Blogger Interview 6: Wouter Boon (AmsterdamAdBlog)
This Summer we present a series of short interviews here on Pop-Up City. We invited a number of our favorite bloggers to answer six questions not only about their passion for blogging, but also their city, work experience and inspiration. The result is a collection of stories on blogs and the people behind them. Number 6 in this series is an interview with Wouter Boon, one of the bloggers of AmsterdamAdBlog. AmsterdamAdBlog is a blog run by an independent group of creatives who write about Amsterdam, its hotshops, its people and, last but not least, the city as the worldwide Capital of Advertising.
When and why did you start blogging?
“In 2008, because I thought I had an opinion about advertising that should be heard. At the same time I hated the traditionalism and arrogance of the traditional (read: paper) titles. Blogging seemed the ideal way to bypass them.”
How would you label yourself?
“Um, I assume you mean my blog. Our blog celebrates great Amsterdam advertising and thus tries to put the city internationally on a pedestal. Though the tone is almost always positive, we often also make critical notes. And by only sharing what we like, we most of the time succeed not to be cynical.”
What does your typical day look like?
“I work as a strategist for advertising agencies/advertisers; I write for AAB (of course), Marketing Tribune and Advertising Age; I am writing a book about creativity; I cycle through Amsterdam with a smile on my face; I drink coffee and beer with other freelancers; and I play table tennis in my office.”
Which spot(s) would you recommend to a first-time visitor of your city?
“Since Amsterdam is not much more than a village, I’d recommend visitors to rent a bicycle. It not only gives you the feeling you are part of the city, it also enables you to see the entire city in one day.”
What is your top 3 of favorite online sources of inspiration?
“For AAB I read Adformatie.nl, Marketing Tribune, Molblog, etc. However if I have to tell you what really inspires me, here is a mix of the different blogs/websites: Twitter, Creativity, Facebook.”
What shoes do you wear?
“‘Cloud Shoe’ (canvas, navy) by Paul Smith.”
