clara Chinwe Okoro - The ICE lady
196 Rabobank - Connecting to the future
88 Vlisco - The Afro-European love brand
198 Interview with Maarten and Anouk
92 Rio de Janeiro - Cidade Maravilhosa
ENDS Special Thanks To
94 OSKLEN - Brazilian Soul

3. Maarten Schäfer A n o u k Pa p p e r s
The Secret of a Brand Anthropologist
Storyteller
I was born in a small town in the south of the Netherlands. As long as I
can remember, I dreamt of travelling the world and discovering other cultures,
I have this joke I use to make a lasting impression when I first meet just like in the Jules Verne adventure novel ‘Around the world in 80 days’. In
people. Instead of saying “I have dyslexia”, I say “I have sex daily”. I say it the story the main character travels by train, on ships, in hot air balloons and
with a totally straight face, which makes people unsure of what I just said. on the back of an elephant through faraway countries. And I was determined
to do the same when I grew up.
“You have what?” they ask.
I couldn’t wait to finish high school, move to Amsterdam and go to university.
And with the same straight face I say, “I have dyslexia. You know: difficulties I choose to study Anthropology and Communication, because that would
reading, a short attention span, mixing up words...” Most of the victims think prepare me for my trip around the world. The one thing about the course was
it’s funny and do not forget me easily. that it consisted of reading books about other cultures and books written by
other people who had travelled, not me. So I hurried to finish my degree so I
Having a short attention span is not always a disadvantage. It actually helps could start doing the same.
for storytelling, and allows me to get straight to the point and skip all the
superfluous information. It forces me to talk to the right side of the brain I became a partner at an internet research company, where my job was to
in emotions or images, instead of feeding the left side of the brain with promote a research tool called The Internet Monitor, worldwide. I travelled
information. the world all right, but I stayed one day in New York, one day in Milan and if
I was lucky two days in Stockholm. All I did, was doing presentations, staying
In 2002 I started interviewing brands and my first question was, “So, what’s in business hotels and getting up early to get to the next airport in time. The
your story?” only culture I experienced was dinner in local restaurants. So I decided to start
The vast majority of interviewees started giving me a long official account a new company and create my own around-the-world project.
or even showing me PowerPoint presentations. Which for me with my short
attention span was of course hard to process. Since 2002, I have been interviewing brands around the world and publishing
their stories in print in CoolBrands books and online on the website
A few years later it struck me: brand representatives have trouble telling coolbrandshouse.com. I was traveling the world, listening to brand creators,
their story for two reasons. One, they know too much. They want to show you but also taking the time to immerse myself in different cultures. I could finally 5
all aspects of the brand and therefore can’t distinguish between want to be call myself a brand anthropologist!
complete and do not want to leave anything out. Second, they aren’t dyslexic.
They assume everybody has an attention span of 45 minutes or more, so they In recent years, I have noticed that the stories have changed as a growing number
keep talking and think the information is being absorbed. of brands told us their story following the triple bottom line; People, Planet,
Profit. The good thing about PPP is that it goes way beyond Corporate Social
“Haven’t they ever heard of information overload?” I asked myself. “People Responsibilty. It takes the issues of sustainability and puts them at the heart of the
don’t want more information, they want your story. company. People and planet are integrated in the core business, so profit depends
And besides, most people have a genuine distrust of top-down narratives and on them. One can’t survive without the other, how perfect is that?
4 corporate jargon. People trust information from friends and family. Something
like 70 or 80% of all purchases are influenced by peer-to-peer communication.
Following the triple bottom line gives a brand a better way to measure its real
success along the three axes: economic, ecological, and social.
In 2009, I decided to stop interviewing brands and go into third-party- While I was looking for these so-called ‘meaningful’ brands, I found some
storytelling. I will tell the story for the brand. The tone of voice is horizontal, really good stories. Brands that understood that they should have a purpose
like in peer-to-peer communication. The story is written in a narrative way in society. Increasingly, what differentiates brands from their competitors is
in which I engineer the main message. The stories are fun to read, easy to purpose. In the long run, a brand without a purpose will have a tough time
understand and easy to transmit. Ready for word-of-mouth. surviving. People buy into these brands not for what they do and make, but for
why they do it and make it. The purpose of my trip around the world is to look
for brands with a purpose and share their story.

4. In the footsteps of the great explorers
Amsterdam
We are cycling through Amsterdam’s historic centre, a UNESCO World
Heritage Site and an enduring testimony to the city’s rich history. During
the Golden Age in the 17th century, Amsterdam’s port was at the centre
of a global trade network, with ships sailing to Asia, Africa, the Americas,
and merchants trading goods across Europe.
7
We pass in front of Paradiso, the iconic rock music venue where bands
like The Rolling Stones, The Sex Pistols, The Cure and Nirvana performed,
but also more recently Lenny Kravitz and Amy Winehouse. Along with the
nearby Milky Way, it became synonymous with the hippie counterculture
and the rock music of the ‘70s.
We turn right and then left and cycle along the Prinsengracht, one of the
main canals, where warehouses built in the 17 th century are still in good
shape. Much has changed since then: in those days merchants travelling
to Brazil were away for months, maybe even years. Today, businessmen
fly to São Paulo and are back in the polder within days.
