With more than 400 million people visiting Pinterest every month, Pinterest holds a huge potential to increase and drive traffic but also to raise awareness in regards to interesting stories and streams of content. People are on Pinterest to try new things, save new ideas, and often to make their next purchase. Insights show that 85% of the users on Pinterest go to the platform when starting a new project.

Furthermore, the platform attracts mostly female users, as six out of ten pinners are women who are mainly interested in home decor and interior boards. Looking for and finding inspiration is Pinterest’s business model as it offers a huge variety of clickable boards, and its users have more than 200 billion pins saved which account for the credibility of the platform and makes it attractive for marketers and inspiration seekers. With over 28% of marketers using the platform for their business efforts, and 97% of searches on the platform being unbranded, there is a wide area of use for different purposes.

Pinterest is where people browse, discover and buy. Show up at the moment of inspiration, and take your audience from idea to “I did”.

– Pinterest Business

Another aspect worth highlighting is that building a community with Pinterest has become easier than it has ever been before. The platform is built upon interaction and is a two-way street. This makes it possible to build long-term relationships with your followers by, for example: following their accounts, commenting on similar content to yours, using the right keywords/hashtags, and matching your presence on Pinterest with all your other social media channels. If you want to step up your game even more, the option to pay for a “Pinterest ads account” will enable you to run ads on the platform, increasing your visibility and engagement rates even more.

People on Pinterest are eager for new ideas, which means they want to hear from you. Content from brands doesn’t interrupt on Pinterest – it inspires.

– Pinterest Business

When working with a Pinfluencer, there are various ways to go about it. The first option presents itself as a mere partnership between the brand and the Pinfluencer, resulting in the Pinfluencer sharing imagery and pictures from your brand portfolio/image bank thus redirecting traffic towards your brand and creating buzz. The second option incorporates the special delivery of imagery, directly created for you as the brand from the Pinfluencer. We are talking about content that has been solely created for the sake of promoting a specific product/service of your brand. A paid partnership that is being followed by many more creative ventures like this can create a satisfying relationship between both parties.

The world of marketing is changing, and creating a lasting impression as a brand is more important than ever before. Therefore, Pinterest offers a unique opportunity for lifestyle and fashion – brands to align with visual worlds that mirror their own aesthetics. Effects such as driving traffic of like-minded people and potential new brand enthusiasts can occur.

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Fashion Predictions

Home Predictions

Beauty Predictions

Kevin is the German Lifestyle Researcher at VOCAST. He has a degree in Fashion Journalism and Media, which makes him an expert in all things fashion and lifestyle. While he currently undergoes his second education in Marketing & Communication Design, he also established a strong interest in Social Media and Communication Strategy.

This August, the highly anticipated Vogue Scandinavia was launched. Comprising a whole region, the edition covers the Nordic countries of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. The magazine aims to be an emblem of modern Nordic fashion, combining elements from all the Nordic countries to highlight the characteristics of their unique fashion. 

Vogue is with its vast history and global impact considered a worldwide fashion authority. The power of Vogue and the impact of being featured in a Vogue magazine has acquainted the magazine a status of a guiding star for readers and brands to follow. Therefore, the launch of Vogue Scandinavia marks a significant moment in the Scandinavian fashion history.

By publishing Vogue Scandinavia in English, the magazine isn’t only made easy accessible for the Nordic countries, but worldwide. In addition to representing key features of Scandinavian fashion, the magazine takes a political stand on concerns and values of the Nordic region.

With its long history and establishment, Vogue Magazine has heavily influenced the development of the fashion magazine industry. Furthermore, its impact on fashion trends remains prevalent to this day. In 2009, The New York Times named Vogue “high fashion’s bible”.

The fashion industry is notorious for its environmental footprint; Vogue Scandinavia is hence putting a heavy emphasis on how one can lead a more modern and sustainable fashion consumption. This is not only represented through the content of the magazine, but in all levels of the production chain. Vogue Scandinavia is transparent in their sustainable processes, from how the paper of the magazine is locally sourced and produced in the Finnish woods, to how they have cut out plastic wrapping and gone for a more environmentally-safe wood fibre packaging.

