The first in a series of blog posts about the construction industry, Neil takes a look at the key challenges for marketing in this sector.

Scrutinised budgets, pressure to maximise return on investment and a need to differentiate your brand from the competition – at the moment, marketers in the construction industry need to relish a challenge.

The solution however doesn’t lie in cutting back your communications activity, or following the latest fad (remember Google Wave and Quora?). Assessing your marketing strategy and communications mix with a clear focus on objectives and measurement is key to achieving your strategic goals and maximising returns.

Evaluating the results of your marketing activity at regular intervals provides essential insights to make informed decisions about the most effective approach. How you use this information is the next step. The digital revolution has given construction marketers valuable visibility into how their customers and other target audiences interact with their brand, while also presenting new challenges in how product manufacturers and service providers use this understanding.

Rocking the foundations

The construction industry has changed immeasurably in recent years with the increasing use of digital communications tools, social media and a significant shift in how target audiences access and engage with the media. Recent research discussed by CIMCIG, the specialist construction interest group of the CIM, in some ways dispels previous thoughts on how target groups within the construction industry use traditional media. A surprising statistic is that over 50% of architects surveyed by Competitive Advantage no longer read hard copy magazines or access online news stories.

With this in mind, how do construction marketers negotiate the new range of communications tools to create successful campaigns that generate results? At BDB, we believe in taking an integrated approach to strategic marketing communications – matching business objectives to relevant, proven and effective tools, both on- and off-line. Marketing within the construction industry is experiencing unprecedented change. At a time when the value of brand communications is increasingly under the microscope it’s important to focus your budget and attention on the channels that deliver tangible returns.

If you’re interested in evaluating your marketing communications strategy and looking for a fresh approach, get in touch with our experienced built environment team.

Wrong! If you’ve written your content on your slides, what’s the point of you being there? Go and have a coffee, and let your audience read the text for themselves. Great presenters remember the secret weapon of presenting, and use visual aids as a useful extra.

The best presentation tool is…

You.

Remember the split of how the message is received by the audience:

55% body language

38% voice

7% content

So it’s not what you say – or what’s written on your slides – it’s how you say it that counts.

You’re the storyteller. Keep the focus on you and be imaginative. That said, on some occasions additional tools can help to keep energy and interest high:

1.     Props

Toys, models, pictures mounted on boards – physical elements help bring the focus to you and keep the attention of the audience in the room – not on a screen.

2.     Prezi and other projection tools

Sometimes it’s appropriate to use a multimedia tool. But consider using something less familiar than a set of slides. With Prezi you can build a story in a non-linear way, zoom in and out, and show connections in a different way. Create an interactive timeline with Dipity. Or design an animated video using GoAnimate, uploading your own voiceover to accompany the visual.

3.     Drawing

Get out the whiteboard or the flipchart. Demonstrate connections and relationships by sketching. This is another device for keeping your audience in the present with you.

4.     Digestible data

Use data visualisation to make statistics and figures digestible. Visualisations at Information is Beautiful illustrate how facts and figures can be fascinating with the right graphics.

5.     If you must use slides

Remember that you’re still the storyteller, so keep the focus with you.  Use images wherever possible. Keep the word count for each slide as minimal as you can – three bullet points of three words each is a good rule.

Next time you’re presenting, have the courage to step away from the screen and do something differently. Your audience will love you for it. Here’s a final thought from someone who really knew how to address a gathering:

‘People who know what they’re talking about don’t need PowerPoint.’

Steve Jobs

Feel like your presentations need refreshing? Contact us today.

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 development, it is relevant. The only question is: how can you get best value from it?

Let’s start with the fundamental purpose of Linkedin. It’s a business networking tool. It helps you identify, research, observe and contact people and companies. Not just existing and potential customers, but industry influencers and experts, journalists, conference organisers, potential new employees, competitors and suppliers. Be honest: what business could survive, much less progress, without those contacts? And without consistently updating, editing and expanding them?

Linkedin has an impressive global membership – over 135 million users worldwide at the last official count. Through my 190 connections (a pretty modest number in Linkedin terms), I have access to a network of over 3 million people. As an international marketing consultant and a business developer, that’s gold dust.

But large numbers of contacts are just a tiny part of what Linkedin offers the b2b marketer. Here are three key reasons you can and should be making more of Linkedin:

• Today there are over 1 million groups on Linkedin boasting up to 20,000 members each. With that number, you’re pretty sure to find one that matches your interest, sector or expertise. One click, and you’re part of a global collection of like-minded professionals with whom you can network, request or share information, and get opinions, advice and recommendations. You can see who the group’s members are and, using the group statistics dashboard launched in November, how it’s growing and how active it is. So you can decide quickly if it’s for you, and what you can offer, or take from, it. If you really can’t find an appropriate group, you can start one yourself.

•  The events function automatically filters thousands of events worldwide and makes personalised recommendations based on your location, industry, network members etc. You can see who’s attending or interested in the event. So as a marketer, you can gauge which events your customers and prospects value, and target your time and budget accordingly.

• Company information has been enhanced recently to allow members to follow an organisation (much like they would on Twitter). Because members have decided to follow your company, they’ve shown interest in your business and what you have to say, so they’ll be receptive to your brand and communications. Your followers will not only see business announcements, vacancies, etc, but now also company status updates. These offer a more interactive dimension to company information as your followers can “like,” “comment” or “share” the updates – giving you free, valuable and immediate insight into audience attitudes.

