Blog
Inspiring your next integrated ad campaign
Developments in b2b advertising, particularly from a digital perspective, have opened up new opportunities in recent years to rethink conventional approaches to b2b campaigns. The traditional approach to b2b advertising – a clichéd product shot with lengthy copy and an …
Continue reading
How I see it – key drivers for the UK packaging industry
As head of the IOPP in the UK, it’s my job, of course, to keep a close eye on the trends that influence the packaging world. In my view, the packaging sector is the industrial equivalent of New York City …
Continue reading
Hot desk – the importance of research in marketing communications (part III)
Following on from the tips I gave in previous posts on strategy and desk-based research, I have some more key pieces of advice in this final post in the series. I ended the previous piece by mentioning that official, governmental …
Continue reading
Communicating value: How good marketing shines a light on innovation (OTC Houston 2013 digest pt II)
The offshore industry, on display at OTC Houston this week, has always been associated with technical and technological advancement, as exploration and production takes place at deeper depths in more extreme environments. As an industry built rooted in engineering, we talked …
Continue reading
Facing up five marketing challenges impacting energy sector innovators (OTC Houston 2013 digest pt I)
Preparing for the OTC show, it has been very interesting thumbing the industry magazines and looking at prominent companies sponsoring and advertising their products and services. For me, too many industrial manufacturers targeting sectors like oil and gas spend vast …
Continue reading
Brand messaging: how to stay informed and keep control
We live in the golden age of social media, where Twitter, Facebook and blogs rule the roost, and where brand reputations are made and ruined in an instant. A new wave of citizen journalism has taken a global hold, with …
Continue reading
Taking a technology led approach to exhibition stand design
Nothing beats a first-hand experience and your trade show booth is like your shop front. These days, retailers go to all kind of extremes to get people through the door. Take the scantily clad surfer dudes who hang around outside …
Continue reading
PR to take on the world
As an international B2B marketing communications consultancy, BDB works with global companies to build their profile and reputation across the world. These international capabilities have enabled us to successfully respond to the needs of global packaging solutions specialist tna. BDB …
Continue reading
Hot desk – the importance of research in marketing communications (part II)
In my previous blog on desk-based research, I provided an explanation as to why the research (and in particular desk-based research) process is so crucially important for b2b marketers hoping to develop a strategic, evidence-based marcomms campaign. I also outlined …
Continue reading
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, …
Continue reading
Natural ingredients to steal the show at in-cosmetics 2013?
A hot topic at this year’s in-cosmetics in Paris will be the industry’s continued focus on natural ingredients. Of the 640+ exhibitors, many will be showcasing how cosmetics manufacturers can develop natural, chemical-free products that attract increasingly health- and label-conscious …
Continue reading
Traditional trade shows – a valuable opportunity for the packaging sector
As marketing and company travel budgets remain firmly under the microscope, many industry experts had predicted that the traditional tradeshow could soon be consigned to the history books. A casualty of the online revolution, a growing number of organisations are …
Continue reading
Email marketing – the phoenix from Google Reader’s flames
The recent announcement by Google that it is to shut down its RSS feed aggregator, Google Reader, probably flew under the radar for many in a busy news week that included announcing the new pope and the parliamentary vote on …
Continue reading
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 …
Continue reading
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 …
Continue reading
The fundamentals of good design
In the world of industrial marketing, we’re communicating more than ever before whether that’s through the web and social media, videos, games or other channels. So we mustn’t underestimate the effect visual and interactive communications have on influencing perceptions and …
Continue reading
Make your brand memorable
He Who Pays The Piper Once upon a time… …functional food and nutraceuticals manufacturers could really go to town on their product marketing. Then regulations tightened, EFSA started to dictate on-pack wording and everyone started to play safe with woolly …
Continue reading
Be inspired
As a creative agency, we are fascinated by where inspiration comes from. Where do those little sparks of energy that create the best ideas, designs and solutions to problems arise? Understanding what inspires people helps to build stronger working relationships. …
Continue reading
A Window on the North-West? Russia opens up to Manchester
Following on from his previous blog on Russian culture and customs, John shares his insights after recently attending the NorthWest Insider’s breakfast conference on Doing Business in Russia. With a new low-cost route between Manchester and Moscow scheduled to begin …
Continue reading
Hot desk – the importance of research in marketing communications
Few marketing professionals would disagree that a marketing communications campaign must be underpinned by a clear and well-defined strategy, if it is to meet and exceed its objectives. However, while a ‘strategic approach’ is upheld as industry best practice, a …
Continue reading
There’s no deserts here: export potential in the Middle East
When the US looks at a region for export growth, you know it is on the rise. And with US exports to the Middle East reaching more than $66 billion last year[1], it is time for the region to shine. …
Continue reading
Four tech developments to consider in future B2B campaigns
Over recent years BDB has been creating innovative apps (for use at exhibitions and as sales tools), designing virtual online events, and delivering rich media emarketing and more. We like to keep on top of what’s happening and here’s a …
Continue reading
Remembering who your B2B customer is
We stumbled across a brilliant piece of research from Google this week, hidden away on its Think with Google site, as we were reflecting on how B2B companies promote themselves – and to who. Specification selling is complicated. A segmented …
Continue reading
Public relations – hot right now
The future of public relations looks bright, if a recent PRCA careers event is anything to go by. At the “Breaking into public relations” conference attended by nearly 200 undergraduate and post-graduate students from across the UK at Manchester Metropolitan …
Continue reading
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 …
Continue reading