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To further minimise waste and be more sustainable, Vogue Scandinavia will be the first edition of Vogue not to be sold in physical shops. Its 6 yearly issues are exclusively to be bought on the online Vogue Scandinavia platform. With the publishing industry becoming more digitalised, Vogue Scandinavia solely being represented online utilises the advantages of online platforms. Vogue Scandinavia aims to serve its readers as a three-dimensional experience consisting of look, smell and sound; scented paper and digitally sourced sound.

Sarah is the Lifestyle Researcher for the Danish market at VOCAST. She is very passionate about the fashion industry and along with her work at VOCAST she studies Communication at Copenhagen Business School.

Sara is the Norwegian Market Coordinator at VOCAST, responsible for Norwegian fashion and lifestyle research. When not at VOCAST, she studies Brand and Communications at Copenhagen Business School. Besides work and studies, she is a travel, music, and movie enthusiast.

Josefine is the Swedish Market Coordinator, responsible for the fashion and lifestyle research and coordination within the Swedish market. Alongside her work, at VOCAST she is finishing her studies in Communication Design & Media in Copenhagen.

Belgium: The country of chocolate, fries, and … fashion. Maybe not as tasty, but surely more than tasteful. Martin Margiela, Dries Van Noten, Raf Simons, and Ann Demeulemeester are just a few of the big names who rose to fame from the country’s main cities Antwerp and Brussels. Interior design doesn’t need to hide in the fashion industry’s shadow though. Belgians tend to love building and decorating their homes. Now you only need to localize your contacts and link them to the right language … A quick guide on how to navigate this little, but extremely diverse and interesting country.

Being such a small country, Belgium has still managed to put its stamp on the international fashion scene. Martin Margiela was a pioneer who rose to fame from Antwerp and you probably have heard of Raf Simons who’s been the creative director of Calvin Klein, Dior, and now Prada. Then names like Ann Demeulemeester and Dries Van Noten probably also ring a bell: Part of the Antwerp Six, highly influential graduates from Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts.

Although Antwerp remains the Belgian fashion capital, the country’s actual capital definitely played and continues to play an important role in the country’s fashion history as a bustling city with creative ateliers and boutiques in the presence of inspiring artists like the surrealist René Magritte.

The popularity of Belgian fashion doesn’t reflect as much on its interior design. However, the saying goes that Belgians have a brick in their stomach’, pointing to their desire to build their own homes.

Needless to say that there is an audience for home interior products. According to a Santander market analysis, Belgians spend more than 6% of their household budget on their homes in the form of furnishings and maintenance, which is more than what they spend on fashion which trails behind with around 4%. Moreover, the report states that there’s a growing market for gastronomy, gardening, and home decoration and maintenance (1).

However, Belgium is a patchwork of languages, cultures, preferences, and attitudes, so it is hard to present a single, clear-cut profile and approach. Instead, we present you with some things to bear in mind when figuring out who you want to reach out to and from which locality in the country you’d best do this.

1. Choose your language: Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French, and German – but with Brussels being the capital of Europe, it’s not unlikely to catch some English there too.

Flanders, the northern and Dutch-speaking part of the country, has the biggest population (58%), Wallonia, the southern part, is less populated (31%) and is mainly French-speaking with a small German-speaking community in the east. Finally, the capital region Brussels (which is located in Flanders) has 11% of the population, and communication in the city tends to be in both main languages (Dutch and French).

The main cities are Antwerp and Brussels. Depending on which community they’re from, Belgians’ will have different preferences and habits – with Flemish people leaning closer to The Netherlands than the Walloons, and the latter being closer to the French landscape than the northern citizens.

Most websites catering to the Belgian market have both French and Dutch versions, which is very important. Belgians often shop and explore across the border, also virtually with about 40% of online sales originating abroad, mainly in The Netherlands, France, and Germany (2).

