Jeroen Meulman on effective brand communication: ‘When you amplify what you know matters to your audience, they show up. They buy. They stick around.’

With two consecutive nominations as one of the most influential people in the business, the introduction of takeaway brand communication, plus a brand new collaborative data-driven service called Customer Clarity, brand correspondent Jeroen Meulman (51) is shaping his well-connected one-man brand Biarritz into a modern-day specialist agency that crafts brand communication that crowds love, crews treasure, and competitors envy.


Desirée Kolman March 6 2025, 8:00

When we first met, you literally told me my brand name sucked, and I talked too much in my writing. I thought: this guy must be either utterly insane or genuinely good at what he does. Were you intentionally being rude or just brutally honest?

'Hahaha. What can I say? I like to make an entrance. But in my defense, I got your attention, right? I mean, here we are.'

'And for the record: I wasn’t being rude, or at least not trying to be. I was being brutally honest—and as a brand correspondent, that’s my job: to tell it like it is, whisper when I can, and shout with purpose. Even if it’s uncomfortable.'

'In this case, I was trying to get you out of your comfort zone to make you shape your story. When I read about your ideas and approach, I jumped in my seat. I absolutely loved it. Your concept storytelling merely needed some tightening up.'

Well, it worked. So, let’s let the readers decide for themselves whether you deal in madness or brand magic by letting you spill some of your trade secrets.

'Shoot!'

First, can you explain the differences between messaging and copy?

'Sure. Let’s put it like this: Messaging is the overarching strategy—the core ideas, themes, and positioning that define how a brand communicates its value. It sets the tone, direction, and key points that should consistently come through across all channels. Think of it as the blueprint for what you want people to know, feel, and remember about your brand. Your messaging shapes and guides your brand voice.'

'Copy is the execution—it’s the specific words, sentences, and storytelling techniques used to bring that messaging to life. It’s how messaging gets translated into web copy, blogs, newsletters, social posts, and more. So, messaging is strategic; copy is tactical. Let me give you an example:

I started Biarritz out of a firm belief that too many brands see brand communication as a megaphone, shouting sales pitches to bored and uninspired crowds. Any idiot with a marketing budget can buy airtime or an ad in a newspaper, right?'

True.

'Thank you for the interaction on a high level there. Well, I believe brands should earn attention rather than buy it. So, Biarritz’s messaging is that I help clients attract and connect with the right crowd, preferably through owned and shared media and zero media budget. Biarritz’s copy translates that message to the pay-off:

“Don’t pay for attention. Play for a paying crowd.”

So, messaging sets the stage. Copy makes it stick. That’s the game.’

Got it. So, with AI making great writers of us all: Why do brands need a copywriter?

'Brands do not need a copywriter. Brands need a legit copywriter with a pulse.'

'A legit copywriter is your last line of defense between blending in and standing out—between drowning in a sea of sameness and connecting with your specific crowd and moving the right people.’

’Because a legit copywriter does what great marketing is all about, and what AI inherently sucks at: differentiate and create emotional connections.’

'The problem with AI is that people were smart enough to invent it, dumb enough to need it, and rarely skilled enough to use it properly. Just because AI writes better than you doesn’t make it the go-to tool for building brands or crafting brand communication that stands out.'

'Chatbots don’t build tribes. AI doesn’t inspire movements. If your words don’t move people, your brand won’t move either.’

‘Great marketing needs great minds who get that and find ways to amplify what makes you different, not machines pretending to do the work for you. At the end of the day, this marketing truth still stands: 

Going down the easy road makes you easy to compete with.
Going down the hard road makes you hard to compete with.
Choose the hard road.'

Where does a top-notch creative copywriter truly add value?

‘What makes brands great is belief. And belief needs a voice. Without words that inspire, that challenge, that stick in your brain and refuse to leave, you’re just selling a product or service.'

'Your copy is where your strategy meets execution. A legit copywriter is the difference between marketing that works and marketing that wastes money. You can spend millions on reach, but if your message is generic, you’re burning cash.'

'A great copywriter doesn’t just describe a brand; they define what it means. They attract target audiences and move people by telling what it stands for. What the line in the sand is. If you don’t have all that, you don’t have a brand—just a stapled stack of processes and a name on a box.'

‘A top-tier copywriter translates positioning into something customers give a damn about. They understand the brand, the consumer, and the market—but more importantly, they know how to make people understand the product or service and make them feel something. If they don’t feel it, they don’t buy it. Simple as that.'

According to you, what’s the difference between a long-form writer and a copywriter?

'Hahaha, careful now, you're opening a can of worms here. When it comes to this age-old verbal fistfight between long-form writers and copywriters, the jury is still out.’

‘Here's my take: a long-form writer tells a story. A copywriter sells one. For the record: each has their place in your marketing strategy, and I love and do both. Hence why I call myself a ‘brand correspondent’, rather than a copywriter.'

'Think of a long-form writer as a creator of worlds. He or she explores ideas and dives deep. Long-form writing thrives on nuance, context, and patience. A reader enters on their terms and—if it’s written well—stays for the journey.'

'Copywriting? No such luxury. It’s a game of speed and impact. You have seconds—maybe less—to grab attention and make your point. You need to kill darlings and trim fat to make every word earn its place. Copywriting is storytelling under pressure, with one ruthless goal: to move people.'

'That's why copywriting is my weapon of choice when I need to grab attention instantly. Like when the audience is cold or distracted, and I need to drive a specific action, like ‘click here,’ ‘sign up there,’ or ‘buy now.’'

