Marketing - Hans Erdman

Just before christmas we had a week of working for one of our flightfacilitators, Hans Erdman, an architect. It was in the module of marketing but we got a carte blanche to work on what we liked. He introduced us to the topic of bypass marketing, using humor, intelligence and simplicity to reach your goals without bureaucracy, budgets and the like that complicate the matter.
Our idea was to develop a vision for KaosPilots within the future plans of Rotterdam, mainly its plans for the harbour.

We start of with a million plans before we decide to follow the strategy that we were taught by Kaspar Arenthoft: different types of brainstorming. We come to two plans: one for the school building itself, with all our wishes for it, and one for the environment, the companies that we want to work with, and the positive vibe that will radiate from the school into society.

While other groups around us have a hard time delivering to their clients we enjoy our total freedom and spent many late hours at the school drawing buildings, reading vision plans for the city of Rotterdam and thinking the idea of bypass marketing through to a concrete concept.

Halfway the week we visit Hans in Amsterdam at his workplace to get inspired by his enthousiasm, all the books and drawings around him and his passion for boats. Our basic idea for the school building is a combination of boat - plane - lighthouse and Hans urges us to make it into something more abstract, with just hints of the original idea. We take a walk to his neighbour the shipbuilder and admire the energy neutral sailships that they develop for Greenpeace and others.