Campaign to sharpen image of Flanders’ entrepreneurs
A new campaign is out to show that local small-business owners are rich in passion and integrity
Countering stereotypes
Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (Vlaio) is offering training in media relations to businesses as part of Ondernemers voor iedereen (Entrepreneurs for Everybody), a new campaign focussing on the value of being a small business owner, minister Philippe Muyters has announced.
The four-year campaign is in co-operation with employers organisations Voka and Unizo and Flanders DC, which supports creative enterprise. The aim of the campaign is to stress the positive impact of entrepreneurs on society and dispel some of the stereotypes.
“In TV programmes like The Sky is the Limit, the clichés about businessmen are piled high,” said Muyters, referring to the Flemish reality show featuring the more flamboyant characteristics of some of the region’s most wealthy entrepreneurs. “All due respect to those people, but those are not the entrepreneurs I know.”
Prior to becoming the government’s economy and innovation minister, Muyters was the managing director of Voka, Flanders’ chamber of commerce.
The training will help business people become more media savvy, explained Flanders DC director Pascal Cools. “How entrepreneurs present themselves to the outside world and the translation of their stories by the media determine the wider perception of entrepreneurship,” he said.
“Entrepreneurs are often very hard-working people who are trying to make a difference,” said Muyters. “I think it’s important to show that side of the picture.”
That view is confirmed by a study conducted by Vlerick Business School, in which nearly half of all entrepreneurs said they were in it to make a difference to society, with sustainability an important dimension of their work. Others work regularly as a volunteer or offer their services free to non-profit organisations.
The same study showed that 54% of people in Flanders see successful business people as having status and respect, while in neighbouring countries, the percentage is 70% or more.
The campaign also features a TV ad, a road show touring 13 municipalities, a TV programme to be broadcast next year and the website, which gathers the stories of selected entrepreneurs.
Photo: Murielle Scherre, founder and designer for La Fille d’O lingerie in Ghent, one of many entrepreneurs featured in the new campaign
©Fashion One/YouTube
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