Maarten Schafer for CoolTravel in Wadi Rum - Jordan

Street art in Ipanema by Maarten Schäfer

Maarten Schäfer jumping over the Sugar Loaf mountain

Maarten Schäfer giving English classes to children in Rocinha (Rio)

Maarten schäfer and Mteer for CoolTravel in Wadi Rum - Jordan

Superman and Maarten Schäfer

Maarten Schäfer in Niteroi - Album "the other side of Rio"

Maarten Schäfer in a SOS childrens village in Rio de Janeiro

Maarten Schäfer for CoolTravel crossing the Sahara Desert

Paulo Borges and Maarten Schäfer at the SPFW São Paulo Fashion Week

Maarten Schäfer riding the Route 66 for Harley-Davidson

Maarten Schäfer riding the Route 66 for Harley-Davidson

Maarten Schäfer riding the Route 66 for Harley-Davidson

Maarten Schäfer and Maasai warriors in Tanzania "Maasai Maarten

Maarten Schäfer for CoolTravel in Doha, Qatar

Maarten Schafer for CoolTravel at the Coconut coast in Brazil

Maarten Schafer and Lenny Niemeyer in Rio de Janeiro - Maarten and Lenny

Maarten Schäfer swimming with a whaleshark in Djibouti - whale shark

Maarten Schafer - creative mind and storyteller for CoolBrands

Maarten Schafer for CoolTravel in Havana Cuba

Maarten Schafer for CoolTravel in Dubai at the Burj Kalifa

Maarten Schafer for CoolBrands at Playboy night

Maarten Schafer and Anouk Pappers - Cool Nomads in São Paulo

Maarten Schäfer - creative mind and storyteller for CoolBrands

Maarten Schäfer - creative mind and storyteller for CoolBrands

Maarten Schäfer for CoolTravel in Dijon, France

Maarten Schäfer for CoolTravel in Lyon, France

Maarten Schäfer for CoolTravel in Avignon, France

Maarten Schäfer running the Lagoon - Lagoa, Rio de Janeiro

Maarten Schäfer on Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro

Maarten Schafer and Ken Egbas - Meeting Ken Egbas in Lagos, Nigeria

Maarten Schafer for CoolTravel at the Forbidden City in Beijing, China

Maarten Schafer for CoolTravel on the Great Wall - Beijing, China

Maarten Schafer for CoolBrands at Fashion Rio

Maarten Schafer for CoolBrands in Rio de Janeiro

Maarten Schäfer for CoolTravel cave diving in Yucatan, Mexico

Maarten Schäfer and Aline Santos - CoolBrands meeting Aline Santos

http://www.cooltravel.org http://www.coolbrands.org http://www.cooltravelcafe.org http://www.cooltravelforest.org http://www.coolbrandshouse.org http://www.coolbrandshouse.nl http://www.scribd.com/people/view/5960770-maarten-sch-fer http://picasaweb.google.nl/MaartenSchaferCool/MaartenSchaferForCoolTravelTransmediaStorytelling?feat=directlink http://esnips.com/user/maartenschafer  http://nl.linkedin.com/in/maartenschafer http://maartenschafer.skyrock.com http://en.netlog.com/maartenschafer  http://twitter.com/MaartenSchafer http://twitter.com/CoolTravelorg http://twitter.com/coolrainforest  http://cooltravel-stories.blogspot.com/  http://maartenschafer.blogspot.com/ http://flickr.com/photos/maartenschafer/  http://www.youtube.com/user/CoolStoryTelling http://digg.com/users/MaartenSchafer  http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/MaartenSchafer/  http://www.myspace.com/maartenschafer  http://coolbrands.hyves.nl/  http://nl.gravatar.com/maartenschafer  http://maartenschafer.wordpress.com/

Maarten Schafer in Wadi Rum for CoolTravel

Maarten Schäfer for CoolTravel in the Western Sahara

Maarten Schäfer with the 'great white' for CoolTravel

Maarten Schäfer for Cooltravel in Las Vegas

Maarten Schäfer riding the Route 66 for coolBrands

Maarten Schäfer for CoolTravel in Lyon

Maarten Schäfer for CoolTravel in Lyon

Maarten Schäfer for CoolTravel in Tanzania with Maasai warriors

Maarten Schäfer for CoolBrands in Rio de Janeiro

Maarten Schäfer for CoolBrands on Ilha Grande

Maarten Schäfer jumping over Sugar Loaf mountain in Rio de Janeiro

Maarten Schäfer riding the Route 66 for CoolBrands - CoolTravel

Maarten Schäfer in Ipanema (Rio) for CoolBrands - CoolTravel

Super Maarten / Maarten Schäfer for CoolBrands

Maarten Schäfer travels the planet to experience destinations, meet people and interview brands. He takes pictures, writes stories with a wow factor and stickiness to facilitate word-of-mouth. The stories are seeded to opinion leaders world wide.