We pass the house where Anne Frank lived, talking about an authentic
story, and enter the Jordaan neighbourhood where strolling through the
small streets and drinking caffé latte has become the favourite pastime of
the locals. Our quest to travel around the world to write stories about cool
destinations, visionary people and brands with a purpose starts here in
Amsterdam.
We turn right at the end of the canal, zigzag through some smaller
streets and end up in front of Central Station. We now enter the oldest
part of town where the sailors and merchants set sail in their wooden
ships, ‘the port of Amsterdam’.
Now, 670 years after Amsterdam received city rights, our trip Around the
World in 80 Brands starts at the same point from where explorers left for
their overseas journeys. And to where they returned with experiences,
knowledge and... stories.
Europe - Netherlands
Amsterdam
38.774 miles to go
Time of departure 10:07

5. Meeting We all look at the man and woman sitting at the table eating a salad.
“Chad who?” I ask.
“Chad... You know Chad the drummer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers,” Anouk
the Red Hot Chili Peppers
replies, “I’ve been a huge fan of their music since I was 16. I’m sure it’s him!”
“Well go say hello,” I say.
“Chad is famous for his ghost notes, his beats and his fast right foot,”
© Fedor de Lange
Anouk continues. “Rolling Stone listed him as one of the ‘100 Greatest
Tonight we have the final meeting with the operational team in Amsterdam Drummers of All time’.”
before we start our trip around the world with a flight to London tomorrow. “Well go say hello,” I repeat.
We meet up with our creative designer and our chief editor in de Ysbreeker, “Nah.... He’s enjoying his meal in peace with his wife,” she says with
a grand café overlooking the Amstel River. a touch of doubt in her voice. “On the other hand, I would have done
“Every time we have a meeting with a brand,” I say, “somewhere around anything for this chance when I was 16... But then again, I am not 16
the world, we will gather the input and write the first draft of the story. anymore. Let’s continue the meeting.”
We’ll send this to you, together with the pictures we’ve taken or the “So we were talking about visual storytelling,” I continue. “We should use
brand’s image material.” the imagery as....”
“Your job is to make sure that the style of the text is in line with our “Sorry, I’m going to say hello anyway,” Anouk says getting up. “I’ll be right
storytelling guidelines,” I continue. “Personal, short, narrative with a back.” She walks towards the adjacent table and I see her talking to Chad
wow factor. And the images are there not only to support the text, but to and shaking hands. I see Chad making a gesture inviting Anouk to sit down
provide visual storytelling at the same time.” at their table.
“Sorry to interrupt, but isn’t that Chad?” Anouk says, pointing to the table Twenty minutes later I finish the meeting and Anouk is still chatting at the
next to us. other table. “Pssst... Pssst, Maarten, come sit at our table,” Anouk says.
“Our table?” I say, “I thought this was our table.”
“Come on,” Anouk repeats while pointing at an empty chair next to her.
“I’d like you to meet Chad and his wife Nancy. Chad has invited us to come
to the concert tomorrow, as guests of the band. ‘Meet and greet’ and
8 everything. Isn’t that cool?”
“Very cool,” I say, “but tomorrow we have a flight to London, remember?
Our trip around the world... Meeting interesting people and brands?”
“Exactly,” Anouk replies, “Chad and Nancy are interesting people and the
Red Hot Chili Peppers are a genuine rock brand. The brand, uh... band,
was formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The product portfolio consists of rock
with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as
punk rock, and psychedelic rock.”
“And, if I may add,” Chad interrupts, “the Red Hot Chili Peppers have won
seven Grammy Awards and sold over 65 million albums worldwide. More
than most consumer brands.”
“Sorry, but you forgot something important,” Nancy says. “The Red Hot
Chili Peppers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.”
“They have brand awareness of close to 100%,” Anouk says.
“Brand identity; cutting-edge rock,” Chad adds.
“And the brand perception, even more rock,” Nancy says.
The three of them start laughing. “Come on Maarten, London will still be
there next week,” Chad says.
“And you don’t have to travel,” Nancy adds, “we’re right here in Amsterdam!”
I look at the three laughing. “Okay, okay,” I say, and sit down at “their”
table. “But can I bring my camera to the concert?”
“Of course!” Anouk says before turning to Chad. “Is that possible, Chad?”
“That can be arranged,” Chad replies.
“Well, in that case, I guess we could start our trip around the world next
9 week,” I surrender.
“Excellent! Cool!” Anouk exclaims as if she had just turned 16 again. “Rock
rules!”

6. The secret of cooperative banking “It’s quite amazing,” says Anouk as we drive through the flat polder landscape,
We’re on our way to the Flevopolder in the Netherlands to meet Joost “while banks around the world are struggling, Rabobank seems to be going
Augusteijn, Rabobank’s brand strategist. Instead of inviting us to his office, from strength to strength. I wonder what their secret is?”
he has asked us to meet him at an organic dairy farm in the middle of the “Well, let’s find out,” I say as we pull up in front of a large estate.
Dutch polder. “I think it will help you understand our story,” he told us over
the phone. “Welcome to the countryside!” says Joost as he gestures towards the lush
Meeting fields stretching to the horizon. “Let me show you around!”
