Agnes Bobvos is a highly skilled events and marketing executive, having worked with both B2B and B2C companies from industries such as entertainment, media, corporate, luxury retail, and creative service.
Why did you choose a career in marketing, how did you start?
I started as a Marketing Assistant for the Ballantine’s Marketing Team at Chivas Brothers then went on to pursue a career in events marketing & management. Since I was little, I’ve always had a passion for events; to create experiences that people will enjoy and remember. I believe, events – physical and/or digital – are an integral part of marketing: they provide a chance to take your audience on an emotional journey and tell the story of your brand in the most interesting way, giving prospective consumers a sense of your company’s focal points, perception and personality (if done well).
Tell us a bit about your professional path until now.
During my time at Chivas Brothers, I was involved in the planning and delivery of a variety of brand activation campaigns, including the Ballantine’s Brasil and the Ballantine’s Christmas Reserve UK launch, as well as in organising the 2013 Ballantine’s Global Conference in Budapest. In 2015, shortly after receiving my Postgraduate Diploma in Events Marketing & Management from King’s College, I embarked on a freelance career as an Events Production Manager to gain first-hand experience and explore the opportunities that lie in small-scale, live events production. Apart from overcoming numerous challenges from raising the necessary budget, securing sponsorship and partnership for our events to finding the right venue and boosting ticket sales, I gained invaluable experiences and forged lasting personal and professional relationships that helped me land a permanent job at a London-based international film sales and distribution company in 2017. Here, I could apply the skills I’ve previously acquired and excel in managing complex marketing projects with budgets up to £500K.
Moving on to luxury events, I took on a contract role at Patek Philippe, organising incentive trips and high-profile private client events, including the 2019 New Collection Launch Event. My success in the role highly relied on effectively liaising with various stakeholders and the sales team. After serving my extended contract, I landed a Marketing Executive role at Downey, one of Patek Philippe’s long-standing suppliers. I was initially hired to manage Downey’s social media channels, create content, write copy for the website and manage future events, latter of which was disrupted by the forthcoming pandemic. During my time at Downey, I identified unexploited digital marketing opportunities, increased social reach via Instagram and Pinterest by 42% and generated new organic leads.I’ve initiated optimising Downey’s website content with the application of SEO best practices.
What advice do you wish you got when you started your career in marketing?
Get a deeper understanding of marketing analytics and how to effectively use data and analytics to make more effective marketing decisions, rather than purely relying on a marketing agency that doesn’t necessarily have a strong emotional connection to your brand and/or understanding of its brand values.
Top 3 learnings in your marketing career that brought the most value?
- Effective communication is key
- Always be up-to-date with new trends and innovations and optimise your marketing strategy – if necessary – accordingly
- Take the time to listen to your customers. Don’t assume you know their “pain points”
One result you are really proud of as a marketeer
The Patek Philippe 2019 New Collection Launch Event. A fully-attended VIP private client event with and immersive dining experience where clients and their guests had the opportunity to interact with the brand through different touchpoints (specially crafted presentation box with venue and branding elements in the design revealing the invitation inside, face-to-face chats with sales consultants during the event, brief video explaining the mechanism of the most anticipated watch, Patek branding throughout the event, a library room set-up – among other rooms – with Patek books and magazines to unwind and read, immersive dinner where guests had to use watchmaker tools to handle the food, take-away gifts with Patek branding, post-event communication to encourage clients to visit the Salon and have a look at the new collection in a more private environment where they could try on the new watches). The event was a great success and generated new interest/business opportunities through client advocacy.
What’s one important B2B marketing trend that will gain popularity in 2021, in your opinion?
It has already gained popularity and I think it will continue to do so: Content will need to be multi-format and more interactive to stimulate the customer’s senses in different ways. Customers want to consume their content in different formats: some love visual, others prefer audio formats, yet others would rather sit back and have a long read. Important to cater for all.
Which is the strongest social media channel in 2021, and why?
There’s no general answer, as it depends on where your audience is located. I personally believe the strongest social channel this year is Tik Tok, leading in generating awareness, giving people the opportunity to naturally express themselves and for businesses to humanise social presence.
However, in B2B marketing, LinkedIn is undeniably the most powerful channel.It operates the world’s largest professional network on the Internet, it gives business owners all over the world the opportunity to find, connect and build a relationship with their target market regardless of industry or location. You can build media relationships, partnerships, connect with potential clients and generate business leads within just one platform!
What would you recommend to businesses that want to grow in 2021? What about the tactics they should avoid?
If they haven’t yet, adopt a tailored omnichannel marketing approach: know which platforms will most effectively target your audience and reach your goals and be actively present on those platforms (TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Twitter,). Come up with creative ways to tell your brand’s story. The key is to be authentic and deliver a consistent message to your viewers.
Apart from creating consistent, relevant content on those platforms, engage in conversations, provide educational, “behind the scenes” information/videos, create digital events. Integrate ecommerce into your social platforms. Track your social media success and optimise your content and platforms use if/when necessary. Integrate email marketing in your strategy *(a staggering 90% of boomers use email on a regular basis)! Use marketing automation tools and Harness the power of Google Ads, Discovery Ads, Gallery Ads and Voice Search.
Can you name one digital marketing tactic that you find overrated?
Traditional paid advertising (print, outdoor, broadcast). When it comes to generating leads and making sales, traditional outbound marketing tactics are far less effective than it used to be, especially in the current climate where the majority of people are working from home and commuting has been drastically reduced. Flexible working and home-working is gaining popularity and it is here to stay. Social media marketing has overtaken broadcast, even with baby boomers who now spend over 11 hours a week on Facebook and Instagram.