2. Build trust: As opposed to their neighbors in The Netherlands, Belgians are less direct, more formal, and reserved. They prefer to listen and take their time to build a more personal relationship with business partners before making a deal. Take this into account when reaching out to Belgian press or customers: They will appreciate an informal register as long as you’re not making too many spelling mistakes and you stick to business rather than superficial chit-chat.

3. Sustainability: Belgians are very climate-conscious. They love to support their local vendors and consume organic, fresh, traceable products. When you talk to them about your sustainable product or service, fun and fluff won’t cut it. Be sure to get your facts and terminology straight.

Compared to The Netherlands where social media penetration is very high at 88%, Belgium is growing and has more room for growth at 76% (3). The most popular platform is still Facebook with more than 81% users, followed by YouTube at 80%. Then Instagram has over 53% users, while Pinterest has about 30%.

TikTok grew massively: from barely 9% of the internet users on the platform in 2020 to 21,4% in 2021 (3). Although e-commerce is growing in Belgium, Santander notes that 25% of Belgian internet users have adblocks, which actually is as high as 47% for the younger population. As Santander writes in its report, Belgians are more likely to learn about products and services through social media and actively look for those.

Belgian titles and channels are controlled by just a few large media houses. In Flanders these are DPG Media, Mediahuis and Roularta. The latter also holds French-speaking titles. In Wallonia Groupe Rossel is a major player.

There are the Dutch (VRT) and French-speaking (RTBF) public television and radio channels too, and in Wallonia, people tend to tap into French channels as well.

Wided is the Lifestyle Researcher for the Belgian and Dutch markets at VOCAST. She’s a Belgian editor and author with a background in journalism. In London, she established a career in digital marketing for fashion and interior design brands. When she’s not working or studying for her Master’s, you’ll find her in front of a canvas, paintbrushes in hand.

Dutch Design is the national pride of The Netherlands and the subject of international praise. It is the umbrella term for the country’s design æsthetics and its popularity explains why VOCAST offers insights into the versatile market with a wide array of (niche) relevant contact segments. Dutch Design covers interior design and art, but The Netherlands are also important players in the global fashion scene. Now how should you best engage with this market of which the residents are characterized by their authenticity and direct attitude? A quick, clear guide to Dutch (Design) thinking.

Dutch Design is more than just a reference to its country of origin. The term covers Dutch interior design and art æsthetics and is known for being innovative, minimalistic, experimental, quirky, and humorous.

When it comes to innovation, sustainability has come to take up a bigger role. After all, Dutch design is characterized by offering more than just a practical purpose: it tells a story. Great contemporary examples of furniture and interior design brands carrying out the Dutch spirit are Studio HENK, Home Stock, Zuiver, and Moooi.

But the country leaves a mark on the fashion world too. Think of Daily Paper which is one of the most influential streetwear brands of the moment. Great designers like Iris van Herpen and Viktor & Rolf paved the way.

Moreover, Dutch brands like Oilily, G-Star, and Scotch & Soda became part of the mainstream. In fact, according to Creative Holland, the Dutch fashion industry employs more than 20.000 people and covers a consumer market of around 10 billion euros. The country counts more than 20.000 physical stores and customers get their hands on their favorite designs through online channels more than ever too (1).

Yet, there isn’t one ultimate Dutch fashion identity, Maaike Feitsma argued in her 2014 research. It is always changing and developing, moving between the stereotype of functionality, simplicity in line with the Dutch adversity for showing off, and the seemingly opposing bright, colorful, and expressive style (2).

Despite the mix of both overlapping and contradicting styles, there are elements that connect and characterize the Dutch and their design. Bearing those in mind, we proceed with a little guide to Dutch communication.

The Netherlands topped the global 2020 EF English Proficiency Index (3) which means that the Dutch are the best non-native English speakers, they also have a long and rich history in international trade and love online shopping in foreign webshops (4).