Remember, even if you’re not using Linkedin much yet, your competitors, journalists, customers and prospects could well be. Look them up next time you log in. If this blog hasn’t convinced you, maybe seeing their profiles, connections and activity will.

Want to talk about how Linkedin or other social media platforms can work for you? Get in touch. Or share your thoughts on Linkedin’s best features below.

Blogging initially began as a means of sharing personal thoughts and daily activities, and has now extended into near-mainstream for both consumers and businesses alike. In terms of b2b blogging, the same initial concept and purpose behind a blog can still apply – namely to create and share the personality of a corporate institution. Blogging gives businesses a respectable news outlet, and the chance to speak to their market, in a tone and voice that befits both their business and target audience.

So, what else could a blog do for your business?

1. Help you connect with customers, particularly if your blog invites comments and encourages interactions
2. Intelligent, considered comments on industry issues shows you’re ahead of the game, crucially reinforcing your industry expertise and thought leadership positioning
3. Increase traffic to your website – make sure you apply SEO techniques, such as keywords, SEO-friendly URLs, and meta data  to help your audience find you
4. Help increase your Google page rank – by regularly adding index-friendly pages and new content to your website, as well as adding internal and external links within each post. Google bots like this!
5. Build on your brand’s identity – especially if you share the posts as part of your digital/social media strategy or add it to blog directories
6. Case study-style blog posts can provide tangible examples of both what you do and your value proposition – effectively creating a subtle extension to your traditional sales tools. Just make sure you get permission from your customers first.

A key point about blogging is once you start, be committed. Posting a few blogs and then running out of steam could damage your brand more than simply not blogging at all. Schedule in some time every week to devote to your blog – whether that’s writing content, reviewing other people’s posts, uploading content, or working up a list of potential topics for the future. Planning is essential to the smooth running of a blog.

At BDB, we like our blog to give a flavour of what we do, and what we’re interested in and passionate about – take a look around, we hope it inspires you to create your own business blog.

Get in touch if you’d like to discuss your blogging strategy or our blog set-up and management service. And if there’s a blog topic you’re itching to see us write about, then let us know below.

Big digital trends for 2012

Lots of experts have been busy writing their predictions for digital channels and technology in 2012. Some predict the decline of the desktop PC in the face of mounting pressure from the smartphone and tablet markets. Others predict various social network tie-ups, with Facebook and Twitter the most likely to join forces. At BDB, we’re particularly interested in the content and discussion around new platforms or technologies. Good, useful content will always find a way through. Of the pick of the trends articles, we liked the points made about owned and earned content, social integration and marketing automation in this piece from BtoB Magazine. These will be essential in delivering value to customers over the coming months and years.

Learning content marketing from Coca Cola

Almost in validation of the point above, we revisited Coca Cola’s Content 2020 strategy recently. Originally released in August last year, it gained fresh traction this month when it went viral on Twitter. This seven minutes of ‘liquid’ story telling gold paints a picture of how content marketing can pay dividends to businesses and brands. An extension of multimedia and PR, content marketing is, in our view, a way to capitalise on the best techniques and technologies available to drive interest in, and traction for, your business.

How Google ranks websites – the importance of search engine visibility

Often when businesses are new to digital, talk of search engines and optimisation can leave them feeling overwhelmed. Here’s a video that explains how Google search works, outlining the factors considered in ranking sites for search results. Top tip: don’t spend a fortune on promotional campaigns without giving some thought about where you send people!

LinkedIn on the rise

LinkedIn dominates our thoughts at BDB as we seek out opportunities for clients to both join and lead discussions and debates. Some interesting statistics were released earlier this month detailing demographic, geographic, sector and professional splits around the world. Powerful stuff.

Twitter power

Not strictly business, but President Obama’s recent State of the Union address illustrated the power Twitter has in mobilising and connecting groups of people with common interests. This infographic demonstrates the scale of engagement during a 90 minute time period. The key learning for business? If you’re using Twitter, target interested parties, know where they are and use relevant hashtags to bind them together.

That’s my pick for January. What digital marketing developments have made an impact on you over the last month? Share them below. And if you want to talk digital, drop me a line. 

• Firstly, crucial currency predictions courtesy of International Trade
• For a global viewpoint, The Economist video includes predictions from its journalists around the world
• This overview from trendwatching.com lists the “12 must-know consumer trends” for the coming year
• The Marketer says “get ready for a surge of interest in DIY health apps, cloud computing and marketing partnerships”
• Read what the PRSA consider as the “12 trends that will ‘change public relations”
• iMedia Connection tells us what to expect in digital and interactive media
• And see how social media will impact business in Social Media Examiner’s predictions

Share your thoughts below on what 2012 will bring.

Happy New Year!

Building in budget and resources for evaluation is a given. We’ll leave it to another day to bang that perennial drum. However, there are plenty of other instances where market or customer research can save you time and money or help shape your strategy in a positive, meaningful way.

Before spending your entire budget on activity that is based on internal perceptions, ideas and motivations, take a moment to seriously consider obtaining market feedback first.

