Think Unconventionall

We are Think Unconventionall, a group of people who still value the power of human collaboration in a world trying desperately to replace it. Think of us as your expert link between the CEO and the sales & marketing teams, helping you to invest in your people, without the headache of expensive, full-time employees. 

We provide the right support to the people who need it most, using effective social media management and attention-grabbing digital marketing strategies to help connect the dots between 2 departments that must function as one for the greatest results.

Co-Founder & Chief Attention Seeker

Human Intelligence

2 middle-aged men (well, one middle-aged, the other bordering on old), sitting down, discussing the brilliance of humans and how we are dangerously close to AI spoiling the party. Join us for human conversations about human stuff that can't be replicated by a bot that only tells you what you want to hear.

Podcast Co-Host - Human Intelligence

Wear Unconventionall

The Unconventionall brand started with hoodies in 2020 and 'Wear Unconventionall' is the long-awaited new home of these hugely popular timeless garments with all-new designs.

Store now OPEN!

Chief Hoodie Creator 

Submission Technology Ltd

As Chief Partnerships Officer, I work with a fantastic group of driven individuals that bring our vision to life. My name may be above the department door, but in truth, I work for my team, creating an environment they can thrive in.

Chief Partnerships Officer 

I oversea the entire range of web properties owned and operated by Submission Technology. Areas of responsibility include Email, Affiliate, PPC, Display, Social, Site content and design, staff development and New Projects. KPI and staff behavior trends are monitored daily to ensure we maximise opportunities, creating new ones where a gap presents itself.

I encourage the team to take ownership of development using a PDP and regularly setting their own targets including medium/long term objectives.

Head of Consumer Services

Looking after the email and list management activity alongside some experienced and driven colleagues. I manage a range of databases aswell as our own driving thousands of pounds worth of revenue for list owners that trust us with their data.

I will advise on creative quality, spam content and campaign relevance to ensure the offer has the best chance of success.

Business Development Manager

Comet

Responsible for the day to day running of the store, people, performance and KPI management were my main priorities. I was also responsible for training, stock control, HR and stock ordering. My relationship with the buyers was key to ensuring our store made the most of the market and the area we were in.

Deputy Store Manager

Sales Executive

We are Think Unconventionall, a group of people who value the power of human collaboration in a world that is desperately trying to replace it. 

Alongside our social media management, writing and LinkedIn training services, we are your expert link between the CEO and the sales & marketing teams, allowing you to invest in your people's development, without the headache of expensive, full-time employees. 

We provide the right support to the people who need it most, helping you to create synergy between two departments that must function as one for the greatest results. 

Talk to us today about:

👉 Sales & Marketing Support for Junior Marketing Teams
👉 Long-term Sales & Marketing Consulting Services
👉 Writing services for CEOs & Business Owners
👉 1:1 LinkedIn Training & Mentoring 
👉 Group Training for Sales Teams

Following a 12-year career in digital marketing and a total of 26 years in various sales functions, I started Think Unconventionall to help businesses enhance their digital brand experience.

LinkedIn plays an important role in your buyer's journey, but in a world where information is more accessible than ever, brands must connect the dots between sales & marketing to achieve the greatest results.

If you have people in these roles who need support beyond what is currently available in-house, but are reluctant to recruit a senior person, speak to us about the various ways we can positively impact your business. 

And most importantly, the people in it. 

andy@thinkunconventionall.com

Andy Barden

Colette Connors

Head of Marketing | Marketing Director | Marketing Consultant/ Volunteer 

Work and day rate or per project / interim role.
Work on projects that can genuinely make a difference 
 Will if appropriate volunteer my skills.

Have worked   on :-
• an Investment proposal that will treble the existing revenue for a premium Brand targeted at Millennials
• a brand audit for investment 
• an acquisition project for Bama 
which includes a  customer audit to understand annual plans and innovation customers include interviews with UK top retailers and key Foodservice operators. 
An innovation platform proposal  and Christmas audit 


Areas of Expertise

Brand & Channel Strategy & Planning - using data diving and deep audience understanding to build plans that deliver against brand and commercial penetration / profit growth objectives. 
Post COVID / financial crisis impact planning is especially important and I have gathered a wealth of consumer and customer insight. 

► Innovation/ NPD - new brand / product development, from process development to launch.
   Multiple categories including developing new premium categories.

► Digital, Social & Content Marketing - emphasis on  focused content plans and measurable links to sales / measurable KPIs.

