Tom Theys is part strategist, part storyteller, and full-time lover of puns. As Chief Strategy Officer at Happiness, a creative agency spanning Belgium, Holland, and Vietnam, he has crafted campaigns for global names like Burger King, Bosch, and Škoda, and helped FCB earn Cannes’ Global Network of the Year along with countless industry honors.

For Tom, strategy goes beyond charts and numbers - it’s about connecting with people, sparking creativity, and creating work that truly resonates. He sees happiness not just as a feeling, but as an “Economic Multiplier,” a guiding principle that infuses curiosity, vision, and joy into everything he does. In this conversation, Tom shares the inspirations, ideas, and small wonders that fuel his creativity and shape his global impact.

1.     WHAT WOULD MAKE YOUR SOUL SING? WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?

There are many things. Spotting a jay or a kingfisher, picking the first pear of the pear season from the tree, my son cuddling up to me while watching a Champions League match, the smell of South African soil just after landing, finding leftovers in the fridge just when you thought you had no food left in the house, someone remembering something I apparently said twenty years ago, someone building on an idea of mine, the sound of fresh snow under my boots, ...

2.     A CHILDHOOD STORY THAT ANNOUNCED THE CREATIVE PERSON YOU ARE TODAY

When I was about ten years old, I spent some time in hospital. To break the monotony, I started writing poems. I later showed them to my teacher, who promptly decided to have the class learn my poems by heart instead of the classics from the Dutch canon! I still don't know whether my classmates admired me for that or hated me with a passion.

3.     BEST CONTEXT EVER FOR INSPIRATION WAS

A cabin in the woods, a tiny house surrounded by trees. I isolated myself there for a week to write a play. One day, a robin came and sat next to me on the other side of the window. It kept flying up to the window and looking me straight in the eye for about six hours. I was enchanted; it seemed magical and inspired me to continue writing. Only later did I realise that the little bird didn't want to be with me at all, but probably saw its reflection in the window as a rival.

4.     THE PROJECT YOU LOVED MOST

A project for Gaia, an animal rights organisation. They wanted to launch a campaign against the use of foie gras during the festive season. In the past, they had often used shocking campaigns to deter people. We came up with a completely different, positive approach: instead of blaming consumers, we offered them an alternative: faux gras, a vegetarian alternative that tastes surprisingly similar to real foie gras, made by a small French manufacturer. We commercialised the product 20 years ago and it is still available in every major supermarket today. Since then, foie gras consumption in Belgium has halved and the product is still the animal rights organisation's main source of income.

For me, this is proof that a smart campaign strategy can be a win-win-win.

5.     THE PROJECT OTHERS LOVED MOST

We should ask them! But if you look at public success, it might be the repositioning of the Michelob Ultra brand in the United States. When the client approached FCB, the brand had been hovering around tenth place in the best-selling beers for several years. It was a light beer aimed at sports enthusiasts who wanted to avoid calories.

Together with my colleague in Chicago, we came up with the notion of the “social athlete”: people who like to be fit and active, but who consider their social life to be just as important and enjoy having a drink with friends just as much as hanging out at the gym. The brand was given a more social profile, with more attention paid to relaxing group activities before, during and after sport. The brand has since received a huge boost and this year even became the best-selling beer in the USA.

6.     THE BEST THING ABOUT LOCAL CREATIVITY IS

Of course, terms such as cultural relevance immediately spring to mind, but what I also find important is that the creators are part of the audience. When you create locally, you simply sense whether, how and why something resonates. This allows you to increasingly tailor your creation to the tastes of the audience. In this way, you avoid clichés. Something that is much more difficult to achieve when you create from a distance.

7.     BEST STATEMENT OF LOCAL HUMOR

I think the famous statue of Manneken Pis is a beautiful symbol of Belgian humour. It is a small bronze statue of a naked boy continuously urinating, and it stands near the beautiful Gothic Baroque Grand Place in Brussels. Legend has it that in the Middle Ages, the little boy helped extinguish the great fire that struck the capital, but in reality, the statue of a urinating boy has been around for much longer.

The first version dates back to 1388. During important celebrations, beer or wine would even flow from his little thing! I think it's a beautiful representation of the self-deprecating humour that Belgians have, which you also see in surrealist art. We don't have marshals on horseback as our most important statue, nor a giant iron tower or a lady representing liberty, but a small urinating boy who puts everything into perspective and doesn't care much about norms.

8.     ADVICE FOR INTERNATIONAL HEADHUNTERS, RELATED TO LOCAL CREATIVES 

Belgian creatives are among the best in the world. Last year, a Belgian was ranked number one creative director in the world by AdAge, D&AD and The One Show. In my opinion, the best creatives are those with a mixed background. In Belgium, you have two completely different cultures: the Dutch-Germanic and the French-Romanic. You can't help but come up with universal ideas when your message has to bridge both cultures.

It is also no wonder that many leading creatives in the US are of foreign origin: Brazilians, Colombians, French, Australians, etc. The differences they notice when arriving in a new country make them perfect observers of people's cultural mores. So my advice is: never let country of origin be a barrier to recruiting a creative. A new environment and culture will automatically trigger extra creativity.

