In Conclusion

My final presentation was today and I felt that it was well received.  I was fortunate to have Alex Assanvo (Global Programs Manager) and Ives DeBusser (manages the ambassador program among other things) from the Mars office here in attendance along with most of the VECO team.  Nothing I presented was new to the VECO team, as we have been discussing much of it for the last 4 weeks, but was more of a summary of my thoughts and recommendations.  This led to a good discussion about not just the marketing campaign for 2015, but about the strategic communications message and priorities for the entire organization moving forward.  All in all, I felt that it went very well and the VECO team thanked me with a lunch time glass of champagne (I really do like Belgium) and a heartfelt farewell.  I was humbled and grateful to have had this experience and have learned as much (or more) from them as they may have learned from me.  

I have met some truly wonderful, amazing, brilliant people and I hope to stay in touch and continue to help in some small way, if I can.  The work being done here across all levels of the food chain is very interesting and relevant for all of us.  (Hopefully, the team will work on one of my recommendations to bring that story more to life on the English version of the web site so you don't have to take my word for it!)  I have invited most everyone here to Nashville, so I may get to return the favor of tour guide extraordinaire and tireless hostess! Thanks to everyone at VECO for making this an amazing experience!

The incomparable Caroline showing me her urban garden in Antwerp :)

Leaving a place better than you found it...

All of my military friends will be very familiar the idea of leaving a place better than you found it.  It is something that we always TRY to do, at times with more success than others.  Beyond doing the project assigned to me, I have tried to ask questions and encourage debate within the organization around the subjects of defining clear objectives, aligning on a strategy and then clearly communicating that through various marketing vehicles -- both the art and the science.  Yesterday, I had the opportunity to discuss some Mars marketing strategy principles with the communications team here.  It is interesting how the Laws of Growth are just as applicable to a non-profit as they are to a traditional brand.  Although some parts of "physical availability" and "scale" are less applicable (i.e. SKU proliferation isn't REALLY a problem), most things in "mental availability" are crucial.  Copy effectiveness.  Media Placement.  Maximizing reach with the budget you have.  I think it was a very interesting conversation and I hope the team here thought so as well.  I (of course) had to round it out with a lively debate on which archetype best fits VECO.  The team landed on the magician and I must say, I completely agreed.

http://www.soulcraft.co/essays/the_12_common_archetypes.html

As I put the finishing touches on my presentation for tomorrow, I hope that it is both useful and thought-provoking and that I have in fact, been able to do something "magical" to make things at least a little bit better than it was when I arrived.

A Visit to Mars Global PetCare

To all of my team back home, I wanted to add a bonus post on the global office!  When I think of the global pet care office I think of some magnificent large building where lots of people sit and make key decisions about the global futures of our global brands.  So, how could I pass up the chance to see it for myself!? I ventured there yesterday and it was only one short 45 minute bus ride from Leuven.  (Although figuring out the names of the bus stops and where to get off the bus DID prove to be quite a challenge.  Thankfully, the bus driver took pity on me.)  And so I arrived at the building, at the end of a quiet, curvy street in a small office building neighborhood, quite sure that I had made a wrong turn.  It was slightly less big and global then the images in my head. There are two small buildings and below is the one that our pet care team is located in along with their section below it. That's the whole area.  Everyone I met here was wonderful and welcoming and just like you would expect of fellow Mars associates.  I just had to laugh to myself because of how "epic" the global site was in my head!! :)

...and I was doing so well

Hello, all.  Sorry for the missed week of updates! :(  I have been keeping myself busy by researching the Belgian food manufacturing and retail sectors in search of possible places for VECO to place their message.  And as we all know, research alone is not always riveting material.  I have, however, prevailed and found 2 major food manufacturer industry magazines, identified major retailer data and demographics on Belgian shoppers (thank you friends back home!! :) ) and compiled a list of websites to advertise on.  CHECK.  Still trying to get answers on how much print and digital ads cost over here and (unfortunately) still working with the team and agency on what the right message should be.  So still standing by on that front...

My final presentation is scheduled for Wednesday the 9th, so I'm running a bit short time.  Hopefully, some good answers this week!

The Agency

Today I attended the much-anticipated (at least on my part!) agency meeting with Boondoggle, VECO's lead agency, to discuss the 2015 marketing message.  The challenge was that the campaign that had already been created was too narrow for use outside of one audience, the general public.  It was specifically focused on the scarcity of chocolate but this message does not translate to my task of mobilizing the food manufacturers towards VECO's cause as ~5% of them work in the chocolate sector.  My ask was for a higher level communication message that could address the bigger issue on the whole (resource scarcity) and point to VECO as the solution, without having to focus exclusively on one commodity.  Not an easy ask this late in the game!  To their credit, they were gracious and understanding and after a really good discussion, agreed it was a necessary request and are shooting to have something by Friday!!  I have high hopes for the creative... Stay tuned!

What does reach-based marketing mean for a targeted non-profit...

So today I had another meeting in Brussles with a different government group (Business & Society Belgium) that seeks to help their member companies create and execute sustainability plans.  These plans can span the range of sustainability topics; not just food.  The rest of the day I have been spent wrestling with the idea of how to be "always on" with a limited budget and a lot of different groups to reach.   I'm working on the first step which is a meaningful message (basically copy effectiveness), delivered consistently (big opportunity here).  But beyond that is still how to reach the most people in a targeted industry group with the least amount of money...this is the biggest question.  End of deep thoughts by Melodie for today! :)

Notes on a discussion

Yesterday evening was the third in a series of round table discussions, created, organized and hosted by VECO.  At these discussions, members from various parts of the food supply chain, often with competing interests, come together to discuss sustainability and resource scarceness.  This one was located at an amazing urban garden/architectural project in Antwerp. It was quite a thing to see; the best way I can think of to describe it was like a floating greenhouse with chickens, tables, and a bar.

Welvaert Welton Floating Garden, Antwerp

http://www.treehugger.com/urban-design/welvaert-urban-garden-time-circus-built-abandoned-ship-crane.html

The discussion was very interesting with representatives from major grocery stores, government organizations, as well as from food manufacturers/cooperatives.  The discussion was very academic and forward looking, focusing on what "sustainable" and "local" food really means, who is responsible for these issues and examples of what is currently being done in these areas.  Since it was all in Dutch, I had my own interpreter, which made me feel quite important (ha!) and was definitely a unique experience.  The whole evening helped to deepen my understanding of the issues VECO faces and will ultimately help to create a better marketing campaign.