Haskoning creates consistent and compelling content through a five-year copywriting partnership

“Being a marketer in a company this size, you need an extra pair of hands you can trust. We wanted a writing agency that we can really think of as a strategic partner – and we feel that way about Radix.”

Dimi Karmi, Marketing Manager for APAC, Haskoning

Over half a decade ago, Haskoning’s new marketing team got in touch with Radix Communications in search of copywriting support. Since then, the company’s marketing demands, and our relationship, have evolved almost beyond recognition.

We took a trip down memory lane with Dimi Karmi, Marketing Manager for APAC at Haskoning. 

Over 140 years of engineering history

Haskoning is a company with a rich history. It can trace its origins all the way back to 1881, when two engineers set up the Netherlands’ first independent engineering firm. Today, that company boasts 6,000 employees and works with public and private organisations in more than 100 countries to achieve a common goal: Enhancing Society Together. 

“What’s unique about us as a company is this purpose,” says Dimi. “We’re focused on improving the world around us through sustainability, climate change and the energy transition. And while most companies have expertise in one particular element of engineering, we play a pivotal role in all phases of a project – from concept design and masterplanning to construction and construction supervision.”

The huge scope of the company’s service offering is matched by its geographical reach, and this makes creating consistent, succinct marketing content no small feat.

“Our biggest challenge is that we’re a matrix organisation,” says Dimi. “We have global teams, business lines, business units, advisory groups – each with their own ambitions, strategies, and targets. All of these stakeholders come to marketing for support and advice, so we have to define priorities, bridge the gaps, connect the dots within the organisation, and create a cohesive strategy that serves the overall purpose.”

When Dimi joined Haskoning in 2019, tasked with developing brand positioning and thought leadership programmes, she knew that establishing consistency was a vital first step.

“We would ask our experts a simple question: what is it you sell? And no one could answer it clearly,” she says. “We needed to bring everyone together, create some alignment across the business, and package our services in a way that helped us tell the story of who we are and what we do.”

A new strategy and a new partner 

To help establish the company’s core messaging, Haskoning sought a copywriting partner that would be comfortable covering the wide range of topics and services that make up its offering – from climate resilience, water treatment, and maritime operations to digital solutions, consultancy, engineering, and construction.

“We wanted to make the transition from marketing communications, where we focused on things like blog content and case studies, to really strategic marketing. Working with Radix, we were able to think about our clients’ pains and gains, and really establish our storyline for the different markets. We never had that before as an organisation.” 

Dimi Karmi, Marketing Manager for APAC, Haskoning

Like all ambitious companies, Haskoning’s marketing goals are constantly evolving, with Dimi herself working across four different departments in just five years.

Radix’s role has changed in step with these demands. One of our first jobs for Dimi was to write for a campaign to elevate the public profile of in-house experts on digital twins. As time has gone by, we’ve developed messaging, produced nurture campaigns and social assets, and written white papers, web copy, and presentations, as well as content to promote events and successes.

“What we really like about Radix is the diversity it brings,” says Dimi. “Our company and strategy are constantly changing, and Radix is always able to change with us to meet different demands. But it also plays an important strategic role in what we do. The writers are good at challenging us, asking the difficult questions and trying to make us think from the perspective of our clients, and that helps our messaging to resonate more closely with our target audience.” 

Writing is just half the story

Haskoning’s partnership with Radix extends beyond our team of writers. The relationship is supported by experienced account managers, who help organise projects and schedules and assign the right writers to the jobs most suited to their knowledge and skillsets. Part of this service involves a weekly check-in to discuss future and ongoing projects.

“The regular meeting really helps us to structure our work, because we have to get things in place so we’re prepared for the call,” says Dimi. “But the Radix account managers do so much more than that. By asking the right questions and sometimes thinking a step ahead, they help us to stay on top of our marketing efforts and ensure everything runs smoothly. They always do their best to accommodate even last-minute requests, and they understand how we work well enough to know when to hold back a bit of capacity – so we always trust we can meet our deadlines.”

As our relationship with Haskoning has developed, our account managers have assigned specific writers to different areas of the company’s operations; this means that, no matter what job comes in, we have a resident expert ready to take on or oversee the work.

“It’s so nice that, over the years, Radix’s writers have built expertise in our offering, services, and value propositions, and have developed their own specialisms so the account managers know who to bring on board.”

Dimi Karmi, Marketing Manager for APAC, Haskoning

“I think it’s really important from our point of view that we acknowledge the challenge of working with a company that does such a wide variety of things,” says Jordan Brown, Senior Account Manager at Radix. “We’re lucky enough to have writers with a wide range of skills, so we’ve been able to assign the more technically minded people to the more technical content and make sure people have the room to develop a really deep understanding of their speciality areas.”

Developing this knowledge requires a lot of engagement with Haskoning’s expert engineers, whether that’s through briefing calls for white papers or more freeform chats to generate ideas for blogs. As is so often the case, there was initially some scepticism around taking time away from the day job to talk to writers. But in time, working closely with SMEs has become a key feature of the relationship, and has even led to new marketing opportunities.

“At the beginning, we had to explain to our experts why we were doing this and what benefits an external writer could bring. Over time, we saw them go from being a little bit reluctant to really enjoying the conversations with Radix, and in the end being really proud to be interviewed.”

Dimi Karmi, Marketing Manager for APAC, Haskoning

“Quite often, our experts have really good ideas,” adds Dimi. “But they don’t always have the confidence or the time to put them down on paper. So it’s a great way of showcasing the expertise we have within our organisation – and they’re often really excited to share the work on LinkedIn.”

The next step: localising the global message

Haskoning’s unique service offering combines global experience with local expertise. The company has engineers positioned across Europe, the UK, the US, Africa, and APAC, each with specialist knowledge of the economies, environments, and cultures they operate in. Now that Haskoning has established foundational messaging for its service offerings, it can focus on tailoring content to reflect the issues, expectations, and needs of different parts of the world – all of which contributes to the company’s goal of expanding its international operations.

“Our relationship with Radix has brought consistency across our communications, so instead of our experts just being able to talk about their specific area of expertise, they can draw attention to our full package of services and feel comfortable telling our story to their clients. That’s the foundation for everything we’re doing today, as we localise that content for all the different regions we operate in.”

We’re really proud to be a trusted source of support for Dimi and the rest of the marketing team – it’s a pleasure to play a small part in Enhancing Society Together.

“Being a marketer in a company this size, you need an extra pair of hands you can trust. We wanted a writer and agency that we can really think of as a strategic partner – and we feel that way about Radix. With the relationship we have and the knowledge Radix has, I know that even if I have a very abstract idea, we can convert it into a really nice piece of content.”

To learn more about Haskoning’s work, visit www.haskoning.com. And if you’re also a B2B tech marketer who needs copywriting support – talk to us today.