Help with marketing strategy, planning and brand refinement

In 2021 Flex Marketing had the pleasure of working with Rachel Foye, the Marketing & Environmental Manager at BJ Ball. Read our client story below to hear how we helped and what Rachel thought of the marketing coaching experience.

About BJ Ball

BJ Ball supplies paper and packaging substrates plus roll solutions to the commercial print industry. For over 100 years BJ Ball has represented the finest, most environmentally responsible commercial paper brands from around the world.

What prompted you to seek guidance with your marketing strategy?

I engaged Andie to help me transition into a role as Marketing & Environmental Manager at BJ Ball. Coming from a sales background I had plenty of experience around selling our products, however no formal marketing training. I specifically needed support with marketing strategy and documenting a plan. I wanted to develop the knowledge and skills around marketing planning so that we had clearly identified priorities – and that’s exactly what I received from Flex Marketing.

Describe what was involved in marketing planning…

Our first piece of work together was developing a marketing plan. Using a framework that Flex Marketing has developed it pulled at threads and questioned practices that then managed to weave everything together. It then kept things simple by focusing on the three top objectives for the year and breaking them down into chunks to resolve month by month. Her great approach to coaching meant that I owned creating the plan, and learnt a lot about our business, while having someone to nudge me along and support me when I needed help or had gaps. 

You also had some help with brand refinement, what did that entail?

We then got stuck into some branding work together. Reviewing the Group’s brand architecture, we kicked off a process of brand refinement. This involved analysing, defining and developing value propositions for each of our brands. It really nutted out the different personalities of our business segments and the synergies or conflicts they had when viewed together as a whole. Having someone to bounce ideas off, listen to my thoughts and document notes was really useful. 

Andie’s fantastic ability to capture my words and reflect them back in an organised, flowing way was great. It helped direct my thinking and allowed me to share these in a more structured way with colleagues. The outcome will be a more cohesive, consistent set of brand guidelines that form a solid foundation from which the business can grow and retain unity.

Now, 12 months on from when you started the planning process, how has the coaching experience empowered you to move into another annual cycle of marketing planning?

A changing business focus after covid means the plan has changed, but I have the confidence and tools to write the next one on my own, and hopefully get the chance to implement it without a global pandemic messing it up. 

Any final words about why a business should receive strategic marketing support from Flex Marketing?

I would recommend Flex Marketing to businesses who are looking for someone clear and logical to guide them through the marketing frameworks involved in strategy, planning and brand refinement. Andie’s  friendly and calm approach puts you at ease right from the start. 

If you or someone you know is looking for some help with marketing strategy, planning and branding clarity, please get in touch.