Tags: CoolBrands, CoolTravel, Maarten, Maarten Schafer, Maarten Schäfer, Schafer, Cool, Brands, Storytelling, Storyteller, Travel, Route 66, Meeting, Meeting Maarten Schafer,  Planet, People, profit, People planet profit, storytravelers, storytraveler, story, traveler

Maarten Schäfer travels the planet to experience destinations, meet people and interview brands. He takes pictures, writes stories with a wow factor and stickiness to facilitate word-of-mouth. The stories are seeded to opinion leaders world wide.

Tags: CoolBrands, CoolTravel, Maarten, Maarten Schafer, Maarten Schäfer, Schafer, Cool, Brands, Storytelling, Storyteller, Travel, Route 66, Meeting, Meeting Maarten Schafer,  Planet, People, profit, People planet profit, storytravelers, storytraveler, story, traveler

Maarten Schäfer travels the planet to experience destinations, meet people and interview brands. He takes pictures, writes stories with a wow factor and stickiness to facilitate word-of-mouth. The stories are seeded to opinion leaders world wide.
Tags: CoolBrands, CoolTravel, Maarten, Maarten Schafer, Maarten Schäfer, Schafer, Cool, Brands, Storytelling, Storyteller, Travel, Route 66, Meeting, Meeting Maarten Schafer,  Planet, People, profit, People planet profit, storytravelers, storytraveler, story, traveler

MAARTEN SCHÄFER

“We travel the world in quest for interesting brand stories. Our first question when we meet a CMO or CEO is: “What’s your story?” We talk about branding, personal vision and Corporate Responsibility. We engineer a wow-factor and stickiness into the stories to create talk value. You want people to talk about your brand. When the talk about you, you’re in the evoked set. When the stories are positive, you might be in the consideration set.

Maarten Schafer - View on Manhattan New York - CoolBrands CoolTravel

Maarten Schafer with Bedouin guide in Wadi Rum, Jordan - CoolTravel

“From Word of Mouth to Word of Mouse”

“The Y-Generation, or Millennials, has a more critical and self-deciding mentality, which requires a new, horizontal approach. These people must be considered and treated as equals. As a result, the only way to get to them is by horizontal communication, or horizontal influence. Internet allows brands to spread the word. Not top down, but as input for Consumer Generated Content. Provide the information, be genuine and let it lead its own life in the realm of word of mouth. Let the mouse run!”

Maarten Schäfer arriving in Abu Dhabi - Maarten Schafer CoolBrands

Maarten Schäfer - Coconut coast Brazil - Maarten Schäfer -Storytelling Guru for CoolBrands and Storytelling artist

“Seeding the Web”

“The first thing to do when you want to tell the brand story online is to cool the content. The story with stickiness and a wow factor can then be activated through social networks, theme-related blogs, pod casting, video casting, RSS feeds and other consumer generated media. The content that is seeded online can cover all kinds of stories, anecdotes, experiences, testimonials from people within the company or from outsiders.”

Maarten Schäfer with a Masai tribe in Tanzania - Maarten Schäfer -Storytelling Guru and Storytelling artist for CoolBrands

Maarten Schäfer crossing the Sahara desert - Maarten Schäfer -Storytelling Guru and Storytelling artist for CoolBrands

Maarten Schäfer at monument valley - Maarten Schäfer -Storytelling Guru and Storytelling artist for CoolBrands

Maarten Schafer - CoolBrands - Santa Monica

Founder and Creative Mind : CoolBrands - CoolBrands House – CoolTravel

Super powers: Creating Talk Value - Out of the box thinking - Storytelling

Star sign : Leo

Personal brand values : Out of the box

Quote : A little less conversation, a little more action, please! (Elvis)

Vision : Life is a game!

