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Spargle meets Niels Vonk
Inspiration: Andrew Davis and Peter Hinssen
Podcast: ‘The friday move’ by BNR
“Do nothing, and you get nothing – put in effort, and you’ll see results”
You have been placed on a project at KPN by Spargle. What is your role?
In my role with KPN’s Team Digital, I’m focusing on building a scalable content strategy model to support their digital goals. My goal is to lay the groundwork for sustainable growth across departments, rather than creating the content itself. This means ensuring that the right content reaches the right person at the right time, supported by smart processes, tools, and internal collaboration. We want to upgrade digital awareness within the company and to do that I think it is always important to make a model you can scale.
By a scalable model, I mean creating a system that doesn’t just rely on the skills of a few people because people often grow within the organization or eventually move on. To keep producing great content consistently, you need a solid foundation that isn’t dependent on one person. With this current development in personalization, we now have lots of different target groups, which means a need for a lot of different content. The solution isn’t to expand the content team by a factor of ten, but to work smarter with processes, tools and AI. Instead of looking for one perfect piece of content, we want to produce ten solid pieces that can each speak to the different groups.
What are the biggest challenges within that?
Challenges are always part of the work, especially as a freelancer coming into an organization. There’s already a history before I arrive and a future that will continue after I leave, so it’s never a blank slate to start from. My added value is the ability to adapt quickly—to assess what’s already in place, understand the goals, and figure out how I can help move the organization toward those goals.
One big challenge in large corporations is that there’s often no single, centralized owner when it comes to digital content. Many different people have a stake in it, so you have to quickly find your way and avoid assuming you know it all. Connecting with the right people internally is important to make progress. Patience is also key. Sometimes you see a solution that seems obvious and you want to act quickly, but that’s not how it works. It’s about taking things step by step, working as a team. You cannot set the direction alone. It’s a team effort, and while that can be challenging, it’s also an advantage. Companies like KPN are filled with smart people, and it’s rewarding to work with them.
How did you get into contact with Spargle? How did you get where you are now?
I’ve known Spargle for quite some time, going back to my agency days about ten years ago. Back then, I often saw Spargle involved with different companies, delivering great senior talent. When I later moved into freelancing, I worked with various agencies, and Spargle was one of the connections I kept. I reached out to Mitch like, “Hey Mitch, this is who I am, these are my skills. Maybe there’s a chance to work together sometime.” You never know who’s going to call, but I like to be proactive, so occasionally I’d check in with Mitch to see what was going on. This time, it led to a great opportunity at KPN. He gave me the opportunity and brought me to the table with the hiring manager at KPN and the rest is history!
What did you study? How did that impact your career?
Well, your studies are really the first step toward a certain direction. I first finished my study at the HVA, coop HEAO, communications and Marketing. At the time, there was an option to work and study simultaneously, which allowed me to gain hands-on experience with large companies like Randstad and Renault while still in school. It was a very practical approach, and after that, I got my Master at the VU university, Policy, Communication and Organization.
One of the lessons from my studies was that you get out what you put in. No one hands you anything, you have to take ownership. In college, no one cares if you don’t put in the work. Do nothing, and you get nothing – put in effort, and you’ll see results. I learned that early on, and it’s shaped how I approach my career now. You have to own your responsibilities, deliver consistently, and make smart choices. If the timing is right, success tends to follow.
It’s also true that when you engage fully, opportunities seem to come your way. There were parts of my studies that I didn’t enjoy, but I knew they were necessary to reach my goal and earn my degree, which allowed me to move forward. That was quite a while ago (early 2000s, actually) but I think it’s always interesting to look back and see how those experiences shaped the path to where you are now.
“Opportunities can be created. You can influence your path by stepping in the right direction, but you can’t always predict what the second, third, or fourth step will be. […] If the possibilities are not there, you need to create them.”
Did you always know you would be doing this or did you have something else in mind?
No, there’s never been a big, set plan for my life. It’s more about following the things I like to do, and sometimes things unfold in ways you don’t foresee. If you break it down, step by step, looking back at how I ended up here, you see that a lot of it is due to coincidence. Though what I do know is that I have certain strengths and interests in areas like digital, business and management. I’ve developed those strengths because they give me energy. Over time, that becomes your path. You find yourself at a company like KPN, but who knows what comes next? I’ll be able to look back and see how all the dots connect, from speaking with Mitch or another manager to having a chance encounter at a conference. You never really know what will be the game changer that leads to the next step.
So you are really good at following your gut?
Yes and no. It’s also opportunity based. Of course, you have a vision and dreams of where you want to go, but you also need to be practical. Opportunities can be created. You can influence your path by stepping in the right direction, but you can’t always predict what the second, third, or fourth step will be. And you have to be flexible there. If the possibilities are not there, you need to create them. During the pandemic, when opportunities dried up, I didn’t sit still. I started a new B2B loyalty label, helping agencies focus on loyalty with their clients through webinars, workshops and coaching. You have to create opportunities, not just wait for them to come to you.