But this doesn’t mean you can kick up your feet and let the magic happen. If you want to conquer the Dutch market (and hearts), you’ll have to embrace the Dutch attitude and answer their need for authenticity and directness:

1. Honesty is key

The Dutch are known to be very direct and appreciate it when others make themselves clear in simple terms too. So in your messaging targeting The Netherlands, be sure to simply get to the point, no fluff. When emailing your Dutch contacts, you can address them informally as the informal register is gaining popularity.

Only if your customer base is older or you know they prefer a formal approach, you can choose for that (5). Moreover, the Dutch don’t show off, nor do they like it when others do. Don’t take yourself too seriously, add a touch of humor as long as the communication stays straightforward. People don’t tend to invest in luxury items to show how wealthy they are, it is more a matter of taste and self-expression. Be sure to focus on the latter with an authentic, honest story and you’ll have loyal customers in return.

2. Be on time

When it comes to managing their time, Dutch people are very strict. They rarely work overtime and they like to plan social gatherings weeks in advance. Because about a third of the Dutch start their day by checking their emails, this is a great way to get in touch. However, if you want to invite someone to an event and actually want them to show up, make sure to ask them largely ahead of time so they can make space for you in their calendar – people aren’t too keen on canceling plans last minute (5).

3. Stand for something

The Netherlands is the second-largest agricultural exporter in the world, which means sustainability is quite naturally on their mind. However, figures show that the Dutch are lagging behind globally when it comes to making sustainable choices – simply because they don’t necessarily want to pay more for it than for other products and services (5).

Because it’s nonetheless an important matter to the Dutch, you can focus eg. on the packaging. Pwc’s March 2021 Global Consumer Insights Pulse Survey’s section on sustainability, shows the highest commitment of the Dutch when it comes to intentionally buying items with eco-friendly or less packaging (38%) and buying items from companies conscious and supportive of protecting the environment (35%) (6).

This reminds us of the importance of a brand’s narrative in The Netherlands.

With the rise in online shopping comes the growing relevance of influencer marketing. Even before the pandemic, some influencers grew out to become true celebrities, think of eg. the Dutch-Iranian beauty entrepreneur, presenter, and fashion blogger Anna Nooshin (near 1 million followers), or YouTube make-up star NikkieTutorials (14.7 million followers).

Lockdowns and social distancing definitely also helped the social network TikTok reach amazing heights. According to Emerce, in The Netherlands, it went from 2 million to 4.5 million users in the past year alone (7). If you want to find out more on how to reach a broader audience and include more of Gen Z, read our TikTok feature and explore our curated TikTok lists.

When communicating with a Dutch audience on social media, it’s important to keep the previously mentioned pointers in mind. Unfiltered content is a big win in The Netherlands. Think of influencer Rianne Meijer, now part of Zalando’s Activists of Optimism campaign. She’s a great example of Dutch authenticity mixed with a good dose of fun with her Instagram vs. reality content.

A general development, again quite driven by Gen Z voices, is the use of their social platforms to bring positive change, communicating and doing something meaningful (7). As previously mentioned, as a brand you can stand out if you stand for something and you can connect with influencers who relate to your message and ideas.

Despite being a bit behind on the global sustainability movement, The Netherlands does have some influencers with a climate-conscious voice, whom you can find in our niche curated lists too. For eg., Nina Pierson shares authentic content about motherhood.

The Dutch media landscape is dominated by five big players: the Dutch public broadcaster NPO, DPG Media which used to be De Persgroep, and since April 2020 also owns Sanoma Media, Talpa Network, Mediahuis, and RTL Group. These large companies own most of the Dutch media brands, including the most popular news services NU.nl, NOS, AD, De Telegraaf, and RTL Nieuws (8).

However, only two of them – the Belgian Mediahuis and DPG Media – hold more than 85% of the print market, while three players hold around 75% of the radio and television markets.

