Marten van Garderen
I prefer to translate economics into everyday language
‘As a consumer economist at ING, it’s my job to explain in simple terms how economic developments will affect the “typical” Dutch citizen. I always try to find examples that “the man on the street” can identify with. He’s not consciously interested in the economy but he does talk about cars, football and holidays in the pub, and those are all excellent topics to use in economy-related stories.
Everyday language
After studying economics in Groningen and then obtaining my post-doctorate, I had several jobs in the civil service before a headhunter contacted me about a role at ING. I didn’t want to work on a traditional Economics Desk, but I immediately became interested when I heard about how ING wanted to bring economics to the people. I’m not a fan of presenting macroeconomic figures in weighty reports; I much prefer to translate economics into everyday language and easy-to-understand charts like you see on TV and in tabloid newspapers.
The Question of the Day
Together with a colleague I’ve helped to shape the Economics Desk, which used to be part of the Postbank organisation, into what it is today – entirely targeted at consumers. ING is unique in how it interprets economic developments for consumers; no other bank does the same. Meanwhile, we’re noticing that consumers are keen to compare their own financial situation with that of others. The “Question of the Day” on the ING website is a good example; it attracts over 60,000 reactions a day and is a great way for us to keep our finger on the pulse. The results of the “Question of the Day” are one of my sources for ideas for the articles that I write, both for our own websites and newsletters and for the media who often pick up on our stories. I also work very closely with my colleagues from “Financieel fit” to help translate our insights into the economy into usable input for the “Financieel fit” programme. That can take the form of articles for the website but it could also be a script for a short film about behavioural economics or input for a savings app. I particularly like the fact that my work is tangible; I enjoy representing ING externally and getting articles published. I can find inspiration in all kinds of places: at parties, during conversations in the street, or when reading the free newspapers on the train. And as an avid mountain climber, I travel a lot – and even then, I’m always on the alert for the spark of an idea.’