Interview with Ben Braber
When former Dutch journalist Ben Braber finished his PhD studies at the University of Glasgow in 1993, he had a choice: go into teaching or start an academic career. Instead, he became a copywriter. The result of that decision is BBMC Goodword. Here's how it came about.
Simple words, well phrased
"The idea of becoming a copywriter came when I was given a writing assignment for a bank," says Ben, "I liked the work and decided to make a living out of this craft, but stay in the UK where my family had settled."
Ben quickly encountered a problem. How could he, a native Dutch speaker, establish himself as an English writer? Would British clients have confidence in his knowledge of English?
"Turning a perceived weakness into a real strength, I specialised in difficult subjects, which had to be explained in everyday language to wide audiences. To do that, I aimed for a style developed by songwriters such as Lou Reed - simple words, well phrased.
An international network
"Meanwhile, my friend Hugo Postma came up with the Goodword concept. We decided to share this idea, setting up sister agencies in the UK and the Netherlands: BBMC Goodword and HPC Goodword.
"British art directors Paul Gray and Stuart Gilmour visualised our corporate identity. The first website was designed by Daniella van Gennep in New York. The second generation website – the one you're looking at – is styled by Sierd Loman in Amsterdam and developed by Intervisual. It uses images created by US photographer Bradley Dicharry.
"We've grown into a network of copywriters and editors. We write a lot and train people to become imaginative and effective writers. We've got good contacts with art directors and designers, so we can give you comprehensive concepts, copy and creative for your marketing and corporate communications."