Pieter Voogt makes it in Tilburg

PauwR has reinvented itself several times already. That's how it works, if you want to be at the forefront of the online business. Together with fellow internet companies in Tilburg, PauwR belongs to the top in the Netherlands. And everyone should know that. That's why they came up with a joint label: U:MAINL.Y

In a former manufacturer's house that long served as a notary's office, there is now a hanging table against a backdrop of graffiti. Here, 30 digital marketers advise clients such as Hero, Expert and Voetbal International on how best to spend their advertising budget online.

PauwR likes to count itself at the forefront. At the start in 2003, the agency was one of the first to focus on increasing the findability of customers on Google. The company was also at the forefront when it specialised in digital marketing. It was not for nothing that PauwR won two nominations and a prize at the Dutch Search Awards 2016.

Sharing knowledge

The agency was also one of the first to employ an economic psychologist. She provides psychological marketing tips to anyone who wishes to do so on a weekly basis. 

PauwR believes in sharing knowledge. The company does this in many ways, including with web developers, advertising, communication and (social) media agencies. A large part of the turnover comes from this partner network. Founder Pieter Voogt explains how that works: "Oh, are you doing this? That's exactly what a customer is looking for from me."

In order to update their own knowledge, the entire PauwR team travelled to Dublin at the beginning of 2016 to visit Google and Twitter, among others. This fits in perfectly with an agency where employee satisfaction is paramount. The digital marketers will have a lot of responsibility and plenty of room to develop. Voogt: "These are important values for the generation Y that works here, people between the ages of 23 and 33."

Online talent

It is important to retain good staff in an industry where employers are always looking for online talent. This search was one of the reasons why Voogt and others founded UMAINLY at the beginning of 2014, a joint venture between twelve Tilburg-based online agencies. One of the objectives is to recruit good staff together. 

UMAINLY is also a brand. "We want to show that Tilburg has beautiful agencies that make beautiful things for big customers," says Voogt. "Up to now, this has not come across enough." He thinks that Tilburg people are too modest for that. 

Online agencies from other cities are impressed by the partnership. "But for us it was a logical step", says Voogt. Tilburg agencies are used to meeting each other and playing balls to each other. According to him, this is in the DNA of the city. "It's only when you tell others that you realize how special it is."