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Concrete steps to make customer insights directional for growth Most companies describe themselves as customer-centric. Far fewer are customer-informed in ways that materially change how they operate. Marketing gathers insights, sales hears objections, product ships features, and revenue reports results, but those signals rarely move through the organization as a connected system. Instead, they sit in silos, get summarized inconsistently, or disappear altogether. A real feedb

January has a way of telling the truth. Either you’re riding into the new year feeling clear, energized, and a little smug about what you accomplished, or you’re staring at your inbox thinking, well… that escalated quickly. Wherever you landed, here are a few grounded business reminders to start the year. 1. Audit reality before setting goals Before you chase new objectives, look hard at last year. What actually moved the needle? What sounded good but quietly died by March? B

A clear-eyed look at cost, speed, risk, and the maturity stages of a business It’s Not a Budget Question. It's a Maturity Question Most companies don’t debate whether they need marketing. They debate how much leadership they actually need and when. The choice between fractional and full-time marketing is often framed as a cost decision, but that framing misses the real issue. The right model depends on the stage of the business and the specific problem leadership is trying to

Let’s just say what everyone’s been thinking: the influencer era is winding down, and honestly, it’s about time. For a decade, we’ve watched strangers sell us sunscreen, self-help, and their “morning routines,” all wrapped in a curated version of authenticity that was never actually authentic. Influencers weren’t selling products. They were selling a polished illusion of a life we were supposed to want. Then AI walked in and quietly broke the spell. Overnight, it became obvio

Why marketing is stronger when it’s built on the truth of your floor Most manufacturers build their value propositions from the outside in, by talking to customers, gathering competitor intel, and shaping a narrative they think  the market wants. But the companies with the most resilient growth do the opposite: They build their value proposition from the inside out , starting with what their production floor does exceptionally well. When operations and marketing are aligned,

Your slow-moving SKUs aren’t just taking up space on a shelf. They’re quietly draining your resources, your team’s focus, and your bottom line. In most OEM and supplier portfolios, a small percentage of SKUs generate almost all the revenue, while a growing number barely break even. Ignoring them isn’t an option. Understanding their true cost is the first step to reclaiming efficiency and profitability. The Hidden Financial Drain Underperforming SKUs come with direct financial

In the label and packaging business, stability and reliability are foundational. The recent bankruptcy filing by MPS Holding B.V. (and its affiliated entities) brings this sharply into focus. On October 28 2025 the entities were declared bankrupt by the District Court of Gelderland, stopping production, deliveries and service. This incident provides a valuable case study: what can OEMs, suppliers and stakeholders in the label/packaging space learn from it? Here are key take-a

Press releases announcing leadership changes, reorganizations, or strategic pivots aren’t just about keeping stakeholders informed. They’re about controlling the narrative before the news turns negative. Companies want to get ahead of potential backlash, speculation, or scrutiny. The Strategy Behind the Spin Terms like “realignment,” “strategic evolution,” or “streamlining” are carefully chosen. They make change sound intentional and positive, even when the underlying reality

Every marketing campaign has a half-life. At first, results surge. Traffic spikes. Engagement jumps. Leads roll in. Then, slowly but surely, things taper off. The same ad that once stopped people mid-scroll becomes invisible. That influencer collab that once buzzed? Crickets. That slow fade is what’s known as decay . Understanding it, even embracing it, is one of the most underused disciplines in marketing today. What Is Decay Analysis? Decay analysis is the process of studyi

For decades, marketing teams have lived and died by the funnel. It is clean, measurable, and comforting in its linear logic: attract attention, convert leads, close deals. But in B2B, growth rarely moves in a straight line. Relationships, referrals, and reputation matter more than perfectly optimized conversion rates. That is where the flywheel comes in, a model that trades linear efficiency for momentum. From Funnels to Flywheels In the traditional funnel, energy goes in at

Illustration by Sam Drew OEMs that listen and deliver fully tested, production-ready solutions will earn the trust and business of printers and converters; not the ones who sell prototypes or exaggerate performance claims. In today’s printing and converting industry, success isn’t about pushing the latest equipment off the showroom floor. Printers and converters are the frontline of the label and packaging market, translating brand and end-customer demands into operational re

If you want to know why so many marketing teams struggle to earn credibility in the boardroom, look at what they’re measuring. We obsess...

Somewhere between the Sales and Marketing departments, something keeps breaking down. Sales blames Marketing for weak leads. Marketing...

Margins in printing and packaging are constantly tested by rising input costs, faster turnaround demands, and the pressure to deliver on...

Illustration by Sam Drew In the printing and packaging world, equipment delays, supply chain disruptions, environmental compliance...