At the same time, the Belgian office moves to a new, future-oriented base in the business centre O-Forty in Oostkamp.
The double renewal underscores the group's ambition to further develop its role as a connecting media partner. We spoke with directors Stefan Louwers and Wim Fierens about vision, change, the power of targeted content and the revival of print.
What was the decisive factor in giving Louwers Mediagroep a new look? Was there a moment or signal that set everything in motion?
Stefan Louwers: Louwers Mediagroep is a family business, founded by my father, now about forty years ago. We have been on an upward trajectory all this time. I have continued that course and made improvements in turn. Wim did the same in Belgium, until one day he asked: Why do Belgium and the Netherlands actually work separately? Why not one story, with one strong team? I reflexively listed the reasons why they should remain two entities... but no argument really held up. That conversation was the turning point. From then on, the puzzle pieces started to shift.
Wim Fierens: For me, it felt like a logical step. Despite our scale, we were still often seen as a small company. The turning point came at a trade fair when a colleague was addressed with: ‘Ah, you’re the man from the booklet.’ That stuck. We offer so much more, but it simply wasn’t seen that way. That had to change. It was time to clearly show our strength and value.
Suppose you have to briefly introduce Louwers Mediagroep to someone who doesn’t know the company yet. What do you say?
Stefan: We have evolved from a traditional publisher to a media company, and have since grown into a full-fledged media partner. Our targeted content today reaches thousands of professionals in the Benelux, spread over more than 50 B2B platforms. Previously, everything revolved around print, now we have a broader view of how content is consumed: through trusted magazines, but also through online channels, social media, podcasts, video and events.
Wim: You could say: we are a one-stop-shop for
business communication in construction and industry, but without playing the advertising agency. Everything we create happens on our own media platforms. We combine creativity with substantive impact, and that makes the difference. By the way, I would like to add that print is far from passé. On the contrary. We notice that more and more customers, including young entrepreneurs, consciously ask for visibility in a magazine. Because it is tangible. Because it stays around. And because it exudes credibility, precisely in a world that scrolls faster and faster.
What remains unchanged, despite this renewal? What is so ingrained in the DNA of Louwers Mediagroep that it always stands firm?
Stefan: For me, it’s about the personal touch. You can’t do this work halfway, you either feel it or you don’t. It’s not a factory with targets, but people’s work. And it will always remain so.
Wim: No matter how digital or large we become, it remains about people. That drive for growth runs deep. Not growing for the sake of growing, but because it can be better. Because we want to keep developing ourselves. That’s where our energy comes from.
How do you want employees, customers and partners to recognise themselves in this new story?
Stefan: We want people to feel: this is right. From the moment they step into our building to the completion of a podcast recording. Everything must feel professional. If that complete picture is right, people will naturally join your story.
Wim: It’s about trust and experience. Customers must feel that they are getting real value, that every collaboration is worth repeating. That’s how you build sustainable relationships.
There is a strong focus on a smart channel strategy with five strategic pillars: magazines, online, video, podcasts and network events. How do they reinforce each other, in your view?
Wim: Our customers are evolving. With tighter budgets and a growing demand for measurability, a single medium no longer suffices. Only by smartly aligning magazines, events, audio, video and online, real impact is created. Each channel feeds the other.
Stefan: That approach is never standard. We always start from the content and build a tailored mix from there. What we deliver depends on who we have in front of us, and what he or she needs. No copy-paste, but strategy with impact.
What is the biggest ambition for the coming years? Where do you want Louwers Mediagroep to really make a difference?
Wim: Our goal? To be an extremely effective media partner for our five sectors: Construction, Industry & Production, Business & Hospitality, Infra & Outdoor and Architecture. Within the client’s marketing budget, we get the most out of every euro with more customer engagement, better measurability and noticeable impact.
Stefan: At the same time, we want to be a place where people enjoy working. You can see that in the number of colleagues who have been here for years. That says a lot. Just like the fact that customers really feel at home here. This is not a new beginning, but a clear confirmation of who we are, and where we want to go together.
The move of the office in Belgium coincides with the repositioning. How do you see that symbolism?
Stefan: For me, this feels like a crown on what we have built over the past years. A clear signal: look, this is what we have achieved together.
Wim: At the same time, it is a clear message to the market. Visible, literally, that new office is in a prime location. Anyone who visits us or just passes by sees it immediately: something is happening here.
What do you want employees, customers and partners to feel when they step into the new office soon?
Stefan: That it is right. The layout, the atmosphere, the reception. That they think: I want to be part of this.
Wim: It must reflect our ambition: professional, dynamic, warm and progressive. Not an average workplace, but a place where you want to collaborate, grow and look ahead.
If you had to choose one moment from the repositioning process that stands out to you, positive, challenging or unexpected, what moment would that be?
Wim: For me, it was the first time we developed packages, even before the pandemic. Then I thought: this is no longer individual sales, this is scalable. That realisation gave direction. Here we could really build something, something greater than the sum of its parts.
Stefan: For me, there are no big aha moments. But when I see how the company operates, customers visiting, colleagues calling, meeting, switching, then I feel: it is alive. And that gives energy, every day anew.
Imagine: we speak again in five years. When can you truly be satisfied?
Stefan: If everyone still enjoys working with us. If it is alive, and everyone has found their own place within the larger whole.
Wim: If we can then say: everything we envision now, we have achieved. And we are ready for the next step. Then we can be proud.
