Daniel Owen is CEO of The Armstrong Partnership, an impartial B2B advertising company that works with main industrial manufacturers.

I lately spoke with Daniel about his function, how B2B advertising has developed because the pandemic, and the way manufacturers can greatest harness new applied sciences and storytelling tendencies throughout the sector.

Inform us about your function (and a typical day for you)

I’m CEO of The Armstrong Partnership and I’m nonetheless closely concerned with our purchasers’ model methods, the place I work alongside our Chief Inventive Officer, Matt Casey to determine some extent of distinction, proposition and key message earlier than any inventive improvement begins. I have a tendency to remain near the preliminary improvement of labor to make sure the inventive helps the proposition.

We’ve simply accomplished the renovation and match out of our new workplace area which has been a labour of affection, nevertheless it feels good to have the group again collectively once more after the final 18 months.

How did B2B advertising evolve in the course of the pandemic and which adjustments do you suppose will likely be everlasting?

Essentially the most distinguished and lasting influence of the pandemic has been the shift from conventional face-to-face advertising, like exhibitions and manufacturing facility visits, to a digital-first strategy. For B2B manufacturers this has been monumental – digital advertising has all the time come second to in particular person interplay. When all face-to-face conferences have been axed, B2B manufacturers have been pressured to have a look at different channels and mediums to ship shows, distant demonstrations, and product overviews.

This course of additionally pressured them to look correctly at their supplies and belongings and for a lot of these have been severely missing.

What occurred subsequent was a race to equip gross sales and technical groups with animations, 3D visualisations, shows and interactive product guides that might transcend Zoom and Groups to make digital gross sales calls participating, environment friendly and efficient. B2B manufacturers have embraced the sustainability and efficacy of distant conferences and demos and I don’t anticipate that we’ll see a return to the extent of spend on exhibitions and exhibits that was beforehand commonplace.

How can B2B manufacturers greatest harness the powers of recent applied sciences of their advertising?

Many of the companies we work with produce very technical items of kit, so real-life demonstrations can take two to a few hours. With video and animation, we are able to share the identical data in a matter of minutes. The time saved on demonstrations alone is huge however while you additionally take into account the repeatability of that animation and the flexibility to regulate a really particular message, this turns into extremely useful for B2B manufacturers.

One other key consideration now’s that individuals anticipate data to be available. That sort of client behaviour is seeping into B2B advertising on a regular basis. The pandemic accelerated the shifting development and the manufacturers which are missing will frustrate their key audiences.

For a lot of B2B manufacturers, enterprise is carried out internationally – bringing time variations and language limitations into the advertising equation. The appropriate advertising belongings can bridge these gaps. Movies, downloadable guides, specification sheets, even 3D content material are all actually necessary elements of the model exercise.

What are the important thing tendencies in B2B storytelling proper now and why are they profitable?

Throughout all of the sectors we work with, these are three key tales being informed: sustainability; abilities; and automation.

The round economic system is exceptionally excessive on the agenda and the flexibility to stay extra sustainably by altering behaviours like lowering journey and reducing emissions are now not optionally available however very a lot anticipated. B2B manufacturers are focusing arduous on producing supplies with excessive recycled content material, different power manufacturing and so forth. That is probably the most important development in B2B storytelling, and it’ll proceed to be substantial as we transfer forwards to a post-pandemic world.

Secondly, abilities safety and information loss are a repeat theme. A number of industries have been propped up by technology upon technology of expert folks studying their craft from the older technology, however workforce calls for are altering and discovering a technique to shield information sharing is significant. It’s a large, huge downside and we’ve got been working with quite a few industries to seize the information and produced sequence of technical animations, course of guides, set up movies and technical coaching guides.

Lastly, automation is dominating storytelling as manufacturers attempt to indicate these processes in an thrilling manner – once more, animation and 3D are proving efficient right here. Notably in participating with a youthful viewers who’re enticed by automation however wish to work for progressive manufacturers and thrilling sectors which are advancing processes and expertise by automation.

Inform us in regards to the challenges and alternatives when working with international manufacturers

At The Armstrong Partnership, we’ve got extra prospects outdoors of the UK than inside it, so we’re properly versed in navigating time zones and language limitations. We see large alternatives in non-English talking territories, as British English is usually the worldwide language of producing – so companies see our location as a large plus level.

As a result of we’ve got tended to develop inside sure industries quite than inside localities, we discover there are extra alternatives to be thought-about as an company by companies all around the world. They’re keener to work with an company with direct expertise of their sector and provide chain than merely whichever is closest geographically.

Time variations are the most important problem – we’ve got quite a few purchasers in north America which makes for some late-night conferences, whereas our purchasers to the East give us some early begins, too. That may be arduous to handle from an company operations viewpoint, however the alternatives far outweigh the difficulties.

Lastly, what’s been your proudest achievement so far?

I’m all the time extremely proud when the company’s work is recognised by our friends. Earlier this yr, we received 5 World ACE awards for consumer work in the course of the pandemic which was actually particular contemplating what a troublesome interval that was.

However my proudest work achievement is successful gold for Finest in B2B on the DMAs for our work with Bucher Emhart Glass. I’m notably pleased with this one as a result of the marketing campaign was so important; it targeted on Emhart’s end-to-end strategy of glass manufacturing which was probably the most progressive, progressive and customer-focused expertise available on the market on the time. I like engaged on attention-grabbing campaigns nevertheless it’s much more rewarding while you see the work is creating optimistic change all around the world.