Author
Author, marketing strategist and U.S. market-entry advisor.
Wilbert Kragten, also published as W.D. Kragten, is the author of Mastering the Marketing Entry in the United States and the author behind the WDK 10-Step U.S. Market Entry Framework.
Wilbert Kragten has spent more than thirty years working in international marketing across markets and cultures. His career includes leading BSUR's Shanghai operation and, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, working with leadership teams on U.S. market entry, positioning and go-to-market decisions.
He has presented branding methodology at Hult International Business School in Shanghai and co-hosts CMOtalk USA, a forum for senior marketing leaders. His international agency work has been covered by Campaign, Adformatie and LBBOnline.
The subject of the book comes from practice. Working from Cambridge, Massachusetts, Wilbert advises leadership teams on the decisions that determine whether an entry works: which segment to win first, how to rewrite a proposition for American buyers, where to establish a first presence, and what evidence should exist before spending scales.
Three decades of comparing European assumptions with the realities of American buyers are what the ten steps distil.
The book is a practical playbook for business leaders, marketing professionals, students and educators. The first edition appeared in 2024 under ISBN 9798343913620; the second edition followed in 2025 under ISBN 979-8301672439, extending the playbook for a changing U.S. market. A student edition and an audiobook are also available.
Mastering the Marketing Entry in the United StatesWilbert is the author associated with the WDK 10-Step U.S. Market Entry Framework, the methodology presented in the book. It organises entry into ten practical areas — from defining the first segment to agreeing what "working" looks like at 90, 180 and 365 days.
Articles written by Wilbert Kragten expanding on the book's frameworks.
January 12, 2026 · 9 min read
A practical ten-step framework for European firms entering the United States, covering positioning, research, site selection, pricing, channels and compliance.
February 3, 2026 · 7 min read
How to choose your first U.S. location: what Boston, New York, Austin, San Diego and the Bay Area actually offer, and how to weigh talent, capital, customers and cost.
March 9, 2026 · 6 min read
American buyers expect outcomes, specificity and proof. Here is how to rewrite European positioning so it lands in the United States.
Wilbert gives author talks, webinars and book-based workshops for companies, conferences and classrooms, including a recent session on expanding to the U.S. healthcare market and a webinar on winning American clients from Europe.
Author talks and workshopsWilbert is a host of CMOtalk USA, a podcast about transatlantic marketing on which he and his co-hosts speak with chief marketing officers around the world.