Wided is the Lifestyle Researcher for the Belgian and Dutch markets at VOCAST. She’s a Belgian editor and author with a background in journalism. In London, she established a career in digital marketing for fashion and interior design brands. When she’s not working or studying for her Master’s, you’ll find her in front of a canvas, paintbrushes in hand.

Norway is one of the selected markets coordinated by VOCAST. On our platform, you can find curated lists within fashion, home interior, and lifestyle to help you conquer the Norwegian market. Here are which tendencies and traditions currently shape the consumption patterns in the Nordic country:

Although the Norwegian market is smaller than its Scandinavian neighbors Sweden and Denmark, the country has a significant impact across lifestyle markets. As the capital, the biggest city, and business center, Oslo naturally serves as the country’s fashion and interior central. Oslo has been reported by Vogue to be a fastly growing style destination, and its fashion week, Oslo Runway has gathered the attention of a large international fashion audience.

As more and more acknowledged, recognizable brands emerge, and with Scandinavian design in the spotlight, we can only expect to see more of Norway as a fashion destination. Additionally, as part of the Scandinavian region, Norway has well-established traditions when it comes to home interior. The nation is home to several design classics, for instance, Brattrud’s Scandia chair, that remain prevalent to this day.

Norwegians are avid shoppers and spend a large amount of their income on updating their wardrobes. They also invest in their home environments: Norwegians are world-leading when it comes to home renovations and improvements.

This is both due to a large homeownership ratio and a nationwide interest in interior design. Within recent years, certain new and notable consumption tendencies have emerged. Norwegian consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental footprint of their choices, leading many to value sustainable materials and brands more than before.

We can thus see a slight shift away from the traditional mass consumption of fast fashion, to an increasing desire to invest in pieces that will last season after season. Norwegians have an increasing interest in knowing where the products they buy are sourced, and the story and vision behind them. Brands can thus benefit from having a transparent communication of vision and values.

Moreover, being a country deeply rooted in outdoor nature traditions, Norwegians appreciate functionality and durability, both in their clothing and home goods. This is needed to tackle the Nordic climate and maintain flexibility to complete everyday life duties.

The more functional and purposeful a piece of clothing is, the more likely it is to be worn again and again. As reuse and repurpose of clothing is ever-growing, this will be a growing tendency within the market. This is reflected in the large amount of highly valued sportswear brands rooted in Norway.

Compared to its modest population, Norway has an established influencer scene. Norwegians are generally savvy with technology and digital media; digital influencers have therefore had a prominent role in the media landscape for over a decade.

Nowadays, most influencers have shifted from the traditional blog platform, which previously was the go-to channel, to mainly focus on Instagram. Here, the scene is rich and boasts a large selection of voices with significant reach and influence.

Among the younger and more newly established forces, TikTok has become the platform from which the largest audience is gained. Ultimately, the Norwegian influencer landscape is certainly one to keep an eye on many profiles that have a large, international following while still maintaining a solid footing and influence over the Norwegian lifestyle market.

This is exemplified through the model, influencer, and vocal advocate Rawdah Mohamed, who has used her platform to establish herself in the fashion industry while simultaneously speaking her mind. She was in 2021 appointed the prestigious position as the Norwegian Fashion Editor at Vogue Scandinavia, making her one of the most powerful profiles in the Norwegian fashion industry.

The Norwegian lifestyle media landscape is small and interrelated. Many of the biggest magazines are owned by a few, large publishing houses. Therefore, if you get in touch with one editor, the road is short to become acquainted with more. Some editors manage numerous magazines at once and are therefore heavily connected contacts worth keeping an eye on.

Additionally, the Norwegian publishing sector is eminently connected with those of Sweden and Denmark. This is evident through publications like the newly established Vogue Scandinavia, which is scheduled to launch in August 2021.

Sara is the Norwegian Market Coordinator at VOCAST, responsible for Norwegian fashion and lifestyle research. When not at VOCAST, she studies Brand and Communications at Copenhagen Business School. Besides work and studies, she is a travel, music and movie enthusiast.