Here are some tips on how market research can help you:

1. Customer satisfaction / feedback – find out directly how you compare to your competitors and obtain specific feedback on what you can do to improve

2. Brand awareness – if you spend any time or money at all on developing, building and protecting your brand, seek regular feedback from the market on whether perceptions match reality. Small changes that are evidence-based could reap rich rewards

3. Consumer research – by finding out what your customers’ customers want, you can enhance your credibility, show how your products match their needs and prove to them why you should be their preferred supplier

4. Before going to market with an innovative, impactful marketing campaign, seek honest, objective feedback first. You may find that your idea does not resonate with your market or that it does – in which case, you can be confident in your spending commitment

We regularly undertake market research projects for our clients and could never overplay the importance – at all stages of a marketing plan – of validation.

Next time you find yourself running with the next big idea, think about how more successful it might be if it’s checked by the people who count first.

Contact us to find out more about how market research could help your comms strategy.

No longer the sole province of consumer communications, broadcast media opportunities are increasingly the norm in the trade press too, with podcasts, webcasts, talking heads, presentations, interviews, and round table debates all popular formats.

In the great words of Mark Twain, “It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.”  Potential interviewees – take good heed. Entering a broadcast interview unprepared, unrehearsed and without your key messages cemented into your psyche is never a good approach.

Rehearse rehearse rehearse

It is absolutely critical to first of all identify, agree and rehearse your key messages. Over and over if you need to. This is where your PR agency comes in. They can work with you and your legal team if necessary to draw up message documents – and rehearse their delivery. Your agency can also anticipate likely media questions and draw up crib sheets to help you plan for potentially sticky situations.

Get your message across

In broadcast interviews, you’ll need to tread a fine line between sounding scripted and delivering a believable response. Remember, if you’re not trained to take advantage of an opportunity, the journalist will simply go elsewhere to gather information – probably to one of your competitors.

The ‘Acknowledge Bridge Control’ model is a simple and effective technique for turning an interview to your advantage.  First, acknowledge the question; even answer it if you want to. Then bridge your response towards the subject you want to talk about – ideally one of your key messages. By doing so you take control of the conversation and can steer it to your advantage. Politicians are adept at this!  However, make sure you stay in context. If, for example, you’re talking about a situation that has adversely affected your customers, don’t bridge straight to an upbeat corporate key message – you’ll sound cold and uncaring.

Think body language

Sounds obvious, but make sure you speak slowly and clearly – and keep eye contact with the interviewer to look interested and confident.  Looking away is your audience’s cue to look away too.  Studies show that the subliminal signals you send out, or body language, account for no less than 50% of the message your audience takes away.

And when you’re being filmed, be aware of what’s going on in the background.  If you’re defending a supply shortfall, then showing the busy workforce on the manufacturing floor will speak more for your efforts to put the situation right than broadcasting from your comfortable office.

It’s all about confidence 

Good media training is all about building your confidence, so that you come to enjoy every contact with the media and turn every interview into your opportunity to have your say.  Some of our latest delegate feedback speaks for itself…

“So much more confident now.  At the beginning, media interviews were a very daunting prospect – now I’d be happy to undertake them.”

“Very relaxed, reassuring and enjoyable course – thank you.”

“Excellent course.  Feel much better prepared and more confident.”

Contact us to find out more about our media training courses.

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 growth.

The day after that blog was posted, the FDF (Food & Drink Federation) launched a significant new vision: to achieve sustainable growth of 20% in the UK food and beverage industry by 2020. Crucially, the other party holding this “shared vision” is the British government. Grant Thornton’s research for the FDF clearly concurs on a vital point with Ernst & Young’s report for the CBI: multi-party commitment and action is essential to business success.

The two reports shared several other findings, including:

Tackling knotty issues including the reasons behind exporting, choosing markets, approaches to market research and planning, tackling language and cultural issues, and drawing on experience from working with clients operating in international markets, I contributed to a lively Q&A panel session with other leading North West exporters on how to successfully take your business into a foreign market.

Working internationally has been a staple of BDB’s success over the last 25 years. We’ve built an enviable international reputation as a consultancy that helps businesses promote themselves around the world.

At BDB, we support the government’s scheme to encourage 100,000 new companies to export. The scheme which is spearheaded by Lord Green, is crucial at a time when reliance on a single economic market is in itself an equally risky business strategy.

UKTI is staging a number of regional launch events and more information can be found though the UKTI website.

And if you want to talk about promoting yourself the right way overseas, you know what to do next… contact us.

Read more on export marketing:

We need an export revolution, not an evolution

• Firstly, crucial currency predictions courtesy of International Trade
• For a global viewpoint, The Economist video includes predictions from its journalists around the world
• This overview from trendwatching.com lists the “12 must-know consumer trends” for the coming year
• The Marketer says “get ready for a surge of interest in DIY health apps, cloud computing and marketing partnerships”
• Read what the PRSA consider as the “12 trends that will ‘change public relations”
• iMedia Connection tells us what to expect in digital and interactive media
• And see how social media will impact business in Social Media Examiner’s predictions

Share your thoughts below on what 2012 will bring.

Happy New Year!

