Martijn Arets

Brand Expedition is all about entrepreneurship, inventing new business models, strategy, crowdsourcing and funding, creating value without using money, and last but not least kicking against the heels of the established industry. ‘Cause it’s time to change. And yes: this is not a question. Under the name Brand Expedition, Dutchman and ‘Dutch Entrepreneur of the Year’ Martijn Arets advises existing organizations, professionals and start-ups in various roles: as a member of the Advisory Board, as a fresh and unbiased brainstorm partner and by giving inspiring lectures on his experiences and vision.

Let the Story Begin

Curious about the entrepreneurial adventure behind inspiring brands, Brand and Strategic Professional Martijn Arets decided to quit his job, hand in his lease car, ignore all uncertainties and follow his dream. For five months, he travelled more than 15,000 kilometers across Europe in a one-of-a-kind 1971 Volkswagen T2 camper van, meeting with the founders, CEOs and brand managers of 20 authentic European brands in what was to prove a unique trip: Brand Expedition.

While he was on the road, Martijn used all conceivable social media, articles and blogs to share his adventures and experiences – gathering a veritable cult following along the way – and to ask the crowd for its input on which brands he should visit next. On popular demand, he has bundled the lessons and stories behind 20 appealing European brands such as Lego, Mini, Skype, The Body Shop and Adidas to create Brand Expedition, the book. After the first print of the Dutch book sold out and the book was nominated ABN AMRO entrepreneurial book of the year, Martijn decided to spread his international wings with an English translation. He then managed to find 171 investors in 10 weeks who gathered 20,000 euros for his project during the fist equity-based crowdfunding campaign in the world. To enhance the virtual experience of going on this trip with him and to prove the value of a paper book, you can view extra video and photo material through the Layar Augmented Reality app, including Q&A-sessions between the interviewees themselves.

And the story continues

For the launch of the English translation of his book, Martijn will challenge all 100,000,000 online fans of the brands covered in his book to read out loud a portion of the chapter on the brand they love – making this the first read-out-loud video book on YouTube in the world. His goal: to gather over 1,000 videos in 15 countries and bring them together in one final edit.

A team of six professionals and several progressive companies are helping Martijn with the unique challenge of connecting thousands of people all across the world and involving them in this unique project, to prove the truth behind Martijn’s favorite quote: ‘If you think you’re too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in your room’.

About Martijn

Martijn Arets (32) started out in the events sector and switched to Marketing & Communications before he embarked upon his Brand Expedition adventure. Martijn describes himself as creative, flexible, sensitive, innovative and always positive. His qualities are his ability to invent and organize projects and, when things go awry, his healthy dose of persistence which pushes him to find an alternative way towards achieving his goal. In recent years Martijn has worked in event management, as well as in internal, corporate and labor market communications. Combined with his passion for brands, strategy, innovation and online and social media, Martijn is able to look at problems from many, often surprising, angles – allowing him to come up with unexpected but practical solutions.

Currently, Martijn lives in Utrecht and spends his spare time skydiving, playing guitar, skiing and traveling.