What felt risky during the pandemic?
For many freelancers, it was a time of uncertainty. I was working on a contract, and when everything shut down, my contract was also canceled. You can sit at home for a month or two, but after six or eight months of no openings, it gets challenging. That’s when you need to get creative. Constraints push you to think outside the box and find new ways forward. One of those ways was focusing on loyalty, a niche market that many overlook. While sales are the obvious focus because they’re more visible, there’s a huge opportunity in growing your existing clients. You can potentially make your clients three or four times as valuable, but you need to focus on that. Too often, client growth is left to chance, and coincidence is a risky factor in business. By reducing the element of coincidence and creating a focused strategy, you minimize risk. That’s what my loyalty label does.
What connection do you see between content and loyalty?
There’s definitely overlap. Take scaling in content, for example. Many companies do one-off campaigns during the year, but I believe in a lifeline rather than a timeline. When a customer starts with a brand, they go through different phases: onboarding, the honeymoon period, becoming a user, and eventually being more engaged and inspired. At each of these stages, customers are open to different kinds of content. It’s about creating relevant experiences for them at that given moment, not just running a campaign at a set time. You can build content that’s always available and adaptable, without constantly changing it. It starts with the customer journey, not with a timeline. When creating content, it can become part of a constant flow – content that’s always on, always relevant.
“When I’m in a job or in a gathering, you’re always looking around and you see some energy from someone or you see some answers or attitude or knowledge and you say, okay, do I have that? Do I want that? And that can be an inspiration for you.”
What kind of trends do you see in the next year or two?
There’s a lot happening, and AI is definitely a huge factor everyone is noticing. But not all companies are ready to jump on every trend yet. Some are quite advanced, while others are a bit behind. The biggest challenges I see are around personalization and contextualization. We’ll be creating more content, but people will actually see less of it or just what’s relevant to their specific context, thanks to data we have on them. So, it’s becoming much more personalized, even individualized in some cases. When you’re in an app, we know certain things about you. When you visit a website from a particular source, we know even more, which allows us to be relevant. When you’re relevant, you can offer the right information or the right touchpoint to help someone take the next step.
To do this well, companies need strong processes, digital awareness, and a deep understanding of the customer, who now expects everything to be instant, like with Amazon, Bol.com, or other smart apps. Expectations are high; people want immediate responses and next-day deliveries. But not every company or country can keep up with this pace, so companies need to adapt quickly. This isn’t just about tech, though – it’s also about people and processes. You can buy and implement technology, but there has to be a shift in mindset throughout the entire organization. These are the main elements that, I believe, will bring breakthroughs in the coming year.
What’s also interesting is that algorithms are evolving rapidly. With personalization, like with AI, there’s great potential to create more content quickly. But there’s a question of quality: who’s working with AI, and how are they using it? Many companies are deploying AI and algorithms to get personalized content to the right person at the right time. Right now, you’re often making content for AI rather than with it.
What or who inspires you?
There’s not a one answer question because when you look around, there are so many people you meet that are interesting, and when you’re open, you can learn so much. When I’m in a job or in a gathering, you’re always looking around and you see some energy from someone or you see some answers or attitude or knowledge and you say, okay, do I have that? Do I want that? And that can be an inspiration for you. And I’ve got a ton of managers I worked for and I learned a lot from each of them in positive ways and also in negative ways. There’s also my wife, who knows me the best of all, and my four kids, which are the mirror to yourself. You learn a lot of good and bad ways with your children as well.
There are always people that stand out in certain areas, for example I like to speak in public. And there are some real professionals out there, I always learned a lot from Andrew Davis and Peter Hinssen, because the angles they find are very original. The buildup of the story, the balance between the sheerness and humour, the timing, the ease when they have to talk, it’s all next level. And there are a lot more, but to see them in real life at an event, it’s impressive.
Are there podcasts or books that you really like?
A few years ago, I bought an e-reader, which was one of my best purchases ever. I also subscribed to Kobo Plus, so now I have a ton of books lined up, and I try to read a bit before bed or in the morning. I really enjoy books about people who either succeed or go through significant downfalls, as well as books on companies that either thrive or struggle. I also like to keep up with current events, and with Russia being in the news a lot, I’ve been reading books by Dutch author Pieter Drinkwater, who has lived in Russia for a long time and writes from that unique perspective. His work has really helped broaden my view. That’s one of the great things about having an e-reader: it introduces you to a lot of interesting new material.
I also have a tendency to fill my time with different podcasts, one of the pioneers was Tim Ferris, he gave me so many jewels. I also like to listen to the Friday Move of BNR. I have a few favorites, and whenever I’m driving, running, ironing, or heading to work, I use that time to listen and learn. People often advise you to embrace the silence, but I always like to be listening and learning something new.
