`Thank You, Hiddink`

“Danquee Bell (Dutch expression for ‘thank you’), Hiddink!”

The managers of the Dutch companies in Korea are very happy these days. The image of the Dutch companies are improved by ‘the Hiddink effect’ which is caused by the manager Guus Hiddink who led the Korean team to the World Cup quarterfinal. The sales of some Dutch brand products are rising already.

ING Life Insurance analyzes that many Koreans think ‘Hiddink management = Dutch management’ since the Hiddink management, which focuses on rationality and cleanness.

Therefore, this company will promote itself combining its company image with manager Hiddink’s rational and clean image after the end of the World Cup in July. The president of ING Life Insurance, Yost Kenemans says, “the ING group, the mother corporation of ING Life Insurance, hired then the Dutch national football team manager Hiddink for its TV commercial and made an explosive success,” and “I will use this atmosphere and focus on promoting the company in Korea.”

The Phillips Korea, which has used the World Cup to promote the company image, is pleased that the promotion is more successful than expected because of manager Hiddink.

The Phillips Korea hanged some thousand lamps on the streets around Seoul City Hall and Guangwha Mun reflecting the wishes of Koreans that welcomed the players of participating countries and foreign tourists. An associate director of this company, Park, Sung-Il, said, “we have a great bond with manager Hiddink because he once was the manager of a professional football team that Phillips Netherlands sponsored.”

A Dutch beer ‘Grolsch’, which is produced near manager Hiddink’s hometown, sell like hot cakes in June. According to TIMCO Wine & Spirits Co., Ltd, which imports Grolsch, the sale of Grolsch has improved to 1900 cases (473ml, 20 bottles per case) between 1st and 20th of this month. It is almost 3 times more than the sale in May of 650 cases. Grolsch is produced in Grueno, which is about 10 kilometers away from manager Hiddink’s hometown, Dutinhem, Netherlands. The sale price is 8,000 won a bottle (15,000 won in hotels), which is more than 5 times higher than local beers (1,500 won a bottle).

Unilever Korea, a joint company of Netherlands and England, received a 100% bonus to celebrate the entering of Korean team’s to quarterfinal.

Chi-Young Shin higgledy@donga.com