Favourite music : Rock

Favourite brand : Apple

Favourite city : San Francisco

Favourite restaurant : Lung King Heen (Hong Kong)

Favourite pastime : Travelling and taking pictures

Maarten Schäfer -Storytelling Guru for CoolBrands

Tags: Maarten, Schafer, Cool, Brands, Schäfer, Cool, Travel,  Maarten Schafer, CoolBrands, Maarten Schäfer, CoolTravel, Creative Mind, Creative, Mind, Storyteller, Story, Teller, telling, Storytelling, Maarten Schäfer -Storytelling Guru and Storytelling artist for CoolBrands

http://www.coolbrands.org

http://www.cooltravel.org

http://www.people-planet-profit.org

http://www.coolbrandshouse.org

A idéia é simples, mas genial: a Michelin construiu uma escola, onde os filhos dos fazendeiros vão estudar temas ligados não apenas à agricultura, mas também generalidades como técnicas de higiene. As crianças espalham os conhecimentos em suas comunidades.

O resultado: maior produtividade, mais matéria-prima à disposição da Michelin, aumento na receita dos fazendeiros, melhor qualidade de vida e formação de uma ‘conexão’ da Michelin com os fazendeiros.

Uma situação ’ganha-ganha’ sustentável.

Como eu disse, um exemplo escolar de como investir em gente pode gerar lucros.

Maarten Schäfer
CoolTravel

We traveled through Brazil and visited the Michelin rubber plantations in the south of Bahia. Here we found a school example of sustainable ‘People-Profit’.
The idea is simple but genious:
Michelin built a school and educates the children of the farmers
(about agriculture but also general subjects, like hygiene).
The children will spread the knowledge in their communities.
Result: better productivity, higher income for the farmers, better quality of life.
But also more rubber for Michelin to buy and ‘bonding’ between the farmers and Michelin.
A sustainable ‘win – win’.
Like I said: A school example of ‘People-Profit’.

Tags: Anouk Pappers, Maarten Schäfer,  Coolstorytelling, CoolTravel, Storytelling, Travel, Michelin, people planet profit, Rubber Plantations, Bahia, Brazil, Brasil, Itubera, Hévéa, Hevea, Serengueira, rubber tree, education, school example, Eric Cavaloc, Paulo-Roberto Bomfim, Carlos Mattos, Juliana Laufer, Joína Oliva Mota, Casa Familiar Rural de Igrapiúna, Casa Familiar, CFR

Links:

http://www.cooltravel.org

http://www.coolbrands.org

http://www.coolbrandshouse.nl

http://www.michelin.com.br

Tags: Crianças, Educação, Viagem, rural, marcas, borracha, Michelin, fazendeiros, pessoas planeta lucro, borracha sustentável, seringueira, responsabilidade social corporative, Eric Cavaloc, Carlos Mattos, Paulo-Roberto Bonfim, Juliana laufer, Joina Oliva Mota, CoolTravel, CoolBrands, Storytelling, CSR, RSC, CFR, Casa Familiar Rural, sustentabilidade
http://www.cooltravel.org http://www.coolbrands.org http://www.coolbrandshouse.nl http://www.michelin.com.br http://coolbrandsstories.wordpress.com/2010/10/07/better-living-through-mobility-michelin/

The children of the farmers are educated to educate their parents

We traveled through Brazil and visited the Michelin rubber plantations in the south of Bahia. Here we found a school example of sustainable ‘People-Profit’.
The idea is simple but genious:
Michelin built a school and educates the children of the farmers
(about agriculture but also general subjects, like hygiene).
The children will spread the knowledge in their communities.
Result: better productivity, higher income for the farmers, better quality of life.
But also more rubber for Michelin to buy and ‘bonding’ between the farmers and Michelin.
A sustainable ‘win – win’.
Like I said: A school example of ‘People-Profit’.