Rabobank As we enter the cowsheds, Anouk turns to Joost: “So we’re curious to know
why you brought us here – what does organic farming have to do with
in Rabobank’s ongoing success?”
the polder Joost laughs. “Well actually, the two are very closely related: I brought you
here to show you our beginnings. It all goes back to our cooperative roots.
They continue to shape our vision today.
“In 1896, a group of farmers started their own funds and financing system
since official banks were reluctant to do business with them. And this is still
who we are today: a bank founded by farmers who help each other in hard
times. Failed harvest, floods, droughts, cattle diseases – you name it, and
we’ve been there.”
We continue our sightseeing around the estate and arrive at the fields
behind the barn, where dozens of black and white cows are quietly
grazing. “I still don’t get it though,” I say to Joost, “what makes you more
resistant in the current crisis than other banks, what’s the secret?”
11 “The answer lies in our cooperative philosophy: we have no share­holders, only
members,” says Joost. “This means that, unlike other banks, we don’t have to
focus on short-term profit to satisfy others. We can fully concentrate on our
customers and our long-term strategy. The only people we have to please are
our customers.”
“But how do you translate that into a model for growth and expansion?” I ask,
as we enter a large room where the cheese-making process is in full swing.
45
“We work on the premise that together we can achieve more than alone,”
Joost says as we walk into the storage space where large circular cheeses
are stacked on shelves. “Everything we do is based on this conviction. It is
www.rabobank.com
77 the reason we exist: what farmers couldn’t accomplish on their own, they
achieved together. We still stick to this cooperative philosophy: making
connections. We make connections to the customer, to society, to the future and to
195 each other. These are the four pillars of the Rabobank brand.”
Joost stops and turns to us with a wink: “And that,” he says, “is our secret”.
196
w.aroundtheworldin8 0brands.com
Read more stories on ww

7. I open my inbox and see that I have received an email from Saskia Maas,
co-founder of Boom Chicago.
“Hey Anouk, I saw on Facebook that you’re starting your trip Around the
www.boomchicago.nl
World in 80 Brands. I think we should meet before you leave. Why don’t
you come to our show tonight? It’s called Branded for Life. It might give
you some ideas for your project.” – Saskia
Boom Chicago is an Amsterdam-based creative organisation that makes
comedy shows and television productions. They also have a live show at
Chicago Social Club in Amsterdam’s Leidseplein nightlife district. I’ve been
to several shows in the last few years and was always impressed by the
sharp sense of humour.
I rang Saskia and set a meeting for tonight, an hour before the show starts.
I cycle into the centre of town and park my bicycle in front of ‘rock temple’
Paradiso. I cross the square and enter the historical building on the far side
of Leidseplein. Saskia is talking to the man behind the bar.
13 “Come in,” she says when she sees me. “I’ve reserved a VIP table for us.”
I follow her into the theatre, which is still almost empty. Some people on
Branded for Life stage are going through the last-minute details before the show starts.
“Tonight’s show is called Branded for Life,” Saskia says, “it’s about brands,
advertising and marketing, and the impact they have on our daily lives. We
Meeting try to find the excesses, pull slogans out of context and make fun of it.”
“Sounds interesting,” I say, “I’m always interested in brands. The
marketing and advertising are often too simplistic and predictable... and
Boom Chicago easy to make fun of.”
“Together with Andrew Moskos and Pep Rosenfeld, who are Boom Chicago’s
original founders, we come up with topics for new shows. We’re always
looking at what’s going on, what’s at the core of things, what we can call
ridiculous in modern life — and then we hold up a mirror to it. We make
fun of nearly everything. In the end it really is just meant as a joke, so we
try to stay respectful.”
The men on stage finish their preparation and disappear through a door. In
the auditorium, waitresses are arranging the tables, waiting for the first
guests to arrive.
“Just recently we came up with Deep Undercover,” Saskia says, lowering
her voice as if somebody might hear her, “an interactive crime-solving
game that takes place through Amsterdam, finding clues in Chinatown and
contacting secret agents in the Red Light District.”
Michael Diederich “I love interactive games,” I say, “interaction is something brands need to
do to keep their customers involved.”
“Our shows in the theatre are always interactive. It’s called improvisational
theatre. One actor gives the others a starting point, the second replies,
then the third comes in, etc. until the circle is complete. The starting
point often comes from the audience.”
In the meantime, people have started entering the theatre. First a few,
then more and more of the seats and tables are filled. Drinks are served
and the sound of talking and laughing gets louder.
“Boom Chicago has been partnering with TEDxAmsterdam for some time
12 now,” Saskia says. “Pep has hosted and spoken at previous editions and
Boom will be the venue for the 2013 TEDxAmsterdam auditions round.”
DrewDiFOnzo Marks Saskia Maas (l) “Cool. Boom Chicago has become a brand itself,” I say. “Why don’t we
write a ‘Boom story’ for our project Around the World in 80 Brands?”
“Now we’re talking,” Saskia says, as the lights in the auditorium dim,
“show time!”

