Sabirul Islam

'The world is changing; are you changing, too?' is the title and question of a lecture given by international marketing maven extraordinaire René Boender, and he asked that question to a number of Aruba's top business people on Thursday afternoon, September 4, during a special presentation sponsored by RBTT Bank at the Renaissance Convention Center.

Some may remember Jerry Della Famina, who became something of a celebrity when he and his cohorts turned Madison Avenue topsy-turvy in the 1960's and 70's and he authored the bestselling book 'From those Wonderful Folks who gave you Pearl Harbor'. René is this generation's advocate of creative thinking in marketing and advertising, and a well-versed advisor to the world's top companies of how to make the most of the tools that are now available. One of these, of course, is the Internet, but most importantly is the 'Big E', -- energy, which if encouraged in a company's marketing people, will infuse their ideas and campaigns. René is also a great believer in women in business and important positions: 'If you present something to a man, they will talk about it,' he asserts, 'if you ask a woman, they will DO.' In his opinion, '(Wo)men make the world! - and ICT,' (information and communication technology.)

In a wonderfully stimulating and entertaining presentation, he enlightened some of Aruba's most influential executives, and it is his hope, stimulated them to more originality in their marketing tactics. Described as a 'Brand Booster, Brain Agent and Trend Teller,' Ted Turner of CNN says of him 'even more significantly, all of them call him 'Visionary' - René Boender's professional domain is the world'

Boender is a great believer in the use of humor to market one's product, and taking advantage of today's tools, such as YouTube, both of which are available to any marketing manager at little or no cost. He interspersed his presentation with several hilarious and creative examples that easily can now be seen on the Internet; two notables from a restaurant in London and a lip balm from New York that were made on a tiny budget, played on Youtube for no cost, were viewed by millions, and rocketed the companies they represented to instant success. 'The good news is... you don't need an enormous budget' as these examples show, 'you need ROI-return on ideas.'

A ninety-minute presentation packed with superlative ideas and information is difficult to present in the limited space of the printed page of THE NEWS, but here are some worthy highlights. Regarding the Caribbean, René advised investigating China as a customer, where they have 'tons of money and are ready to spend.' This should interest Aruban business people considering that the Annual Business Forum of the Greater Caribbean 2008 is about to take place in Aruba on September 22 to 25, and organizers confirm trade delegates from China will attend.

Moreover, René advises those wishing to succeed in a highly competitive global market filled with 'me too's' or imitators, they consider these following factors of 'today's reality' and 'keys to success.'

The last original 'Boenderism' signifying that one must present a multimedia marketing experience to your audience that stimulates and satisfies their perception and intellect. 'You have to create a story,' he asserts, 'You have to inspire your audience.' Keeping these points in mind, and also the idea of letting your marketing department have fun, encourage them to exercise their creatively, and not constrain them with constant reminders of keeping to budget. 'The problem is not to get new innovative thoughts into your mind -but to get the old ones out! Remarkable visions and genuine insights are always met with resistance; forces for mediocrity will align to stop you! Persist! Don't give up, go for it!' This was the first such seminar that RBTT Bank arranged for their elite clientele, and RBTT President Edna Farro was very pleased with the presentation, which created quite an excited buzz during the social hour afterwards, when the bank hosted a wine and cheese soiree for their guests. Marketing Manager Robert Moons informs that RBTT General Manager Perrot Hurtado had attended a presentation by Boender, and felt it was something they should bring to their customers, rather than usual events they schedule during the year to reward them for their business, and RBTT executives report they are very pleased with their choice.

For those that missed this wonderfully stimulating presentation, Boender will be back in the region in January as the keynote speaker for the annual business dinner of the Curacao Chamber of Commerce, and welcomes challenges, which he dubs 'mind candy,' to which he can turn his acute, informed and original thinking, along with his energy and enthusiasm, which appear boundless."