Marketing in the Food and Drink Industry - Outwood Marketing

Tell us about yourself (and experience)

Hi. I’m Leanne! Founder of Outwood Marketing. I help businesses turn their company vision into a strategic Marketing plan that delivers both brand growth and customer loyalty. As a freelance Marketing Manager, I help brands tell their story through relevant and engaging content, using channels that reach customers in a cost-effective way.

After completing a Marketing degree at UWE, Bristol, I have gone on to work in the FMCG industry for over 13 years, working in-house for brands such as Organix, Finsbury Food Group and Eaton, where I completed my Chartered Institute of Marketing. Key roles include Senior Brand Manager, Portfolio Manager and Marketing Manager and specialities include Marketing strategy, content creation and brand and product positioning.

Tell us about what you do?

I have been self-employed for 2 years now. I work with businesses of all sizes as an extension of their team, giving them access to dedicated marketing support, without the commitment of a full-time employee. I can provide full marketing capability on an ad-hoc, project or retained basis.

I cover all areas of marketing including brand and Marketing strategy, campaign implementation, content planning and creation, innovation development, digital marketing and social media management, product positioning and consumer insight, to name just a few and my approach always combines creativity, with a commercial, insight-driven approach.

What are your hobbies / interests?

I’m based in the West Midlands in a town called Shrewsbury, I love the outdoors and spend most weekends walking over the Shropshire Hills with my little Cocker Spaniel, Willow.

I am a keen runner and have recently signed up to be a coach at the local running club. I also lead an outdoor social group in my spare time and have an ever-growing membership list. When I’m not outdoors, I am a huge foodie and love to cook up some delicious new recipes and bake.

What do you love most about what you do?

• The people I get to work with – I’m a huge people’s person and I love team culture, without each other things are a whole lot tougher, so having a shared vision always comes first for me.
• Creativity! I love it when ideas start really small and grow into something MAGICAL that everyone gets behind.
• I love cutting through all the noise to find a true gap in the market for a new brand or product launch. Never underestimate the importance of a good gap analysis slide.

What are your 3 top tips for food and drink brands?

• Always work in 3-month sprints and get at least one month ahead on your social plans. It gives you the thinking space to think about the here and now and be reactive and agile.
• Focus on the core range, don’t get too distracted with NPD. Sure NPD has its place, but it can also drain huge amounts of resource for not much reward. Existing products can be just as interesting to customers if they’re re-communicated in new and fresh ways.
• Focus on continuously recruiting new customers - penetration is king, if we get that right then frequency and loyalty generally follows. Even the largest of brands have a constant leaky bucket of customers that needs to be regularly topped up to drive growth.

If you would like to chat to Leanne about your marketing strategy get in touch by emailing leanne.danby@gmail.com