► Campaign, Project, Budget & Change Management 

► Team Leadership - working with marketing teams and across the business to win market share. Coaching marketers to love marketing as much as I do.

► Stakeholder Management – building positive relationships internally throughout an organisation and externally across agency partners, third party suppliers and customers

► Category, Channel, Customer, Shopper & Consumer Insight – delivering data-driven B2B and B2C activation; increasing customer acquisition and shopper/consumer engagement to drive value growth

► Portfolio, Category & Channel Strategy – developing and executing category-based portfolio strategies in line with broader business objectives to ensure sustainable value growth

Brand, innovation,Go to market consultant. Available now on project or perm basis to nurture brands.

Theramex

Theramex is a leading global pharmaceutical company dedicated to women and their health.

Global product launch in 8 markets in woman's health through a licensing agreement- an OTC food supplement for the menopause - a unique product that has strong scientific and safety efficacy . 

The launch to change lives positively. 
It enhanced the menopause portfolio of Theramex and offers greater choice of treatment to women. 

The  contract included:-

Process set up.
Full set of assets developed for HCP / Pharmacist and Consumer - approved by Licensor, PAGB and Epromo. Detail aids for IQVIA 

Agency- CDM Barcelona

Marketing OTC / OTX - Global

Walgreens Boots Alliance

7 months Contract until  Oct 2021
Global Consumer Product Launch in 3 key markets.

Project included building a new brand in Mens Health which includes Bases, scoping media plans, development of the creative manifesto and creative research and a strategically important Commercial Case for 3 markets - UK, USA and Eire.

Senior Innovation Manager- healthcare - project to explore opportunity , develop investment plan

Ecotone UK (formerly Wessanen UK/Kallo Foods Ltd)

Wessanen UK provide healthy and sustainable food.
Brands - Whole Earth, Clipper teas, Kallo, Mrs Crimble

Markets - rice cakes, carbonated drinks and Foodservice /Out of Home.

The contract was to accelerate brand and innovation projects within the 3 markets. 
Projects included 
building the optimum portfolio  for Kallo -building the brand with incremental £m - consumer tested innovation via Turf analysis.
building the Category story for market entry in retail drinks with an exclusive opportunity for a retailer to gain new shoppers - the project included a proposal to save  significant money on sugar tax.
Developing new products for the Foodservice sector

Brand , Innovation and Go to Market marketing consultant

Abbott

Building a new consumer launch for on the go healthy protein drinks in the premium wellness market 
Ensure Max is a protein drink positioned for energy and tiredness.
The task included the  localisation of the Globally developed equity and toolkit  for Ensure. Ensure is a global $billion brand.

Unique communications included TV 
High program of PR and  measurable Digital. 

Full Go to market plan including category story
Entrepreneurial role.

Brand , Innovation and Go to Market Marketing Consultant

Real Good Food plc

Real Good Food plc is a diversified food group which at the time operated in three pillar markets : cake decoration, food ingredients and premium bakery. ( Value then £129m) 

The Group at the time owns/ owned  Renshaw (icings, marzipan and caramels),Rainbow Dust (Cake ingredients), Ingredients - Brighter foods, R&W Scott (chocolate coatings and jams), Haydens Bakery (patisserie and desserts) and Chantilly. 
The Group had 9 brands across different channels.

The Group operated  across multiple sales channels:-retail, manufacturing, wholesale, foodservice and export.

The brief of my role was :-
 *To enable the Group companies to be more market led through customer and consumer insight.

*Work on revenue growth projects across the Group with particular emphasis on brands , communication and innovation.
 
*Champion fact based marketing.

*Lead and mentor each brand team on annual brand plans and on category plans. 

*Champion the brands, develop the use of brand guidelines and their guardianship.

*Coordinate Group insight - including Kantar and IGD.

*Responsible for Group communications including the Annual Report, Group website and AGM.

Work with the companies on digital communications and their KPis. Digital - 10 websites including the upkeep of corporate website using Wordpress, Social media, e mail questionnaires and campaigns, KPI setting and measurement.

Mentor marketers across the Group to achieve Marketing Excellence

Projects were many but  included :-
*Building category growth by the development of a new challenger brand in Retail  including a  unique range of product innovation supported by above the line  investment.

*Positioning a  Professional brand for double digit growth by the provision of a  of a cohesive brand identity, brand model and guidelines and full product portfolio review  predominantly sold through e channel.

Building an International Brand through the development of a global range of products and its communication.