Tags: Anouk Pappers, Maarten Schäfer,  Coolstorytelling, CoolTravel, Storytelling, Travel, Michelin, people planet profit, Rubber Plantations, Bahia, Brazil, Brasil, Itubera, Hévéa, Hevea, Serengueira, rubber tree, education, school example, Eric Cavaloc, Paulo-Roberto Bomfim, Carlos Mattos, Juliana Laufer, Joína Oliva Mota, Casa Familiar Rural de Igrapiúna, Casa Familiar, CFR, Michelin, sustainability, sustainable tire, people planet profit, CSR, Corporate Social Responsability, sutainable rubber

Links:

http://www.cooltravel.org

http://www.coolbrands.org

http://www.coolbrandshouse.nl

http://www.michelin.com.br

http://coolbrandsstories.wordpress.com/2010/10/07/better-living-through-mobility-michelin/

Yas Circuit in Abu Dhabi

We’re not going to sit on the beach till 2012 though, so in the meantime we decide to visit the Yas Marina Circuit, where the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is held every year. Situated on a man-made island about 30 minutes from the city, the track is the Arabian version of Monaco, with several long straights and 21 corners.

Maarten Schäfer in the fast lane

We wander around the track’s backstage area where we meet Steve, a safety car pilot. “I can take you for a few laps if you’re up for it,” he says. He hands me a helmet and I follow him through the ‘stables’ where Ferraris, Porsches and even a Dodge Viper are lined up ready for action. Just as I start getting excited about what car Steve will pick, we stop in front of a Nissan. “Make no mistake!” Steve says. “This baby has a six-cylinder, 3.8L motor and reaches top speeds of over 300kph.”

Nissan GTR

We get into the car and as soon as Steve starts the engine I realise that this is not just a car with go-faster stripes and a spoiler. “Ready for take-off?” he asks. “Never been more ready!” I reply. Poor Steve probably thinks I’ve never been in a fast car before. The engine roars as the car eases its way from the garage on to the pit stop. As soon as we hit the circuit the car picks up speed and I am pushed back into my seat. The first lap is fast but smooth. “Cool,” I say. “Wait,” Steve says. “You ain’t see nothing yet,” and he pushes the accelerator to the limit.

Life in the fast lane

The car rockets down the straight, powers past the grandstand in a few seconds and approaches the next corner. The speedometer’s pointer has hit 270kph and the curve is just 200 metres ahead. That’s when Steve slams on the brakes. The car slows down to 60kph for a few instants, but even as we are entering the curve Steve steps on the accelerator again to build up speed before the next curve. After the third lap, Steve pulls up on to the pit stop.

The car stops, but I notice that the circuit is still moving. As I get out I also realise my vision is blurred and I lean against the car for support. “Are you okay?” Steve asks. “Fine, never felt better!” I lie. “It was mind-blowing! But next time I’m in Abu Dhabi I might visit the Guggenheim instead.”

Next time I'll go to the Guggenheim!

Links:
http://www.cooltravel.org
http://www.coolbrands.org
http://www.coolbrandshouse.org
http://www.facebook.com/maarten.schafer

Tags: Maarten Schafer, CoolTravel, Cool, Abu Dhabi, Travel, Maarten, Schafer, Fast lane, Storytelling, creative mind, CoolBrands,

Ailton Lara

It’s 6 AM when we drive out of town in the direction of the Pantanal, a wetland with the size of England. The road is straight and the traffic is almost non-existing. After a 2 hour drive we make a stop in a small town called Poconé where Ailton stops the jeep near the market place. “Here we will buy food and water for the coming days” he says when we stroll over the local market. “One day we will eat beans, rice and meat, the next day it will be meat, rice and beans”. We laugh, but at the look at Ailton’s face, we see he’s not joking. But then again, we never expected this to be a five star culinary journey.

Back in the jeep we drive through wet lands with thousands of birds and we cross bridges over ponds, infested with crocodiles. “Can we stop to take some pictures of the crocodiles?” we ask. Without slowing down and without looking up, Ailton replies: “They’re caimans and not crocodiles”. “There are 32 million of them in the Pantanal and you will see lots of them in the coming days. Huge ones, which will make you regret that you took pictures of some miniature specimen at the roadside.”

Caiman

It’s 5 in the afternoon when we arrive at the end of the road. “This is it!” Ailton says cheerfully. We look around but all we see is a river in front of us and forest on the sides. “This is what?” we ask, as we get out of the car. “This is the end of the road, from here on we will take the boat” Ailton replies. “Over there is the Puma lodge, where we will stay overnight” he continues, pointing in the direction of the woods. There are several lodges around for birdwatchers, fishermen, nature lovers and people like us, in search of a jaguar. “Let’s prepare our dinner. Today it will be beans, rice and meat”, Ailton says with a big smile.