Linkedin

Linkedin membership is creeping up to the 150m mark but many users still don’t use it effectively, either as a networking forum or a place to build your personal and company brand. Last month, we profiled Linkedin Events and Cardmunch. This month, Linkedin has rolled out Polls for Groups  as a way of energising discussion within groups, helping members to tap into the expertise and opinion of others, as well as advancing their own profile as a facilitator and contributor.

Twitter

Hot off the press is news from marketing automation provider Pardon’s latest B2B marketing survey which suggests that 91% of surveyed marketers prefer Twitter and use it, but see Linkedin as a better long-term prospect for lead generation. This infographic brings the salient data to life.

Facebook

In a story that slipped under most radars (probably because the new Timeline feature took up all the column space), Facebook this week quietly rolled out a new feature for business pages and their fans.Private messaging between pages and fans doesn’t sound like such a big deal, but think about the targeted one-to-one dialogue that could be achieved. All of a sudden, Facebook for business looks a little bit more appealing than it did last week, especially if you profess to offer superior customer service as one of your USPs.

YouTube

We’re big fans of video at BDB. Companies with products to bring to life, experts to discuss key issues and customer testimonials to share can infuse their online content with video that makes for more high impact and arresting content than the written word alone. With YouTube now seen as a search engine in its own right (and 50% of search focused on video), its recent developments in the video analytics space make for interesting reading. You can now, for example, obtain a number of useful performance metrics including geographical and gender demographics andtop views, playback locations and traffic sources.

Q: What digital marketing developments have made an impact on you over the last month? Share them below.

One thing’s for sure, it’s been a year of uncertainty when it come to the global economy.  The resulting lack of confidence has had repercussions across almost all industries. We’ve seen marketing budgets cut by some in response to tighter business conditions, while others have understood the importance of raising their profile and building their brand for future growth.

Consolidation has also been rife across many industry sectors this year. M&As bring change, challenge and opportunity to those working inside the businesses as well as other parties such as customers, distributors and suppliers. And it’s at these times that effective internal communications are as critical as connecting with external audiences.

An important route for business growth that has continued to be vital to many of our clients is exporting. As exporters ourselves, and one who helps other exporters promote their products and services around the world, this has been a core part of our business for over 20 years now.  So, it was a fantastic tribute to our success in this area when we won the Queen’s Award for International Trade earlier this year.

Our export capabilities were further endorsed with two regional international trade awards. And proof that size really doesn’t count came in the shape of BDB’s two other award wins – the PRCA International Consultancy of the Year, which saw BDB victorious over major global agencies, and the MiAwards, where we were named B2B Marketing Agency of the Year.

And finally, 2011 has seen a step change in the way b2b marketers are communicating. The days of talking about new digital tools and techniques and the impact they will have are over. This year has been about action. We’ve continued to invest in digital marketing and are helping companies in various industrial markets embrace and integrate digital channels to survive and thrive.

What has 2011 meant for your business? We’d love to hear your thoughts.

I completely agree with that concept, but it’s more complex than it might first appear. We can’t just stick to the old way of doing things. UK plc needs to change its export strategy, for one simple reason. The countries to which we currently export most – the USA and EU – are in just a much of financial mess as we are. There too, government spending is severely restricted and consumer demand is flat. They might account for around two-thirds of our current exports today, but they’re not going to rescue us tomorrow.

Looking further afield

So we need to turn our attention to high-growth markets. The BRIC economies still offer great opportunities but they’re starting to mature and the UK’s exporting competitors – notably the USA, Germany and China – are way ahead of us in those markets. So, as I suggested in my blog last month, UK exporters can and should look to the next-11.

Now a new report from the CBI, in association with Ernst & Young, reiterates the need for a comprehensive and determined strategy to ensure a reversal of the UK’s declining export performance. (Our share of world exports has fallen from 5.3% in 2000 to 4.1% last year). The authors of “Winning overseas: boosting business export performance” explore the numerous and varied reasons behind the problem, detail the opportunities available to exporters and then set out a blueprint for action.

Multi-party commitment

The report makes clear the need for all stakeholders – government, business, trade associations, banks and advisory bodies – to work together. This, in my view, is what could make all the difference to success.

The concluding chapter of the report suggests ambitious targets and defines five key recommendations to grow UK business overseas:

• Government must set a high bar for export performance to be met through a 2020 national exports strategy
• Government must provide the right policy framework to boost businesses’ export capability
• UKTI must inject greater commercial focus into its operations to support UK business better
• CBI will take the lead in supporting UK businesses entering new markets
• Government and business must work together to increase the availability of export finance.

I admit to feeling a bit despondent as I read the first chapter of the CBI’s report. The reality of our exporting situation and the UK’s lack of competitiveness became very real. But its suggestions are strategic, well thought-out and detailed. If all parties can agree on it, I think it holds great promise. I hope they’ve sent a copy to David Cameron, Vince Cable, Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint, Nick Baird and all the heads of major banks.

To obtain a copy of the CBI report, visit www.cbi.org.uk. Or if you’d like to know how BDB can help boost your export performance, get in touch.

