
What happens when there are editorial gaps in a newspaper? According to Mark de Jong, Marketing Manager for Superyacht Life Foundation, newspapers fill them in with ‘salacious stories’.
Mark is referring to the superyacht industry which hasn’t had an easy time growing up while represented by Bond villains and super-rich owners whose wealth makes them a natural target. De Jong believes the hereditary animosity about the superyacht industry has come from its tendency to be highly secretive. When you consider the products, the owners and the money involved, you can understand why. But, de Jong says, the secrecy has been taken to the extreme and that’s why the foundation has been set up, to counter the negativity and to shine a spotlight on the positives that the industry abounds with – like craftsmanship.