The next morning at sunrise we’re navigating a small boat upstream in search of a jaguar. From the big river we take a left into a smaller river, then a right into a creek and then a right again where we find ourselves in the middle of nowhere. “The first thing we have to do is look for footprints on the river beds”, Ailton says with a low voice, as if he thinks a jaguar will hear us.

Ailton Lara

With our cameras in hand we scroll the river bed and the forest. We see birds, otters and caimans, lots of caimans. We take pictures of flying birds, fishing birds, swimming birds, birds in the air and birds in a tree. But no jaguar in sight.

Just as we decide to call it a day, Ailton suddenly shouts: “There he is!” We look in the direction Ailton is pointing at, but see nothing. “Look there!” Ailton says, while pointing at the skies above the forest. “What are you pointing at?” we ask, “a flying jaguar?” “The sun has done more damage to your brain than we thought!” we laugh, “there are only birds up there”. Ailton changes the direction of the boat and looks at us like a schoolteacher would. “The birds you see circling up there are vultures, they feed on the carcasses of dead animals.” “The Jaguar has made a kill!”

Zigzagging through the labyrinth of rivers and creeks we approach the crime scene. Slowly we scroll the coast line, peering into the forest. “After dinner, he probably heads for the river for a drink and some sunbathing”, Ailton says. A joke about beans, rice and meat, pops up in my mind. Then there is this shadow moving in the woods. And disappears again. We stop the motor and the boat comes to a standstill. We scan the edge of the forest in complete silence, but see nothing. Suddenly there he is, 150 kilos of muscle and teeth staring at us. In amazement we stare back at him. “Wow! This is a very special moment” I say softly. “It sure is” Ailton replies, “but shouldn’t you take a picture?”

Jaguar

***************************************************
Read more stories at http://www.cooltravel.org

Tags: Jaguar, Pantanal, Brazil, Brasil, Puma Lodge, Ailton Lara, Ailton, Lara, Cool, CoolTravel, Travel, Rainforest, CoolTravel Forest, forest, Maarten Schäfer, Schafer, maarten, hunting a jaguar, Pantanal nature

http://www.pantanalnature.com.br/

Islamic Art in Doha by CoolTravel

Our friend Charne told us that whatever we do while we’re in Doha, we mustn’t miss the new Museum of Islamic Art that opened in 2008. The museum is a flagship project of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani, the emir of Qatar, who has brought together Islamic artefacts from across three continents and dating back more than 1,000 years. Built on an artificial island off the Corniche, the building has become a Doha landmark, an architectural masterpiece floating on water. With its stark geometric exterior, it looks like a cubist impression of a veiled Muslim woman.

Inside, we are blown away by the spaces: light filters in through high roof lights, a broad staircase floats up through the central atrium and bay windows offer sweeping views of the Doha skyline across the bay. The museum’s architect I.M Pei – also known for his iconic Louvre Pyramid – designed the building when he was in his late 80s and travelled throughout the Islamic world to seek inspiration in Cairo, Tunisia and beyond.
As we wander awestruck through the central atrium space we meet Aisha, a young Qatari art historian who works at the museum. “I was just about to go and work on some of the pieces in the calligraphy rooms,” she tells us after we introduce ourselves. “You’re welcome to join. I’d love to show you some of our treasures.” As we walk through the spacious galleries Aisha tells us about her work. “What makes this museum special is that it brings together pieces from 8th-century Spain, 13th-century China and 20th-century Iran and that they are all very different, but at the same time inspired by the same ideal. It is really unique.”

Islamic Art in Doha by CoolTravel

In the second-floor calligraphy gallery, she shows us a series of Korans: ancient manuscripts written in gold leaf, tiny decorated pocket books and large printed tomes. “For me, this is what truly reflects the wealth of Islam,” Aisha says as she leads us further through the museum. We see delicate porcelain figurines, opulent gold statuettes decorated with rubies and emeralds, but also items from everyday life such as bowls, dinner sets and perfume bottles.

After more than an hour of browsing through the wealth of exhibits, Aisha says: “Let me show you something else.” She takes us out to the water garden, which has views over the Doha skyline. “This museum is a bridge from the past to the present,” Aisha says as she looks out over the modern city rising up in front of us. “It is a place where we can learn lessons from our rich history to use for a better future.”