8. London calling
London
Europe - United Kingdom
We’re crossing the Thames in a black cab, speeding over Westminster
Bridge. On our left we see Westminster Palace, the centre of political
London
life in the United Kingdom. The taxi driver turns around and says: “Its 223 miles from
Clock Tower, known as Big Ben after its main bell, has become the iconic Amsterdam
landmark of London... and the United Kingdom in general.”
Time of Arrival 13:12
We take a right on Parliament Street and drive in a northerly direction.
“That’s Trafalgar Square,” the taxi driver says, pointing out the front
window. “And up there is the Viscount Nelson, who won the battle of
Trafalgar.” I look out of the window and then turn to the driver, “Could
you please hurry, we don’t want to be late.” The cab turns right onto
Strand and drives parallel to the Thames eastward, we turn left, then
right and pass St. Paul’s Cathedral on our left-hand side. “The dome is
111 metres high,” our driver says, “it has dominated the London skyline
for 300 years.”
15
Without looking out of the window, I bend forward towards the driver:
“It is a beautiful cathedral, but can you please step on it!” The cab
makes a right turn on King William Street and turns left to exit on Tower
Hill. “This is the Tower of London,” the driver says while pointing out
of the right window. “It was built by William the Conqueror in 1078. It
was the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom in a certain
period.”
“Sir,” I say to the driver, trying my best to remain polite, “we’re not
here to make a sightseeing tour of London. We’re here for the opening
ceremony of the Olympic Games, which will start in 45 minutes. Could you
please hurry!” The driver nods without saying a word and accelerates.
After 30 seconds of silence he turns around and says: “Did you know
that the London Olympic Stadium is the most sustainable ever built? It
features a low-carbon concrete, made from industrial waste.”

9. Meeting
The most exciting part is that we will get to speak to Richard after his talk and
Richard Branson interview him for our storytelling project.
at TED But first we’re spectators on the third row of the packed auditorium and we
join in the enthusiastic applause as Richard emerges onto the stage: radiant
smile, long hair, jeans and a shirt – his usual maverick look.
We are on our way to an event organised by TED, a global platform for Chris launches straight into the interview and Richard talks about the
sharing ‘ideas worth spreading’. Richard Branson is tonight’s main guest and beginnings of his business empire: how he started the Virgin record label in
he will be talking to TED’s curator Chris Anderson. the 1970s, developed Virgin Airlines and how the business kept growing even
with its ups and downs. Then it starts getting interesting.
For us as entrepreneurs, Richard has long been a source of inspiration – we “These days I devote 50 percent of my time to Virgin Unite, a charitable
are particularly interested in his vision for saving the planet. He believes in organisation that tackles some of the world’s most challenging issues,”
making a difference and is always looking for the next big thing. I wonder Richard says. “I strongly believe that we cannot let ourselves become the
what the next big thing is going to be tonight. generation that irreversibly damages the environment. We have the
knowledge, the financial resources, and – most importantly – the willpower
to prevent this.”
Anouk turns to me and whispers: “This is what we want to talk to him about!”
“We are dedicating the profits of our transportation business – around $3
billion – to developing renewable alternatives to carbon fuels,” Richard
continues.
“Not only is he a visionary, this man also puts his money where his mouth is,”
I whisper back.
“And then there’s the Virgin Earth Challenge, where we offer a $25 million
prize to the first person to come up with an economically viable solution to
the greenhouse gas problem.”
Roaring applause from the audience – talk about ideas worth spreading!
“We believe space is the solution,” Richard says. “Virgin Galactic is the
solution. Researchers will be able to fly experiments into space more often and
this will help resolve key questions about the earth’s climate. Virgin Galactic
represents nothing less than the dawn of a new era.”
“This is what we should ask him about,” Anouk says. “How can space travel
save the world from global warming?”
16
Photo: Robert Leslie - TED2007

10. Global cooling and space travel The dawn of a new era
We’ve just attended a TED event where Richard Branson was in Richard sits up straight again. “This is where Virgin Galactic comes in,”
conversation with TED’s curator Chris Anderson. TED is a platform for sharing he says. “Virgin Galactic heralds the dawn of a new era: the possibility for
‘ideas worth spreading’ – we’ve been following it for years, regularly browsing ordinary people to travel into space, to carry people around the planet outside
through their video database for inspiration. the atmosphere with minimal harm to the environment. London to Sydney in
19 just two hours instead of 23.”
Of course, for us as entrepreneurs, Richard is right up there on the list of
inspiring people, not just because of his business savvy, but also, more “This sounds spectacular, but where does global cooling come in?” I ask.
importantly, because of his visionary views on the environment and the future
of our planet. “First we have to make Virgin Galactic a commercial success, then we can use
space travel to fight global warming. Our aim was to find new technologies
After Chris wraps up the 40-minute conversation we head over to Richard’s that can drastically cut the cost of taking people into space in order to make
press rep who promised us a five-minute meeting with him. it commercially viable. To achieve this we teamed up with Burt Rutan’s
SpaceShip One.