“Plane ticket?” Check

“Press packs?” Check

“Business cards?” Check

With that my final luggage check was complete and I was ready to leave Manchester for three days of press support at Europe’s biggest food ingredients exhibition, FiE.  I was looking forward to seeing the stands BDB had designed and built, meeting some of our great clients and discussing their latest innovations with journalists from all over the world. Many people within the industry are talking about the shift away from traditional tradeshows in favour of virtual events. However, in my opinion, you can’t beat meeting people – whether it be editors, clients or prospects – in person.  For BDB, tradeshows like FiE help us to further enhance our industry knowledge and foster good relationships with the press, which can certainly help when trying to secure excellent editorial coverage going forward.

Now in its 25^th year, the show itself was a whirlwind of 25 multilingual (English, French and German) press appointments with editors of key food, beverage and nutritional publications. In between these interviews, we had an opportunity to discuss the latest trends and the future of the industry with clients, as well as attending the prestigious Food Ingredients Excellence Awards 2011.

So now the bright lights of Paris are behind me, and I’m back in the office, I can firmly say that I thoroughly enjoyed my first FiE, and am looking forward to seeing the fruits of our labour when the show review issues come out.  Happy 25^th Birthday FiE and here’s to the next 25 years!

From stand design and build to multilingual press support, get in touch to see how BDB can help enhance your exhibition presence.

1.     Social media

Google

The search giant made a number of announcements in the last month, firstly launching several updates to Google Docs its free to use cloud-hosted business software, as well as the business roll out of Google+.

Updates to Google Docs saw new Gmail apps for Apple’s latest suite of iPhones and iPads, and a neat ‘suggested times’ feature to Google Calendar appointments. With Google+ quickly amassing 40m users, the opportunity to create business pages is something that might give it the edge over Facebook and its focus on personal connections. These developments will no doubt have an impact in the business arena over the coming weeks and months.

LinkedIn

Linkedin has come on in leaps and bounds as it builds its profile as the ‘Facebook for business’. Making the most of the networking opportunity presented is critical to making LinkedIn work for business. As such, LinkedIn Events has been given an overhaul and now includes functionality that suggests events that you might like, as well as an attendee list to allow you to start setting up introductions and meetings.

And, once you’ve met, use the free new iPhone app Cardmunch to scan and add business cards to your Contacts and match them with their LinkedIn profile, seamlessly adding them to your contact network.

Twitter

In a comparatively quiet month for the microblogging network, there was one interesting illustration of the power of the hashtag. In this animation all the tweets mentioning the date 11.11.11 were drawn together to show how this trended around the world, and when. Powerful stuff.

2.     Email marketing

Marketing Sherpa posted an interesting five step guide to ensuring your email marketing  is given the best chance of success. Factors to consider include citing where you got the recipients contact details from, confirming content and frequency expectations, delivering value, providing an unsubscribe function, and white-listing.

3.     Search marketing

A news story that rocked a lot of people was the announcement from Google that it was now able to include Facebook comments within its search indexing. Adding comments to news stories and industry articles has long been seen as a credible way of sending traffic back to a nominated B2B website. The impact of this development is to further blur the line between personal and professional profiles online, leaving commentators needing to reflect about the comments they make before hitting the submit button.

Q: What digital marketing stories have made an impact on you over the last month? Share them below.

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 about you, a good digital presence is an absolute necessity, not a luxury.

One of my fellow group members on LinkedIn, who is employed by Mintel, recently polled food industry professionals to establish how they find out about innovations. Nearly 70% of them go online. That statistic didn’t surprise me. But what did, is that most of them consult digital magazines. Admittedly the respondents’ options were limited – there was no “search engines” tick-box, which I suspect would have been a more popular answer, had it been available.

But this quick and simple poll underscores the importance of both the internet and the trade press. We’ve been asked if the trade press is a dying beast and have always argued that’s far from the case. But it is having to change and adapt to the way food manufacturers, retailers and brand owners look for information. Many English-language publications in Europe and the US provide content online now, some very successfully. A few have ceased printing altogether. Where they lead, others will definitely follow.

Importantly, whether it’s delivered on 110 gsm paper, PC, tablet or smartphone, content is undoubtedly king. A well-planned, proactive, professionally-crafted and measurable media relations programme will ensure your messages reach the right audiences in the right way, at the right time, with the right results. It remains a cornerstone of almost any marketing communications campaign because of its numerous and long-term benefits, especially when conducted with digital media and SEO in mind.

Equally though, it will help ensure the survival and prosperity of publishing houses which are being pounded by plunging advertising budgets. Quality content – whatever its delivery platform – attracts quality subscribers, and quality subscribers attract suppliers with money to spend. Even when the global economy recovers, we won’t go back to the old ways. The shape of the food and drink industry media has changed forever, and continues to evolve. Ignoring that trend is risky to say the least.

So what does this mean for all of us involved in food and beverage marketing? As I stated in my July blog post, customers now have far more control of how and when they look for information, and we must adapt the way we communicate to facilitate and encourage research, sharing and discussion. Specifically:

• Publishers can and should capitalise on their considerable assets and continue to offer more diverse platforms to allow communication between food industry suppliers and customers – and among customers themselves. Events (in person or online), webinars, market research and targeted use of social media are attractive to both parties and can mitigate the financial effects of falling advertising revenue.

