Once again, from BusinessWeek (you can tell I read it a lot), a closer look at shops in Amsterdam, which are gathering momentum with global clients:
Why Amsterdam? The city’s openness and bicycle-to-work lifestyle helps attract talent, as do a vibrant design scene and a cosmopolitan mix of people. “Amsterdam allows us to be in touch with the world without being swallowed up by any particular culture,” says Brian Elliott, a founder of StrawberryFrog. One hallmark of Amsterdam TV ads is little or no dialogue, so nothing gets lost in translation. For instance, Wieden + Kennedy’s “happiness factory” spot, running in scores of markets worldwide, conjures an animated fantasy world inside a Coke vending machine—with no words.