She takes us to a private meeting room backstage, where we find Richard
relaxing on a sofa. “Sit down,” he says as he takes a swig from a small bottle “We asked people who said they wanted to be the first passengers what their
of Evian. key motivation was. They said they wanted to experience weightlessness and
the classic view of the earthrise through the windows. If we can provide those
“Richard, earlier on stage you said that you don’t want us to be the generation experiences, people will happily pay $200,000 for a seat on that flight. That’s
that irreversibly damages the environment – are things really that bad?” I ask. how we finance the project.”
“Isn’t launching a shuttle into space very polluting though?” Anouk asks.
Nine billion and counting “Bad for the footprint?”
“The population of our planet is going to hit the nine billion mark by the
middle of this century.” He leans forward as though to underline the gravity of Richard smiles. “A NASA shuttle launch had the same environmental output
his words: “Think about it: that’s three times more than when I was born. On as the whole population of New York over a long weekend holiday. A Virgin
top of this, climate change is happening faster than most models predicted.” Galactic flight has a lower environmental footprint per passenger than a
one-way business class ticket from London to New York on an Airbus A340. A
“Ok,” says Anouk. “But earlier you talked about space travel. How can space different technique with a different footprint.”
travel help fight global warming?”
Richard raises two fingers: “One of the solutions is that we start taking some The big picture
of the most energy intensive-processes out of our fragile atmosphere. Put “Let me be clear, Virgin Galactic is about making money, but the exciting thing
them in space and power them through solar energy. Think for example of about this project is that it is not about space tourism in the end. It allows
server parks for our constantly growing IT infrastructure.” He sits back and us to put things we don’t want in our delicate atmosphere in space – things
takes another swig of water. “Aviation is often named as a key cause of climate like server farms. Remember, CO 2 emissions from IT are twice as high as the
change, but IT has overtaken aviation in terms of its CO2 output.” emissions from aviation.”
“And secondly?” I ask. “You raised two fingers – what is the second way that “So you see space as the solution to global warming?” I ask.
space travel can save the planet?”
“Part of the solution,” Richard corrects, “as I said to Chris earlier during the
www.virgingalactic.com
“Utilisation of space is essential, not only for communications and GPS, but talk, all the profits from our transportation business, around $3 billion, will
also for agricultural monitoring and climate science. Researchers should be be dedicated to the development of renewable alternatives to carbon fuels.”
able to ‘fly’ experiments more often to help us understand key questions
about the earth’s climate.” “And then there’s the Virgin Earth Challenge,” I add.
“But how?” I ask. “NASA has discontinued its manned space programme. The
18 “Exactly,” Richard says. “We offer a $25 million prize to the first person to
era of the political ‘space race’ is over.” come up with an economically viable solution to the greenhouse gas problem.
This is a huge challenge and I want all the best brains in the world thinking
about it.”
“Wow, Richard,” I say. “It seems that you have found the next big thing again.
This really is an idea worth spreading!”

11. Checking in
Berlin
Our train slides smoothly into the Hauptbahnhof. “The largest interchange
in the world,” I read on Wikipedia. “An unprecedented technological
20 masterpiece.”
“Look at that curved glass roof construction of the platform hall ,” I
say to Anouk, “do you have any idea of its size?” Anouk doesn’t really
seem to care, as she exits the train without answering. “321 metres long
and 210 metres large!” I call after her. I get my camera out of my bag
and take some pictures from the sunlight passing through the roof onto
the trains. I focus on the passenger flow and push the shutter. Anouk is
already on top of the stairs, looking at me impatiently. I know this look.
It appears most of the time when I’m taking pictures of important things
like a roof construction or a speeding train.
“I am really craving a coffee at the Adlon Hotel!” she says. “The weather
is nice so let’s walk to the hotel, check in and head for the coffee bar.”
We walk along the river Spree in the direction of the Brandenburger Tor.
When we reach the Reichstag, I see the sunlight reflecting in the dome
that was constructed after the reunion of East and West Germany. Its
transparency is a metaphor for the functioning of democracy, I read on
my smartphone. “Shall we have a glance inside and take some pictures
of the dome and the sun reflecting in the glass panels?” I propose.
Anouk agrees, albeit reluctantly. Once we are inside, I start recording the
best angles and perspectives I can find in order to show to full advantage
both the old and new architectural styles. A few minutes later, Anouk
shows up telling me that she is going to get some info at the entrance.
“Sure,” I say, “I’ll take some more pics of the silhouettes of the people
walking in the dome.”
Twenty minutes later I take, what is probably shot number 100 of the
Reichstag. “I must have covered every angle now,” I think to myself.
“But, where is Anouk?” I walk to the entrance but she is nowhere to be
seen.
“I’ll just wait here for her, she will probably show up any moment now,”
Europe - Germany I say to myself. “In the meanwhile I can check in on Foursquare and post
Berlin a picture of the dome.” I take out my phone and open my Foursquare
678 miles from app. “Hey, Anouk also checked in on Foursquare: ‘Having a café latte at
the Adlon, ready for some serious shopping on Unter den Linden’.”
London
Time of Arrival 10:18

12. Early this morning we left Hotel Adlon in Berlin and made our way Meeting
south towards Frankfurt. A five-hour trip, giving us enough time to prepare A few minutes later we enter the parking lot in search of a spot to leave the
for our meeting with Uwe Dreher, responsible for global marketing of the Uwe Dreher car.