'I use long-form when I need depth—to educate, entertain, or build authority. Or when I need to create an emotional connection through rich narrative and brand storytelling.'

'Short sells. Long builds. That’s the difference. The best brand correspondents know when to slow down, when to speed up, and—most importantly—when to shut up.'

But isn’t long-form dead? Everything must be short now because people don’t like to read anymore, right?

'Oh, come on! Can I please elaborate on that? First, there’s absolutely zero scientific evidence that people today don’t enjoy reading like they used to. If anything, the rise of long-form content like articles and podcasts proves people do engage deeply with content as long as it’s valuable.'

'People today aren’t ‘lazy,’
they’re uninspired.’

Nike's brilliant, 1-minute-long Super Bowl ad proves that people will watch anything over 30 seconds if the content speaks to them. If a story grips you, you go all in. As a brand correspondent, that’s your job—grab them, pull them in, and make them hungry for more. If your audience doesn’t read or interact with your whitepaper or blog, it’s probably because you don't make them feel anything. Be better.'

In our collaboration we combine raw data with creative copy. Where do the two intersect?

'I love this question. Think of it like this: Customer research is the compass, but creative copy is the wind. You need both to move forward. Rely too much on research, and you’ll sail in circles. Trust only your gut, and your valuable findings will drift aimlessly.'

'My job in our entrepreneurial exercise is to crack the insight you dig up open in a way no one expects. The reason I love this combo, is because the best creative copy comes from tension—between what the data suggests, what instinct demands and what your gut is telling you.’

‘That’s why groundbreaking copy that sticks is almost never born in scheduled focus groups. Great copy mostly shows up unannounced—over coffee, during a walk with the dog, in the middle of the night.'

'So, to answer your question: Where do research and creativity meet? Right at the edge of the unexpected.'

For the past two years, marketing peers and Marketing Report have publicly named you one of the most influential people in the business. How did you discover your superpower and get into this field?

'Alright, let’s fire up the wayback machine. It all started with reading. You can’t be a writer without loving to read—period. Writers become great by reading the greats. As a kid, Stephen King lit my fuse.'

'I found my writing voice through the raw truths of the Beat Poets and the writers they inspired—Salinger, Kerouac, Burroughs, Hunter S. Thompson, Bukowski. Even Anthony Bourdain. Most know him as a traveling chef, but man, that guy could write.'

'As a writer, sometimes you find the story, and sometimes the story finds you. One day, I stumbled across one of music’s oldest urban myths—the conspiracy that Paul McCartney died in a 1966 car crash and was secretly replaced by a lookalike to keep the Beatles money train going. I was hooked.’

‘The problem was every source I found was drenched in nonsense and conspiracy ramblings. Amateur writers were doing a poor job in convincing me why it could be true. Whereas that question, to me, was the least interesting part of this insane myth. So, I decided to break it down myself—no ‘true or false’ debate, just a clear-eyed look at the so-called clues and why this myth refuses to die.'

'I published it online, expecting maybe 1,000 people to care. Instead, it blew up—50,000 readers in no time. And they weren’t just reading; they were reaching out, thanking me for the clarity, the wit, the storytelling. One Sunday morning, I got a Skype call from one of George Harrison’s ex-girlfriends. She told me it was the best piece she’d ever read on the topic.'

'My raw, hard-hitting writing style landed me a column in a local magazine. That got picked up by a local agency. When their senior copywriter suggested to team up, I said ‘Hell yeah.’ And I never looked back.'

What was the main obstacle you encountered starting out, and how did you overcome it? 

'The rookie mistakes of almost every copywriter is thinking smart words are what make great copy. They’re not. I was fortunate to be surrounded by great creative minds who taught me that great copy isn’t about writing—it’s about understanding the psychology, the emotion, the tension.’

‘Beginners focus on being clever. Pros focus on being clear.'

What did those same people learn from you?

'Hopefully that sometimes, a great strategy or campaign starts with a phrase that sticks. A truth that punches you in the gut. A line that won’t let go.'

‘And hopefully that strategy without clarity is noise, and design without persuasion is decoration. We’re not in the business of making art. Clients pay us to build, shape, and grow their brands, shift perception, or turn indifference into obsession. Sometimes with a single sentence.

What do you consider successful cases that showcase the impact of your work?

‘It’s impossible to answer that without honoring the brilliant strategists, creative directors, and designers I often get to work with. Success is often a shared success.’

‘That said, I used to think I’d love working on big-brand campaigns with six-figure budgets. But over time, I realized I enjoy working with founders and limited budgets more. I like sitting down with entrepreneurs who, like me, once lost sleep over a business idea, said ‘screw it, let’s do it,’ went to the Chamber of Commerce and made it real. I love the immediate feedback on their faces when my idea clicks with their vision.’

‘One case that stands out is the merger of two leading legal management consultancies: French All Blue and Dutch W Consultants. They wanted a new name and brand identity, but it was clear to me they were two strong, independent brands. So, instead of forcing a total reset with an all-new name, I wanted to keep it recognizable. I wrote both names on a whiteboard, shuffled the letters, and that's how 'All Blue' and 'W' became Blue Wall. A name that honored both legacies while creating something new. I never saw their financials, but they’ve since moved into a bigger office, so I’m assuming it worked.

I love that. Let's meet some good people and get to work.

'Hey ho, let's go!'