There is always much more than products which are delivered when I do assignments. In the links below you can find some of my blog posts that discuss some of the challenges I work around. Enjoy the read!
Saskia
Working in the UK. Cutural differences
I was recently interviewed, along with the Dutch embassy to share my experience of working in the UK for teh past 23 years. Want to read more? Here is the link:
Marketing priorities
It is a misconception that marketing is different when you work in an FMCG environment or a Private Equity environment. It is not! In both environments there are three important factors to consider as a marketeer:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/marketing-case-1-2-3-wherever-you-work-saskia-galema
Interim is different!
Due to the discussion of IR35 (in or out?), there has been a lot of debate about interim roles and how different they are to permanent or FTC roles. A true interim brings a lot to your business as they are very different in their approach and what benefits they bring to your company:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/interim-different-saskia-galema
Building a case to support advertising investment
There is always a healthy debate around Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) and Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC). Never more so than in a company that is very Sales driven. The question is: how do you convince your sales colleagues that investing in the brand could be a beneficial addition to sales promotions. We tried it by building a financial model and, in the end, managed to secure marketing budget for building stronger brand recognition!
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/building-case-advertising-support-saskia-galema
Innovation has to be consumer relevant
Innovate or die! That is a relevant slogan. We all know that when a brand does not move with the times, it can be at risk of becoming irrelevant. Sometimes the need to innovate is so strong that the senior management has already prescribed what needs to be done; ignoring what is relevant for the consumer and what can be done in the factories. Make sure whatever you do is consumer relevant!
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/adventures-interim-manager-consumer-relevant-brand-relaunch-galema
Unblocking innovation
The toughest challenge in a company is to make innovation happen, when it has not really been delivered for a long time. Always ask yourself (and the company): why has it not happened and what are the underlying reasons. Don't limit yourself to R&D and the factory, very often there are underlying blockers in marketing and sales as well!
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/making-innovation-happen-first-time-10-years-saskia-galema