BMW i brand.
at “Here’s one,” Maarten says, pointing to quite a small space that needs some
We spoke to Uwe on the phone a few days ago. “Can we meet at Frankfurt advanced backwards parallel parking skills.
Airport,” he suggested, “as I have a flight to New York later this week. I am Frankfurt Airport
travelling around the world to prepare the launch of the BMW i cars at the “I don’t really like this one,” I say, “I’d rather find an easier one.”
end of 2013,” he said.
“If you had a BMW i3, you would have a Parking Assistant,” Maarten says.
Actually, we are lucky to be meeting him in between his travels. We pass “I quote: The Parking Assistant makes parallel parking easier by performing
Frankfurt to the west, heading towards the airport. The traffic starts to get the entire parking manoeuvre automatically. Acceleration and braking is now
heavier as we get on the ring road. I turn to Maarten in the passenger seat, performed automatically, and if multiple manoeuvres are required, the vehicle
who is reading a presentation on the BMW i concept car that Uwe sent us can also automatically switch between forward and reverse direction.”
in preparation for the meeting. “So, what’s so special about the new BMW i
sub-brand?” I ask him. “I really want a BMW i car,” I say, “but until then, maybe you can park.”
“Well, to start with this is an entirely purpose-built car,” Maarten says. “The
construction of electric cars has, up to now, been based on the ‘conversion’
approach – integrating electric components into vehicles originally designed
to be powered by a combustion engine.”
22
“So that means you can be really innovative, because you don’t have the
limitations of the existing car and can start with a blank canvas,” I say.
“From scratch,” Maarten confirms, “which is reflected in the car’s architecture,
which they call the LifeDrive concept. These are two separate, independent
functional units. I quote: A Life module and a Drive module. The upper part is
Life – the passenger compartment made up of a high-strength and extremely
lightweight passenger cell made from carbon fibre-reinforced plastic. The
bottom is the Drive part, which brings together all the operational driving
functions and includes everything a car needs to do its job.“
“Shoot!” I say, hitting the breaks, “a traffic jam. Just what we need.” The car
comes to a complete standstill, before the cars in line start slowly moving
forwards again.
“If you were driving a BMW i3, which will be possible from the end of 2013
onwards, you would now have a ‘Traffic Jam Assistant’ at your disposal,”
Maarten says while browsing through the presentation. “It says here: By letting
the vehicle ‘go with the flow’, it allows the driver to get to his destination in a
www.bmw-i.com
more relaxed state of mind. Like Active Cruise Control with Stop&Go function,
Traffic Jam Assistant maintains a specified following distance from the vehicle
in front. Advanced camera technology allows the vehicle to follow the road.”
“That’s exactly what I need right now... a more relaxed state of mind,” I say
with a smile. “Luckily here’s the exit to the airport. Uwe told us to meet him
on the observation deck and to park near Terminal 2.”
23

13. We’re on the visitors’ terrace at Frankfurt Airport overlooking the BMW i “Have you reached the ‘über elite black card ConciergeKey frequent flyer
airfield. At the gates at Terminal 2 we see people boarding planes that will status’ already?” Maarten asks. You said your life resembles George Clooney’s
take them to São Paulo, Tokyo or Los Angeles. “My plane to New York leaves the mobility ‘enabler’ in Up in the air. In the story he’s trying to get to 10 million frequent flyer
in three hours,” Uwe says, “so we have some time to talk.” miles.”
Uwe Dreher is the global marketing director for BMW i. We spoke to him “I remember,” Uwe says, “No, it’s not that bad.
over the phone a few days ago and asked him if he would share his story 25
with us. “To prepare for the launch of the BMW i cars at the end of next year, “In my story, the idea is to answer the two trends,” he continues. “The
I’m having to travel extensively,” Uwe said. “My life resembles the George sustainability chic in San Francisco and the mobility issues in mega cities like
Clooney movie Up in the Air. Maybe we can meet at the airport.” Tokyo. The car gives answers to the first one. The BMW i3 will be the most
advanced electric car in the world. And it will be the most sustainable car in
And so here we are, on the visitors’ terrace at Frankfurt International Airport. the world – in production, in use, and in recycling.”
“The idea for establishing BMW i as a sub-brand of BMW started some years Uwe pauses for a few seconds to let his words sink in.
ago,” Uwe says. “We did global research on mobility 10 years ago and were
kind of shocked by the findings. Research in Tokyo showed a change in the “For the mobility issues in mega cities we had to come up with a concept
behaviour of young people. Until then, when you turned 18, normal behaviour beyond the most advanced electric car,” Uwe continues. “In addition to the
had been that you wanted to get your driver’s license and bought a car. That vehicles themselves, the mobility services are another component of BMW i.
meant freedom. Nowadays, in mega cities like Tokyo, having a car means hassle, Not everybody in the world’s major urban centres still wants to own their own
congestion, traffic jams, parking problems. And because public transport in a vehicle. Together with Sixt, the car rental company, we created a state-of-
city like Tokyo is perfectly well organised, you need your own car less and less.” the-art mobility service called ‘DriveNow’, a free-floating car-sharing system,
aiming precisely at this market. The special highlight of this service is that
“For a car manufacturer these findings are kind of worrying,” I say. vehicles do not have to be picked up from and returned to specific locations
but can be hired and left wherever the customer wishes.”
