The Agency

Today I attended the much-anticipated (at least on my part!) agency meeting with Boondoggle, VECO's lead agency, to discuss the 2015 marketing message.  The challenge was that the campaign that had already been created was too narrow for use outside of one audience, the general public.  It was specifically focused on the scarcity of chocolate but this message does not translate to my task of mobilizing the food manufacturers towards VECO's cause as ~5% of them work in the chocolate sector.  My ask was for a higher level communication message that could address the bigger issue on the whole (resource scarcity) and point to VECO as the solution, without having to focus exclusively on one commodity.  Not an easy ask this late in the game!  To their credit, they were gracious and understanding and after a really good discussion, agreed it was a necessary request and are shooting to have something by Friday!!  I have high hopes for the creative... Stay tuned!

What does reach-based marketing mean for a targeted non-profit...

So today I had another meeting in Brussles with a different government group (Business & Society Belgium) that seeks to help their member companies create and execute sustainability plans.  These plans can span the range of sustainability topics; not just food.  The rest of the day I have been spent wrestling with the idea of how to be "always on" with a limited budget and a lot of different groups to reach.   I'm working on the first step which is a meaningful message (basically copy effectiveness), delivered consistently (big opportunity here).  But beyond that is still how to reach the most people in a targeted industry group with the least amount of money...this is the biggest question.  End of deep thoughts by Melodie for today! :)

Notes on a discussion

Yesterday evening was the third in a series of round table discussions, created, organized and hosted by VECO.  At these discussions, members from various parts of the food supply chain, often with competing interests, come together to discuss sustainability and resource scarceness.  This one was located at an amazing urban garden/architectural project in Antwerp. It was quite a thing to see; the best way I can think of to describe it was like a floating greenhouse with chickens, tables, and a bar.

Welvaert Welton Floating Garden, Antwerp

http://www.treehugger.com/urban-design/welvaert-urban-garden-time-circus-built-abandoned-ship-crane.html

The discussion was very interesting with representatives from major grocery stores, government organizations, as well as from food manufacturers/cooperatives.  The discussion was very academic and forward looking, focusing on what "sustainable" and "local" food really means, who is responsible for these issues and examples of what is currently being done in these areas.  Since it was all in Dutch, I had my own interpreter, which made me feel quite important (ha!) and was definitely a unique experience.  The whole evening helped to deepen my understanding of the issues VECO faces and will ultimately help to create a better marketing campaign.

Gathering Information

Quiet day today.  Went to Brussels this morning (20 min train ride) to meet with a Director from Fevia, which is basically an organization made up of the food manufacturing companies with facilities in Belgium (Mars is a member).  Fevia provides information/updates to the food manufacturers in the areas of food/labeling regulations, labor relations, food quality/safety and does some lobbying as well. Because of this role, they are critically linked to helping raise awareness for the sustainable sourcing of raw materials. The information gathering phase continues... :)  And on a personal note, just as their advertising campaign claims, the food here is really, really great!!

The Task

As I get into Day 2, I have enough information and background to be dangerous.  We have all heard in one forum or another that the world population is outpacing the natural resources available on the planet and that, unless new strategies are put in place very soon, we will be faced with a world food shortage by the end of my generation.  There are many factors that are believed to contribute to this situation:  climate change, rising populations, soil degradation, water scarcity, energy shortages.... The list goes on.  The good news is that VECO, a few other NGOs and academic institutions have concluded that the best solution to this problem is to assist in the development of sustainable, small farming operations around the world.  What this means in practice is that VECO teams use dialogue, networking and negotiation skills to facilitate mutually beneficial relationships between small farmers, food distributors, transportation companies, food manufacturers and retailers.  As you can imagine, creating a mutually beneficial solution for all of these parties across a sustainable field to market supply chain can be a bit of a daunting task but VECO perseveres and has several success stories to prove that it is possible.  They are currently working small-holder farming programs in Indonesia, Nicaragua, Honduras, Ecuador, Peru, Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, Senegal, Benin and Niger.

http://www.veco-ngo.org/blog/canned-asparagus-peru-finds-its-way-belgian-supermarket-chain-colruyt

My challenge:  Tell major food manufacturers in Belgium the scarcity of resources story in a way that makes it relevant to them and (hopefully) inspires them to lend some financial support to VECO.  In a fun, marketing way.  In one sentence or less.  That is compelling.  And cranks the flywheel (that's for you, Craig).  Wait till I introduce the VECO communications team to the leaky bucket and mental availability!!! :)

At the office

Vredeseilanden Entrance

My first day on the job -- This is the entrance to VECO's headquarters office in Leuven.  Their distinctive brand mark (or DMS for my marketing friends) is the figure of a man with arms and legs outstretched -- a version of Da Vinci's famous "Vitruvian Man" sketch.  This symbol represents the organization's philosophy:  To affect change in the world, man must take an integrated, holisitic approach using all of his skills and assets; intellectual, emotional and physical.  Vredeseilanden translates to "Islands of Peace" in English.

My desk!

And here is my new workspace from which the friendly, lovable and passionate VECO team is expecting me to produce an amazing marketing campaign for their 2015 program....gulp.

Arrival Day

So, I arrive in Belgium at 7:00 am local time, exhausted, and unable to check in until noon!  Enter Jan:  VECO Strategy Director, passionate about small holder farmers, sustainable agriculture, and ex-history teacher, who, undaunted by my sleepiness, takes me on an amazing walking tour of Leuven, complete with history lesson!  The city was founded in 891 AD and is truly a perfect example of European medieval town construction.  It is breathtaking.  And I will likely retain more of its impressive history after a nap! :)

Jan Wyckaert: VECO Director, airport driver, brilliant tour guide and new friend! 

In the beginning...

Bonjour and Welcome to my blog about my MAP experiences in Leuven, Belgium!  This is where I will be in 4 days:

A big shout out to my amazing friend Aubrey without whose help you would never have seen this....