9.     BEST PLACE IN THE CAPITAL

In my opinion, the best place in Brussels is Vossenplein, where a flea market is held every day. In the cafés around the square, you will find both noisy paupers and blasé rich people looking for antiques, fraternizing loudly over a Belgian beer.

10.  BEST PLACE IN YOUR COUNTRY

The Hallerbos, located south of Brussels, proves that nature in Belgium is beautiful. This hilly, wooded area is also known as the “Blue Forest” because of the many wild bluebells that bloom here every spring. It is a remarkable sight, because during the short flowering period you can witness a fairytale scene in which the entire forest is covered by a carpet of blue flowers.

11.  MOST DISTURBING CLICHÉ ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY, IN THE MEDIA OUTLETS OF THE WORLD IS

That we are a chaotic and ungoverned country that is falling behind as a result. That is true to a certain extent, but the advantage that comes with it is that we are forced to think in terms of solutions and have no choice but to build bridges. Belgium is a particularly equal country.

Belgium is among the European countries with the smallest gender pay gap when measured in terms of the difference in hourly wages between men and women. We had the first openly gay man as prime minister.

Belgium is among the top three countries worldwide in terms of legal protection for LGBTQ+ people. According to ILGA-Europe's ‘Rainbow Europe Index 2025’, Belgium ranks third, after Malta and Iceland.

Belgium is also among the top countries in terms of equal opportunities for people with disabilities, poverty, and the protection of minorities. It is difficult to say that our country is backward...

12.  YOUR COUNTRY SHOULD BE KNOWN FOR

Pragmatism, seeking creative solutions or compromises. There is a saying that goes: no problem is unsolvable when enjoying a glass of beer together.

13.  YOUR VIEWS ON SPIRITUALITY 

For me, spirituality revolves around personal experience: what gives you energy, inspiration and a sense of security? I therefore respect everyone who finds their own way in this, ranging from deeply religious to non-believers. But completely at odds with this view is any form of belief or spirituality that is dogmatic and imposed on others. Unfortunately, most forms of spirituality are like this. Sooner or later, someone feels called upon to impose choices on others, often even minors, and you end up with things like circumcision at too young an age, which I completely oppose.

I myself am sometimes aware of spiritual matters, things that amaze me and that are related to insight, intuition and energy transfer. But I am not looking for a belief system to comprehend this. I prefer to remain open-minded and amazed.

14.  YOUR VIEWS ON MONEY

Money is a means of payment. Some people seem to forget that it is a means and not an end. I am rather distrustful of people who are overly focused on money. Just as I would look strangely at a table companion who shows more attention and adoration for his cutlery than for the evening meal itself.

My goal with money has always been to have enough so that I don't have to worry about it, but not so much that I have to spend too much time managing it. So I make sure to spend just enough of it from time to time.

15.  AN INSPIRATION SOURCE YOU RECOMMEND FOR A YOUNG CREATIVE (A BOOK, A DESTINATION, A MOVIE, FOLLOWING SOMEONE RELEVANT ON SOCIAL-MEDIA)

I think the greatest source of inspiration is love. Read a book or an article, advice on relationships, relationship problems, dos and don'ts on a first date or after so many years of marriage. Then try to draw parallels with advertising and communication, and you will be amazed at how much marketers sin against the rules of human relationships, which they ultimately aim to achieve with their brand.

16.  A LOCAL BASED FEMALE TALENT THAT DESERVES TO BE PROMOTED AT INTERNATIONAL LEVEL, AS EXPONENT OF LOCAL CREATIVE SPIRIT

Singer Angèle is certainly very Belgian in her approach. She has a great style and also a message. But she is also already quite well known abroad.

I am also thinking of Charlotte Adigéry. She is a Belgian musician with a Caribbean background who experiments with electronics, identity and culture. Her style is very eclectic and sometimes absurd. Very Belgian!

BIO

Tom Theys is the Chief Strategy Officer of Happiness, an agency group operating in Belgium, Holland and Vietnam. A master of puns and a visionary strategist, Tom Theys combines creative brilliance and cultural curiosity to consistently inspire others and drive impactful results. Tom served previously as EVP, Global Strategy at FCB –– a position he held since 2014 –– where he has been integral in shaping the agency’s innovative approach to strategy and creative, leading the network to being named Global Network of the Year in Cannes, Agency of the Year by Ad Age and Campaign, and several other accolades. 

Today Tom is a driving force behind the Happiness approach to communication, spurring the network’s belief that happiness is an Economic Multiplier. 

Prior to joining Happiness and FCB, Tom was head of strategy and managing partner at Publicis Brussels from 2009 to 2014. He entered the industry fray after winning a copywriting contest and spent five years at Duval Guillaume in Brussels as a strategy director. Throughout his career, he has worked on several cross-market assignments, including Bosch, Burger King, Škoda, Kellanova, Clorox and Kimberly-Clark.