“Another finding came from San Francisco, from the upscale residential areas,”
Uwe continues. “Traditionally, in the parking lots in front of the expensive “So when I’m in San Francisco, in the Golden Gate Heights,” Maarten says,
houses, you would find upscale cars, like BMW or Porsche. But research “and I want to go for a ride to Fisherman’s Wharf, I look on the DriveNow app
showed that, increasingly, cars like the Toyota Prius hybrid were replacing the on my mobile phone, to see where I can pick up a car?”
high-end luxury cars. Sustainability was the new chic!”
Uwe nods.
“Interesting findings,” I say, “but that was 10 years ago. What has happened
since then?” “So I drive my BMW or MINI to the Wharf to have lunch, overlooking the San
Francisco Bay,” Maarten continues, “and I look on my app to see where there
“We did some field trials,” Uwe says. “We developed our electric Mini E and is a parking space available for half a day?”
BMW ActiveE fleet to gain widely applicable hands-on experience. The BMW
Group is the world’s first manufacturer of premium automobiles to deploy a Uwe nods again. “And if you want to leave the car at Fisherman’s Wharf...
fleet of over 600 all-electric vehicles for private use in daily traffic. We knew that’s fine too,” he says. “Customised, flexible and above all uncomplicated.
that putting electric components into a car designed for a fuel engine was not BMW i sees itself as a mobility ‘enabler’. The focus is on providing solutions
the solution.” for more efficient use of existing parking space, intelligent navigation systems
and premium car-sharing. More innovative services are coming soon in a
“And behind the scenes?” I ask. “What was the secret plan, behind the scenes?” growing number of cities. We’ve actually only just begun.”
“We started from scratch, defining the next generation electric car, an electric “Wow, can you tell us more about these mobility services?” I ask.
born car,” Uwe says. “Why does a modern car look the way it does? Because it
is based on the traditional conception of what a car should look like. Not this “I can,” Uwe says, “but then you have to take the flight to New York with me,
one, which we call a purpose-built electric car.” that would give us an extra eight hours.”
The sound of an aeroplane taking off, forces Uwe to pause for a second. We
follow the plane as it accelerates down the runway and lifts off. “BMW i is not 24
just cars,” Uwe says as the decibels fade away. “It’s a global mobility project,
for which I travel a lot.”
w.aroundTheworldin8 0brands.com
read more sTories on ww

14. We have known Alain for quite some years already and we spoke a lot about
Meeting Henkel and sustainability. But we knew something new has come up. “Munich?
“I asked. “The head office is still in Düsseldorf, isn’t it?”
Alain Bauwens
“Yes, it is,” Alain said, “but I would like to meet in our Wash & Coffee bar in
and Lutz Mehlhorn Munich; that might also be of interest for you. It’s a laundrette re-imagined
by Persil and our business partner Bosch-Siemens. Next to the washing part,
in there is a part coffee shop and a part community hub, with events that include
everything from stand-up comedy to live music to charity drives. A perfect
Wa s h & C o f f e e place to meet and talk about Achieving more with less.”
in Munich “That sounds like a plan,” I said, “see you tomorrow.”
Well, tomorrow is today and we park our car in front of Wash & Coffee in the
centre of Munich. We stand in front of this laundrette, look inside where we see
Yesterday evening we received a phone call from Alain Bauwens, a very stylish interior. People sitting at the small tables having a coffee, eating
responsible for International Marketing Laundry Care at Henkel. “Are you still a sandwich or surfing the web while waiting for their washing cycle to finish.
in Frankfurt?” He asked. “I want to share with you the new sustainability
strategy that we developed: Achieving more with less. Can we meet in As we enter the store we see Alain sitting at a table observing the screen of his
Munich?” laptop. Next to him we recognise Lutz Mehlhorn, who is responsible for new
business at Henkel’s Laundry & Home Care business sector. As we come closer
26 they look up and a smile appears on their faces. “Welcome to Wash & Coffee,”
Alain says, “so what do you think?”
“This is a real cool concept. What is the idea behind it?” I respond.
27
“It’s a Persil brand extension,” Lutz replies, “ a concept that goes beyond
the product. Traditionally we put our products in the supermarket and wait
for the consumers to come and make their pick. Wash & Coffee is an out-of-
the-box concept; it gives us the opportunity to be directly in contact with the
consumer. Beyond providing the best laundry care equipment, the personnel
explain how to use the modern appliances, the detergents economically and
with a maximum energy efficiency.“
“Consumer engagement?” I ask.
“Yes... engagement, interaction,” Lutz continues, “but it’s not only about our
products. By organising events like meetings or live music, we play a role in the
local community. It gives us the opportunity to work our way up in relevancy.”
“So, this is a way to connect to the consumer in an innovative way?” I ask.
“Indeed,” Alain answers, “being in touch with, especially young, consumers
gives us new insights, which helps us to adapt our products and services.
“We opened the first Wash & Coffee concept bar here in Munich. And also in
Amsterdam we created this consumer engagement tool.
