Seasonal packaging is like a holiday romance for FMCG brands—exciting while it lasts, but if you don’t plan properly, you’ll wake up the next day feeling ghosted, stuck with something unwanted.

Valentine’s Day is a prime example. All hearts and flowers in early February, but by the 15th, anything pink and sentimental looks about as appealing as a trip to the clinic. The real challenge? Creating seasonal packaging strategies that drive sales before, during, and after the big day—ensuring your brand isn’t left heartbroken in the discount aisle.

Which brings me to the time I bought a horse for John Smith’s.

Launching a brand is one thing. Knowing if it’s actually working is another. Too often, businesses put products or campaigns into the world and hope for the best—only to realise too late that their brand awareness isn’t growing, their message isn’t landing, or competitors are gaining ground.

But brand growth isn’t about luck. It’s about formulating a strategy, measuring progress, spotting what’s working (and what’s not), and making data-driven decisions. And contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a massive budget to do it effectively.

A strong client-agency relationship can be the difference between campaigns that soar and those that stumble. Yet, despite the clear benefits of effective collaboration, too many partnerships suffer from miscommunication, misaligned expectations, and frustration on both sides.

A couple of years ago we analysed the best and worst client-agency relationships to uncover what makes them work—and what causes them to break down. In this blog, we’ll share the key factors that drive successful partnerships and provide actionable steps to strengthen your client-agency relationships.

Packaging redesigns often seem exciting—like a chance to refresh and reinvigorate your brand. But as tempting as they may be, the risks of a radical redesign often outweigh the potential benefits. For every successful revamp, there are stories like Tropicana’s infamous rebrand, which saw sales plummet as loyal customers failed to recogniSe the product on shelves. So, when is a redesign worth the gamble?

Calling all northern marketers! MAD//Fest Up North is just around the corner, and we’re delighted to say that Gareth will be taking the stage. It’s a new event this year, extending the fantastic London festival that’s proven so successful. And if it’s anything like it’s London cousin, it will be the perfect opportunity to gain fresh insights, spark new ideas, and connect with some of the brightest minds in the industry.

And the best part? We’ve got free tickets for you.

Research is the lifeblood of brand marketing. But it needn’t be slow, cumbersome and expensive.

We’ve been developing our capability with some rapid fire research solutions that combine online platforms with our combined 50+ years of client side marketing experience. Whether you’re a client side marketer looking for some qual or quant research plus some help in knowing what to do with the results, or an agency who needs some validation (or otherwise!) of some creative, we can help.

Scaling an FMCG food business is challenging, especially when it comes to marketing. As a business expands, its marketing needs become more complex, and it becomes increasingly important to have a solid strategy in place.

It’s something I chatted about in a recent podcast with Ben Norman. If you don’t have robust thinking at the start, then you’re setting yourself up for failure down the line. Just like I did when laying a laminate floor many years ago.

When we think of iconic brands, it’s the logo that often comes to mind first. Yet, a brand is much more than its visual identity—it’s a living thing. And while logos and colours matter (who knew people could get so worked up by a car rebrand…), they’re just one piece of the puzzle. A strong brand goes far deeper.

Have you really got a marketing strategy, or just a set of tactics? 

Everyone says they have one, but have they really?  In our experience many just have a set of tactics and are left wondering why there’s no consistency in their marketing performance. Your strategy needs to set the guardrails for how you’re going to achieve your business objectives.  And that starts with taking time to understand the problem.  

Another guest blog, but this month our insight lead, Louise Goodyear writes about how the new wave of kids treats are becoming healthy, but remain true to the category codes.

How will the first Labour budget in the Uk affect FMCG marketers? We've had a think about some of the things brand marketers might want to consider if we get (as is expected) an austerity budget.

Vicky Murray shares her thoughts and marketing perspective on the recent Lunch! show. Including the rise and rise of gut heath and how HFSS restrictions represent a huge opportunity for some brands.

Why you should have a "one pager" summarising your marketing strategy and the key elements you should include.

I hosted a panel discussion at Mad//Fest this year with Annie Morris (Co-founder of Spoon Cereals), Pam Digva (Co-founder of Sauce Shop) and Sam Dolan (founder of Jazz Hands marketing and former head of marketing at Birdseye).

We had a lively discussion about bold marketing, which I’ve tried to summarise into five themes.

The plant-based movement has taken yet another significant step forward. Arla Foods, one of the largest dairy producers in Europe, has announced the launch of a plant-based version of its iconic Lurpak spread. This new product signals not just a response to changing consumer demands but also a bold strategic move in a rapidly evolving market landscape. The reason this is particularly noteworthy to me, is that Arla is owned by dairy farmers, and Lurpak is the crown jewel of their portfolio.

Commercially, it makes sense to me. But I do wonder about how this piece of NPD might affect the brand’s credentials in it’s heartland of butter.