Group Marketing Lead /  Global Marketing Controller PERMANENT ROLE

Pfizer

PERMANENT ROLE
Nexium was the biggest innovation launch of its kind for Pfizer.
Shaped the  European Switch proposition of Nexium and maximised the UK launch and long term commercial success within OTC.
UK project lead working with Global team on toolboxes for multi-channel retail, HCP communication, Public Relations and Digital.
New brand launch from concept shaping to implementation.
New Category story to add genuine new value to category 
Digital lead for Europe - scope including consumer, retailer and HCP assets.
Full above the line launch campaign with heavy weight TV. ( Advert shown here) 
Challenged to treble original sales  forecasts 
Business case for budget spend included Share of voice modelling 
Digestive health is one  of the largest OTC categories in the UK. 
The  brand is  now a £19m brand at retail, Share is 13%. It is Pfizer’s 2nd biggest brand in only 4 years. (source Pfizer November 2018).

Marketing Manager (New Products ) Consumer Healthcare / European team / Digital  and Communications

Nestlé S.A.

Reviewed the role of a very profitable sku in a  declining market sector , recommended and agreed the opportunities.
Implemented the changes needed in CRM and Internet, packaging, communications to HCPs, the trade and consumer.
Provided a new innovation for recruiting into the brand
Agreed the sku role and its value to consumers and customers.

Marketing consultant - Review of product sector within the brand portfolio - SMA Baby milk 

Premier Foods

Foodservice 
B2B and B2C levering Premiers power brands as well as specific Foodservice brands.
Core projects include:-
Cohesive communication across the brand portfolio and by sector.
Launching and embedding key innovation across sectors.
Measurable promotional program.
Digital review, update and three year plan for digital communication.

Marketing controller ( Mat cover interim contract )

Novartis

Branded market entry project to OTC to include strategic plan and category review for 2 products in 3 channels

OTC Go to market - Marketing consultant - Category story marketing project

Linkedin algorithm nerd . Builds £ brand value through innovation and communication with unique marketing toolbox including social media and marketing plans , developed through work on over 40 brands / 5 global teams.

A “get things done” commercial marketing leader. 

Happy to consider workshops/ day rate work / volunteering 

Chooses projects to work on carefully to add Real £ Value 

Currently volunteer in Mind and teaching English 

Ring bell on my profile to keep updated and chat about #marketing and #chocolate. 

Love #socialmedia / obsessed with understanding algorithms 

Strong experience in growing brands  and innovation in FMCG , Pharma including Switch

Experience of regeneration of brands in troubled times. 


Brand and  innovation plans / audit of investment plans,

Work to maximise #digital/ marketing spend. 

Experienced in working to step change revenue;  often brief to double/ triple revenue. 

Help businesses to plan for Future growth.


Strength  #consumerinsight market analysis to drive, implement brand strategy for profitable growth. 


Have led  teams cross functionally / across Europe. 

Work with global teams to deliver communications, new products and toolboxes / multi country formats to localise

Communications: 
 14 above the line campaigns in different sectors / channels  including through the line campaigns with Digital , PR, promotional activity,  trade communications. 


Experienced in agency management , planning ,evaluation of campaigns.

Digital :- websites, digital adverts, campaign planning (including digital TV), 

work to understand the link between Sales and the Consumer journey. 

maintaining using Wix ,Wordpress, content campaigns.

Hobby of understanding the #LinkedIn Algorithm #linkedintips

Project managed  breath of qualitative , quantitative research -  BASES, Link, IPSOS ,TURF.

Innovation track record across different sectors - Hovis. Cheese Strings , Nuffield Health, Nexium, biggest launch of its kind in the world. Femerelle 

Innovation projects :- process improvement, innovation platforms, developing concepts / filling the ideas funnel / launch.

Branded projects :-  new brand ; defining market role , advertising , digital, sponsorship, packaging, portfolio management, SKU reduction , revitalising troubled brands, brand guidelines.

Strategy projects :-market entry, troubled brand ,competitor analysis, category review, brand planning.


Specialities: brand building, innovation, communications (ATL TV, Radio, digital) category management. consumer, customer marketing.

Markets : 
Food  :- bakery, dairy, baby food ,sauces, jams, organic, rice cakes, carbonated drinks, Foodservice 

Health :- mens health, women's health, vitamins,  bariatric surgery, ocular, gastric health, private healthcare, OTC.

Available interim.

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The Battle

Andy Barden

Colette Connors

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