“By the way, would you like a coffee?” Alain says, “so I can tell you about our
new sustainability strategy and our new targets.”
“Café latte would be nice,” I say, “the sustainability story would be great...
but do you think I can get our laundry out of the car and use one of the
washing machines while we talk?”

15. Achieving more with less Alain takes his iPad from his bag and puts it on the table. “Have a look,” he I look at the tablet and try to figure out how to interpret the graphic. “Can you at the retail outlet. The smaller and more compact product leads to easier
says pointing at the tablet, “Henkel is concentrating its sustainability activities give me an example of adding more value and decreasing the footprint?” I ask. handling by the consumer. Less plastic in the trash can. This increases what we
H e n k e l ’s n e w on six focal areas. In each of these areas we aim at delivering more value, or call Social Progress. And last but not least, the quality, or performance of the
reducing ecological footprint. “The permanent challenge the product developers of our laundry detergents detergent remains the same, which is also an important part of the strategy.”
sustainability strategy and household cleaners are facing, is how to achieve ever better washing
A graphic, showing six different elements appears on the iPad, and in the performance with even lower energy consumption. Persil Megaperls and Purex “You said that you involve all your stakeholders in the sustainability strategy,
middle it reads: ‘Deliver more value at a reduced footprint’ Cold Water are two such laundry detergents that deliver their full cleaning so what can I do as a consumer?” I ask.
We’re in Wash & Coffee in Munich, having a café latte and talking to power even at low wash temperatures. Energy savings of up to 40% can be
Alain Bauwens, responsible for International Marketing Laundry Care at achieved simply by reducing the washing temperature by 10 degrees – from “Well,” Alain replies, “imagine if all consumers would wash on low
Henkel and Lutz Mehlhorn, who is responsible for new business at Henkel’s 40 to 30 degrees, for instance. temperatures and still get their laundry cleaned and fresh as they are used to.
Laundry & Home Care business sector. The reduction in CO 2 emission would be huge. It’s one of our goals to cause
“Actually, following our new Sustainability Strategy 2030,” Alain says, “the
MORE VALUE “Another important aspect is the compaction of laundry detergents: By
concentrating the liquid, the volume and the weight decrease. This means
this behaviour change among consumers. Through targeted communication,
we point out the advantages of our products and encourage resource-efficient
20-year goal is achieving more with less and tripling efficiency. We summarize there is less material and less water used in the production process. Less CO2 use. Talking to our consumers here at Wash & Coffee is only one example.
More value for our
this ambition as Factor 3.” customers and emission during transport. These aspects also contribute to a reduction of the Another one is our laundry calculator on the internet which shows how much
more value for Henkel footprint,” he says, pointing at the bottom part of the graphic. CO2 emissions can be avoided by washing at lower temperatures.”
“That sounds ambitious,” I say, “does this include the entire value chain?”
Performance Alain takes a sip from his coffee before continuing. “On the other side of “I understand,” I say, “and if you drive progress along the entire value chain
“The entire value chain and all business sectors,” Alain says. “By 2030, we the model,” he adds while pointing at the top part of the circle, “we have with every product, you can obtain your sustainability goals by 2030. I’ll drink
want to become three times more efficient. Triple the value we create without to deliver more value. We do that by using less space in the warehouse and to that! Let’s have another café latte!”
increasing our footprint made by our operations, products and services.”
More social Safer workplaces
Alain pauses for a few seconds to stress the importance of what he is saying.
progress and better and better health &
“For this we need the commitment of not only the 47,000 Henkel employees quality of life hygiene
around the world, but we also intend to involve our customers, consumers,
suppliers and industrial users.” Social Safety and
Progress Deliver Health
“We know that sustainability has been in Henkel’s genes for many decades,” I
say, “but in the last years you have been accelerating the movement, haven’t more
you?” value
“That’s true,” Alain replies, “we are convinced that not only do we have a
duty to future generations to pursue sustainable development; sustainability
also makes economic sense for us and is an important competitive factor. It Energy and Water and
reduces costs, drives innovation, and strengthens our position in the markets climate wastewater
at a
of the future.”
reduced
“More and more brands understand that they should operate according to the
footprint
triple bottom line of People Planet Profit,” I say. “This is where brands today can
still differentiate themselves from their competitors. People buy into these brands
not for what they do and make, but for why and how they do it and make it.”
Less energy used Less water used and
and less greenhouse Materials and less water pollution
“Exactly. We believe that sustainable business practices will contribute to our gases waste
company’s success and strengthen our leading position. This leading position
in sustainability is regularly confirmed by independent external ratings and
rankings,” Lutz adds. “One example is Henkel’s listing in the Dow Jones
Sustainability Index ever since this was established in 1999. Last year, the 29
www.henkel.com
company was named sustainability leader in the Non durable Household
Products sector for the fifth time in a row.”
Less resources used
and less waste
“And now you came up with Factor 3,” I say, “how are you going to achieve
generated
this goal?” Henkel concentrates its activities on six focal areas that reflect the
challenges of sustainable development as they relate to the company’s
28 REDUCED FOOTPRINT operations.
w.aroundTheworldin8 0brands.com
read more sTories on ww