• Industry suppliers can demand optimum value from their marketing agencies and must expect just as much substance as style. Those with separate PR and digital agencies may benefit from reviewing that arrangement. The best results are achieved when the strategy, design, back-room functionality, content and on- and off-page promotion are conceived and implemented by one multi-skilled team that also holds accountability for evaluation and ongoing development and improvements.

If you’d like to know us to review your PR or digital communications and help you make them work harder for your business, get in touch. Call us on +44 (0)161 925 4700 to arrange a free confidential meeting with one of our consultants at FiE or after the show. Or share your thoughts below on the best or most trusted sources of information about 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:

“Pure” is the new natural: natural products are becoming the norm in most western markets such as the USA and Europe. Innova Market Insights saw the number of products using the word “pure” double between 2008 and 2009, with a further 33% added in 2010 and considerably more in 2011.

Green is a given: corporate social responsibility and sustainability strategies have taken on an increasingly important role. Whether it’s reducing carbon emissions or food miles, lightweighting packaging, or creating value out of previously untapped waste materials, there’s huge further potential here.

Location, location, location: provenance remains critical for consumers – both at home and when eating out. Retail food packaging and restaurant menus now commonly display detail not just of the country of origin, but the farm, and even the farmer himself. This is being driven by an interest in supporting local suppliers, environmental awareness, concerns over the quality and safety of imported products, and the demand for authenticity.

Premium stands out: despite the ongoing economic gloom, premium products are faring well as consumers still feel they deserve the occasional treat. “Premiumisation” is visible at every level of retail – from discounters to top-end supermarkets like Waitrose in the UK. This means centre-ground brands could find themselves squeezed and, in my view, will need to seek alternative differentiation.

Seniors draw attention: we’re seeing the growth of an exciting and comprehensive approach to food for the ageing population. Targeted nutrition is something many of our food ingredients clients have focused on for some time, but the trend also covers packaging functionality (including lightweighting, improved labelling and easy opening – epitomised by Crown’s award-winning Orbit closure launched at Interpack this year).

Forty is the new twenty: conscious of increasing life expectancy, many consumers would prefer to prevent health conditions rather than treat them. So, expect increasing product launches aimed at “successful ageing,” including heart, eye and brain health (both key areas for DHA omega-3 fatty acids) for instance. Reference was made to strong growth in product launches including resveratrol over recent years.

Grounded in science: products with a scientifically proven health benefit find consumer trust and acceptance relatively quickly. When EFSA agreed that vitamin C had a demonstrable effect on the immune system in October last year, global product launches soared. Getting there isn’t easy though; many food ingredient companies have already undergone the prolonged and rigorous European Health Claims process.

Regulators force a rethink: when governments turn their attention to a specific aspect of health or class of ingredients, things happen. Fast. Trans-fats, widely used in many food products only ten years ago, have all but vanished. Now we’re seeing it in sugar and sodium – good news for companies like Innophos. Expect this trend to continue, as governments take a longer-term view of their nations’ health, and its costs.

Unmeasurable niches: the internet has opened up opportunities for small, specialised food manufacturers offering solutions for specific requirements or health issues. The webinar cited the example of Cuisine for Me, which produces ready meals for people with kidney disease. But big players are also exploring personalised nutrition… watch this space.

Boom for protein: protein is well-understood by consumers and in the past five years or so, its role in satiety and weight loss has been well publicised. Alongside a growing global market (Rabobank predicts at 30% increase in poultry demand within the next decade), the continued popularity of vegetarianism means demand for non-meat protein sources is expected to rise. Companies offering soya products, nuts, beans, pulses and dairy proteins stand to benefit from this trend.

Contact Innova Market Insights to learn more about these trends. Or to know how BDB’s communications services can help you respond to changing global consumer demand, contact us now to arrange a free confidential meeting at FiE or after the show.

Share your thoughts below on what you expect to see happening in this dynamic market.

On fait du tourisme

Although Parisian architecture references many styles, perhaps the most enduring is Haussmann’s radical overhaul in the nineteenth century that created the sweeping boulevards, apartment façades and public parks for which the city is so famous today. It’s not just architectural style that sets Paris apart though; the city is home to some of the world’s most iconic landmarks and cultural hotspots.

If you’ve never visited before, must-sees include the Eiffel Tower (of course!), Notre Dame, The Louvre, Trocadero, the Arc de Triomphe, the Musée D’Orsay and Sacré Cœur – all as beautiful by night as they are during the day.  But if you’re looking for something a bit different, you can find modern art at the Pompidou, take scenic walks along the Canal St. Martin, pay homage to stars such as Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde at la cimetière Père Lachaise, drink mint tea at the beautiful Mosquée, or bargain hunt at one of the many flea markets.

Alors on mange

French cuisine is revered – and in Paris you’re never short of options! If you’re feeling a bit peckish during the day, step into one of the patisseries, or pick up a crêpe from a street vendor (Nutella or sugar and lemon are best). For something savoury, head to Rue de Rosiers in the Marais for a falafel from L’As du Falafel.

For a more substantial meal, there are plenty of restaurants and cafés to pick from – Le Relais de l’Entrecôte is always good for steak. Café de Flore, once frequented by the likes of Satre and De Beauvoir, has long been famous for its literary connections. For more modern eating, Kong was made famous by Carrie in Sex in the City. My favourite eateries include Chez Toinette, just off Boulevard Clichy, Chez Janou, near Place des Vosges and Hotel du Nord on Quai de Jemmapes.

