Author Archives: Zoe
Vitafoods: a sharp focus makes for exhibition success
In my experience, time flies not only when you’re having fun, but also when things are going really well. That’s how I feel about Vitafoods. It seems like only a few weeks since I came back from last year’s show, …
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Don’t be scared of social media – it can be your friend!
Last week I attended Pro2Pac in London, where I ran three workshops on how companies can use social media in the packaging industry. Despite this being one of the more forward-thinking sectors when it comes to embracing social media and …
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Do or die: 6 b2b marketing trends to be embraced
Most people make predictions at the beginning and end of the year. As things move so fast in b2b marketing, I wanted to blog now on the trends b2b marketers should be aware of, but might not yet be capitalising …
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Being brave in the new packaging world
Regular readers of my blog posts will know how passionate I am about all things international. It’s not just a hobby, or a result of my education, which focussed heavily on languages and international business. It’s because, over the past …
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Why you need to market smarter in 2013, and how to do it
It’s nearly the end of January. You might be feeling pretty pleased that you’ve planned, budgeted and agreed all your 2013 marketing activity. Or maybe you’re painfully aware that you haven’t yet – and are thinking you now need to …
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Protecting packaging profits in tough economic times
I don’t need to tell you how tough it is doing business right now. Four years after the collapse of Lehman Brothers, manufacturers in many mature markets are still under pressure that many senior managers have never experienced before. Even …
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Keeping up appearances: why communications are critical to export success
Almost all of BDB’s clients are accomplished exporters but many companies aren’t. The reasons are well-documented. Some businesses have large domestic markets and have never really felt the desire or need to look further afield – a common finding in …
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Brand: new world
Why branding is critical in today’s packaging industry As consumers we’re all exposed to hundreds of brands every day. But as industrial marketers, do we always recognise the importance of branding in our professional lives? In the packaging sector, where …
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Packaging companies: think local when you go global
The American writer William Arthur Ward famously wrote: “Opportunity is often difficult to recognize; we usually expect it to beckon us with beepers and billboards.” And as we know, the beepers and billboards are usually pretty elusive in the packaging …
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Why US packaging businesses must go global
I recently tuned into an interesting webinar from Packaging Digest, on the topic of global packaging opportunities. It included some useful content I wanted to share with you. I’m already an advocate of companies taking the plunge and selling more …
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Natural selection – making sure you’re talking to the right agencies
In my last post about finding the perfect communications partner, I outlined some of the key questions clients should ask themselves before contacting agencies. This time around, I look at finding agencies, how to shortlist them, and optimise preparations for …
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How to find the perfect communications agency
Finding the right agency – PR, creative, digital, media or anything else - is essential. And can be difficult. Everyone I know in the marketing communications world, client-side and agency, has had at least one bad experience (and in most …
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Six months on – what’s happening in the N-11?
In November I blogged about the N-11 – a group of countries tipped by Goldman Sachs to be potential leading economic powers in the future. But a lot can happen in six months. So here’s an update on some of …
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3 undeniable reasons to use Linkedin
If you’re still a Linkedin sceptic, this blog’s for you. I’ve spoken to one or two contacts recently who don’t quite see how it’s relevant to them, or to their business. But if your role is b2b marketing or business …
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Vision impossible for the food & drink industry?
In my December blog post, I talked about the need for an exporting revolution: a new and ambitious approach to growing international business, to help drag static economies like the UK’s away from the brink of recession into continued long-term …
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We need an export revolution, not an evolution
In the UK, and many other developed economies, the talk for months now has been of exporting. Exporting will abbreviate the financial gloom, or maybe even stave off another recession altogether. Exporters will be the driving force behind our recovery. …
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Are you an outcast from the global village?
Why food and drink industry suppliers have no choice but to embrace digital media. We’ve been talking about it with clients for some time, but now independent research shows that if you want the food and drinks industry to know …
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Top 10 trends driving food and drink innovation
On Wednesday, I tuned into a great webinar from Innova Market Insights on food and beverage trends for 2012. If you didn’t manage to join in, these are the developments that could drive the growth of your business next year: …
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BRIC countries are yesterday’s news: now it’s the N-11
It was in 2003 that Goldman Sachs pinpointed Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) as the world’s top emerging economies. And in the eight years since, their growth has been so meteoric, they’ve all but caught up with “modern” markets. …
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Seven top trends for b2b marketers to watch
The world of b2b communications is developing faster now than ever before, and is heavily influenced by changes in the consumer environment. Recently Ernst and Young revealed the top seven trends b2b marketers need to be aware of and respond …
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Reputation is everything: the implications of M&A on corporate brands
In the last 12 months, six of BDB’s clients and several of the publishers we work with have been involved in international acquisition activity. They’re typical of many companies, especially in the construction, food and packaging sectors. Grant Thornton recently reported …
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Exhibitions: is the show over?
This week sees the opening of two key exhibitions in BDB’s calendar, Vitafoods and Interpack. They’re the culmination of many interesting projects, from stand design and build to brochure production and multilingual press support. Shows like this are a significant …
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Can centralised international marketing really meet local requirements?
Every international business has its own approach to marketing communications. Some advocate tightly controlled activity – formulated and policed by its head office. Others adopt a far more laisser-faire approach, empowering different countries and divisions to do what they feel …
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Five top tips for agency selection
Agencies are fighting hard for every bit of new business, and they’ve stepped up their efforts to impress – promising the world and, too often, failing to deliver. So it’s crucial to see past the showmanship of the pitch. These …
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