Bonne soirée

After a long day, you may want to wind down and ‘prendre un verre’ in one of Paris’ bars and cafés. The Marais is a particular hotspot, lively yet relaxed with many places staying open till late. In Bastille, the Rue de la Roquette’s narrow street is lined with haunts to suit every taste, but is generally a noisy affair. Oberkampf in the 11^th arrondissement and Latin Quarter near the Sorbonne, are also popular hang-outs. To be honest though, wherever you are in Paris, you’ll never be far from a decent place to enjoy a drink and soak up the city.

Faire du vélo?

It terms of getting around the city, Paris is actually pretty easy to navigate. It’s not the biggest city, so you can get to a lot of places on foot. The metro is also heavily subsidised making it a cheap and quick way to get around. If you’re feeling adventurous though, I’d recommend taking out a Velib – one of the city’s public bikes. Stations are every 200m and for as little as €1 per day, you can see a lot of Paris while you travel from A to B.

Paris has so much to offer and everyone at BDB is looking forward to seeing you there at FiE. Contact us if you’ll like to meet up with the team during the show.

-       test technology before using it in a campaign

-       don’t let the medium become the message.

Here, we share our experiences from working with QR codes, observing recent successful uses and interesting experimentation – and some sheer bandwagon-jumping.

Make it meaningful

If you’re asking users to take the time to scan your code, give them a payoff that’s worthwhile. That means content optimised for mobile, easy to use, and useful. Practical solutions – such as a mobile alternative to a paper ticket – or special offers and unique, specially created content are compelling rewards. A great example is First Bank’s ‘helpfulness’ campaign offering books and puzzles to travellers.

On the other hand, sending users to a non-mobile website or to content without value leads to disappointment and damaged brand image.

Scanning challenges

The QR code is scanned by the smartphone’s camera and read by an app. QR codes are subject to ISO standards, so if you scan a code and it doesn’t work, it’s unlikely to be the code at fault. Remember

-       not all cameras are equal;

-       not all apps are equally good either;

-       and the different phone operating systems don’t all behave in the same way.

Test your QR code with every type of smartphone available to you – colleagues, friends and family – before you think about displaying it anywhere, and then test it again in-situ.

Contained in the code

The size of the code image is crucial for scanning success. QR codes can only hold a limited amount of information – a website URL, email address, phone number, pre-formatted SMS message or just some plain text. The more data included, the greater the number of squares that the code needs to use to store it.

To print on a piece of marketing collateral, the area of the code is often limited. Adding lots of data to a small code size means that the code image could be so dense that it can’t be read by the scanning device. A good rule of thumb is that a printed QR code should be no smaller than 2x 2cm – though it’s also dependent on the distance between the code and the scanning device. Read more technical detail about code sizes in this post: QR Stuff blog.

As well as ensuring that your code is large enough to be read, it also needs a ‘quiet zone’ of white space around the code image, to separate it from its surroundings and prevent anything else mistakenly being interpreted as part of the code.

The most common QR code error we see in printed materials is codes which are too small and too dense to scan. Again, thorough testing of the code in its intended setting will ensure that size, density and quiet zone are all working together.

Prime position

Finally, think about where your QR code is appearing. For instance, if it’s on an outdoor poster, make sure it’s not going to cause accidents when people stop to scan. Subway QR code? Be certain there’s a data signal available. And if you’re printing on clothing, check that the position of the code won’t cause embarrassment. Read more at Mashable’s five big mistakes with QR codes.

QR codes can be a great means to an end – just make sure they are serving your campaign and reward users. Talk to us now about using QR codes in your b2b campaign.

Working in communications at the food manufacturing coalface, where those products set to shape the next generation’s eating habits are born, is an exciting place to be.  Fundamentally, since BDB was founded nearly 25 years ago, we’ve seen the core principles affecting the food sector evolve rather than change radically – it’s the practice of bringing products to market that has completely transformed.

From the age of innovation…

Food manufacturers have long pioneered the spirit of innovation, invested in science, surely invented the concept of sustainability – after all, the products are ultimately derived from farming and must be sustained in the long term – and remain acutely in tune with fluctuating consumer preferences.  All while keeping a close eye on moving goalposts: regulatory environment, particularly in Europe as EFSA rulings start to bite, climate change and raw material supply… to name a few.

These macro trends endure today.  For example, when BDB helped National Starch Food Innovation to launch its Novation clean label starch back in 1996 – a pioneering product that heralded the start of the clean label movement – it would have been hard to predict that consumer demand for prepared  foods with homestyle appeal and additive-free labels would become mainstream less than fifteen years later.

To the advent of digital

The way that food products are brought to market, however, and how manufacturers communicate with their customer base have witnessed a paradigm shift.  Taking Ocean Spray’s Ingredient Technology Group to a global communications first in the food industry with a virtual event, for example, positioned our client firmly as an innovator – and helped give rise to a proliferation of similar successful events across the industry.

Technology has changed the face of marketing communications beyond all recognition over the last 25 years – and the food manufacturing sector is quick to embrace new techniques. Digital platforms have fast caught up with the business-to-business community’s needs – taking LinkedIn alone, 1,168,600 people around the world are listed as working in the food sector, 32,073 food companies are listed, and there are 5,320 groups focused on food.  Furthermore, one of the leading digital publications in the food sector, FoodNavigator.com, has more than 80,000 subscribers to its e-newsletters.

As a global marketing communications agency with some 85 percent of business conducted overseas, we’d find it impossible to operate without round the clock technology.  And the prospect of reaching audiences via increasingly sophisticated, better segmented and more measurable techniques resonates clearly with every marketing professional.  Personally, however, I continue to nurture the hope that virtual will never take over from face-to-face business contact… or is that just me?

Contact us to discuss how you can reach your audience and transform your marketing communications.

It’s no secret that business in France is very different than in the UK. Now, as part of an international agency, I have come to realise that understanding these differences is vital. There are essential rules to follow to succeed in business across the channel, and although the French don’t all walk around in berets and striped tops, some of the other stereotypes really are true!

The language of love

The most important thing to remember about the French is that they love their language; they regard it as an important symbol of their country, and as such are more proud and protective of it than almost any other country. You may feel that if you can’t speak French it’s better not to try. In fact, making the effort to speak – even if only a few disjointed words – could make all the difference when building business relationships. But remember, until invited to “tutoyer”, it’s essential that the polite ‘vous’ form is used when addressing a business contact.

C’est chic!

There’s a reason we often think of France when it comes to fashion – in French culture, appearances are always important. Casual doesn’t mean turn up in jeans and a t-shirt. And when you go further south where dress does become less formal, this is more likely to refer to an open shirt and smart trousers.

Wine anyone?

Unlike the preconception that Germans don’t have a sense of humour, the French stereotype of long lunches – often accompanied by wine – really holds true. Personal relationships are important in France; business lunches are still common and are often more about relationship-building than discussion of business itself. Business matters will normally only be raised after dessert – and debate becomes animated as people talk over and interrupt each other to get their point across.

One final tip: it’s always worth being aware that as in many European countries the French business world closes down throughout the summer months, particularly in August.

The take home message? When doing business in France, embrace the lifestyle and enjoy a glass of wine, santé!

At BDB, we’ll be putting our knowledge of international business into practice at FiE in Paris this month, so if you would like to meet up with a member of the team, don’t hesitate to contact us.

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. In terms of skills and education, GDP, foreign investment and growth, the BRICs have been incredibly successful – and they’re weathering the global downturn better than many.

So where to now?

Two years after BRIC, the investment bank identified another collection of countries – the “Next 11” – which could be among tomorrow’s world-leading economies. And forward-thinking international businesses are uncovering exciting opportunities there.

Two well-established partners are members of the N-11, and their proximity to large, well-developed markets that are committed to further international trade will help sustain their growth. Turkey has excellent (primarily exporting) trade relationships with Europe, as does Mexico with the United States. Food and drink, oil and gas, and construction / infrastructure present great opportunity in both countries.

In Africa, Nigeria and Egypt have consistently enjoyed economic growth of 5-8% for the past five years and offer massive potential in terms of construction and infrastructure. In my opinion, recent events in Libya mean it could now be added to the N-11 list – there’s huge oil wealth and a clear opportunity, especially in oil and gas, infrastructure and healthcare. (Even before the Arab Spring, the UKTI predicted Libya would become a top four export market for UK businesses). Political uncertainty remains in all three of these countries, but their potential is vast.

Unsurprisingly, most of the N-11 are located in the Middle East and southern Asia. Pakistan is the least developed and one that is facing very difficult political and societal challenges. But on a visit there last year, the former UK Trade and Industry chief, Sir Andrew Cahn, stated the UKTI was aiming for 50% growth in trade between the two countries. Pharmaceuticals are a priority sector here, along with oil and gas, power, food and drinks and engineering.

Put simply, it’s because everyone goes online for information before any sort of purchase. And this includes your B2B customers. Recent data suggests 17.1 billion searches were conducted in September in the US alone through a search engine like Google. It’s reasonable to assume a good proportion will have been to inform a buying decision.

Increasingly, browsers are also staying online to make a transaction as smartphones and apps allow seamless one-touch purchase. Rising numbers of potential customers are using their smartphones and tablet devices to access the internet. And they are starting younger, with recent statistics from Ofcom revealing that 37% of adults and 60% of teenagers have a smartphone addiction and regularly use it to access the internet.

Why are these figures relevant?

If you work in B2B targeting a trade audience, you will have already seen the marketing landscape change. It may not have fully hit your industry yet, but it’s coming. In 5-10 years time, those teenagers downloading music, organising events and recommending sites, will be your business customer – the buyer holding the purse strings at the company you want to access, or the new contact at a company you’ve been dealing with for years.

As the world changes, so too does business. And as business evolves, marketers have to make better use of the available and emerging channels to develop more profitable, lifetime customers. Integrating deep market insight with optimised cross-channel activity delivers consistent, compelling and valuable information which aids product selection. This is now the best, and perhaps only, way for businesses to thrive.

Are you going to be at the forefront or in the background? The choice is yours… but not for long. These statistics on UK Internet use suggest the internet is indeed here to stay. What are you doing to be front of mind when that all important decision is being made?

Contact Rene to talk about the right digital approach for your business.